| Once upon a time, when Artemio Reyes was seven years old, he heard the |
| word soulmate. His heart led him to his mother, and he asked "Mommy, what |
| is a soulmate?" |
| His mother's bright blue eyes sparkled with excitement, and she told him she |
| had a bedtime story for him that night. Once dinner was eaten, Art swiftly got |
| ready for bed without prompting, and his mom entered his room with an old |
| book he had never seen before. She sat on the bed next to him, opened it, |
| and let him see the title. 'My Special Person.' Then, she began to read. |
|
| Chapter One |
| Every person in the world is special - we have a sense called intuition that |
| helps us every day. It leads us to answers we seek, things we need, but most |
| importantly, it leads us to a special someone who is only meant for us. |
| You have a special person somewhere in the world, and your intuition will lead |
| you to them. This person will be someone that completes you like a puzzle, and |
| they will always stay by your side. You can trust this person with your secrets, |
| your family, and even with your most precious items. They will stay with you |
| if you are sick, poor, or crippled, and when one passes on, the other will follow. |
| You in turn will do the same thing for them! They will feel special to you just like |
| you are to them. You will always want to share things or be around that person, |
| and you will understand them better than you understand yourself. |
| This special person is called a 'Soul Mate,' and every person is born with one. A |
| soulmate bond will not form unless both people want it, but once it does, your |
| lives will forever be entwined and you will never be lonely again. Everybody |
| wants to find their soul mate, but sometimes, not everybody can. Sickness could |
| take them too early, or they might be too far away to sense unless you have a |
| very powerful sense of intuition. |
| Now, to feel this bond, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and relax. Count to |
| ten as you slowly breath in, count to three as you hold your breath, then count |
| to ten as you slowly breath out. Do this a few times until you are about to fall |
| asleep, then feel where your heart beats. There is a warmth there that feels like |
| it stretches out past you - like there is a string attached to something very nice. |
| If you do not feel it now, that is okay! It just means your soul mate is probably |
| not very close, but when you become an adult, you can go on a Journey to find |
| them. |
|
| Art pouted when he tried those steps with the help of his mother and didn't feel |
| anything from it, but the book gave him hope and kept him hopeful as he grew |
| up. He ended up at a special school called Hogwarts by the time he hit secondary |
| since it was found that he had one of the most powerful intuition skills in all of |
| England, if not all of Europe. Intuition like that automatically slated him for a role |
| in leadership for whatever field he joined, but he wanted to travel to distant lands |
| to find his soulmate. At the age of eleven, he locked himself in for the position as |
| a criminal analyst since it would mean a lot of travel everywhere while most other |
| kids his age picked simple roles like fireman, doctor, or space program since they |
| had not done the research he had. Those children would go on to most likely work |
| as assistants, clerks, or whatnot that supported more powerful minds, but Art's |
| research had told him that he most likely had a very high chance of becoming a |
| world class detective or something along those lines that only he would be able to |
| do with his intuition skills and genius intellect. |
|
| Artemio Reyes succeeded in his dreams. He became a world renowned criminal |
| profiler that could cherry pick the cases he took because he would know that their |
| next move was before they even made it. He didn't lack in wealth, prestige, or |
| awards for his service to many countries even beyond Europe, but he did lack in |
| friendship and the world felt so cold. Unfortunately, Art could never feel warm no |
| matter where he went. |
|
| Art could never find the warmth of the soul mate bond and always felt empty. |
Adriel grew up confused what people even meant about intuition, but he started hearing about research being done on 'handicapped' people who lacked the skill. Just as some people could be blind or deaf, some could be without intuition though it was extremely rare and something a person was born with. It was so rare that it was a myth, and he called it being a 'Void' since he couldn't sense others but they also couldn't predict him. He was a blur in the pattern of life for those with intuition, but those with intuition didn't realize it since they just saw 'another face in the crowd.' The researchers tossed around a name for the condition, and they ended up calling it 'Wallflower Syndrome.' Despite the recent research, little was known about it and it never really gained public awareness since it was extremely rare. Most people thought it was 'fake' even though it was now the year 2015 when most conditions were being recognized.
Adriel had stayed far away from the researchers since, as a minority from a subjugated race, he was wary of medical staff. Yes, it was the research began in the early 2000s, and things like the sterilization programs were an ugly note in history that really was not too long ago since it only stopped in the 80s and early 90s, but there were still whispers that some locations continued to do it and very little reparations had been made to the victims from decades ago. He didn't want to be seen as expendable or end up 'disappearing' into one of those research facilities, so he kept his Void status a secret, and nobody noticed it. Rather, nobody but his grandfather noticed it, and his grandfather had an ancient tale to tell him about it.
What gave it away for Adriel was that he had seriously thought that soul mates were just romantic trash since he couldn't understand intuition just like a person born blind could not understand the color blue. His grandfather taught him how to fake being weakly intuitive through reading body language when Adriel said he could never trust government with the knowledge and didn't want to be registered with a 'disability.' The story about soul mates his grandfather told about those like him was weird, though.
Voids had soul mates, however their soul mate would never be able to sense a connection to them if they were intuitive unless they searched for it while being touched while a void would only ever sense it when they felt their soul mate trying to intuit them specifically. A Void would also have to set their eyes on their soul mate to know who it was for sure. The chances of setting your eyes on a soul mate that could be halfway around the world was almost nil, though, so Adriel dismissed the notion of soul mates once more. Even if it was a true concept, he had no problems finding partners and people that loved him so he didn't need to find a soul mate anyway.
No, what was more interesting in the ancient story was that voids also had varying degrees of power just like those with intuition did. His lack of intuition was supposed to mean he had nothing, but if it was nothing, then how could it be a stronger nothing? A zero was zero just like infinite was infinite, so it didn't make sense, but it didn't stop Adriel from trying to experiment. In the act of experimentation, he found that it was more than just fading into the background - it was the ability to not exist at all to 99.9972% of the population out there, and he was able to drag others into his orbit like an aura to make them unseen and unable to sense as well. He could smother others with his ability so their lights no longer twinkled until he let them go.
Adriel did nothing about that for years, but by his mid twenties, bed hopping was beginning to lose its appeal and when he was almost thirty, using his own hand was better than being around shallow people with intuition so weak that they mistook lust for love and a soul mate bond. They were so eager to cling to anyone they thought could be 'the one' by that age that going out to find people to sleep with was not worth the hassle, but it wasn't until he gained his first stalker that wouldn't accept 'no' that he finally took action. He turned around and stalked his own stalker, then killed the guy after he learned the man was a serial killer that targeted those with long black hair to keep as a trophy.
From there, it was like he had a new calling. The chase and bringing down the worst part of society was fulfilling in a way that sex was not - it gave him a sense of accomplishment, the rush of a kill, and he no longer felt like he
had to go with the flow of society. Better yet, the world was pretty open to him since he was a freelance bodyguard with ties to museums and universities because of his father's legacy, and the only thing that stopped him from becoming a historian like his father had been was that his options were to deal with the racism of trying to go to school in the States, or having to live in a huge city in England and lose his freedom.
So, hunting serial killers, rapists, pedophiles, and other irredeemable people it was. Adriel knew it made him judge, jury, and executioner, and that he was barely a step above those people in the eyes of the law, but being a Void meant that nobody could touch him. To be honest, it was very easy, and it took another couple years for Adriel to get tired of it. He considered something like the dark web to gain an underground following, but he knew how to use a computer and that was all so it would be too dangerous and let him get caught too easily. He had other ideas he considered - warning a news station, sending a riddle to the police, making a code, but most of those were already done by others and he didn't want to be known as a copycat of someone like the Zodiac Killer.
Adriel settled on marking his victims to give them a 'fair chance.' He learned how to cobble together his own electrical tool by taking apart a wireless soldering tool, increasing its heat output, then tried to put together a brand that he tried to make look like the five-headed Tiamat, but it came out looking like an odd star since he was not good enough to do anything more than cut out basic shaped when it came to metal.
Still, Adriel thought it looked nice, and the tool only needed to be on for a little over a minute before it was hot enough to burn into flesh. Adriel
branded his victims when he found them, then gave them enough time for the burn to heal before he went to collect their life.
That made the game more interesting, and it kept him entertained in between contracts before an aspiring reporter caught wind of his activities using clues rather than intuition. He stopped looking for scum to kill when a few recent countries he had been through began to realize that they also had mysterious murder cases with victims that had that symbol branded into them, but his wariness didn't last long since he knew they would not be able to sense him so he continued to kill though he was more cautious about it.
Then he got a name that he actually didn't care for because of how cliche it was. 'The Hunter' was what the original reporter that connected the initial clues decided on, and the rest followed her lead. Adriel hated it a lot, but it wasn't like he could call their PR to complain about it. He resigned himself to that uninspiring name and continued his 'reign of terror.'
It was shortly after a kill in London when he first felt it, and he was up in Scotland poking through Celtic ruins when he did. Warmth that chased out some of that emptiness in him for a few seconds, and when it stopped, it made him more aware of that lack of sense, that hole, that
void inside of him. It also made him realize that his infamous activities had drawn his soul mate's eyes to him, and he abandoned his hobby to go back to London to begin there with his last kill.
Adriel searched for the investigation team working on his case, and he found out that Scotland Yard wanted to be the ones to catch him and so they brought in some top specialists. Forensic analysts that knew what objects needed to be searched under microscope if needed, Intuit Photographers that were supposed to know exactly what to take pictures of, and even a criminal profiler. Adriel very carefully prowled around the building that he knew they had rented specifically for the case on him to see who everyone was so he could find his soul mate, and he was rather surprised to find out that it was the world renowned profiler, Artemio Reyes, when the man left one day to go to the library.
Adriel's first ambush of the man is where this story starts.
Adriel watched from the shadows of a dark alley as Artemio came out of the library as it closed, and he began preparations by tying his hair up and hiding it under a cap, then he put on a pair of leather gloves as he watched his target go by on the opposite side of the street. It was early evening now and sunset was very soon, but it seemed like the profiler was going to take the thirty minute walk back just like he had walked to the library. The walking didn't make much sense to Adriel when Artemio could have ordered an uber, flagged down a taxi, or taken the bus, and Artemio walked very slow which meant he would take at least an hour to make it back to the office not far from Scotland yard.
As much as Adriel didn't understand it, he did appreciate it since it gave him plenty of time to stalk and watch his soul mate. The man was obviously very fussy about his clothes since everything was without wrinkles and such, but he also looked like his grandmother had dressed him or like a university student from the 50s. In plainer words, Artemio looked like a grade A geek that even other geeks would want to avoid so as not to be associated with that type of fashion disaster, but that look was unique in its own way and made the profiler seem even more vulnerable and very appealing to Adriel. Kind of a 'he might be a geek, but he is
my geek' type of feeling, and it was that feeling that had Adriel acting after the sun set and Artemio turned down a street where a few of the lights did not work.
Adriel normally preferred to have things prepared ahead of time, but he did know the area since there were universities, museums, and theaters all in this region that he had been frequenting since he was very young. He also knew that this was a bad neighborhood and that Artemio was relying on his intuition saying it wasn't dangerous to take this shortcut. Adriel silently moved in when Art stepped into an area where there was no light, and he clapped one hand over the man's mouth to keep any shouting muffled as he pressed his thumb into an artery to cut off the oxygen flow to Art's brain until he passed out a minute later.
Adriel held the surprisingly light man more carefully and ignored the armful of books the profiler had been carrying that fell to the ground, and he realized it was probably the only reason Artemio had not flailed. He held Art a little closer to breath in the collar of Art's shirt as he wondered if his soul mate really valued books above his own life, but he shook his head and shifted the body in his arms so he could scoop it up to carry in a bridal style.
Adriel didn't have far to go - it was technically a few streets over, but since he was on foot, he was able to take the dark paths in between other buildings and back alleys to get to an
abandoned theater that used to play documentaries and indie films, though it went out of business with the 2008 depression. It had already been on its last legs truth be told, but it had been a cozy place he would sometimes frequent before it went out of business and the building had been left to rot. There was a way in through the back that was hidden behind a graffitied plywood board that used to be nailed over the broken back door but only appeared to be so now, and he was very careful as he slowly made his way deeper into the pitch black building.
Adriel wondered if
maaaaaybe he acted a little bit hastily since he was a romantic at heart, but he highly doubted Artemio would have taken him at his word when he wouldn't be able to feel their connection. Adriel had read articles on Artemio on the past, and the man was a skeptical misanthrope that worked off of logic, and when questioned, he claimed his soul mate had died during childhood since he had never been able to find 'her' despite travelling all over the world.
He remembered that last bit since it was very unusual for anyone to name a gender if their soul mate was unknown - it was a social faux pas that had caused several smaller articles to be written that criticized Artemio. The profiler's only saving grace was that his field of work didn't really get much in the way of fame like celebrities did, so the criticism had died down pretty quickly when the next big thing had come along.
Adriel nearly tripped on something at that point, but he was moving slowly enough that even while holding his soul mate he was able to recover. He tilted his head when the acoustics of his steps changed to show he was in a larger room, so he finally shifted the body in his arms to the left one so he could fish out his phone with his right and turn on the flash light. The
theater room wasn't pretty, but it was old school and the seats were
sturdy. Adriel moved Artemio to the nearest chair, then he quickly opened up the man's jacket to... Well, he was going to use Artemio's belt, but the suspenders were even better so he used that to bind his soul mate's arms behind him. Then he turned off the phone's flash light and crouched in the aisle right by his hostage and waited for him to come to.
"Nnngh," Adriel heard Art groan after several minutes that felt much longer in the dark and silent room. "Wha...? Hello? HELLO? Where am I?! What happened? HEEEEEELP!"
"Nobody's going to help you, Mr. Reyes," Adriel said in a dark and purring tone to disguise his voice. "Nobody can hear you."
"EEK!" Artemio shrieked, and Adriel winced at the high pitched sound. "AH! Who are you?! Let me go! Do you know who I am?!" The silence from that last question was loud since Adriel had
just used the man's name, and they both knew how stupid it was. "Uh, I mean, I work with police all over the world! You could have gotten my name from my wallet! Let me go right now or I will use my contacts to make sure you go to prison for at least a century!"
"You already are
hunting me," Adriel said once the man's indignant and fearful ranting was done. When Artemio began to struggle to try and wiggle out of the suspenders, Adriel reached out to grab his upper arm and gave it a warning squeeze that made Art go still. "Shhh, I'm not here to hurt you. I'm just curious about you is all."
"...Oh, that is why I can't sense danger," Artemio said, still sounding a little afraid, but very relieved even though Adriel could feel how tense he was by the grip he had on him. "My books!"
"Are out on the street and will give your fellow officers a way to find you here shortly," Adriel smoothly explained with his dark tone. "You smell nice, like Irish Spring soap."
"It was on sale in bulk a couple months ago," Adriel heard Art mumble, now sounding embarrassed and wrong footed. "If you want me to give you details on your case, I won't."
"I'm not here to ask about my case," Adriel scoffed. "I'm here to see you. I've followed your career - they say you are the known strongest intuitive in the world of our generation. You make some rather silly choices since you rely on it too much - I got you here while you were wandering a bad area. I may not have meant to be a danger to you then, but I could be unstable and just suddenly change my mind in a few minutes."
"I would have known that since if you were unstable, you would have pinged as dangerous," Artemio facetiously replied, trying to use obnoxious bravado to cover his fear and embarrassment. Very cute soul mate. Very stupid soul mate, too. "They have you profiled as sane, but with anti personality disorder."
Adriel smirked and leaned in. "You said they, but what do you think?" he breathed into Artemio's ear, then chuckled when it made Art flinch away. He could practically hear Artemio chanting 'I am safe, there is no danger still' in his head since that was a very common chant that previous victims would say out loud.
"I'm not telling you anything," Artemio said after he swallowed hard, and he remained leaning away from Adriel. Adriel was not going to have that, so he slid his free hand inside of Art's jacket as he got up, then leaned forward so that they could feel each other's body heat. "
What... what are you doing? Please... don't..."
"I'm not going to hurt you," Adriel coo'ed to try to reassure Artemio - he did not like the small voice the man used at the end. "This is as far as I'm going with touching, too. Neither of us can see, and I want to make sure you aren't doing anything sneaky to escape before I am done. Don't you have any questions for me,
Artemio?"
Adriel felt Art shiver when he rolled his name out, then there was a shuddering deep breath that meant Art was still chanting self reassurances in his own head still. To Artemio's credit, he seemed to also be taking his time to consider what to say next even if he was starting to get a little shaky. "Why are you killing those people?" Art quietly asked, then held his breath like he expected to be hurt even though Adriel knew that his intuition would not be saying anything at all. Adriel was a
Void after all. A wallflower.
"It's funny how everyone has been wondering what these people I have recently started branding have in common, but nobody has
looked," Adriel purred, then paused to quietly take in Art's scent again with his next inhale. "They were serial killers, serial rapists, the worst types of pedophiles, human traffickers, and so much more. You might think I'm no different than them since I'm killing them and am classified as a serial killer myself now, but I do only target only the most irredeemable people that have been slipping in between the cracks of society for years. Look into their background better and you will find they have a trail of bodies or have committed the worst kinds of atrocities to children that I will never be able to compete with."
"Why me?" Artemio asked next, but Adriel let go and backed away. "Wait!"
Adriel decided it was time to stop pressing his luck and leave, so he silently slipped out even though he heard Art begin to struggle again and cry out to not be left alone. Finally, someone finally knew why he was killing people off. That it was his own soul mate... Well... Who would ever have expected it to be
Artemio Reyes? The general rule was that a person's power was roughly equivalent to their soul mate's power... So if Art was the strongest Intuit, did it make him the strongest Void? It made him wonder once again how one zero could be stronger than the next as he left the building and disappeared towards White Chapel to lose any trail that might try to follow.
Their second meeting was more innocent even though Adriel deliberately set it up. Artemio was a bibliophile, and that meant he would be returning to the library. Adriel had a good excuse to be there - he was researching those runes up north until he hurried down here, so those were the books he had setting out on a table to take notes for several days until Artemio came in. His soul mate was still fussily dressed, but there were shadows under his eyes from little to no sleep and it made Adriel feel a little bad. He was also not alone - there was a Scotland yard officer with him and one of the forensic analysts, too.
"I told you I am fine," he heard Artemio snap to the blonde woman with him while he completely ignored the officer. They both sat at Adriel's table since the others were filled and the officer positioned himself to guard over it. "I don't need company here, and I was never in any danger!"
"You never know!" the blonde hissed while Adriel continued to take notes and pretend he couldn't hear the two that most would consider very rude. They sat at his table without permission and were technically disrupting his studies with conversation after all. "What if he had snapped?! He could even be a
wallflower!"
"Wallflower?"
"It's called Wallflower Syndrome, and it is a medical term for the very rare few who are born without intuition," the blonde said in a haughty tone. "They can't sense us... But
we also can't sense
them!"
"That's impossible," Artemio firmly stated with contempt in his tone. "They are just so weak in power they can't sense anyone hardly at all, and they don't
do anything because they are weak so we overlook them is all."
"That mentality is part of what makes it so easy for us to be oblivious!" she insisted. "Look, it's been medically researched. I'll go get one of the books and prove it!"
She got up and talked off with an annoyed huff, and Adriel looked up at that point and rolled his eyes. "Women always have to be right," he commented in a dry tone which caught Artemio's attention and made him blink up at him. "Though in this case, she is. The school I went to found a student I knew for their research so I kept an eye on it just in case it was a scam of some type. It was a legitimate study, but the sample group was so small that it was unable to go very far and they lost funding since so few were interested or even aware of the research project."
Artemio gave him a skeptical look and started to turn away to mind his own business, but he did a double take when he saw the notes Adriel was taking. "You take notes using runes?" he asked in a dubious tone. "Are you a history student and is this a project?"
"No to the latter, yes to the former," Adriel honestly answered with a small and brief smile, then continued with not-quite-a-lie. "I nearly went into archeology, but I don't have the money to throw away at a university with how much they cost now. If I tried to get into archeology now, I would never be able to pay off that debt - even lawyers take over a decade to pay off their own debts and archeologists are paid peanuts."
Amusingly enough, Art's expression and body language said he was interested in their conversation but he also didn't want to talk at all and wanted to be left alone. "Oh," Artemio replied in that tone that people used when they are trying to figure out a way to get out of socializing without upsetting the other person. "I had a scholarship since I graduated valedictorian."
"You must be very smart," Adriel complimented with a small but friendly smile that he held for a little bit longer than he did the first time. "Even then, it sounds like you worked really hard for it since it is a lot of work. Tedious at least even if it might have been easy for you. What are you specializing in? Must be something difficult since you look tired."
Artemio blushed and looked a little pleased, and Adriel figured not many people must give him personal compliments. "Oh. I already finished," Art replied as he put his hand on the book he was about to open. Adriel glanced at it and saw it was a book on Ancient Carthage and the Roman conquest of it. "I work in... law enforcement."
Adriel tilted his head a little to show he was curious. "What does a police officer need with a book on the Carthaginian Empire?" he asked, then flicked his eyes over to the officer in uniform with a look of open honesty. "I know a lot of books on Carthage if you need references to use for a case?"
Artemio blushed a little harder as he looked down at his book. "Uhm... No, this is a hobby," he mumbled. "I like history and today is my day off. Or it was supposed to be, but we're working on a dangerous case so none of us should be out alone."
Adriel gave Art a look of sympathy as he nodded at the chair the blonde had been sitting at. "Ah, tough luck, mate, if she is making you work when you want to relax," he sympathized while noting that Artemio had not corrected him on the police officer assumption that most would have made. "I'm on vacation and out here visiting family right now - I'm half Brit so I come here once or twice a year to visit if I can. I was up in Scotland and came across a Celtic ring, recalled there is one on my family property, and decided to do a bit of research since it made me curious. It's times like these that I wish I had decided to go into archeology."
"Oh," Artemio said, then floundered again with that expression that said he was interested but didn't want to talk and couldn't figure out what to do. Then the blonde came back, and Art had to jerk the hand on his book away because she had not noticed his hand was there when she went to slap down the thick medical Blue Book that listed all disabilities and impairments. "Oh..." Art said for the third time, except this time is was with resigned disappointment.
"Here," the blonde said in a haughty tone as she opened the book and flipped the bulk of the pages in one go to get towards the end. "Wall... Wall... Ah, here! Wallflower Syndrome! That was supposed to be a placeholder name, but it ended up becoming the actual term because nobody really knew what to call it. It's hard to comprehend how
anyone can survive, let alone live without the intuition sense! How would then know if a meal had arsenic in it or could cause food poisoning? Or if the next person to ask them out was going to kidnap them?"
Art gave the blonde a rather annoyed look at that last one, but he put his hand on the page so he didn't lose the spot. "I imagine they would have to either not date or be very very careful just like any intuit whose soul mate died young would have to do," he snapped with a frown.
The blonde recoiled with a shameful expression. "I am so sorry, I didn't mean to say that," she immediately began to apologize like she had accidentally kicked a puppy, and Artemio began to look even more irritated to Adriel's delight. "I didn't mean to remind you that-"
"Enough, Jessica," Art said as he cut her off. "
That doesn't matter, but today
is my day off. I'm here for history, not for work!"
"Sorry, sorry!" she apologized with a bob of the head each time. "I'll go sit at the cafe next door and keep watch outside... Sorry Mr. Reyes!"
Art gave a sigh of exasperation rather than answer, and Jessica turned and practically fled out the door. Then he grimaced and glanced at Adriel who then acted like most of that conversation had gone over his head. "Uh, sorry for disturbing your studies," he offered after an uncertain look that expressed that he was not sure what to say. "I'll be quiet now."
"Oh no, it's okay," Adriel said in a friendly tone. "I'm interested to know if there has been any updates on the wallflower syndrome since I last checked it a few years ago. If you want more reference material for that, I believe it was the University of Michigan that began the studies back in... 2001 I believe it was? I was still in high school, anyway, so it could be up to 2003. I graduated in oh-four and I know for sure that my friend was not pulled out in my senior year. Er, if you want to look deeper into it, you could always request a copy of the the research or the final dissertation done on it."
Adriel inwardly smiled when Art turned to his book rather than reply or acknowledge what he had said in any way to read about the syndrome. Adriel didn't need to read it to know it said the same exact thing it said five or even ten years ago. They barely got the syndrome acknowledged at the end before the research was shut down, but Artemio was very obviously wanting to read rather than interact to inhale the new bit of information he didn't have before. The way Art furrowed the spot in between his eyebrows was endearing, and Adriel kind of wished he wasn't a void so that the other man would know of their potential bond.
"Here," Art finally said in a dismissive tone as he pushed the book towards Adriel, then he opened up the history book he had actually wanted to read as soon as Adriel finished dragging it over to dutifully read the entry. Nope, no change. He quietly closed the book, then returned back to doing his own research though he did keep an eye on Artemio from the corner of his eye. Art began to relax as the silence stretched on, and after half an hour, he seemed to have forgotten the rest of the world existed. It took a full hour to go by before the bored police officer loudly cleared his throat and gave Art a pointed look that had Art's relaxed look turn into a petulant frown. "What? You can go also if you want. I told you I am fine!"
"Why don't you check it out?" the officer asked in a are-you-an-idiot tone that had Art bristling up. "Then you can read somewhere more comfortable."
"No!" Art all but hissed as he hunched over his book like it needed to be protected. "I might be pounced on again and I refuse to drop another book! I know
I'm not in danger, but I don't know if the book will be in danger!"
"I could carry it for you," the officer offered, trying to sound polite through clenched teeth. "Then you won't drop it."
"And if you are carrying them, you won't be able to protect me!" Art snapped. "Just go, I'm relieving you of babysitting duty. I will be fine!"
"I can escort him back home?" Adriel offered in a polite tone that had both men looking at him like they had forgotten he even existed. "Or to wherever it is he needs to go. My main profession is bodyguarding - usually for university personnel or when museums transfer important artifacts - so I can keep him protected."
"Yes!" Art immediately accepted while he gave the officer a scathing look. Ah... His soul mate made very very stupid decisions when his intuition wasn't available, apparently. It was like he had no common sense and didn't even think to consider that Adriel could be lying. "You can go and I will have him escort me!" Then Artemio turned to look at him, and Adriel almost gaped at the wide-eyed wonder in Artemio's eyes. "You said important artifacts! What did you get to move?"
Adriel wondered about how similar the two of them were as he talked about some of the artifacts he got to handle or moved to other museums for special exhibits. They both enjoyed history as a hobby, but they both worked to protect people even if it was in different ways. Adriel worked as a guard or bodyguard with many recommendations to his name that the police were no doubt going to look up as soon as they figured out his name, and Adriel was a little bit more proactive with his tendency to kill those that didn't deserve to breathe. However, he was able to give Artemio his name and his business card once he escorted the excited man to the AirBnB he was staying at that evening, and he promised to continue to escort Artemio if they ever met up at the library again.
The second meeting had definitely gone better than the first in a social getting-to-know-you way, but Adriel regretted that he was unable to touch him this time.
The third time they met was that very night. Adriel couldn't help but watch over the house from an empty apartment he broke into several buildings away because Art was so clueless that he didn't want him getting hurt! Then the little idiot left his house, and Adriel had to rush to trail after him while he hastily tucked his hair into a cap and pulled on his gloves again. At least Adriel had his kit with him in the form of a dark navy colored backpack this time.
Trailing him this time was a bit more difficult since the street was in a better area and he had to avoid CCTVs, but he took the dark alley in between the streets and would wait at each entry to catch a glimpse and make sure he was safe. The oblivious profiler didn't pop up at a specific spot, and Adriel realized the little idiot decided that now was a good time to go to a late night market to grab a snack. He gave a silent sigh of exasperation, then backtracked a ways to set up an ambush in a spot that wouldn't be recorded and prepared a towel with some chloroform because Artemio really needed a wakeup call.
He was leaning against the side of the apartment building he had broken into when he heart Artemio's distinct slow shuffling footsteps that meant he dragged his feet when he moved, and he waited until Art was alongside him before he snatched him up and pulled him back while keeping his face covered with the towel. This time, Artemio dropped a can of energy drink - ah, he was planning on staying up despite how tired he looked - as he flailed, and it took a little over a minute before he had an unconscious man in his arms once more. Adriel sighed again, then picked up the energy drink and scooped Art up into his arms before he carried both to the empty apartment he had appropriated.
Adriel made quick work of hog tying Art's wrists to his ankles once he put the man down on his belly, then he added a blindfold for good measure. Everything he used was brand new, just as it always was for every person he stalked, but he knew if Art struggled too much, the jute rope would probably cause rope burn or he could get carpet burns from the floor, so he sat down next to Art. He sighed as he began to rummage around in the backpack for anything else he could use, then he pulled out a sealed syringe, opened it up, and pulled out a vial of medicine, and he made sure that he only put in a low dose before waiting for his
guest to wake up.
"Nnngg," Art moaned once again, then he sharply inhaled when he felt the needle press against his neck without piercing his skin. "... Hunter?"
"Mhmm," Adriel hummed in agreement, making sure to deepen his tone like he had before. "You had so many people fluttering around you lately, and then you wander off alone tonight. Tsk tsk, it's like you are having a difficult time profiling me. You should already know that I like to play."
"... What's in the needle?" Artemio asked in a shaky voice. "I won't scream or fight, just... Please, no needle?"
Adriel immediately withdrew it and watched how Art seemed to lose all his tension for a few seconds out of relief. "Don't like needles?" Adriel asked, then gave a soft and dark laugh when Art tensed right back up again while shaking his head no. "Calm down, pet. You already know you aren't the type of person I kill, and the needle only contains a low dose of ketamine meant to make you docile rather than hurt or fully sedate you. I just don't want you to fight and hurt yourself."
"Why did you grab me?" Art asked, his tone a combination of fear and need. "Like you said, I'm not a victim, so you don't need to... play with me?"
Adriel gave Art a fond smile that the other man couldn't see for using the same term he had. "Very nice of you to try to appeal to me by using my own terminology," he teased in a purring tone. "However, I grabbed you up for a few reasons that can all be summarized as you are special."
Art appeared to fight an instinctive reason to panic. He struggled before going still, began to hyperventilate, then tried to curl up to control his breathing all in about three seconds. Adriel reached out to stroke Art's hair and ignored how he flinched. "Special like you plan to kill me later?" Art asked, voice quiet but fear very very evident.
"Of course not," Adriel coo'ed. "Special like I find you pretty but very obviously can't meet you under normal circumstances. You would get a ping if I tried to trick you."
Art breathed out a sigh of relief though he didn't lose any of his tension this time, then he sucked in a breath quickly when what Adriel had said really sank in. "Pretty?!" Art squeaked. "I'm a guy!"
"So?" Adriel asked, though he made sure his tone conveyed that he didn't expect an answer. "Yes, I know that 'I kidnapped him because he is pretty and was stupid enough to walk alone at night' won't stand up in any court of law... Unless you were female, Muslim, and flashed your ankle, anyway. However I still have zero intentions of hurting you. I just want to get to know you, and I'm sure you want to get to know me so you can fill out your file a little bit more. We both win."
"Except the part where I'm tied up," Art grumbled before uncomfortably shifting little, and when that didn't help, he snarled (about as threatening as a wet two week old kitten) and tried to jerk his head away. The latter didn't work either, but Adriel withdrew the hand stroking Art's hair with a smile. "I don't like to be touched."
"Ah, that's too bad since I love to touch," Adriel sighed in a playfully sad tone. "How about you let me pet your hair and I let you ask me questions? I may not answer all of your questions, but I will answer some. You tell me to stop and we can end tonight's session."
Art practically screamed confusion and reluctance as he silently considered the offer. "And you will let me go?" he quietly asked with a voice that shook a little bit with the anxiety he was under.
"Mhmm," Adriel hummed to agree once again. "However, I won't let you go unless you take the ketamine or I make you lose consciousness so that I can safely let you go free without compromising my location."
Adriel then had to wait over a minute as Art quivered next to him, but finally he quietly cleared his throat. "Okay," Art agreed, and Adriel immediately pulled the glove off his right hand. "No needles." Then Art gasped with surprise when Adriel's bare hand began to card through his hair. "Uhm..." Art took another few seconds to gather his wits, and Adriel didn't stop touching in that time. The hair definitely needed conditioner, but it felt clean. Leaning in to smell it also showed it smelled like strawberries. "The shampoo was on sale," Art grumbled, but Adriel could hear the embarrassment in his voice. "You're distracting me! You said a few reasons. What are they?"
Adriel smiled and gently began scratching Art's scalp. "I told or implied most of them - you are special, you are pretty, you gave me the opportunity, and I want to get to know you," he silkily replied. "Oh, but if you want to know the main reason... I saw your friend from the library today and didn't like how close you two seem. Promise me you will stay away from him and I will tell you, but if you break your promise, I will kill him."
Art vehemently shook his head no. "I won't pull innocent bystanders in to any deal we make," Art said in a very firm tone, and Adriel gave the nape of his neck a gentle squeeze of approval that had Art flinch before forcibly trying to relax himself. "No deal. I doubt I will ever see him again, but if I do, you can't hurt him. I might hire him since he is a bodyguard, but he isn't like your normal victims so don't go near him."
Adriel darkly chuckled and resumed petting Art's hair. Poor little Artemio, unable to use his intuition and having no clue that Adriel was keeping him in the dark and blind in more than the physical sense. "I won't hurt him," Adriel purred. "As long as he doesn't inappropriately touch or hurt you, I will be good." And he barely had to twist his words at all since it was true. He would be considered good if he didn't hurt or inappropriately touch Art. He figured Art was just throwing that last bit out since it wasn't like either of them had offered or discussed him acting as a bodyguard beyond being a library escort.
,
"Good, good," Art mumbled with relief, then reflexively twitched his head away from the next stroke before going still. "Sorry, I'm not saying stop. I have more questions!" Adriel resumed petting with a smirk since Art's thoughts were very obviously scattered and he needed several seconds to gather it together. "Why did you start killing people?"
Adriel blinked since that was actually a very good question for a profiler to ask. It was also smart of Art to not ask something mundane like his age or where he was from. "I could give a lot of textbook answers like a difficult childhood, very little bonds that connect me to my fellow people, I was a victim and decided I would no longer be one, someone I knew was a victim and I refuse to let others suffer, but honestly it's because I got very bored of people so looked for a way to do something about it," he said, inwardly gleeful to get to monologue a little bit and hamming it up just a tad since it was fun. "Most people make my skin crawl with how shallow or stupid they are, and most of them are cardboard cutouts that are just colored and decorated a little differently from each other. There are people like you that are special, though. Or rather, you are the first special person I have come across that I never want to see hurt." He waited several seconds while he twirled one of Art's curls in his finger, then teasingly added "Cat got your tongue, precious?"
"I am not Bilbo Baggins," Art shot back, and Adriel could imagine the scowl on Art's face even if it was too dark to make out anything beyond a silhouette since he had made sure that they were far from a window and the street light it let in. "That was also very creepy like a stalker, Hunter."
"I hate that unoriginal name that bint of a reporter gave me," Adriel sighed out, finally able to actually complain about it. "I'm not a furry or a 2D comic book sidekick. Yes, you can technically say I tag and then hunt down the most dangerous beast of them all - humans - but it could also be considered cutting out the cancer to society or getting rid of the cockroaches to stop their diseases from spreading. Even
Predator would be less lame even though it belongs to a giant alien. What would you name me?"
Art stilled in shock at that last question, then his body language deflated. "Er... Mr. Lion?" he tentatively offered, and when Adriel snorted with amusement and barely bit back a laugh, he gave an angry huff. "I have never named anything and when I think about a hunter, I think about lions and other terrifying giant cats of doom!"
Adriel had to bury his face into his own shoulder to muffle the snickers at that point. Giant cats of doom... really, what was going through his soul mate's mind? If they adopted kids or pets, there was no way he could trust Art to name any of them if that was the best he could do. "You know, I think even Mr. Lion is better than Hunter even if it still sounds like a furry's name," he snickered out, then changed the petting into more scalp scritches when Art tried that adorable and very harmless sounding grown that was meant to be intimidating. "Yes, yes, you are scary and I should be careful to stay on your good side."
Even though he had said the last bit to tease Art, it seemed that Art took it at face value since tension began to seep out though Art was grumbling something he couldn't hear into the carpet. "Yes, everyone is either afraid of me or they hate me," he stated in a matter-of-fact tone that had Adriel frowning with disapproval. "How do you find your victims?"
"They also respect you going by the awards and recommendations you have, and they care about you since they have been guarding you so well the past few days despite you hating it," Adriel pointed out, his tone dry once more and wiped clean of the laughter it had barely contained since he was unhappy about what Art had said about himself though his touch on Art's head remained gentle. "I read a lot of newspapers and check obituaries around the world to spot anything weird, then I do more research online just to make sure that I am on the right track since I don't want to be hasty or make a mistake. Death is final and there is no taking it back, so if I get the wrong person or hurt an innocent, I would be just as bad as those that I hunt rather than a small step above them. Yes, I know you see very little difference. I need to be stopped since I don't have the right - only a fair trial and a conviction should have the right, right? I've yet to make a mistake, but I am still very diligent since it only takes one thing to fall from grace, and as long as I am not caught, judged, and convicted, I am innocent by your own laws."
"
Ego and delusions of grandeur," Art mumbled into the carpet, and Adriel barely caught it. Rather than get upset, he smiled wide enough for his eyes to practically squint shut because Art was so adorable. He was allowing something highly uncomfortable while tied up and blindfolded just so he could gather more information for a profile, though it did seem like Art was getting better at ignoring the petting or was adjusting to it. "Do you brand all of your victims?"
"Only recently," Adriel replied while rubbing Art's hair in his fingers. "Finding and killing them was too easy, so I started to brand them to leave my mark and give them a chance to try to run. You really need hair conditioner, Artemio. You won't have to deal with so much frizz or break so much hair off if you use a decent conditioner. Go to a hair saloon and ask them for advice, or any of your female co-workers will do. You already use a strawberry shampoo, so there is no point in feeling embarrassed about asking around for a good conditioner."
"Why are we talking about that?" Art asked in an irritated tone that had Adriel smirking once more. He wished he had light to see Art's expression, but giving him emotional whiplash was fine. "I don't need that stuff since I don't date or anything."
"You and I have been together twice to get to know each other which could be taken as two separate dates if we look at it sideways with squinted eyes," Adriel purred while smiling. "Unorthodox dates, but we did go to a theater the first time and you are now visiting my home." He ignored the helpless growl-hiss Artemio made to try and object. "I do suppose I should properly ask for the next one rather than spring more surprises. Should we do dinner next time?"
"We. Aren't. Dating," Art bit out. "Don't mock me."
Adriel stilled his fingers at the very offended tone that had no other emotions mixed with it, surprised that Art was taking his gentle teasing so personally. "I'm not mocking you," he said in a more serious tone, then withdrew his hand since Art obviously needed space. "I would be honored if we actually were dating since you are very handsome and smart, but I am aware that this is nowhere near an appropriate date for someone like you who shouldn't have to deal with being tied up. I'm not delusional enough to try to fool myself into thinking this is anything but a temporary kidnapping that is no doubt uncomfortable for you, and while I might tease you a little, I am not mocking you in any way."
They both fell silent, and Adriel didn't touch or bother Art at all while the Latino man chewed over what he had said. He picked up his right glove from his lap and pulled it on, then went still so there was no sound except for Art's heavy breathing. Finally, Art spoke up. "Are you still here, Mr. Lion?" Art asked in an uncertain tone that made Adriel wonder when Art began to be worried he had been abandoned like this. "I didn't say stop."
"I'm here," Adriel replied, and politely ignored the little jerk of surprise Art made. "Just giving you space and time to think, though I do suppose we should cut this short soon since you look like you need sleep. You aren't taking care of yourself very well, Artemio Reyes. If I continue to see those circles under your eyes, the next kidnapping will be to make sure that you sleep for several hours rather than the dinner I am contemplating on."
"I'm fine," Art said with a tinge of annoyance similar to the one he used earlier that day with the blonde, but still too afraid to snap or convey his full irritation at the mother henning. "I've gone longer without sleep and I am busy. Busy working on your case, actually, so if you want me to rest, you should let me turn you in."
"Those dark circles around your eyes would make a raccoon green with envy," Adriel countered in a dry but amused tone that had Art relax a tiny bit. "I also can't make your job too easy for you or you will get bored! Since I refuse to be a boring companion-slash-kidnapper, your choice is to start resting properly at night or I make sure you rest. Or
try not to get caught for another little date, though I don't think you will manage that. No more questions? Time to get you to safety, then."
"No, wait," Art quickly demanded while squirming with anxious worry. "When did you start killing and how many have you killed?"
Adriel grabbed his backpack and pulled it into his lap. "I won't answer the first, but a little over a dozen now," he said as he pulled out the bottle of chloroform. The slosh of liquid had Art make a whimper of fear, but it was so quiet that it was nearly inaudible. "Next?"
"How are you staying anonymous?" Artemio blurted, and Adriel figured the question was being asked out of frustration and because it was something on his mind. "My usual tactics aren't working!"
"I promise not to kill anyone unless it out of defense," Adriel stated as grabbed the towel he had used earlier to dampen it. "At least not while I am involved with you. That means you don't want to end our game too early or I will run off and continue my international killing spree. Marseilles would be a good area to drop by - there are so many human traffickers and serial killers in that city that I could probably take down half a dozen in a month's time. It's pretty sad when one city has at least half my current body count ripe for picking, don't you think? Now stay still - you will wake up close to your home in a bit."
"Wait, I didn't say-" Art began to protest but Adriel covered his nose and mouth with the towel and held the back of his head gently but firmly. His curious little kitten was very displeased going by the struggle he attempted, but Art was weak and in a position with no leverage so it was easily ignored. The struggling lasted a little longer than it did the first time despite Adriel's shushing noises meant to reassure him, but he succumbed to the chemical in the end.
As Adriel began to prepare to wipe traces of himself off of Art and the empty room, he sucked on his lower lip and worried at it while he wondered how exactly he was going to turn this around to get Art to consider a date. Even the pretense of a date would be good for Adriel at the moment, but it was rather disappointing to realize that he had not considered how this might work out until now.
Well, maybe the man would develop a crush on Adriel's regular personality. If he succeeded in wooing him that way, he could retire 'Mr. Lion' and only confess to it on his death bed or something. The thought of keeping a large secret like that from his soul mate did cause a strong twinge of guilt, but he really couldn't see how someone like Artemio could accept a serial killer into his life. It would probably be smarter if he just fled and pretended he never met Artemio but...
The other man made him feel warm.
The next couple interactions happened during the day at the library over the next week, and Artemio did seem to look like he was getting some sleep for a couple days before the circles returned even darker than before. Then Art finally used the business card and called him close to midnight, and Adriel picked up his work phone.
"Adriel Chee, I'm currently on vacation but-"
"Adriel!" Art sounded relieved to hear him, and he was surprised it was Art calling. "Adriel, please.... I would like to hire you. I know you are on vacation, but the precinct has agreed that I need a more dedicated bodyguard and they are willing to pay you more than your regular rates."
That last bit had Adriel pause since he was surprised. His rates were nothing to sneeze at, but it did sound like Art and his crew had done some research into him to make sure he was reliable. Freelance contractor he might be, but he had a paperwork trail dating back to his teenage years that listed his accomplishments and certificates he had worked hard to get for his line of work. It even included an international concealed carry permit, and those were exceptionally difficult to get without government connections. Universities and museums had a lot more pull than most people knew.
"I would be willing to cut my vacation short for you, Art, but what does an officer need a bodyguard for?" he asked in a bewildered tone since Art had not said much about his line of work after that first meeting. "Do you have a gang after you for revenge or something?"
"Uh, no, and I haven't really been honest, but I'm under an NDA right now," Art confessed. "Can we meet up tomorrow? I need you to sign an NDA before I can give you more information. I can set up an interview in a private room at the main precinct tomorrow if you can give me a time frame you are available for. I'm sorry, I know it's a bother, but-"
"No, no, don't apologize, Art," Adriel cut off. "I'd like to think we are becoming friends since we have been bonding over history, so I don't mind coming in and possibly cutting my vacation short by a couple weeks. You have been looking tired and have lost some weight, so whatever is bothering you must be big. Book me for the first available time tomorrow and I will be there."
"Five forty five in the morning," Art replied. "I'll make sure there is a full English breakfast and tea, so don't worry about eating. Thank you."
Then Art hung up without a goodbye or any other polite thing and Adriel pulled his phone away from his ear to give the screen of the phone's home page a smile of amusement. Huh, it seemed like Art might have been honest with Mr. Lion, though it also sounded like the paranoia and stress was also getting to the other man. However, Adriel only had five hours to get to a meeting in the morning so he would only be able to get four hours of sleep at most. He turned off the movie he had been watching and pulled out his personal cell phone to open up the LINE app so he could put in a message for his family to read.
COYOTE: Sry, might be working soon. Will kno more in a few hours.He was going to turn it off since he knew his grandparents were sleeping, but he saw his mother begin to type and recalled that it would be late afternoon where she was and she had probably been watching videos on her phone or something if she was replying so quickly.
BOSS LADY: Will you still be coming back before winter?
COYOTE: mby? Scotland yard wants 2 hire me but dunno 4 how long
BOSS LADY: Use proper English, Adriel. Will you be sending money even if you don't come back for winter residency at the reservation?Adriel sighed after he read the last message. Like usual, all she cared about was if he would be paying her bills. Then he saw his tribal grandfather come online.
COYOTE: Of course, mom.
MedicineMan46203: Are you in danger?Adriel smiled at his grandfather's message since he had been Adriel's primary support as a kid. Only support, really.
BOSS LADY has logged out.
COYOTE: No, I should be fine, but it might be a long term assignment. It will be under an NDA, but I will update you with what I can.
MedicineMan46203: Return home safe as soon as you can, grandson.
COYOTE: Thank you, grandfather.Adriel waited until he saw MedicineMan46203 go offline, then closed the app and got ready for a three hour nap so he would be awake early enough to dress appropriately. He was braiding his hair back like how the Chinese did when his phone buzzed to show he had a new message. He quickly tied off waist length braid and picked up his phone.
Caker Baker: Will you be staying local, sweetheart?He gave the message from his English grandmother a fond smile.
COYOTE: Probably London, Grams, so I should still be able 2 see u on my days off.
Caker Baker: Make sure to give me your schedule when you know it so I can have dinners prepared for you!
COYOTE: Thnx, grams. Love you!
Caker Baker: ❤️
Caker Baker has logged out.Adriel finished getting dressed and left for Scotland Yard's main office. He was almost half an hour early, but they still settled him in the meeting room and then Art came in carrying a plastic bag with takeout and a couple others followed him in. He recognized one of the badges that meant that the assistant commissioner was part of the meeting, but he didn't see anyone from Art's specialized team here.
"Sorry there was little notice," Art said in a voice that sounded even more exhausted than he looked, and that was really saying something. Adriel stood up to help Art sort through the takeout bags. "Thanks. Uhm, there is... You need to sign the paper. Sorry, I haven't slept for over three days. Can't fall asleep even with pills now."
Adriel winced at how out of sorts Art was and felt guilty about what he must have done to Art's state of mind. "It must be pretty terrible," he replied. "I'll do what I can so you can feel safe enough to sleep. Where is the NDA?"
"Assistant chief commissioner, Andrew Fallington," the highest ranked man said as he offered Adriel his hand to shake which Adriel did. "You came very highly recommended for your skills and discretion. James, the NDA." An officer-in-training acting as an assistant fumbled for a moment with the folders in his arms before one of them was placed on a table while Art practically collapsed into a chair. "Read the contract while you eat if you want, but I'll let you get a meal in before we open discussion."
Adriel nodded, and he sat down again with everyone the rest and opened up the folder so he could read while he ate. He saw that Art was unenthusiastically poking at his meal and taking tiny nibbles to look like he was eating, but even that was making the nervous man turn green. Adriel pulled a pen out of the inside of his business jacket to sign the contract when he was done, but everyone continued to silently eat - or pretend to - until the meal was over.
"I had noticed Mr. Reyes looking tired and overworked when I last saw him a couple days ago, but whatever the problem is seems to be worse than I imagined," Adriel said to the commissioner, though his eyes were looking at his soul mate with worry. "I was under the impression that he was an officer, but I'm guessing there is more to it than that."
"Artemio Reyes is the world's best criminal profiler, and he is on a specialized team to try and catch Hunter who is confirmed to be stalking through the streets of London," the officer said in a brisk tone that said he was used to having his orders obeyed. "He is working with Scotland Yard to try and bring in the international serial killer, but Hunter has taken an unhealthy interest in him and is stalking him. He has been kidnapped twice and was unharmed both times, but our analysts have come to the conclusion that Hunter might be changing his M.O. and that Artemio might not return from a third kidnapping attempt."
"What is his M.O?" Adriel asked - he knew, but the news stations had not reported it so it was expected of him to be ignorant of 'Hunter's' usual targets.
"He styles himself as some kind of vigilante," Andrew replied, and Art gave a sigh to silently show that he disagreed. "He says he goes after murderers and rapists, but it doesn't change that he is a serial killer and we can't prove that the victims were as despicable as he insinuated they were yet."
"Serial killers, serial rapists, the worst kinds of pedophiles, and human traffickers," Art recited in a tone that conveyed that he had said that to many others but had been ignored. "They think he wants to... date me? But he is just messing with my head and trying to throw me off his trail. He won't kill me, and he has already agreed not to hurt any body guard I might hire as long as they don't fall into the category his victims do."
Andrew looked like he had sucked on a lemon at the correction, but he moved the conversation forward without acknowledging that Art had said anything. "Hunter might be trying to portray himself as an honorable person, and he probably believes that what he is doing is right, but people like him regularly form delusions like that so they don't feel like a bad person and they try and justify their actions however they can," he stated. Art twitched with irritation and Adriel inwardly rolled his eyes at how inflated the man's ego was that he could believe that he was better than Art was at profiling. "His team suggests, and we agree, that Hunter might believe himself to be in love with Mr. Reyes - or he has romanticized their relationship in some way, and that one of the kidnappings could turn into a killing if Artemio continues to turn him down or ignore his advances."
Art scoffed at that last statement then grabbed his styrofoam up of tea to hold it close, but he made no other move to speak so Adriel spoke up. "Oh, well, he is special I guess," he stated in an uncertain tone, then made himself give a small twitch when Art's head jerked up at the word special and deliberately misunderstood Art's reaction. "Sorry, I mean you are, Art, not Hunter. You're smart and have been good company each time I've met you."
"He calls me special, too," Art admitted in a small voice, then curled up to appear even smaller while clutching his cup like it was providing some comfort. "He's not interested in dating me, though. He just sees me as entertaining and is trying to engage in a battle of wills to set himself up against 'the world's best profiler' to add another tally to whatever score he is keeping. I don't think he will hurt or kill me, but he wants to prove that he is better than me."
Adriel paused to reflect on their prior interactions and... He could see how Art might come to that very wrong conclusion. "Well, if he has such a large opinion of himself like the commissioner is implying, then it makes sense that he wants to see where he stands against someone as good as you are, Art," he diplomatically said. "At the same time, I could see how the others are under the impression that he might be trying to form a deeper relationship than that if he is kidnapping you without hurting you and has been calling you special. If you didn't look like shit right now, I'd say you are actually pretty good looking, but it seems like he is attracted to your intelligence one way or the other." Adriel gave Art a friendly smile when Art gave him an owlish look of disbelief. "Anyway, I'm guessing you want me to shadow you to try and stop the next kidnapping attempt?"
"We want you to live with him and stay by his side during this entire case," Andrew said, forcing Adriel to look back at him with polite attention while Art dropped his head down again. "You will have two days off and a rotation of guards can take watch, but I don't have the men to tie up into Mr. Reye's safety for seven days a week. The situation is desperate enough that we would have hired you sooner, but there is a lengthy vetting process for this case to make sure there are no information leaks. You will not be able to tell anyone your exact location or say anything about the case that could lead the killer to Mr. Reyes or bring the paparazzi down on his head."
Adriel nodded. "I know how to be discrete and how to keep my location and schedule obscure to prevent others from finding or predicting where I or those I am guarding are at," he said. "My only requirement is that nobody try to steal my techniques since it is based off of Native American lore."
"We know," Andrew said after heaving out a sigh. "James, the other folders. We will start on the rest of the paperwork and discuss your salary. Will you be able to start tomorrow?"
"I can," Adriel agreed. He would have started that very day just to be able to spend that extra bit of time with Art.
Dropping in that night as Hunter was difficult since there was an actual guard rotation around Art's home, but he managed to quietly break in through the small bathroom window that Art had left open on the second floor. That would have been safe to do in most cases, but Adriel was very determined to make Art sleep. All he had to do was get on the roof using the neighbor's tree, watch the patrol rotation, secure a short rope that barely hung off the edge, then quickly rip off the screen and wiggle in. Getting out would be easier since he wouldn't have to worry about being completely silent inside the house.
Adriel snuck into the master bedroom the bathroom was attached to and he noted how suitcases were packed up and only the next day's clothes was left out on a chair in the master bedroom. Art had his back to him and was completely unaware of his surroundings, and Adriel silently sucked on his lower lip to consider leaving without a trace. Art was very obviously going to be moved tomorrow, and Adriel's timing of playing 'Hunter' would be even more difficult to pull off, but Art would be even more stressed out after this and the poor guy was already teetering on a nervous breakdown.
Art needed to sleep, though, and Adriel wanted a bit of time with him, so he decided to go through with his plans. It was selfish, but Art would be getting a short vacation from 'hunter' to recover from.
Adriel pulled out the syringe of ketamine he had prepared ahead of time for this, crept up behind Art who was so out of it that he was nodding in and out trying to stay awake, then covered his mouth with a gloved hand and injected the syringe contents into Art's neck.
"Shhh, I did warn you what I would do if you didn't start taking care of yourself," Adriel murmured in a darkly concerned tone, and pulled out the syringe. "Just a little bit of medicine so everything starts feeling like a dream. Ketamine, not opiate, and I had to try and guess how much weight you have lost, but still won't sedate you even if I am ten pounds off. I'm just here to take care of you tonight so you will be in better shape for us to keep playing our game of cat and mouse."
Adriel waited until Art began to bonelessly slump to the side before he uncovered Art's mouth. "Why...?" Art quietly groaned out as Adriel capped the syringe he had used and tucket it away. "'Nter, g'way."
"You hurt my feelings, darling," he purred as he set down his backpack and zipped it open. "I brought food and a care package... Even a nice face mask to act as your blindfold that should help remove those heavy bags under your eyes. There is no fun in having a brain dead opponent. Are you going somewhere, luv? Everything is packed up."
Art made a noise that sounded like a defiant grunt of irritation, but the ability to form words was apparently gone. Adriel didn't take long to pull out the package and put together the mulberry silk
eye mask[/i] he got specifically for Art after the last kidnapping stint, then he gently put it on Art. "Nooo," Art slurred as he weakly stirred, but the hand he was raising to try to pull it off flopped right back down into his lap after rising up only a couple inches. "'Nter, g'way!"
Adriel stroked the top of Art's head a couple times before he swiveled the chair around to pick Art up in a bridal carry. "I would not have come if you had listened," Adriel murmured into Art's ear as he adjusted his hold. "If you are good and listen, I will be gone very quickly so you can sleep."
Art whined in the back of his throat - most likely an attempt to shout - but he too limp and the drugs had fully kicked in so it was easy to lay the man out on his bed. Adriel pulled the covers back, picked Art up again, and finally got him sorted in the right spot, then he sat Art up to pull off his rumpled jacket and suspenders before laying him back down. "Staaahp," Art moaned with another limp flop of his hands. "G'way. M'fine."
"Of course you are fine," Adriel agreed as he untied the bow, then he pulled it off and undid the top two buttons of Art's shirt before he gathered up the items and got up to put it on the chair. "I'm just helping a little bit so you can rest easier. You are tired, right?"
The stuff was set on Art's computer chair before Art attempted a reply. "'M tiiired," Art sighed out, and Adriel grabbed the mouse to put the computer into sleep mode so he could turn off the screen. "Leave 'm 'puter 'lone."
"I'm just putting it to sleep, darling, and looked at nothing," Adriel said, then he pushed the chair in and began to clean up the trash littering the work area. Half eaten fast food, junk mail that Art had apparently used to write numbers down on, and crumpled up tissue paper. The junk mail was neatly stacked and put to the side, but he gathered up the rest to throw into the room's barely used trash can. "You have been too tired to clean up after yourself for a couple days."
"Dun' matter, 'm leaving," Art slurred, then Adriel heard him try to stir for a second before giving a grunt of defeat. " 'ster Lion?" Adriel chuckled since Art had swapped to the more personal name, but he hummed for Art to continue as he finished up cleaning the mess. "Promise you won' hurt my fren'?"
Ah, paranoia over putting Adriel into harm's way was what had been keeping Art up tonight apparently. "Cross my heart," Adriel promised as he set down the garbage can, then he grabbed his backpack as he went back to the bed to tuck Art in. "You have to drink the smoothie I thought, though. I made it with you in mind and it is filled with fresh fruits, vegetables, protien powder, and a little bit of honey and fiber for your health since your immunity system is weak." He pulled out the travel mug with a cartoon depiction of a smiling lion out, then he added a straw and placed it against Art's lips. "Come on, drink some of it. I promise to leave and not hurt your library friend if you do."
Art groaned in clear dislike of the offer, but he obediently opened his mouth then sucked on the straw when Adriel put it in. When the smoothie actually reached his mouth, he made a startled noise, then relaxed and sucked on it a little more enthusiastically. He managed to drink down almost half of it with small pauses to breathe before he let the straw slip out and turned his head away. "Full, n'more."
"Alright, pet," Adriel agreed as he set the mug down on the night stand, then he started tucking the blankets under Art and fluffed up his pillow. "If you want to finish it, it will still be good in the morning. I froze the cup before using it so that the smoothie would stay nice and cold, and it is insulated so the ice should remain for several more hours. The cup and the mask are gifts for you, so make sure to keep using them. Goodnight,
Artemio."
Art probably tried to frown or scowl, but it came out as a small pout though the grunt of irritation was clear. Adriel chuckled, then he switch off all the lights in the room before he turned to slip out the same way he had come in without leaving anything but two new objects for Art behind.
Adriel had never led a double life before, but it was proving to be an interesting challenge. He put in the address he was emailed half an hour earlier into the uber app, then he grabbed his two suitcases and left the little bed and breakfast he had been staying at to wait at the curb. It only took a few minutes for his driver to pull up since he was close to a main street, and he let the other man put his luggage into the trunk so he could slip into the back seat.
It was close to noon, and he had had to use a little bit of makeup to hide the shadows under his eyes that hinted that he had very little sleep in the past two days. He definitely felt tired, but it was the good type of tired after a very productive day. Adriel didn't mind losing sleep to take care of Art even though he did feel bad that Art had no idea that he was inviting a lion into his home.
Adriel stared out the window as the car drove through white chapel, then he felt his stomach plummet when the driver slowed down and parked at the curve. "Sure you got the right address, mate?" the driver asked, when he saw Adriel's expression that probably conveyed disbelief because they were in a terrible terrible area. He pulled out his phone to open up his email, checked the address to the number on the
apartment in between one overed with graffiti and the other looking worn down, then he grimaced. "Ah, was wondering was a posh man like you were doin' headin' this way."
"I am on a contract and my client is apparently an idiot," Adriel stated in a bland tone. "Oy vey, this contract is going to be rough."
"You don't look like a jew," the driver said in a suspicious tone, and Adriel sighed since he really was surrounded by stupid people. "I'll get your luggage."
"Give me a minute to make a call and make sure this is the..." He didn't even need to finish the sentence since Art opened up the lobby door to squint at his car. "Nevermind. Thank you, just bring it in and I will tip you in cash rather than through the app."
"Yessir," the guy said, but Adriel was no longer paying him any attention. He had already started opening the door, and he was out and power walking towards the place he would be staying at with an unhappy expression that made Art look like a kicked puppy.
"Uh, Adriel?" Art asked in an uncertain tone.
"First off, White Chapel?" he asked as he reached out to turn Art around so frog march him back inside all the way. "Second, you should not be answering the door. Ever. That is what a door man is for, and I hope you all are thinking properly and have an undercover officer in that position. Third off... White Chapel? Really? Not only do I have to protect you from a specific danger, but now I'll have to look out for gangs and small time criminals as well."
"We rented out the whole building, Mr. Chee," Adriel heard, and he looked at the clerk's window and saw Andrew Fallington sitting behind the desk. "The building itself is secure, and the whole specialist team has moved here. You and Mr. Reyes will be sharing an apartment on the second floor which should be the safest floor there is. There is no roof access, and the exits are all here on the first floor, so Artemio should be impossible to get to."
Adriel groaned like he had just heard the worst news ever. "The Titanic was supposed to be unsinkable too, commissioner," he said in a dry tone. "Now that you've said that, I will be surprised if the location remains secure a whole week." He shut his mouth and let go of a scowling Art when the uber driver pushed open the door to bring his luggage in, and he pulled his wallet out of the pocket of his long wool coat and gave the man a twenty pound note. "Thanks for making sure I was at the correct destination."
"Anytime, mate," the man said, pleased at the large tip and not noticing the tension in the lobby at all. "Have a g'day!"
Adriel sighed as soon as the man was gone and gave Art and the commissioner a look of exasperation. "Art, will you show me the way?" he asked in a polite tone despite how annoyed he probably looked. "I'll be back down as soon as I have you and my suitcases tucked away so I can go over the security with the officers, then make my own suggestions to add to it as well."
"Fine," Art said with a frown, then he turned to start stomping up the stairs. "Also, don't touch me."
Adriel picked up a suitcase handle in each hand and followed. "I will have to touch you to protect you, Art," Adriel said in a milder tone. "I might even have to push you down and cover you if something like a gun shot is heard. I will be more careful about man handling you, but I had better not see you answering any doors or opening any windows in return. There are other rules I will need to give you as well."
The next few days was stressful for both Adriel and Art, though Adriel was definitely willing to tolerate it when he saw that Art had kept the lion mug and had it up in the cupboard even if it was pushed all the way in the back. They had the growing pains of being sudden roommates - living with someone in close quarters was very different to interacting with someone at a library for Art, and for Adriel, he had to calm Art down from many panic attacks and coax him to begin eat better. He took over the kitchen to cook healthy meals while he let Art frantically work at his computer, but when dinner was done, he made sure to pull Art away by grabbing the back of his computer chair and rolling him to the table. Then Art would not be allowed to leave until he ate enough without making him sick. At first, it meant only small portions of very light foods since Art had been nearly starving himself for a week due to nerves, but by the third day, Adriel had his soul mate finishing almost half the plate.
"Good Art," Adriel said in a cheerful tone. He had learned that telling Art that he was going a good job got very positive reactions, and it also helped that it was helping Art begin to recover from his trauma. "Now, no more work tonight, you need to relax or talk out the problem since your frustration is starting to build up your stress levels again. I don't want to see you hurting yourself once more because of a nervous breakdown. You are my friend so I care about you."
Wasn't it a surprise to figure out that Art was so socially stunted that he had to clearly state where they stood and why he was acting or reacting in certain ways. His orders also earned him a disgruntled pout that made Adriel think of the grumpy cat meme.
"I can't sense him!" Art said with disgust as he pushed away his plate. "I even tried the most basic of the basics to see if I could intuit his initials, and there was no result! It's impossible!" Then Art furrowed his brows and pinned Adriel with a rather intense look. "You said you have techniques to dodge predictions? Could he be using them?"
"Well, maybe if he came from certain tribe cultures," Adriel said as he picked up both dinner plates, then turned to the small kitchenette to being cleaning up. "I'm a Native American, and I come from one of the very few tribes that didn't lose our techniques when the White People tried to crush the Indian Culture and way of life. There's only a handful of tribes that can do that, and even in those tribes it requires very special training. Our people developed our talents to help us survive, but we don't discuss our techniques beyond that with any outsiders so that it cannot be stripped from us. Every single one of us would die first the same way you would probably prefer death rather than end up with an intuition so weak that you can't tell if it will rain in the morning or not."
Conversation came to a standstill since Adriel turned on the water to begin doing dishes, but when he was done, he was surprised that Art was still waiting for him at the table. He gave Art a friendly smile, then turned to the freezer to pull out a tub of vanilla ice cream and began to make Art a bowl for dessert.
"You said it was tribal techniques, and I've heard other tribes around the world get protection status under the same excuse, but Intuition is Intuition and there is only one way to use it," Art said now that they could continue the conversation. It was rather cute how stubborn Art was going to be to get answers from him. "You just
know things, and there are stuff like the ouji board, pendulum, or dowsing rods that can assist to get a better pinpoint or create an opening to be used like I was trying to do with finding Hunter's initials, but you can't use it to hide from other people's intuition!"
"Art, the stories about how the ancient druids could melt into mists and seem to just disappear isn't a myth," Adriel said in a patient tone as he grabbed a spoon to serve Art his ice cream. "Various cultures have fine tuned their precognitive abilities through various ways - you just named three that all came from different cultures - but can't you imagine other ways yourself? I enjoy studying the runic circles and the like because I want to know about those lost techniques, and I can say that one of those lost methods allowed a person to predict what another was going to intuit and try to counter them. Someone powerful like you wouldn't be fooled by that measure, but imagine how it would fool another person that needs several minutes or hours to get a fix on their predictions."
Art looked up at him with the ice cream spoon dangling out of his mouth, and Adriel could practically see the lightbulb go off in that silly little head that did very little of its own thinking but could easily understand and retain things once he learned about them. "Oh," Art mumbled around his spoon, then he pulled it out and practically vibrated with excitement in his chair. "Oh! So all I have to do is figure out what technique hunter might be using, right? And the chances of him being from a tribe is practically nil, so it must be something he developed himself! A criminal has to be exceptionally intelligent or talented to draw my attention, so I'm not surprised. But how would he fool someone like me?"
"He could have wallflower syndrome," Adriel offered with a nonchalant shrug. "I know they are mostly considered a myth, but I also knew one and tribes have legends about those types of people. From what I know, they typically become hermits because they can't really connect with society and have little to no attachment with people."
Art was looking at him, but his eyes were unfocused so he wasn't seeing him. Then they sharpened and Art gasped. "That must be it!" he exclaimed, then dropped his spoon into his bowl and pushed his chair back. "Thanks, Adriel! It actually fits! He said he had very few bonds that connected him to people! He gave me a huge clue but probably didn't think I would understand or would mistake it as sociopathy or something!"
Adriel huffed out a silent laugh as Art continued to babble while returning to his computer, then he stood up to grab Art's barely touched bowl. He picked up the spoon Art had been using to finish the desert himself as he watched Art flop into his computer chair so he could work while bouncing with excitement.
That eager energy lasted Art for several days, and Adriel made sure to stuff him with as much food as he could to help him regain the weight he lost while his good mood lasted. Five days of no progress had Art getting listless again, and he began to glance at the front door when he thought Adriel wasn't looking. Adriel let that continue for another day before he 'caught' Art at it.
"Are you getting restless in the apartment?" he asked Art. "Tomorrow is my day off, so if you want to go out, we could go to the cinema together."
"No," Art quickly replied, but his ability to lie was terrible. "You can have tomorrow to yourself, Adriel! You've already been doing so much, and I don't like to go to movies or crowded areas anyway."
"Maybe the Ashmolean museum?" he offered with a charming smile that Art seemed to not notice at all, though Art did look torn about the offer. Art didn't notice any of the small flirting Adriel did, but it didn't stop him from doing it. "I know the director and could show you the workroom they use to restore things for display. There are always people working in there since it is a very slow and delicate process. One clay pot could take a year to fully restore and preserve."
"I... Really?" Art asked, his eyes wide at the tempting offer. He bit his bottom lip when Adriel smiled and gave another nods, then he nodded as well. "I would like to go if that is okay? Are you sure you aren't getting tired of me?"
"Not at all, Art," Adriel patiently reassured, glad that Art wouldn't be trying to sneak out during his day off to try and tempt 'Hunter' into kidnapping him. "You also need a day off anyway, so we can hang out as friends."
That earned him a small and shy smile that nearly made Adriel swoon with how cute it was. Any chance Art might have had for him to walk away silently died since Adriel was very selfish and wanted the warmth he knew that Art could give him.
Three days after their museum date was when Adriel heard Art finally sneak out of the apartment late at night when almost everyone would be asleep. He waited for fifteen minutes before he got out of his own bed, then he checked Art's room before calling out for Art's name and leaving the apartment. He went down to the lobby and slipped into the security room, then patted the sleeping guard's cheek and realized that Art had been devious enough to somehow drug the man. He pulled out his work phone and dialed the emergency number he had been given.
"This is Adriel Chee calling for code Eta-two-five-nine," he barked into the phone. "The guard manning the video desk has somehow been drugged, and Mr. Reyes is missing. I am going to go out and track him down, but the other apartments should be checked and a search grid needs to be made. He was still in bed during my last round... Forty two minutes ago, but someone needs to come and check the videos to see who entered."
"I am sending in the code and diverting officers your way," he heard a female say in a cool tone. "Can you stand by for ten minutes to gather with the others?"
"Negative, I'm going to check the immediate area to make sure he didn't do something stupid like walk to the corner store or isn't lying in one of the alleys," he said, then left the room to start up the stairs. "We need a paramedic for the sentry. He appears to be asleep and had a pulse, but I don't know what took him down since I didn't see a dart or smell anything in the air. I'm gathering my coat, shoes, and emergency kit now, but it will take at least half an hour to look around - possibly longer since there are some abandoned houses that Art could have been dragged into. You have a ten minute window to contact me before I go dark since I don't want the phone going off in the wrong area."
"Noted. I will forward your number and the time stamp to the officer who will be taking charge."
Adriel grabbed his coat and his backpack, then he slipped on a pair of sneakers before he left wearing only a coat over his dark blue pajamas. Most would think the color black was the right color to blend in at night, but blue so dark it was nearly black, dark brown, or a dark grey was the best for a city since black stood out where there was so much light pollution. In the country, dark brown, dark green, or dark navy blue was best since moonlight was surprisingly bright itself. Black stood out at night, especially for those who knew how to look out for silhouettes.
He turned left as soon as he got out since Art was right handed and probably knew that most would search right first. He trusted that Art would be able to keep himself safe since the denizens of White Chapel had no way to counter his intuition, but he also knew that Art was stubborn and was probably going to immediately start taking the twisted paths deeper into the slums in an effort to be caught. He could feel the occasional eyes on him as he looked for a good place to change, then found a shed that was falling apart large enough for him to get out of his sleepwear and into a dark blue sweater and charcoal jeans. Finally he pulled his hair up, put on a pair of gloves, and turned off both of his phones before he began to track down his silly little ward.
Adriel was a Void which meant that Art could not feel him when he searched, but Adriel was able to feel their connection because of the soul mate bond and that acted as a form of intuition that could guide his silent steps. He stayed in the shadows so the wary and the homeless couldn't spot him, and the irony of the his serial killer name did not escape him since he really was hunting Art down. Sure, it was going to be a catch and release, and his prey actually
wanted to be caught going by the constant tugging that Art's blind searching was causing, but feeling something that he imagined that intuition probably felt like was an interesting experience. It kind of felt like a cheat, but Adriel didn't feel cheated since he had been waiting for Art to sneak out while he was on duty.
When he finally spotted Art, the silly little thing was in his white pajamas that had light blue stripes, and he had an old pair of sneakers on, but he was huddled up against the wall of a condemned apartment that leaned in a dangerous way. Art was also rubbing his arms and trying to get warm, and he was once again not paying attention. Art relied far too much on his intuition, and that was bad since Art at the very least suspected that Hunter might be a wallflower, but he had taken no precautions against that. That, and the sheltered little city boy was not used to standing out in the cold with nothing but thin pajamas on which meant the temperature was also distracting him.
Sneaking up behind Art and wrapping his arms around him to share some warmth while preventing him from turning around was satisfying. "Darling, there are less dangerous ways to catch my attention," he purred, and Art abruptly stopped struggling and sagged again his chest. "Tsk tsk, rather reckless to trust your safety in my arms since we both know my hands are dripping with blood."
"Stop that," Art snapped when Adriel leaned in to nuzzle the back of his neck. "Be serious, Hunter. I have a question!"
"Ho?" Adriel asked, then resumed his nuzzling. "Well, you know the rules. I get to touch when you get to ask things. Did you pick this spot and wear white so that I could remain hidden while you stood out for me, pet?"
He felt Art shudder with cold, dread, and probably because he was hating the touch, but Art didn't pull away and remained relaxed. "Yes?" Art more asked than said. "I don't want you to stick me with a needle again?" Ah, so apparently it had really been Art trying to find shelter against a building without realizing how dangerous the building was. "Anyway, I want to ask if you have Wallflower Syndrome."
"Oh, that is an interesting disability," Adriel offered in a darkly amused tone. "However, I did sense you out tonight. I hadn't found your new home yet, but I suspected that I was getting close. Your undercover officers stick out like a sore thumb in this area, at the very least as 'possible tuffs' to those who know how to listen to underground rumors, and your librarian friend is described as 'looking posh, but has a killer's eyes.'"
"How are you evading me?!" Art asked with an unhappy stomp. "I thought I had the answer! That one made the most sense!"
"You really want to know?" he asked with a sadistic chuckle. "Part of the game is you figuring it out... But I
could just hand you the answer. That would start a whole different game or I might run off. You would also need to come with me and put your life in my hands. You also might never see another person you know, though I would not hurt you or lock you away to achieve that."
Finally the silly little thing stiffened up with fear and caution. "I... don't know," Art quietly replied while he anxiously shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Art very obviously wanted to know, but he was getting more terrified by the second. Adriel lipped the back of his neck in a dry kiss, and it made Art screech and try to pull away. "What are you doing?!"
Adriel hummed as he kept a tight hold on the flailing man, then he pushed Art up against the wall and leaned against him to pin him in place so he could pull a clean towel from his pack. "Ah, our time is almost at an end now," he said as he wiped the back of Art's neck. "People will be coming along soon. You shouldn't search me out like this again unless you want to jump off that ledge and into the void, Artemio. No need to whimper like this either since I'm not going to hurt you. You will be good and not turn around if I let you go, right?"
"I won't look," Art immediately swore. "I promise, I won't turn around. I'll stay like this, just please don't hurt me!"
"Hurting you is the last thing I want," Adriel huskily whispered into Art's ear, then leaned back a little so he could tuck the towel into his bag. "Count to one hundred, Artemio! It's like hide and go seek!"
Adriel waited until Art began to count out loud before he warily took a step back, and when he continued to count without turning around, Adriel fled to the back of the property. It was among piles of rubble and trash where he stopped to change his clothes, then he stepped out into a a different alley - footpath in between shacks, really - and dropped the clothes he had warn by a sleeping homeless man before doubling back to Art using a different route. Art had been left alone for ten minutes, but rather than try to make his way back or find a safer or warmer spot, he saw Art crouched down and curled up while shivering and quietly crying.
"Art!" he called out, and Art's pale face was easily seen since it was turned away from the shadows. "Art... What happened?" Art only ducked his head back down and began to noisily sob, so Adriel pulled off his coat and wrapped Art up in it before pulling him up and rubbing his arms to use friction to start warming him up. "Were you kidnapped from the room? It should have been impossible, but the sentry was drugged and I didn't hear anything since it was a sleep rotation. I'm so sorry I failed, Art, but I am glad I found you. There is-"
"I'm so sorry, Adriel!" Art wailed out, and Adriel was startled when Art threw himself against him to start crying against his chest. "My fault! It was all my fault!"
"It's not your fault since he came in and-"
"No, I did it! I gave the guard some hot cocoa this afternoon that had crushed sedatives in it! I wanted to sneak out and meet up with Hunter to get more answers! I'm sorry! Please don't hate me!"
Adriel went quiet as he thought about what to say next, and Art clutched the coat tighter around himself as he continued to cry. "You must have broken about every rule I gave you, then," Adriel sighed, and Art nodded with another loud sob that sounded very snotty. "Oh, Art... Come on, let's get you back to the apartment. Did you find Hunter?"
During the course of the walk back, Adriel notified the station that he had found Art and left it at that though Art confessed to everything he had done. Art's sobbing drew attention, of course, but he made sure to meet curious eyes with cold looks where he could, and where he couldn't, he made sure his body language conveyed that he would gut them if they tried to come near. All these people were survivors that preyed on the weak, but bottom feeders knew when something was more dangerous so they were able to make it back to the apartment without any other encounter. He sent Art up to the apartment, then he gave the senior officer a clinical report that outlined the night's events without discussing the case or the encounter.
The man was understandably angry that Art had caused a huge search and rescue to be conducted in the middle of White Chapel, but Adriel talked him down from confronting Art himself saying that Art had already caused his own scare and wouldn't be doing that again. It took a lot of fast talking and almost an hour of continual questioning, but he was finally free to go up to the room.
When he stepped in, Art was balled up on the couch and still under his coat. Adriel quietly closed the door thinking Art was asleep, but he caught a quiet whimper followed by a wet sniff and saw that the lump was shaking. He sighed as he moved to sit on the couch, and when Art didn't acknowledge his presence, he patted his lap. "Come here, Art," he said in a gentle voice. "You had a scare tonight and I'm not going to lecture you or get angry. We can talk about it after you sleep, and I still won't be angry, but for now you can keep crying on me or lean in for warmth if you want."
Art sobbed, then inched forward without leaving the coat until he buried his face against Adriel's stomach and cry. Adriel waited until Art fell asleep, then he picked Art up and carried him to his own room to tuck away in bed. Then he moved to take a seat on Art's reading chair, pulled his coat over him like a blanket, and dozed off there. An uncomfortable night of sleep was the least he could do after scaring some sense into Art.
Things changed from that day. Art was more timid and looked to him for directions or approval as often as not, and Adriel found himself in the unenviable position of having to rebuild Art's confidence since he didn't want Art to break or rely wholly on him. From what he understood, soul mates were supposed to be equal and able to cover for each other's weaknesses, so he didn't like seeing the meek and uncertain thing Art had become. Progress was much slower this time, but he patiently talked Art through things and got him to start speaking with the department's counselor, and a new normal was developed over the course of a few weeks.
However, Art seemed lost at times. Being unable to make any more progress had him feeling useless, so Adriel finally dragged Art out to watch Minions since it was cute, fluffy, and near the end of its theater life so there was hardly anyone else watching it. Art kept having to ask basic questions about the movie though out it that he answered, and since it was obvious that Art had to ask them because he had never seen Despicable Me, he rented it on Amazon and hooked his laptop up to the flat screen TV to sit Art down and have him watch that. Disney and Universal movies became the theme each evening to help Art relax and destress, but the lack of progress started to affect everyone.
The whole team was being leaned on by the commissioner and the mayor because Hunter had still not been found, and the lack of branded killings Adriel was known for stopped being a deterrent after a month. Art furiously started pacing every night rather than watch the movies Adriel had on for him then Art finally cracked as fall began to end and Halloween started to close in.
"Adriel!" he moaned. "It's hopeless. I'm useless! My only choice it to try and get caught to get more leads!"
"Didn't you say that he warned you that you might not come back if you tried to find him again?" Adriel asked in a pointed tone, then he reached out and grabbed the hem of Art's pajama shirt as he paced by him to pull him onto the couch. "He might say he won't kidnap or kill you, but there is a lot of terrible things that could happen outside of those two things even if he keeps his word. The way you said he touched you also means he is very confident in what he said or his plans are a lot more sinister than he claims. He's treating you like a lover, Art."
"...I know," Art admitted in a shameful tone as he looked away. Adriel sighed at the clenched fist Art was making, and he reached out to gentle pat his hand so Art would stop digging his nails into his own palm. "I don't have another choice."
"You have many other choices, Art," Adriel said. "You can choose to drop the case, you can try to set up an ambush, you can run off and disappear with the money you have into a peaceful third world country where nobody knows who you are to take on a new identity, or you can see who else you might be able to bring into your team so there is new perspectives for the same issue that
all of you are facing. It isn't just you, Art. The team is made of the best that England has to offer, and nobody is making progress. I heard Jessica say it was like he just disappeared, so he could have given you misinformation to run off to another country since you kept getting so close. Nobody else can say they have gotten to talk directly to Hunter except for you."
"And I don't know why!" Art huffed as he threw himself back with a petulant frown. "He never gave me the main reason why he things I am special!"
"Well, he obviously believes he is in love with you," Adriel said, and Art looked at him in disbelief. "No, hear me out. He risked leaving traces of himself on you or getting caught on that last encounter when he kissed the back of your neck then let you go without tying you up or drugging you. He didn't want to leave you vulnerable in White Chapel, and he was probably watching over you until I found you. He's been trying to
seduce you, Art."
"I... Really?" Art asked with an adorable expression of denial and confusion. "Why? Even if he doesn't have a soul mate like me, there are better people out there. Nobody has ever found me attractive."
Adriel tsked, then he gave Art a look of fond exasperation when Art glanced at him. "You are blind, Art," Adriel bluntly said. "I find you attractive and that is why I can see it a bit from Hunter's perspective. I know you aren't interested in me or anyone, so I hadn't said anything and am fine just being friends with you, but if I thought I could talk you into a date or sleeping with me, I would have tried to do so. Stop looking shocked and close your mouth, silly... I am being honest. Just finding you hot isn't enough for me to stick around - like you said, there are plenty of attractive people out there. More intelligent than you? Has your dry and dark humor? Enjoys history as a hobby while protecting people as a job?
You are what had me accepting the contract even though I was on vacation."
Art looked at him with a shell shocked expression and appeared unable to speak, so he playfully rolled his eyes then gestured to the movie Hocus Pocus that he had on. Art immediately acted like he was devoting his whole attention to the film, and Adriel got up to make Art a bowl of ice cream. When he came back, Art seemed to have gotten his brain together a little since he shyly peeked up through his eyelashes with a blush as he accepted the treat.
"Thanks," Art mumbled, then stuck a large spoonful into his mouth in an attempt to not have to say anything more. Adriel silently counted down in his head, then he caught the bowl when Art began to drop it because of the brain freeze he had caused himself. "Owowowowow!"
"I'm not trying to make this weird, Art - I already know you aren't interested," he insisted as Art clutched his head. "I swear, you get sillier with each passing day! I only mentioned it because I am trying to help you understand Hunter. You could probably even use his feelings against him to catch him, you know. Love, or obsession, makes people do stupid things."
"Really?" Art asked despite the wince of pain. "What can I do?"
Adriel sat down on the couch, offered Art the ice cream, and then he began to explain a plan that would make one of them lose their game.
Adriel was supposed to be the only lookout for the plan they concocted that was shared with nobody else at Art's insistence. He knew there was very little chance of others being pulled in since Art was a prideful little creature, and it took him this long just to get Art to lower his guard enough for this moment in regards to both Adriel and 'Mr. Lion.' They left on the evening of one of Adriel's days off under pretense of going out for dinner and a movie, but they went off to the infamous Down Street Underground Station that Adriel knew the entrance into.
Mayfair, where the abandoned station was, was only a four mile walk. They bought some food from a street cart and took their time to quietly go over the plan together as they ate, and they took their time window shopping and such until it got dark before they finally got to the alley that had the access into the underground tube that train workers used when tunnels had to be repaired. A pair of bolt cutters broke upon the lock meant to keep people out, then Adriel put on his gloves before he reached down to grab the man hole to lift it up.
"Don't want to do this with bare hands," he grunted as he carefully set it down to make the least amount of noise as possible. "Ugh, they are heavy, so it is easy for them to slip unless you wear durable leather or rubber gloves. Go ahead and begin climbing down, but remember to stop at the thirty first rung. We need to wait for the next train to pass so we have a twenty minute window."
"I know," Art tried to snap, but he was pale as he looked down the dark cement hold so it came out more as a quiver from nerves. "I'll go. Thirty one. Then the train passes at eleven thirteen. I know!"
Art still hesitated with a look of dread until Adriel gestured to the hole, and once Art got down a bit, he had to do the tedious work of moving the manhole to the edge, wiggle his way to the ladder, then brace himself against the ladder and the opposite wall to cover the hole back up so the only trace left would be the lack of a lock that would take people days at least to notice. Then he began to climb down and stopped on the twenty fifth step so that he wouldn't accidentally step on Art's fingers. "Five more minutes," he said in a low tone that Art would be able to hear but would not be able to carry up. "You ok?"
"I'm fine," Art hissed, but his voice was borderline shrill from panic. "Five minutes. I can do this."
"I'm right here with you," Adriel said in a soothing tone. "Just sing the minion song in your head a couple times and hang on tight."
It was supposed to be in his head, but Art quietly began to hum the Banana Song. Had anyone told Adriel a year ago that he would be hanging off a ladder in a pitch black tunnel as his soul mate hummed the banana song below him so that he would have time to coax him into seeing things his way, he would have laughed at them and insisted that he wasn't interested in having to manipulate someone's position to start a stupid relationship. Him from a year ago was an idiot who had never felt the warmth that just looking at Art caused and had never felt the comfort of a soul-deep bond attempting to connect. Current him was also an idiot, but like he had told Art over a week ago, love and obsession made people commit to stupid decisions. Even knowing that, he was here in this position now and would be picking Art up as soon as they hit the ground to sprint for the hidden station that was made to be an underground bunker.
The noise of the train passing below them deafened Adriel, but he knelt down as low as he could to grab Art by the wrist just in case the shaking and screeching made him let go. Art hung on like his life depended on it - because it did - and by the time the train got far enough for his hearing to clear up, he could hear Art sobbing. "Don't let go please don't let go I don't want to die I hate trains they are evil don't let gooo!"
"Art," Adriel said in a commanding tone. "Climb down, the train is gone. Move move! Remember the plan!"
Art actually did let go at the reminder, and Adriel grunted as he held Art up as he flailed. The blind flailing with legs and the other arm made a loud and painful sounding thunk when Art hit or kicked the metal rungs a couple times, but he only screamed for a short moment before he grabbed the bars and sobbed with relief. Adriel let go of the wrist he had been holding and waited another few seconds before he poked the top of Art's head to get him to move.
From there, it was Art's job to hold the phone as Adriel carried him and ran along the tracks, but Art dropped his phone just as the shadow of the opening came into view. Adriel could hear the distant sound of the next train coming in and knew he couldn't stop, so he ran to where he last recalled the opening, hit the wall with his shoulder since he was wrong, and barely managed to find it before the next train's conductor spotted them with the train's headlights. He held Art tight and curled around him as the train passed them by a measley few feet, and when things were clear, he looked back for Art's phone only to be met with darkness.
"Stay here, I am going to get your phone," he whispered, then pulled his own out to run out and look. He found it, but it was crushed to pieces, so he loped back and dragged Art up to half carry him into the unused tunnel while he controlled the light. It wasn't long before he saw the ledge that would let them climb up into the pseudo train station. "The train tore yours into pieces, but I have mine so we will still be able to call the precinct when we get above. No signal down here so we need to be quick. I'm going to boost you up. If you want to back out, now is a good time."
Adriel could feel Art shaking like a leaf, but Art firmly shook his head no. "I want to catch him," Art said with some steel in his voice. "I'm ready."
Adriel gave Art a boost and pushed him onto the floor above, then pulled himself up the five foot ledge. As soon as he was up, he set the phone down with the flashlight up so there was still light to see by, then he reached down to grab Art to begin changing their plans.
"Now, I know you are not expecting this, but you don't want to wear yourself down with panic or flailing," he drawled in 'Hunter's' voice. "I thought I was perfectly fine until the day I saw you, then you turned my world upside down so I'm returning the favor a little."
"Adriel?" Art asked, his tone a mix of fear, hurt, confusion, and hope. "This isn't part of the plan. What are you doing?"
"Why did you have to tempt me," Adriel sighed in his regular tone as he carried Art deeper into the station and away from their light source. "I just wanted to get to know you a little bit at first and was going to move on, but then you had to try and barter for your 'librarian friend's' safety and ask to hire me as your bodyguard. I swear, the moment you can't use your intuition, you becoming a lemming."
"This isn't funny, Adriel," Art said in an angry tone as he began to wiggle to break free. "We need to be serious right now!"
Adriel felt his back hit a wall, so he ignored Art's squirming, scooped him up, then slid down to sit on the floor and hold Art in his lap. "I'm being very serious,
Artemio," he huffed in mostly his regular tone, but he purred Art's name in Hunter's darker tone and made the man in his arms begin to shake once again. "No, no, I don't want to hurt you, and I never did. I was serious when I said I would have been fine just remaining friends, and I was serious when I said I found you attractive. You've been spiraling into a depression since 'Adriel' is not enough, so I figure it's time to come clean with you. You wanted to know the main reason, right?"
"
Yeah," Art managed to whisper out before he started to curl up into a protective ball.
Adriel adjusted to Art's movements to comfortably keep him in his lap despite the new position, then he reached up to card his gloved fingers through Art's hair. "They didn't research their wallflower syndrome very well," Adriel huffed, his tone one of masochistic amusement since he was having to try and push past a life's worth of silent paranoia. "Consider this, Art. Your soulmate is supposed to be your equal in power, but what does that mean when one is a wallflower and the other is the most powerful Intuitive person of a whole generation? How can the absence of something be considered the most powerful among others who also lack? Would it be calculated by size or density like black holes are? Or is it just a different ability, the flip side of the coin? I might sound crazy, but all you have to do is make skin contact with me, then reach to find your soulmate."
They sat in silence with Adriel continuing to stroke Art's hair while he waited for the man to calm down enough to stop shaking, and Art finally relaxed just a tiny bit after nearly ten minutes went by. "What if I don't want to try?" Art asked, trying to sound defiant but falling short to mulish instead. "What id I want to bring you in?"
Adriel shrugged, and while Art couldn't see it, he knew Art would be able to feel an imagine it since they had spent to much time together. "Then I make sure to get you safely out of here before I run off on my own," he said. "You can then try to find me, but you can't sense me. I can sense you, though. You are the only person I can sense. It will make it a rather one sided game of tag with you effectively blind to me, and like I said, we don't form strong attachments to other people. I would abandon my family and take on a different life so you would not see me again."
Art made a wounded sound at that last bit, and Adriel felt him reach out to clutch at his shirt like he didn't want Adriel to go. "That isn't fair, Adriel," Art said in a shaky tone filled with grief. "You are the only friend I've ever made. If you go, then I will be alone again! Can we pretend like this didn't happen and just go back to how we were? I'll drop the Hunter case!"
"I warned you not to come look for me again," Adriel replied as he shifted Art to hold him closer. "There is no going back. I would have been find remaining friends if you didn't know about my other hobby, but you won't be able to trust me like you did before. Either you feel and confirm a soul mate bond, or we part ways."
Art made another sound of pain, then he pressed his face into Adriel's chest and began to cry like his heart was being broken. The sound made Adriel's own composure fall apart, and he leaned forward and curled up over Art to silently weep himself. Adriel honestly never expected to forever get away with his crimes, but he found the situation he was in unbearable cruel. The gods were twisted to do something like this to someone as innocent as Art was.
"I'll try," Art finally said once his sobs died down, and Adriel couldn't stop the small sniff he made as he sat up straight. Art didn't seem to notice that he had cried, though - he was too busy slowly moving his hand upward while shaking like a leaf. Neither of them said anything, but Art took a deep breath once his hand was cupping the side of Adriel's neck, and then...
Warmth fully blossomed in Adriel's chest as Art gasped with wonder. Adriel crushed Art up against him in a tight hug that Art didn't try to fight at all. It felt like their spirits where twining together in a harmonic way, then the connection solidified and he knew Art and knew that Art knew him even more surely than he knew that the sun would rise tomorrow since the sun could technically go supernova but Art would always be inside of him.
And as such, he also knew that Art was still determined to turn him in, and his heart broke.
"Adriel, I..." Art began to try to say, but Adriel choked out a sob and shook his head no. Art didn't have to explain. He knew. He didn't think Art would accept him anyway. Not after the things he had done. Being able to feel Art's pure spirit really drove in the fact that Adriel had been very wrong all along. He knew he had been wrong, he just never had hope or a real attachment before. "I'm sorry."
This time it was Art who held him as he sobbed, but neither of them were able to give or receive comfort since they both knew they were losing their other half. Despite the whole soul mate thing, Adriel's lack all of his life had apparently cause enough of a schism that it made Art incapable of accepting his darker half. Just like they knew each other, they knew that, and while they also knew that time might be able to fix it, Art had too much integrity to give Adriel that time and Adriel had no wish to taint Art at all.
"Sorry," Adriel managed to choke out. This was happening because he was selfish even though he knew how innocent Art was. Even though Art had no committed the deeds Adriel had, Art was now going to have to suffer for the bond Adriel had been too greedy and eager for. "I love you."
"I love you too, Adriel," Art replied in a broken voice. "I can give you time!"
They knew the offer of time was empty words, but Adriel gave Art a small hug to show he appreciated the effort. Then he began to draw away from their connection to hide as much as he could in the Void outside of it, and Art made a sound of confusion since it felt like Adriel's presence had dulled or faded away. He did not know or understand the void like Adriel did, nor did he have the time to learn about it or try to figure it out.
"Let's get you out of here," Adriel finally said once he knew his voice would be steady even if it was a little scratchy from being unused to crying like he had. They didn't say anything as they made the risky journey back out since Art was feeling confused and Adriel refused to explain Art's silent questions. He was the first out since he had to move the manhole, then he turned to help pull Art the rest of the way out. Art flopped as he panted for air since the climb up was harder than going down had been, and Adriel dropped both of his phones onto Art's stomach before he hopped back down into the tunnel and caught himself halfway down.
"Adriel!" he heard Art shout down, and that was when he offered up some different choices he had created in the voice.
Art could tell the people the truth, but he would forever be trying to chase him down for brief moments together before Adriel would probably get away again. Art could keep it to himself and tell others Adriel had died, but they might never see each other again since he would have to keep that pretense up. Art could say they were separated, and then they could meet up in a bit though that was very unlikely to happen. Or Art could think of other choices, but either way, Adriel was going to buy himself some time. He waited for the next train, then dropped down on the roof and let it carry him away.
In return, Art could decide what the next step would be. There were always options when things appeared to be have one ending, and only death was final. That was why Adriel was always very careful about who he killed, but he would keep to his promise and stop killing now that he had Art in his life.
