Art had not been able to move when Adriel gave him the last parting message that the ball was in his court because his arms and legs were like noodles from the terrifying climb into and then back out of the tunnels. He also had not expected
Adriel to be
Hunter and coming to terms with that shock, the formation of a new bond, Adriel's inexplicable ability to dull himself despite the bond, and the heartbreak.
Art had never known a broken heart was the description of genuine physical pain stabbing into the chest because the grief encompassed body, mind, and soul. He couldn't move as he felt their dull connection thin into something more like a thread, and he despaired and thought about just never moving again. However, he felt a burst of warmth and feelings fill him up as the bond opened for a moment, Adriel showing him how deep his feelings for him was. Then just as suddenly, the flood was gone, but it left behind a strong sense of resolution.
He would catch Adriel. He would catch Adriel, and he would keep his soulmate. He had made a terrible mistake, but he was going to fix it because that feeling of hopeless anguish he had felt coming from the person that was so strong while Art had had to comfort him had been the worst thing ever. He didn't have the strength to cause Adriel that kind of pain again, especially since Adriel was now buying them time to figure things out.
At the same time, he knew he was being manipulated - that was the kind of person his soulmate was. Adriel would never manipulate him to hurt or use him, but in this instance Adriel had made it clear that it was Art's move to try and salvage what they might be able to have. Art still had no idea what Adriel meant by void or the opposite side of being intuitive, but the questions he was told to consider was now running on repeat through his mind and he had no answers for them. He didn't think Adriel knew the answers, either, but he did know that Adriel must have figured
something out since he was still able to escape.
That did remind Art that he had two phones on him. There would be no way to track Adriel with them, but Adriel had also left them with him so he had a way to contact people. Art tried scanning his fingerprint on the phone's security, was surprised when it accepted it, and opened up the contacts list. There was his number and the department's number, but nothing else on the phone. Art figured the other phone would also be the same, but he pressed the the number for the department and began told them his location, and waited for them to come pick him up while he wondered where Adriel had gone.
Art already missed him and it had only been minutes.
"-mous case of Hunter and the team leading it has been disbanded," the female brunette on BBC announced.
"The lead investigator of the team is thought to be compromised and is under surveillance and being heavily questions. We do not have names at this time, but we-"Adriel turned off the TV and glared up at the ceiling of the hotel he was in. He had fled to Soho since it was a chaotic mix of many nationalities, but it was still close enough that he could hover at the edges of things to learn what Art's choice might be. He planned to stay for a few days, then he would head to Turkey with the new identity and documents he had to muddy the trails and disappear for a while.
Well, that had been the plan, but the stupid little lemming apparently spilled his guts to the police and they now thought Art had joined his side. Three days! It had only been three days! He should have kidnapped the self destructive man and locked him in a padded room to keep him safe from himself, but now he was going to have to go and kidnap the idiot to keep him from being locked up somewhere else. The problem was, he had no idea if Art was going to turn him in if he got too close or not. They were now on a more equal footing with each other since Art knew as much as Adriel did, and it changed the whole board like he had warned Art it would.
Well, there was nothing else to do except come up with a new strategy since he wasn't going to leave Art behind to hang for the crimes Adriel had committed.
During that week of plotting to 'catch hunter' together, Adriel had made many contingency plans that would allow him to get away if Art had not bonded to him. He had not expected Art to bond
and turn him in because the thought of betraying one's own soulmate like that, hurting them like that, was anathema to people. That paranoia helped since he had three identities to work with, but he would have to cut his hair off for one of them. His hair had never been cut before - hair was the record of your life - but Adriel didn't even hesitate when he used a pair of scissors and chopped it off. Having a soulmate was having a new life, so he went to a cheap barber shop afterwards to have it properly neatened up. In any other circumstance, he would have fought tooth and nail for his hair, but Art was worth every sacrifice to him.
That, and he was no longer Navajo now. According to his documents, his name was now Evangelos Asterios Onasis, Greek, and travelling Europe. The passport had stamps for Italy, France, Germany, and now England, he recently graduated from acting school, and he was now looking for a fashion industry or a performing theater to sign on with. Oh, and his eyes were blue. A huge chunk of the money he had pulled out of his accounts had gone to a laser surgery that destroyed the pigment in his eyes and left them blue.
He made a face in the mirror since that and the beard he had been
attempting to grow in looked and felt very weird to him, as did the weightlessness of his head.
He was... Well, maybe he could sign on with a show like Survivor? But no, that would bring too much scrutiny and he had to establish his identity and begin making a paper trail for it. He nervously sucked on his bottom lip because he had never felt this uncertain in his life before, and he didn't know if Art wanted him or his help, and he still had unanswered questions about the bond, his abilities, and now Art's abilities. And he was completely uncertain if he would be able to pull off an identity like this, but one of the others was a trans female to male which he didn't have the right equipment for to use in the long term and the other was not too different from Adriel's actual life which made it too close to the truth to use in London if there was a man hunt for him.
Very few in this world lived with absolute uncertainty, and Adriel being unable to predict even the sunrise was one of those. Uncertainty wasn't a new thing for him. Fear of rejection, fear of betrayal, fear of loss... Those were feelings he had had in the past. Never had he felt all three so strongly, at the same time, and over one person.
Fear of failure was definitely a new feeling since he didn't really care about much in the past to fear failing something. Couldn't get a bed partner for the night? Oh well, a cold shower or a hand and the problem was solved and he could try again later. Couldn't find the serial killer on I-70? Oh well, there were others he could search for. Couldn't translate an interesting runic tablet? Oh well, study a bit more and he would get it next time.
Things came very easily to him and he had picked up on killing to find something challenging. And it was, especially after he began branding people, and those were the body counts he had told Art about since he wasn't going to admit anything to anyone unless there was irrefutable proof which meant his earlier targets would end as cold cases. Even then, he had been getting bored of that, too, and then he felt Art searching for him. He had dropped everything to find out about this new and interesting thing, but turned out to be a genuine challenge that he was still not sure that he would succeed with, and this time,
it genuinely mattered.
Well, there was no backing out at this point - Adriel was too invested in Art. Obsession. Love. He knew he was making stupid moves, but he in unfamiliar territory and Art was worth diving in head first for.
Adriel had tested how close he had to be for the shadows of his void to be broken apart with Art's sharp mind, and the answer was one mile.
At first. He figured out what facility they had been keeping Art using a hacker paid with bitcoin which guaranteed anonymity between them, and then he had roamed the perimeter of the bond's distance one mile out from Belmarsh Prison where high profile or national security prisoners were kept. He also kept an eye on the news stations and the papers to track the progress, but apparently England had decided that 'Hunter' was no longer within their borders and Art was only being 'detained until evaluation was completed' so he had time for this kind of slow and careful scouting.
He learned that he actually could do more with the void with the bond giving him a proper contrast to gauge things by. If Art was the one to shine light on secrets, then he was the one that made the shadows that hid them, the canvas that camouflaged them, or the bunker they could be buried within. He could hide his motives and plans from Art though he could not hide his presence or his feelings when Art prodded.
Art prodded a lot when Adriel got close. Keeping what he could hidden meant he could not do that one way intuition to see what Art was up to, but Art seemed determined to... study him? It had the feel of cautious opening moves for a fight or a new study, and studying seemed to be Art's thing. He figured it was Art trying to pinpoint where he was and tested that theory only one block out from the prison and 'briefly faltered' from a hard push, and he ran off to the secondary location that was hidden from the first so he could watch once Art had jerked away.
Nobody came. He had picked a gas station's parking lot with a CCTV that was busted and had run off to a coffee shop a bit further away to drink coffee and watch out the window, but nobody came. There were no investigation vans, no undercover officers, no SC&O19, and no regular constable. It was the first sign that Adriel had that gave him hope that Art might not be against a little bit of help, but it could also mean that Art was waiting for him to lower his guard. He was able to sneak to a half mile distance before his secrets threatened to break open now, but that wasn't good enough if Art was still wanting to turn him in.
After a month, news was finally released that Artemio Reyes was found to be a victim of the Hunter, and he had given an interview to the papers about it. In it, he claimed that he was outside of Hunter's normal profile, however the serial killer had grown bored and was looking for a challenge, then he got obsessed before running away once his identity was revealed. The police had refused to name the killer citing the information was too dangerous, and then they added that the suspect may not have left England so everyone should remain indoors after night and not go anywhere with strangers.
The article had been honest, but it had also left gaping holes. The same kind of gaping holes meant to be left open for only the killer and lead investigator to know. He tilted his head a little bit and wondered if Art was trying to goad him into engaging again, wondered what the smart move would be, then decided it didn't matter since he was a moth drawn to Art's flame so he would still go forward even if it wasn't the smart move.
Adriel had to go on the attack, though. He had been on the defense for too long, and it was always rude to keep a date waiting.
From what research he had managed at a distance, Adriel found out that Art had a new team. They were acting like parole officers, but they were trained Trojan officers that specialized in ambush tactics. Art was now playing the bait, and he was trying that old technique of 'look, I've snuck away, I can be kidnapped!' that Adriel did not take.
They definitely knew he was in the area if that was the strategy they were going with, though. Art was keeping them updated on Adriel's movements since they didn't move out of the area they had settled in by the Holland Park region, but his inability to specify exactly where Adriel was had all of them nervous and Adriel could see it in the way they walked or by how their eyes were constantly searching even though their body was trying to convey parole officers. Some would scout right outside Art's sphere of influence, and he was able to get close to them to analyze them better since they couldn't recognize him with the identity change.
Adriel had
lightened his hair up a little bit and he never got rid of the scruffiness since it changed the shape of his face enough that it drew attention away from his lips which were the only things he couldn't really alter. He absolutely loathed that scruffiness since it made his face so itchy, but he refrained from scratching at it and only did the occasional rubbing of his cheek like he had seen other scruffy men do to relieve it when it got really bad.
This part of the stalking was usually the boring part, but Art's newfound knowledge of him with this new task force made it less so. Rather than predators circling around each other, it felt more like a group dance everyone was trying to perform, but none knew all of the moves, all of the dancers, or the next time the beat would change. They were all cautious while trying to play their parts, so Adriel had holed up in a flat not too far away and had been sending out resumes to local modeling agencies and theaters while playing the 'slowly feeling dejecting and losing hope' that would have him walking around the area to 'hopefully find something that would act as a muse.'
That Adriel got a reply from 'IMG' and 'elite' was actually a surprise, and each modeling company wanted him in for an audition.
Adriel had zero idea how to go about doing something like this, so he started doing research online and found that IMG had a male division they were trying to start called Brawn, and they had divisions in New York City, London, Los Angeles, Milan, Paris and Sydney. The other, elite, let go of their models at twenty six, he was shorter than their minimum requirements by an inch, and though they networked through over sixty countries. Or no, the minimum requirements was for their modeling contests they had been running for over three decades, but...
Adriel pouted since he was in over his head, but he decided that IMG was more friendly for men and getting in on a new division would give him a lot of opportunities so he wrote them back only to find out they wanted him to submit more photos done 'the proper way' and Adriel was right back to researching. An hour later, he was calling a freelance photographer that he found online, and the man agreed to a photo session that evening and claimed he knew what to do.
He did more research for a couple hours to see what he could expect and what they might want, took a shower, then headed out.
This identity needed a job even though he had withdrawn nearly all of his funds as 'Adriel Chee' and didn't lack money. He did lack bank accounts, and needing a paper trail meant making them and having a cash flow that won't look too suspicious if there might be a little extra pay. Bit Coin had been a godsend for the anonymous online cash and had been what he sank over half of his savings into when he had made his contingency plans, but if he wanted to keep his identity he needed to get it established quickly and pay someone to lay a back dated paper trail for him in Greece.
Adriel just never thought he would be a model? It wasn't something he had considered, anyway. Well, a new life was a change in everything, and Art didn't deserve to be stuck with someone with a criminal record (or rather, wanted for suspicion), and a model was something more tame. There were worse things he could be at any rate, and a person that takes care of his body for looks rather than to be ready to attack was a good front for his body.
Who knew that modeling was so hard? By the time Adriel got home that evening, he was exhausted like he had been out mountain climbing for the last few hours instead of just having pictures done. 'Just having pictures done' entailed staying still in near-impossible, painful, and/or difficult poses, but he was rather grateful to Chris since he now knew the basics at least. Then Chris called him a 'natural,' and Adriel had wanted to make him choke on his camera because he was tired of people saying that to him, but that could have just been the crankiness from being sore making him feel that way.
He uploaded the photos on the flash drive, picked out the ones he thought looked magazine and fashion nice, added a few random other ones in just in case, then sent it off before he took a bath. He was just starting to feel relieved when a particularly harsh jab from Art had him slip under the water, and he came up sputtering and ready to bite somebody's head off. He got out of the tub, threw on some dark clothes, painted his face black, pulled out brown contacts that were almost exactly like his eyes used to be, then put on his normal cap and gloves before he slipped out his bedroom window, used the lattice to get down, and then took off.
"I swear I'm not lying!" he heard Art shout once he got close to Art's little safehouse. He and two of the 'parole officers' were in the back alley of Art's apartment and there was a confrontation happening. "He's not gone, and he is in this area."
Adriel was two side alleys down, and he decided to use the access ladder to the water tower of the apartment he was by to get above them. The conversation continued, but Adriel couldn't make it out until he got on the roof, hopped to the next apartment over, then slinked to the closest corner and hovered out of sight.
"-st there's an obsession, but there is no proof except your word!" Adriel heard. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to pull my team out soon since it's been over a month, Mr. Reyes. The governor thinks there has been too much money spent for zero results."
Adriel could feel that Art was aware he was close and was begging him to do something, but Adriel didn't respond in any way since whatever Art was up to eluded him.
"Just because there has been no new brandings doesn't mean anything," Art insisted. "I told you that he has promised not to kill anyone as long as I keep him entertained!"
"That is why you are being suspected of colluding with the criminal!" the officer replied in a frustrated tone. "Look, I know you're not lying, you know you're not lying, but the governor doesn't know you and the police commissioner is refusing to cooperate anymore because you drugged one of his men and had been harboring your killer the whole time. He was advised by the medical director of London's premier hospital that the Wallflower Syndrome cannot block someone as strong as you - after a certain strength level of intuition, the dark spots the make can be seen! The Native tribe be came from also professes no knowledge and have claimed that he was not taught any countering techniques beyond the basic, but they also claim he is a skillful man so there was a chance he took the basics and made something more from it. So unless there is something you are not telling us-"
"No, I've told you the truth!" Art said in an insistent tone. "Or wait. Theoretically -
give me a second to finish - so theoretically, it could be possible that there are varying degrees of 'null' and he could be extremely powerful. Rather than a syndrome, it could be a different ability, the flipside to the normal one. He hinted at that when he told me he was a wallflower! And the medical director could be wrong because the study had not gone in that direction and it's always been assumed to just be a sense they are born without like how some few people can't smell or taste."
"Why didn't you tell anyone that theory while you were being question?" the officer asked in a skeptical tone as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of chewing gum. "That could be considered withholding critical evidence. And why tell me now? Art, look, we've worked together in the past so I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt, but you're making it hard to trust you."
"Because it's only a
theory and I had to request the research materials from the University of Michigan and only received it a few days ago!" Art exclaimed with exasperation that had an edge of desperation to it. "I couldn't say anything without any kind of proof nor could I form a theory! But in the basic reports, some were cracked faster than others even when performed by the same powerful researcher, and it lends credit to the theory!"
"Cracked?" the officer asked, then popped the gum he was chewing on in his teeth.
"Yeah," Art sighed out as he slumped like a man about to admit to a crime he witnessed. "They apparently covered it up, but every time they broke through, it turned the person into a vegetable. They didn't lack the amount needed for a control group and an experiment group... They broke several people after the first one was broken to see why that was even happening. The university shut down the research when they found out, the original research papers were confiscated by the military, and Dr. Galaien, his team, and the remaining 'patients' that had volunteered for a 'cure' were taken as well. The material I got was what was left, and they also added that to their notes. The only reason they were able to forward it to me is because of my international security clearance level."
The officer scowled and stuck his hands into his back pocket and Adriel didn't dare to breathe. He had never been more glad than he was right then to not have joined that study group because who knows what they would have done in an attempt to 'crack' him. "So we have a serial killer and a conspiracy on our hands," the officer sighed out. "Okay, so why tell me? You have the proof so you can show it to the medical director instead."
"I have a
theory," Art corrected. "And I'm telling you because I know you, John, and you are strong enough to know if I make up a random story. I could tell the director and the governor, but then they will want to conduct a similar research to establish proof and... I can't - I won't - be party to innocents being tortured like that."
At that point, the officer lowered his voice, and Adriel couldn't hear what was said. It didn't matter though - his thoughts were racing as he started to piece together the clues Art was slipping to him. He was going with the obsession story which meant he had not told them that Adriel was his soulmate, he was under pressure to find Adriel or have his career ruined if they decided to press charges, and he was keeping Adriel's presence a secret. Maybe Art was trying to balance himself on the fence, but he knew he was going to topple so he was testing the sides to see what would be better?
Adriel took a deep breath and silently released it with a smirk. Was his profiler trying to trap him or was he trying to get himself kidnapped to escape their trap? He wasn't going to try and slip into the bond and fully reveal himself to Art for the answer; that was not just stupidly suicidal, it was an unneeded cheat. He didn't need the 'cheat' that the Intuits used... He had been working all of his life without needing that crutch and he had his own methods to learn the truth.
Looked like his little kitten made the first move in their dance, and now Adriel was going to have to figure out the steps.
Adriel was woken up by a call a little after eight and was asked to be at the agency at eleven, and that gave Adriel barely enough time to get himself ready before running out the door so he could catch the right bus and then subway to get to the address. The landlady of the flat had been cheering on 'Evangelos,' so he made sure to inform her in an excited tone right before he left and left her laughing with joy at his luck.
Mrs. Leetle was a nice lady, really. Having felt the warmth Art could bring, he was beginning to feel a distant sort of appreciation for her even though she believed his cover story. It still felt very strange to be immersed in a completely new life, but he was slowly adjusting to it and she was the first person to 'support' him.
That made him think about his grandparents in Ireland, though. He felt a pang of guilt and it made him wince as he climbed onto the bus, then he paid for his ticket and moved to take a seat close to the side exit door. He hadn't thought about how this might be affecting them, but he imagined his grandmother was probably in denial and his grandfather was... probably defeated since Adriel's father wasn't alive and there were no other descendants left for him. He really had made a mess of his old life and couldn't return to being 'Adriel Chee' ever again, but he should probably send them a letter in another few months when their mail might not be screened to apologize and tell them goodbye.
Or to their neighbor's house with their name on it so it looked like someone had just made a typo when writing the address. Mr. Harvings would easily pass over a letter like that, and he doubted the police would stop screening his grandparents' mail for years rather than months so that would bypass it neatly.
Turning over a new leaf sucked.
Still, he had things to do and he couldn't go to an interview looking upset. The rest of the trip was used to think about the upcoming interview, the poses that Chris had put him in, and he wondered if what he would be modeling.
The answer to his question had been underwear - they wanted him modeling underwear and swim trunks. Sports and outdoor equipment as well. He apparently had a very 'wholesomely rugged' look to him they wanted to put him in, and yes, he had had to pose in several types of underwear, a wetsuit and wet down hair, a boho look that included a seashell necklace like he was an islander or a beach bum, and then nude photos which actually did make him hesitate, but only for a moment before he shrugged and agreed.
After that had come the contract, and he had been about ready to burn the thing when they wanted him to give them a 40% commission for 'taking a risk on a nameless and untrained man.' He haughtily refused, pointed out that he was willing to work even nude, could hold the awkward and demanding positions, so him learning on the job shouldn't matter since he did have acting school learning (Or Evangelos did, Adriel had done online research and practiced in front of the mirror a lot when he had not been stalking Art.) They tried lowering it to 35, he pointed out that he was more interesting in theater work so it wouldn't bother him to walk out, and they finally haggled it down to 30% with a sliding scale that lowered by 5% for every grand until 15% for a five grand job with four grand still in the 20% bracket. According to the research he had done, a flat 20% was the usual fee extracted at most modeling agencies, but this was a new field for the agency and they needed to make up costs, but he demanded the ability to renegotiate at the following year for a more reasonable commission rate if the new branch was succeeding and they agreed to that clause.
It was late when he finally got home, but Mrs. Leetle got a double thumbs up from him, she bounced and excitedly clapped her hands for a moment, then she surprised him with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Oh, I knew you could do it!" she exclaimed. "I told you that you were far too handsome and someone would snatch you up real fast. I made a bit extra for dinner tonight, so I will bring it up to your room since you look beat. Go on, shoo!"
Adriel laughed as he climbed up the stairs to escape her shooing motions, then blew a kiss at her when he got out of reach before continuing up to his room and sprawling on his couch to relax. Flats were supposed to be a poorer version of an apartment - less amenities and more rules - but he was actually enjoying it even if
his rooms were small and the furniture had been picked up through Mercari and Nextdoor which made his rooms look mish-mashed with colors, shapes, and styles. The books he had picked up were from second hand shops and were for acting and plays, and they appeared well used though he had only flipped through a few of them.
Adriel was and was not surprised by how well he was beginning to blend in, though. People relied far too much on their intuition and he was far too used to travelling and picking up local customs quickly, but he still felt a little wrong footed because he didn't think a new identity shouldn't be this easy and it probably wasn't for most. Again, it made him feel a little upset by how easy this was turning to be, but he did have the thing with Art to keep him occupied for the moment.
Thankfully, he was distracted by a knock at his door before his thoughts tried to spiral too deep into the negative again, and he chatted with his landlady while complimenting her cooking once she was invited in and he could eat while they had tea. He told her all about the interview, had her in stitches when he talked about the photos they wanted bar the nude ones, then had her indignant on his behalf when he talked about the contract negotiations. She was a very sweet old lady, so he returned the hug she gave him when he bade her goodnight after he washed the plate clean, then he went to his room and flopped on his bed to sleep.
The next few days and nights were spent stalking Art to work on Art's schedule and watched how his team worked. Art didn't keep specific hours, so he was going to make his move on the fourth day, but Art did not leave his apartment until evening and that made him back off. The following day was also evening, and Adriel began to study Art's night team, but he was called in for an appointment with the agency for the following day so he had to retire early to be rested for it.
Adriel sighed since balancing stalking with modeling was going to be tricky, but it would also keep Art off balance and unable to predict him, too. This time they wanted pictures on the international level, and they were excited to learn that not only was he fluent in Greek and English, but he could also do Spanish, French, and Italian and he was told it would open all sorts of doors for him and avenues for them to explore. He was asked why he had not put his languages on his resume, and he honestly replied that he figured it wouldn't matter because he thought it was only about taking pictures.
He was wrong. So so wrong. He had thought that holding poses had been hard, but they put him through his paces like he was a race horse they were testing out. There was running, weight lifting, swimming, and various poses for flexibility. Then they went over a skin and hair care regimen they wanted him to start along with a diet menu, requirements to log time in at any of the gyms they were associated with (thankfully, there was one only a few blocks from his flat), a list of things he was not allowed to eat or drink, a list of things he wasn't allowed to do like smoking, and other things along those lines. It was late afternoon before they got to the cultural aspect of things, and they tested him on what kind of traditional Greek things he could do. He was quickly loaded up in a van, driven to the beach, and told to do 'evening beach things you do at a beach in Greece' and informed that once the sun had set they would retire to the hotel.
No, he had not been told this was going to be a three day event. Honestly, it was upsetting, but they promised him £300 a day, and when he didn't look impressed by the amount because of the hours he was putting in for just that day, they also told him all the clothes they were going to be putting him in along with meals and the room were part of the deal.
That was enough to mollify him - his wardrobe was very light since he had to abandon all of his things to start a new life and he had been buying second hand items to make his funds stretch for as long as possible. £300 wasn't a lot, but it was close to a thousand for three days, and he wouldn't be paying for food and would be getting clothes and possibly other things they planned on using. Just...
"I hope you don't expect me to swim or surf?" he asked with an innocent look and the slight Greek accent he had adopted. "The seas in Greece do not have surfing waves. The water here is much colder and it is also not clear so I have been wary about trying to swim in the more normal ocean. I would be willing to learn, but only when it is much warmer and not in the middle of winter."
It was honestly very very cold and he couldn't believe they wanted him out here for three days to do beach things. He voiced that concern as well, and they quickly reassured him there would be no water activities, but winter was the best time for beach scenes since there were very few people around and the skies were more beautiful on clear days as had been forecast for the week.
He realized then that they would be expecting him to act like he would on a Greek beach. Rather, the insinuated message sank in. He would have to hide the fact that he was freezing, they expected him to wear clothes he would wear in the summer, and he had to look happy and carefree. It felt like the pretty and easy job they were acting like it was was a facade, they were expecting him to fail this part to keep the upper hand, and all of those little warnings about how newbies were taken advantage of that he'd ignored because he thought it was just about money or time suddenly made sense.
They were trying to trick a follower of Coyote, lie to a person whose whole life was now a lie, and manipulate someone who found manipulation to just be another game. He smiled prettily at then, inwardly laughed at the predatory gleam in their return smiles or their eyes, and gave them exactly what they wanted. He got into the van to sift through clothes, picked out a casual beige shirt, swim trunks that were not too colorful or complicated, tied on a couple of braided bracelets, then he grabbed a beer and hopped out without shoes, socks or sandals. He gave them another smile with a wink, then jogged over to the waterline because he wanted to get himself a little bit wet for the first part while the sun was still out and it would hopefully dry before it got really really cold. He set his beer down in the sand and ran to the waves as the water was withdrawing, dropped to his knees, then held his breath to swallow his whimper as he let the next wave crash into his hips and scooped the water up in his arms to douse his face and hair.
It was awful and he scrambled away before the next wave could come in. It took him three seconds to get wet, and that was the only three he was going to do because he was sure he was turning into a female with how much his balls shrank. It was
painful and he cursed a couple times under his breath while shaking himself off like a dog to cover for the violent shiver that hit him. That wasn't the craziest thing he had done, but in that moment it felt like the most insane thing he had done.
He unbuttoned the front of his shirt as low as it could go, fluffed it out so it wasn't sticking to him, then scooped up his beer and put it in a pocket before he started picking up seashells while smiling and laughing - the latter at himself since he figured he probably looked absurd or crazy. The camera crew were following him - oh, they were recording as well as taking pictures - so he
joyfully[/i] jogged his way towards a rocky outcropping (even jogged backwards for a few seconds like there was someone behind him he was sharing the moment with), waded a little into the water, then leapt up on the rock so he wouldn't cut his feet up by taking the longer way to get there. His feet were numb so he wouldn't feel any cuts and such if he did that, but he put his back up against the taller outcropping to avoid the next wave with another laugh and pulled out his beer to give his agent a silent but amused
'cheers!' before he took a good drink.
Because yes, he needed it and he didn't care that beer was on the no drink list.
His cheekiness was apparently the signal to end his torture since his agent laughed, clapped her hands, and called it a wrap for the day. Never had he been happier to see a large and fluffy towel offered to him and he stopped hiding how violently he was shivering as he reached out to grab it, wrapped himself up for the meager warmth he could get, then let one of the other men that was carrying equipment help him off the rock and pick up his beer can for him.
The next two days were worse, but thoughts of Art kept him going.
Adriel wanted to go stalk Art as soon as he got home, but he came down with a cold on the last day which was the only reason why he was home before dark. He still had to go on the beach even with a developing fever, but at least it was just to play in the sand, walk along the boardwalk in casual clothes like jeans, or lounge on towel covered chairs. They were careful with handling him even if they still expected him to work, but nobody bitched about him slacking off and the only corrections he got were basic things like to not directly look at the camera, change his position because the sun's angle was providing bad lighting, and other basic things he had no clue about but was quickly picking up.
Art, apparently, realized there was
something wrong because he got a careful poke as he started up his fireplace so he could bundle himself up on the couch with all of the blankets he had in the house. Adriel sent back a very pitiful feeling of misery and exhaustion before he snapped the connection shut, but it did make him feel better that Art had been concerned enough about his absence to randomly prod for him. It also meant that Art was somewhere withing a few blocks of his home, but he was far too tired to care. The last thing he did was take a couple of calprofen pills, then he went to sleep.
The next day was a blur of aches, shuffling around the house to use the bathroom, get water, or heat up tinned soup in the microwave to eat, but the day after that was a little better. He had no idea if Art had poked him the day before and he did recall Mrs. Leetle coming in to fuss over him at least once (and maybe feed him?), but the connection was quiet so he got up to start the fire and take a hot shower to wash the smell of stale sweat and the lingering smell of the sea off of him.
Adriel would have loved to say never again, but he wasn't one to give up when he finally had a new challenge in life. Art was also a challenge, but he didn't think he had ever put himself through that much difficulty. He used occasionally work as a ranger in the wilderness of New Mexico - something that only those that could survive for days on their own were allowed to do! That had meant crawling in and out of ravines to look for lost hikers, climbing cliffs to get to difficult areas and make sure there were no poachers, track down smuggling and human trafficking rings from Mexico, and other very very physically demanding and extremely dangerous tasks.
His agent called him the day after that while he was making himself some biscuits and gravy, and it was to gush over the photos and the film shots they got, congratulate him on building an incredible profile so quickly and that she couldn't wait for the snow shoot (what? What profile? He had no clue what she meant.) and then ask after his wellbeing in that order. It felt weird being treated like a commodity first and a person second.
More research later, and he found out that the conditions he had worked under was the norm but if he got famous he would be able to decide on the conditions. Then he looked up modeling profile and found it was just pictures and videos for people to look at, shrugged, then figured it was actually nice to be paid rather than having to pay a photographer to get his pictures done. Then he recalled what she said about a snow shoot, researched that, then whimpered because he would have to 'play in the snow' next and that would be freezing cold. He went and cleaned up his space to take a break for a bit, then he looked up 'how to survive extremely cold conditions out in the snow' and took notes until evening.
Adriel wasn't 100%, but he was 'close enough' and he hadn't seen Art for too long. He changed into the clothes he had set aside for night time stalking, put on his contacts, painted his face black once again, then donned his cap and his gloves before heading out.
Adriel actually got a lucky break that night since Art was doing his 'kidnap me!' routine and his minders, who were obviously bored after several weeks of this, were too far away which gave Adriel a short ime limit to jump in. Art knew he was close, but not how close, then he seemed to realize that something was different because he froze as Adriel leapt down from the brick wall that surrounded the current house Art was going past (very rich area, Adriel approved) and he had Art pressed up against the wall and shoved his fingers into Art's mouth when he opened it to press down on his tongue and prevent Art from twisting to try and catch a glimpse of him.
"Ah ah, no talking," Adriel quietly warned, then he buried his nose in Art's hair and gave a hum of appreciation as Art let out a startled squeak. "I'm happy that you are continuing to take care of yourself now, but I have literal seconds and just wanted to greet you while your associates can see but not do."
He then tilted Art's head using the fingers in Art's mouth and bit the neck he exposed as Art tried to say something in a panicked tone. It was a bite hard enough to leave a possessive mark, a hard suck ensured that it would be nicely bruised within the hour, and Art seemed to wobble for a moment as he involuntarily moaned from the feeling. Then he used Art's shoulder for a little bit of leverage to leap up the wall, barely managed to grab the top, and he heard Art whimper as he fell. A glance down as he scrambled over showed that Art was on his hands and knees because he had apparently lost strength in his legs, then he dropped to the other side as he heard rubber bullets hit the wall and a taser's buzz flew over his head where he had been before as he landed on the ground. He gave the sound of an impressed whistle, then he sprinted to go across the property so he could get to the other side and lose himself in the bordering properties.
He sent a smug feeling to Art right before he got out of range, and then he took back roads all the way home.
Art knew that Adriel had been coming closer, creeping in, and testing the borders from the beginning, and he had gleaned a bit more than Adriel knew he had. No, he didn't understand how Adriel hid himself, but he did notice slips when there was heightened emotion, and sometimes when Art poked, he could feel a faint echo of longing/wanting/loving/curious/scared from him and he didn't like that Adriel was scared. He had really messed things up by trying to turn him in, and now he was trapped in a bind since he had been stupid, blurted out most of the story when they picked him up, thankfully managed to keep the soul mate part of it back, and had instead said that 'Adriel had fallen in love with him, he had tried to talk him into turning himself in, then Adriel escaped at the last moment after dropping his phones off on him.'
He had been in shock from having a real soulmate bond (it was so so warm, and Adriel accepted him so much, but Art had rejected him so it was his fault) because he didn't do emotions and he had long ago killed off any hope or want of a relationship because he had thought his soulmate was dead. When he was taken to an interrogation room rather than a room for him to put in additions to the case, he had been confused, and when it was
him cuffed to the table and charged with conspiracy and collusion, he had fainted.
He woke up in an awful looking infirmary room on a very lumpy bed but he was relieved when he thought it was a dream and tried to smooth his hair back only to find he was cuffed to the bed and the bed was made of metal rather than the more common plastic ones. A glance at the window showed bars, and his stomach plummeted. The only saving grace was that he had had a little over half an hour to frantically get his thoughts under control and quickly think of what he could say to get out and go find Adriel, then they came to question him and he found out he was in Belmarsh Prison which was the most high security prison in London.
They were keeping him away from the main prisoners since he was only 'detained for questioning,' but it was a terrifying experience. The only thing that kept him from cracking was that he could
feel Adriel at the edges of his perception and Adriel was
worried and cautious. He realized he had to try to beat Adriel at his own game, but rather than make the choice to turn Adriel in, he had to choose Adriel and do it with all of his heart to there was no question about his decision.
The thing was, the only tactic he had was to offer to play bait. 'Hunter' always came out when he roamed alone and at night, but in order to do that, he had to get out of the prison. It took a couple weeks to come to that realization - again, he didn't know how to do feelings! - but when he did, the interrogators immediately saw the change and demanded to know why.
'I was in shock,' he had angrily told them. 'My roommate and friend was the killer all along! He had been stalking me with his real form, and nobody could predict it because he was a wallflower! He manipulated me by making a very reasonable sounding plot that was meant to draw Hunter in, and I was betrayed, then arrested, then questions, then found myself in a prison, and then HEAVILY INTERROGATED!'
His outburst had thrown his interrogators into doubt about their charges, and he was very very careful not to tell a single lie as he wove a story of manipulation, obsession, and betrayal, and then he told them if they used him as bait, they might be able to get him since 'Adriel Chee' had fled without a trace and nobody knew where he was. Art told them he had not left the country, was still in London even, and he was waiting for a chance to get at Art and would probably kidnap then lock him away in a dungeon somewhere to keep forever because there was something very wrong with him.
After that, he had let the others deal with the politics part - he only did profiling, but his intuition was telling him this was the right way out even if it wasn't telling him how to find or get Adriel. Eventually, the undercover and ambush specialists from the Trojan unit decided to test it just to they could confirm if the serial killer was still in London or not, and he became part of their team while also kept under close watch in case he tried to run.
Playing bait was a whole new experience, and it took weeks for him to learn how to work with the others. He wasn't trusted like he once was so anything he said was regarded with caution or skepticism, but he remained honest that Hunter - Adriel - was hovering at the fringes and studying the changes in his team. He also revealed that Hunter suspected or knew he was playing bait, that it was the reason for this newfound caution, but Adriel's obsession with him was keeping him from leaving so they settled in for the waiting game until another month passed. He alternated between playing bait, sleeping, and doing research on Adriel's history to figure out the riddle he had been given, and he finally got his hands on the original research papers since his name had been slightly marred but his record did not have a black mark so his international security clearances had not been revoked yet.
He was at the end of another 'playing bait' session when he felt Adriel coming in very very close, and he knew Adriel was somewhere to eavesdrop and so he quietly bemoaned the fact that they still hadn't caught him, caught the barely hidden derisive scoff from Maria - one of the people new to John's team - then whirled around and shouted that he was not lying. He felt Adriel's attention focus on him - it made his neck prickle - then he began to try and subtly tell Adriel what was happening... And what he had learned about the wallflower experiment.
Adriel and spiked with rage very quickly, so quick that he wasn't sure if it had been there, but his feelings were a bitter resentment like he was not surprised to hear that at all. Art wondered if there really had been a friend that had been part of the experiment that caused that type of deep loathing because until that moment, Adriel had kept a very tight hold on his 'shield' to stay hidden and hadn't even reacted to the theory he had posited. Then Adriel suddenly closed off again when Art had declared that he would not be party at all to having such research conducted in England, and then he felt Adriel slip away.
Upsetting since he had not been able to convey that he wanted to go!
Art honestly panicked when Adriel seemed to have left the area altogether the next day, but he kept it internal and continued to research Adriel's history. Adriel's return at the end of the day had him nearly collapsing with relief since he had been terrified that Adriel had decided to move on or go to the university for revenge, and he felt curious since there was an echo of excitement tinged with bored resignation, but he knew better than to try and invade since Adriel still didn't seem to know he could sense him where he was even if he didn't know where it was, so he made a note in his head to ask Adriel about it when they finally ran off together.
Some more time passed with Adriel lurking and watching, then Adriel disappeared again. Art wasn't too panicked at first, but there was no Adriel the next day, and he decided he would report Hunter missing, possibly fled, if he was not back by the next night. The third day of waiting was dreadful and he was tense with nerves, and as evening approached and they prepared for another bait session, he frantically tugged on their bond and staggered under the feeling of misery and pain he got that made him vomit on the floor. He apologized and told them he thought he had a stomach bug so that night's bait plan was cancelled, and Art fled to his room to try and see if he could glean any more information.
The only thing he knew was that Adriel was back, but he had shut off the connection. Art's sleep that night was restless, and the next morning he kept checking until he was able to slip in. It was a relief to know Adriel was only sick and he was very annoyed about how he got sick, and there was something about beaches and ice cubes and fireplaces, but that was about the only things he could make out from Adriel's fuzzy end since he was mostly unconscious. Art prodded him to push on thoughts of soup, warmth, water, and medicine, but he had to stop that evening because he had to play bait patrol.
The patrol was short, but that was only because the next one would happen an hour before dawn. Art was really beginning to hate the stupid patrols because of how sore his legs and feet were, and because they refused to let him patrol in any 'bad area' since he might slip his leash. A poke when he got back from that got a groggy but more alert feeling Adriel, and Art immediately jerked back and was relieved since it seemed like he was doing much better.
Art was a lot more enthusiastic about going on patrol the next night since Adriel might creep in, but he hadn't. The night after that, Adriel did come, and Art was content knowing that Adriel was well enough to get about again. He did not expect the feeling of razor sharp focus, froze, then found himself pinned against the wall, and he opened his mouth to try and whisper his plan except Adriel stuck his leather-clad fingers in and began talking to him like that night at the subway station that was a mix of Adriel and Hunter.
Art barely managed to
not moan when Adriel sensually breathed him in, but a nervous squeak did escape since he had no idea what was going to happen next. He could feel and hear how hard his heart was pounding while he tried to listen to Adriel's words, but another part of his mind - most of his mind if he was honest - was completely absorbed with feeling Adriel's firm body pressed against his back and keeping him pinned to the brick wall.
Art was so captivated by the feeling of being overwhelmed that he didn't pay attention to his head being tilted except to pliantly go along with it, and then there was a hot mouth and a large bite that hurt but in a good way, and then Adriel sucked to change the dull ache into a sharp sting that made him moan and his pants far, far too tight. Art was more than captivated, he was completely enthralled, but there was a rush of air like a bird taking off and he was falling to the ground and Art could only summon enough brain power to brace himself so he landed on his hands and knees.
Art had no idea that there had been gun shots and tasers going off. Hunter had only given him a fraction of tonight's dose, and he had no idea that the feeling of lust and need and want could be so intense. He practically had to be carried back to the safe house, then he was wrapped up in a warm blanket and treated like a shock victim while the team all tried to talk over each other about what they had seen.
He fell asleep to their arguing, and when he woke up in the morning, he was very very glad he had gone with the shock story.
Tasting Art for the first time kept Adriel's mood up through the snow shoot he was called in for the next day, and thank goodness for the internet's suggestion of plastic bags in between each layer of the three pairs of wool socks he wore because he probably would have lost his toes when they wanted a couple shots of him in a leather jacket and pants but no shirt.
That made zero sense to Adriel - nobody would go around dressed like that at a ski resort or anywhere else there was snow. He did not complain and he did comply with a smile and as much charm as he could muster, and then he got hot cocoa and was allowed a one hour break inside the ski lodge. His room was paid for again, and his breakfasts came with the room, but lunch and dinner were his responsibility as was the train ticket here and the one he would need to buy to get back. Apparently this was the norm as was the gift of clothes again, and Adriel realized that his wardrobe would end up very full very fast if these shoots kept up.
This time he had winter clothes to model rather than casual summer clothes, and they were very nice winter clothes to take home. Paying for his own meals and travel was very much worth it for the clothes he got since they more than made up for the price, and it wasn't like he was hurting for funds. Just hurting to use said funds without being noticed which meant using it for small things like food or online bitcoins. Hence the being ok with the modeling job since they also paid up front and Adriel would just be paying taxes at the end of the year.
Going there was literally an overnight bag with two changes of clothes, but getting home was two suitcases and a pair of ski boots he planned to sell on Mercari or ebay. Adriel had zero intentions of skiing, snowboarding, or sledding because falling into piles of frozen rain was not fun for him, but he knew they were not cheap and he was thinking he would donate the money to begin working towards not having to pay taxes for his untaxed paychecks.
Adriel stayed in that evening since he didn't want to risk catching a cold - the agency had decided two days was his health limit until he 'adjusted to going through a proper winter' - and he spent it lounging on the couch in front of a roaring fire with hot cocoa while he downloaded 'Plague Inc' to play the game. He enjoyed giving his diseases amusing names just to read an ending message like '
Godzilla has successfully eliminated all life on earth' then use the screenshot for his phone lock background. He decided to go with the name 'Mr. Rogers' this time since that was one of the least likely people who would commit mass genocide, then played until he fell asleep.
In the morning, he called his agent and asked her if or when he was next scheduled since he wanted to try and organize his timetables to pick up a new hobby. She told him he would have at least a week off since she needed to send in his profile to their associates, but that he could give her a call at the end of the week to see if there was any word. Otherwise she would contact him some time next week since it was Christmas week, reminded him to follow his diet and gym routines to stay fit, then she hung up and Adriel was left staring at his phone's home screen.
Right, he was a commodity, he would need to remember that. He also needed to remember that Christmas was a thing he needed to start keeping track of and he needed to think of something withing the next... five days to get Art a gift of some type.
Honestly, the dietary list they gave him had not been too far off from his normal diet - this one had more meat for the protien, but he figured he could calculate the difference and make it up with a protien bar or shake. The exercise regimen was less than his daily activity, but it was different, and it wasn't like he would be climbing walls or hanging off buildings to catch Art every night so he figured he would follow it for the most part. He was not a needy person that had to always know or control where their partner was, and Art was properly taking care of himself, so he didn't need Adriel to hover over him like he did before. That meant that he now needed to actually establish a life outside of his stalking, make it seem pretty solid but easy to shed if he had to run, then randomly stalk Art at various hours so that the Trojan team could not use a 'rough time estimate' to set up an ambush because he got too predictable.
Oh, and he needed to think of a full childhood in Greece and begin laying down those paper trails. He actually had a
lot to do, he realized, but he needed to start with the present first since getting it to Art would require a lot of planning.
Starting a new life was a lot harder than he thought it would be, but his only regret was that he had not tried to do it sooner because it was interesting when it wasn't tedious, but even when tedious it was not boring. Not boring was always a good thing.
Come to find out, getting a gift to Art wouldn't be hard, but figuring out what to get him was. Adriel had gone out the very next morning and bought a burner phone to go shopping with, and he realized he could just have the company mail it directly to Art's family here in London and Art would probably be visiting them so that would neatly tidy up the mailing conundrum. Thank you, Mr. Harvings - he didn't know if the plan to get his grandparents a letter worked or not, but it did give him this idea.
He just needed to find an appropriate give that would tell Art who sent it without him having to leave a message to do so. He was poking around Guatemalan products when he came across 'dancing lion chocolates' and decided that might be perfect. A bit more research showed none of the farms they sourced were Guatemalan, but they bought cacao from indigenous Mayans which Adriel
knew could grow phenomenal cacao plants. Adriel was half in love with the chocolates by the time he found a
gift basket with the basket being Mayan and hand woven, the pottery was made by a tribe and stamped with a dancing lion drawn in the Mesoamerican art style, a hand carved Oaxacan Molinillo frother, hot cocoa to use the frother and the mugs for, a box of bonbons, and a bar of dark chocolate. He honestly hoped that Art looked into the company himself a little bit since the owner's motto was
'For chocolate is art. And as art it is magnificent.' He purchased it, threw in the extra money for a next day delivery, and hoped it would come in within the next four days even with mail congestion.
Adriel wished he could have picked himself up some chocolates for himself as he factory reset the phone, but a unique company like that would be easy to trace and if Art mentioned the gift or let his team see it, they would look to see if it had been delivered anywhere else. That kind of lead was something only an idiot would make, and Adriel was only being stupid by continuing to stay close to Art so he would not make an idiot's mistake.
The phone was tucked into his pocket and he continued his stroll since he now had to think of a childhood. Hmmm, how did Evangelos grow up? What kind of parents did he have before orphaned. Ah! Whatever the plan, it would have to include ISS trauma since he could use that to keep Art without anyone knowing that he was Adriel.
Christmas came and went, and he spent it with Mrs. Leetle and gifted her a
faux-fur trimmed wool coat since it looked simple but elegant, was beautiful, and he told her it made him think of her since she was all that and more, then thanked her again for her support and the care while he was sick. She gifted him with a hand made
scarf that she had knitted with his beautiful blue eyes in mind. They both laughed at the silly flattery lines they had for each other, then Adriel retired to let her go to bed.
Now, Adriel really had no intention to bother Art since it was a family holiday and he was with family, but when he took a small peek at their bond to see if Art was pleased with his gift, his soul mate was
despairing and Adriel couldn't have that. He changed clothes, wore three pairs of socks but only one set of plastic bags covered the first pair of socks he put on because he didn't want to risk crinkling with every step. Cap, dark brown contacts, black paint applied, then his gloves, and he was out the window and into the drizzling and cold night which was the other reason he had not planned to head out.
Adriel got close to the apartment Art's family lived within before he made his way up to the roof tops and carefully navigated the slippery surfaces until he got to the correct building. He was pretty sure they were on the second floor, but he wasn't didn't know for sure. He figured he would start from the top and make his way down so he broke into the penthouse apartment through the sliding glass door using a
quick trick that only needed a screwdriver or a pocket knife with the tool, and he had the latter and was not worried about alarm systems because this was the roof, the apartment was too old to come pre-installed with an alarm system, and nobody installed an alarm system into an apartment on the top floor like that. The apartment was also dark and the residents obviously on holiday or visiting others for Christmas, so he quietly closed the door and did the lock then headed to the front door to check it.
There was no burglary system for the front door, and a peek out the peephole revealed no cameras in the hall that he could see. Adriel pulled the hood of his jacket tighter, paused for a moment to wonder what the fuck he was doing (or was that Art?) then he slipped out and headed for the stair case to begin creeping down it.
Ah, and look at that, one Art's team members was actually standing guard on the second floor landing when Adriel peeked down from the fourth. Either they were diligent, or they were Trojans using Art as bait
and keeping an eye on him for suspicious activity. However, they were an special op team so Adriel knew it could be either one and pondered how to take the person out without killing them or giving them time to call for a warning.
The answer came in the form of Art, and Art sounded very nervous as his voice echoed up the staircase.
"Uhm... Maria?" Art asked in an uncertain tone, but Adriel didn't flee since he wasn't feeling any antagonism from Art towards him though he did get himself ready to. "My mother would like to know if you would like more hot cocoa or tea."
Adriel had only a moment to decide if he should take the guard down and risk that Art wouldn't scream for help while he did or not, but he was stupid so his choice was obvious. He leapt over the rail, silently swung himself to the third floor landing, then he repeated that with the second and landed behind Maria. Female though she might have been, she was still strong and trained so he almost lost his hold when he clapped a hand over her mouth and nose and held her artery.
"Say anything or scream and she dies," he quietly hissed to Art while conveying it was for Maria's sake through their bond. Maria took that moment of inattention to do a back kick, as she tried to pull his hands off either one of the vulnerable areas he had held, and Adriel barely raised his knee in time to block with his shin and stopped her attempt to break or injure his knee. He hissed with annoyance and used his own height and weight to overbear her, then he shoved her against the wall and pinned her in place while he glanced back to check and see what Art was doing.
Art was looking conflicted and scared as he stepped into the stairwell, so he kept an eye on Art of the corner of his eye and focused the rest of his attention on preventing Maria from making any sounds louder than the muffled noises she was making, and when she went limp, he held it for a bit longer to make sure it was not a ploy then carefully set her down and turned to Art.
"What are you doing here?!" Art quietly hissed. "You can't be here! How did you even get in without being seen?!"
Adriel shrugged and took a step towards Art to hold him and bury his face in his neck in the same spot he had bitten last time. "I'm just that good," he purred in a low and smug tone, lips brushing the still-healing hickey - and he felt Art shiver in his arms. "Let me enjoy my stolen few minutes without you being all cranky. Did you enjoy my gift? I am not sure if it came in time or not."
"
I knew the dancing lion was from you!" Art triumphantly whispered before continuing in a quiet but normal tone that almost sounded relieved. "The rest of my family assumes it's from my uncle or grandmother, and I didn't say anything. Open the bond, Adriel, stop hiding!"
Adriel pulled back enough to look at Art's eyes, leaving smudge marks from his face paint behind, and Art was silently begging with them as he looked right back. Knowing he couldn't truly deny Art anything but still very practical, he lowered his head to give Art a real kiss and grabbed their bond so they could get an estimate of how long they had. Art pressed against him hard and nearly bit him on accident trying to deepen the kiss with a needy little whine, then Adriel was hit with a wall of love/regret/guilt/worry/relief/gratitude/desperation as he got the information that they had only seconds and there was no way he could get Art out of here as he seemed to want, or not without turning it into a hostage situation which would end in a tragedy when they were eventually caught.
Adriel
bit Art's lip making him let out a muffled yelp into his mouth, sucked on it hard so Art would have a bruised and swollen lip, then shoved Art hard back into the hallway of the second floor. Adriel turned and fled, but not before sending Art a feeling of pure love/want/need/longing, hoped Art would come up with a good excuse which was why he had left like that, then he slammed his senses down hard and took the stairs three at a time and managed to get to the fourth floor landing as heard people run past Art to chase him.
Adriel dodged into the apartment he had originally entered though and locked the door, but the snap of the deadlock alerted the first man to reach the top.
"He's in 402! 402!! We need the ram!" Adriel heard him shout as he fled into the kitchen, then he slipped out the back door as pounding on the front and shouted demands to open up began.
Adriel didn't bother to close the door behind him since Art's intuition had warned him that every second would count. He ignored that everything was slick with drizzle as he leapt for and grabbed the peaked roof of the apartment built against the one he was on, and he began a mad scramble/slide to get across without breaking his stupid neck once he pulled himself up. He couldn't help but burst into laughter because of the huge adrenaline rush he was having, and he managed to get to the other side and crawl up to the peak of the roof as he heard the sliding door shatter.
That was a really dickish move when Adriel had tried very hard to leave as little evidence of his passage as possible so as not to inconvenience the absent family. He leapt across the narrow alley to land on the flat roof one story down and immediately rolled into a tumble so he didn't break anything. Adriel absolutely
knew he would be too sore to get out of bed tomorrow so he would have to take a hot shower as soon as he got back to his room, but that was going to be a half hour journey at least since he had to shake off the pursuers who were shouting at each other to spread out and search.
They hadn't spotted him yet, but two buildings over was nowhere near far enough and the Trojans were probably livid since they would have seen Maria unconscious off to the side. He forced himself up and continued his sprint, and Art's intuition had been absolutely right on how narrow the escape would be. A couple seconds slower and they would have seen him leap to this roof, and had he been even a few seconds slower than that, the first man might have been able to shove the door open before he got it closed.
Despite all of that, Adriel's chest was full to bursting and not just from the excitement from the escape. He got a very very good Christmas present from Art in the form of confirmation with no intentions to let anyone else have Adriel. If he had to judge, he would guess that Art was even more possessive of him than the other way around, and his beautiful pet was trying to find his way out of the cage to be free with Adriel.
That wasn't possible, Art could never be with Adriel. However, he could end up with Evangelos, and that was the plan Adriel was aiming for.
Running in the rain is not conducive to one's health, and Adriel was stuck with a fever for three days. His sickness was nowhere near as bad as it was, but he also had a twisted right ankle probably while scrambling across the rood, a sprained left wrist and knee from that tumbled landing, and he had so many bruises that he couldn't count them unless he used a marker to number each one. Amusingly enough, the one from Maria was not the worst one - that one went to the one on his hip because he tripped on the tub after a hot shower and used his fever as an excuse as to why he was looking and moving around so stiffly when Mrs. Leetle came by with some Christmas dinner leftovers.
He went to the gym on Sunday to stretch and swim in the heated pool for his exercise and to work out the kinks in his joints, then Monday came around and his agent called first thing. He was still in bed, so he wanted to whine when he had to pull his arm out from under the blanket to grab the phone on the nightstand.
"Evangelos!" she exclaimed before he could properly say hi. "My precious precious darling, I am going to make you rich! What do you think about pornography?"
Adriel blinked then scowled at the phone. "I am currently single, but I am pretty sure my soulmate is somewhere here in London so I will have to pass on that," Adriel replied, his tone regretful though his eyes could probably burn a hole through his bedroom wall. "I'm-"
"A soulmate?!" she gasped. "Oh my goodness, you don't say! Why can't you find them?"
"ISS," he replied. "I get the feeling here and there, but I think they are a native and don't check very regularly for theirs."
"Oh no," she moaned out. "Hm. It might be terribly rude, and you do not have to answer of course, but what happened?"
"I was five when I saw my parents murdered," Adriel said, trying to sound disaffected though he let a bit of resignation seep through. A silently implied 'I'm used to being asked to tell this horrible story so it doesn't matter.' Adriel was an accomplished liar which was why he had originally picked acting for the identity. "I
knew for weeks, but I couldn't convey it since I didn't understand and didn't know what death was. My mother hid me in the cupboard under the sink, but the door couldn't close all the way because a hand towel was keeping it open, and I watched through the crack what the 'Bad Sad' thing was and... Well, I stopped wanting to know and I still don't."
"Oh, that is so awful," she said in a mournful tone, and Adriel realized then he had no idea what her name was. Even if he was a commodity, she at least knew his name so he figured he should ask about hers soon since he wasn't sure if anyone told him and he did not pay attention to the others in between shoots the last couple times because he had been too cold and cranky to socialize. "The treatment is just pretty terrible I've heard, so I can't blame you for not wanting to know. You must have been pretty strong to know weeks ahead of time and to now be able to feel your soul mate, though. Maybe you should start looking there?"
Adriel chuckled like she had told a good joke. "No, I'm not in a big rush to chase him or her down," he admitted in a slightly wistful tone. "I was busy looking for a theater job, and then the unexpected modeling job has been keeping me busy so I doubt I would have time for dates at the moment. Plus I don't have much money and I don't want to be a trophy husband since I have my own goals. We will meet when we meet and not any time sooner. However, I don't think you ever told me your name? Or if you did, I was so busy and tired that I forgot."
His agent was quiet for a moment though he could hear the clicking of a pen in the background, then she laughed. "Oh, no, I never gave you a card and just rushed you right through the process, didn't I," she said with a bit of chagrin, "I'm so sorry! My name is Cynthia Walker, and yes, I am related to Christopher Walker but distantly. Call me Cindy rather than Cynthia, okay?"
Adriel was rather amused by her introduction. "Oh, good, I was worried that I was a terrible person for forgetting my agent's name," he said, conveying amused relief as he stopped glaring and relaxed back into his bed. She hadn't woken him, but he was still not ready to leave his warm blankets. "I originally called you 'the boss lady at the modelling agency' in my head, but now it is 'my agent' or 'my manager' since you are always working with me?"
Adriel deliberately ended the last part as a question since he actually was wondering these things. "You are so good at your job that I keep forgetting you don't actually know anything," she said with a light laugh. "I'm actually the director of the new branch, and I picked you to test the waters for this difficult task. Male models are not in much demand, so I wanted one with a beautiful face as well as a body that could convey
brawn without edging into the 'muscle builder' territory. You fit my criteria perfectly and you work without complaint."
Adriel raised an eyebrow at the last bit. "I complain about the cold," he pointed out. "A lot."
Cindy lightly laughed again. "Oh that is nothing but the truth," she said in an amused tone like Adriel had just made a very good joke. "No, models often complain about the smallest things. I'm talking about toilet paper brands to the shade of green the plastic plant in the background should be. Mind, I'm not saying they are dumb - you have to be sharp to survive in this industry - but they do look for anything to complain about. The diva attitude, most fall prey to it and become a nightmare to deal with. I hope you don't become like one of them since you are a darling, but I normally handle the agents that handle the models."
Adriel gave a thoughtful hum. "Acting like a diva is too much work when this job is already very physically demanding," he replied. "Oh, we are off track, but was the call only about filming pornography?"
"A lot of men would have jumped at that offer, you know," she replied with dry humor.
"No, that is also too much work," Adriel said, then yawned. "Positions held for that are probably way worse, and when your job is sex all day, sex becomes unpleasant or boring."
"You are a very pragmatic person," Cindy said in a direct way, and Adriel was pleased to be called that. "All of that is true and then more. Anyway, there are other offers, but they didn't pay nearly as high as that one did and I thought that being in any type of film might had made you happy since you say you wanted theater."
Adriel made a humming sound like what she said was interesting though he didn't care one way or the other, then he rolled over onto his back. "I am finding myself liking the modeling, actually," he admitted as he found a new comfortable spot for his head on the pillow. "It is challenging and pushes my acting skills further than I thought possible when miserable with cold." He paused to let her finish laughing. "Are any of the jobs local or close enough for it to only need one day? I will not like paying for travel if it is in France or some other location that needs me to fly."
Adriel hear the shuffle of papers for a few seconds before she replied. "No, there is one for America, two for Italy and the last one is only in Dartmoor, but they are paying low and expecting you to cover all costs so I planned to turned them down," she said in a tone that was slightly distracted which meant she was looking things over. "I'm afraid you will be paying for your own flights most of the time until your name is really out there, Evangelos. Right now you need exposure, but since it sounds like you are actually willing to keep to this job rather than continue to look for theater work, I can send an email out to more places with your profile. I will also remove the nude photos from it."
"Oh, that doesn't matter," Adriel absently commented. "I don't care if there are pictures. Just no sex and no pornographic filming."
"Ooooh really?" she purred in a pleased tone, and it sounded like a question but it really wasn't so Adriel just hummed an assent as he rolled to his other side and snuggled deeper into the blankets. "Then I have something for you right outside London. It might be up to one week of work, but it will not be less than three days. They are looking for the right models for several calendar themes, and they need male models since it is a feminist group running it to sell for funding more projects. You won't be put in any poses that will emasculate you."
Adriel snorted with amusement. "I never worry about being emasculated because I am secure with who I am," he said in a matter-of-fact tone laced with the lingering amusement. "I also support female equality, so I will accept that one, and no, I do not care if gay men buy them because I enjoy both genders. Well, enjoyed, anyway. It will depend on my soul mate if we bring a third into our bed or not, but I will turn them down if they are one of those that believe that they are entitled to bond to me simply because the potential is there. Ah, time and day?" he paused as he took thought about his body. "And I hope they can cover bruises? I had a fever again from the Christmas day rain and ended up falling in the tub. I'm not sick now, and it happened on Christmas night so most of them are gone. Just the one on my hip where I landed on the tub's edge is still dark."
"I will call them to make sure, but I do believe they have a makeup artist that works with paints meant to cover up those types of things and scars. I'll call you back in a few minutes."
That was the longest talk he had had with her, and she was talking to him like a person there towards the end. Maybe he should invest in an airbrush set meant for makeup, though. He knew how to use it, there had been a period in his life where he identified as both genders and would dress however he felt for the moment, and learning to apply it had been a challenge for a short time. Now he identified as a male since that was the shape he was born in, but he honestly didn't care if he was seen as male or female, he just wanted to be seen as attractive.
Some of the most toxic poisons came from attractive flowers after all.
Adriel ended up working the full week and then some rather than three days. He slept in his own bed each night since the subway only took an hour, and they ferried him back and forth in a farm truck because it was being done at a large summer camp that had several cabins in one large area rented to the ladies for all of January. The team had booked up the nearby hotel to specifically use the cabins rather than have the models roaming around in the cold, and Adriel found the job and the working conditions very pleasant so was happy to do what they wanted.
Each male was to take a 'theme' and they had initially intended to give each model one to two seasons in different themes. However, there was half a dozen calendars, each with their own theme, and not enough guys so it wasn't hard for them to talk Adriel into a third set - especially after he showed him how he looked with his face shaved. They had gushed and stroked the smooth skin while telling him it made him look more innocent and a little younger, so they were more than happy to put him in a third.
The first calendar he modeled for was as an 'Autumn' with the theme being 'Countryside life.' The cabin had been remodeled to look like the inside of a small cottage for one room and a barn for the second room, and even though he had to be nude for the photo shoot, he was supposed to go with 'strong and enticing while caring for the animals and home' but no overt looks. That meant a shot in the cottage of him cooking a shepherd's pie (they were delighted when he actually did make a large one from scratch, and though he realized he made a mistake since that was not a Greek dinner, he said he learned it since he actually did love cooking and it had been the first food he had tried in a pub when he came to England) in nothing but an apron, there was one of him brushing a little lamb (of course he knew how - sheep and goats were the main farm animals in Greece!) with the lamb itself being the obstruction, and his final month was him on a pile of leaves in all sorts of poses from relaxing to playing to tease. They weren't demanding with his poses since they had been concerned about the bruises they had had to cover up which was why he got some easy shoots.
The second one had been 'Summer' and he was told it had been the beach photos that had gotten their attention, and the theme of the calendar was 'Vacation.' cabin had a sand pit, green screen background for later editing, and it was thankfully kept very warm with a few space heaters. The second room here was more 'tropical island' with pots of bamboo that were so tall that someone had had to trim the tops to fit it, those house plants that looked like small palm trees, potted fronds, and the walls and ceiling here were also covered with green fabric but so was the floor. The floor was a bit weird since they had put up a foot tall platform with holes cut in to hide the pots and make it look like he was on ground level with them, and there were random mounds of dirt and rock piles. This time, they smiled at him and told him to 'have fun like a Greek island!' and he pouted since he knew Cindy had apparently told these ladies the story about the beach. They got a show which included him climbing in the bamboo after making sure both plants and pot were stable for it, and he supposed that that was probably why they had him doing the whole 'boy next door' spring theme.
That last one was probably the worst of the lot in that he actually had to lounge and stuff in a canoe on the shore of the lake. In winter. The last two were thankfully indoors, though. One was a green screen set that looked like a balcony and him opening the window to a new day like he had just woke up, and the other was a bed scene and he was definitely good at the whole sprawling tease thing so that was the only shoot they only had to tell him what they wanted him to convey and he did it without needing clarification or readjustments to his pose. At the wrap, he couldn't help a bit of mischief, and he leveled bedroom eyes at them which had one of them blushing and the other one laughing, and the last few were flushing, shifting their stances, or quickly looking away so he finished it with his 'bad boy' smirk then gave a light hearted laugh.
It was really fun, especially since it was in cabins, and after Cindy gave him all the compliments for leaving such a great impression which had him happy. Then he realized he was actually finding the cutthroat and difficult career fulfilling and wondered exactly what kind of person he was because of that.
He waited several more days after that shoot before he began his stalking to see what new security measures there were. Through binoculars, he could see any broken CCTVs in Art's territory were repaired or replaced, so guessing that there were hidden cameras didn't take more than a leap of logic. He figured the man reading the papers on a bench at the park was probably a plant since he was there for three days and just kept reading the papers of that day with pauses to 'rest' and glance around. Any concerned citizen was waved off on their way with a kindly smile, and the man exercising with a bicycle that finished his daily route around the park would always pause to chat with the old man so Adriel suspected him to also be a plant.
However, Trojan was very good at what they did, so if there were any others, he couldn't find them using a pair of binoculars on a very tall roof from a distance. However, this was Holland Park which meant there were places like Unico Gelato & Caffè right next to the main subway that he could try, and there was The Cross store that sold more interesting clothing and objects that someone like him might take a look at. So Adriel asked Mrs. Leetle if she wanted to try an ice cream, cake, and coffee cafe with him, she happily accepted, and they spent a day out not only trying the cafe and looking at the 'funky and cool' shop he had 'heard about,' but she also played tour guide to show him Kensington Palace Gardens and they finished with a small stroll through the park to get back to the subway and go home.
Nobody had looked at him twice - his stubble had grown back and he portrayed someone new and interested in the city while Mrs. Leetle had honestly treated him that way as she pointed out various things to him. Or rather, people did look at him twice, but it was for his looks and not on suspicion, and he just gave them a polite smile and nod but had never strayed from his sweet little landlady. It had honestly been a nice day, so they talked about doing it again the next time the weather was warm, then they retired to their own places.
Adriel was able to confirm the man at the park was a plant - the officer had given him a sharp look as someone new to analyze before dismissing him and going back to his paper to 'read,' and there had been a pan handler in the subway station itself. That was about all he was able to confirm, but he and Mrs. Leetle went out a few days later on Friday and Adriel hid his surprise when they pulled in since he knew that Art was playing bait at the moment and he was close to the 'pan handler.' Art's head had snapped up as he was staring hard at the train, and Adriel opened their bond.
Art needed to look angry and walk away as fast as he could as soon as they saw each other, and ignore him when he called out. He is terrified of Hunter and didn't want anyone to know this weakness, so he will clam up and not speak at all about why he left to anyone.
That was about all he managed to convey of his plan when the doors opened, and Art's jaw dropped when he saw how Adriel currently looked and Adriel stared back with shock, wariness, curiosity, and yearning. A hard shove of
GO! through the bond with a feeling that he was snarling at Art, and Art turned and fled looking pale as a ghost as Adriel took a step forward and reached out for a second before snatching his hand back like he had been burned. A flicker of hurt, then a blank expression as he turned to Mrs. Leetle who had called out his name in concern.
"I..." Adriel began, then looked a little lost so Mrs. Leetle carefully took his arm and pulled him off to the side away from the crowds.
"What happened, Evangelos?" she asked. "Do you know that man?"
Adriel shook his head and pursed his lips, but he made the lower lip tremble just a tiny bit bit like he was trying to hide deep pain as he glanced away. "I don't know him," he said after two hard swallows, letting his 'accent' sound a little bit stronger because he was conveying hidden distress. The pan handler had been edging closer while begging for any coin that could be spared, but he was still out of hearing from them.
Mrs. Leetle leaned in to cup his cheeks in both her hands to gently guide his face back to look him in the eyes. "Oh, darling, you look like someone ripped out your heart," she said in a sorrowful tone, and when her eyes began to water, Adriel averted his own in the opposite direction he had looked at before. "Tell me what is wrong, please? I cannot bear to see you looking so devastated."
"I'm not devastated," he tried to firmly deny, but faltered at the end and carefully took her hands in his and shook his head no while trying to blink back tears and caught the caught a glimpse of the pan handler within hearing range. "Please, Mrs. Leetle, just... Not right now. I really do not know who he is, but I do want to find his name." He paused and tried for a kinder smile though it came out a little crooked. "He is cute, yes? He was scared, dough. Do not worry, I will talk when we get home."
Mrs. Leetle sighed with a worried look, then mustered up a return smile meant to comfort him. "Oh sweetie," she said in a bittersweet tone. "Was that... your soulmate?"
Adriel looked away and rubbed a corner of his eye with his palm like he was trying to stop himself from tearing up discreetly. "We will talk at home, please," he said, trying to sound polite but letting a little bit of desperation through. "I don't know him and he is not wanting me so it doesn't matter."
She reached out and took the hand not pressed against his eye in both her hands. "Let's just get buy some gelato to take home," she offered with a sympathetic smile. "I will build a nice fire and we can watch a movie with a nice cuppa - yes, I know you like your coffee more, but I find peppermint tea very soothing. If you do not like it, then I will brew a pot for you."
"You don't have to," Adriel said with a shake of his head no. "Dere is no need, I'm not upset. We can see de Sambourne House and pretend nodding happened, yes?"
Adriel made sure the last word sounded just a tiny bit choked, and then Mrs. Leetle had her arms around him so he 'gave in' and hid his face in the scarf she was wearing to quietly cry by bringing up the raw memories from the night with Art at the abandoned subway station. "Sshh, there there, we can see the museum on a different warm day, okay?" she coo'ed and Adriel gave a small subtle nod as he sadly sniffed. "Chocolate gelato, or perhaps dark chocolate in vanilla. I have some nice films like 'The Wizard of Oz' and 'Mary Poppins' as well! Have you seen them?" Adriel shook his head no as he pulled back, then brought out a handkerchief from inside his coat to carefully dab under his eyes to minimize red and puffiness since he was a model. "Just sit tight, sweety, and I'll be back."
Adriel nodded, then turned away as soon as she moved off to try and hide his pain while he carefully cleaned up his nose as well. He stayed that way for a couple minutes and ignored the world around him until he 'felt recovered' enough to lean up against the wall like he hadn't been doing anything at all. He turned a little when he heard someone shuffle close to him, then reached into his coat pocket to drop a fiver in the bowl and tried to turn away.
"Lookin' like yer havin' a tough time, mate," the pan handler said after a silent bow of thanks. "Wanna tell me 'bout it? I know what havin' a tough life is like, and you look like a tuff so I don't think you have friends that would understand. And sometimes, a stranger is better than a friend."
Adriel had started off looking wary, but he subtly sagged his shoulders with defeat at the last line and looked down at his shoes like it was the most fascinating thing. "I was growing up an orphan," he hesitantly said with a shrug, struggling to 'hide' his accent. "I found a good job last year dat gives me good clothes. Everyting else is still old d-
things, so I am not rich. Only pretty, but dat will go one day."
"It can't be as bad as that," the pan handler said in a soothing and faux-sympathetic tone. "Yer young unlike me and have plenty o' time to find love and family. You said orphan, and I know quite a few of them since that's purty common in the streets."
Adriel peeked at him with eyes that conveyed deep understanding as he gave a nod, then he dropped them again. "Had time like dat in Greece, went to drama school and was accepted for my looks, but dere is no jobs for dat in Greece really," he mumbled. "So I traveled to popular places looking for theater work, but still not'ing. England is cold, I do not like it, but a model agency accepted me. It pays very little, der is a lot of days between jobs, and I am having to pay for my own travel and flight so I worry even dough I just started. My agent keeps saying she is thinking I will go far, but... All it takes is one accident, yes? Den I lose everything and will be on de streets in Greece unless I find something that wants a multilinguist with no business schooling."
"Ah, that sounds tough," the pan handler admitted in a better sympathetic tone - or rather, an empathetic one, then moved on to a curious tone in an effort to cheer him up. "What languages you speak, lad?"
"English, Italian, French, Greek, and Spanish," he said in a tone that conveyed that he had answered that question many times recently. "Also know some Turkish, Arabic, and Egyptian. Greece is very popular and there are a lot of refugees and others, too. De war and other dings is causing many to come in illegal boats, a lot die because the boats are too heavy and sink, but it really got bad last year and is now being called de Mediterranean migration crisis in your news. It has made Greece unsafe for those like me."
"Ah, yes, I've heard about that," the pan handler said, then he stuck out a grimy hand. "The name's Paul, by the way. Paul Gyuris."
Adriel tentatively took it like someone who was reluctant to socialize or introduce themselves rather than one disgusted by the homeless. "Evangelos," he replied, but deliberately didn't give a last name. He had been dropping plenty of hints and such under the man's subtle questioning, but he wasn't going to just hand everything over like someone who didn't know what the streets were like. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Paul."
Paul laughed as they both drew their hands back and shook his head while Adriel stuck both hands into his coat pockets. "Don't hear it's a pleasure often," he admitted in a jovial tone like Adriel had just given him a very nice compliment. "Why would Greece be safe for someone like you if you are Greek?"
Adriel twisted his expression into a bitter one though his tried to hide it under reluctance. "I am pretty," he said in a tone obviously meant as a diversion. "Many of the people that come are not nice, and if I end up on the streets, I might have to sell my body or they will just take it. Or scar myself up. I am not stupid and I know what happens in de cities like Athens, and living in de country is more difficult since all jobs are already taken. So travelling is safer, and now I am here working."
"Oh, got a work permit?" Paul asked, and Adriel looked up at him with a confused and clueless expression. "Oh, don't know what that is?" Adriel shook his head no and started looking worried. "No worries, lad. Just tell your employer, I'm sure they can help. Gonna want to do it quick though, they come done pretty hard on those things and catch on pretty quick."
Adriel really looked worried and shifted his stance. "I did not know," he admitted, then lightly bit into his lower lip like he was about to chew and only recalled at the last minute that it was a bad habit. "Nobody ever said and I just got a travel visa and started travelling. Thank you, I will call my boss and ask her about it."
"Good, you should, the Eurosceptic attitude ain't a pretty thing out here. So what was up with the other man that ran?" Paul asked, apparently ready to go in for the kill now that he had Evangelos 'grateful' for his advice. "Looked like he saw a ghost."
Adriel cringed back a little and looked away with a shrug. "Guess he didn't like me," he replied, another obvious attempt to divert. "Or maybe he recognized me from my modeling profiles." He paused and looked up at the ceiling. "Hm, maybe he has one of my calendars?"
"Calendars?" Paul asked in a curious tone, though his body language was getting a little too pushy which had Evangelos flinching back and ready to flee until he realized his mistake and leaned away from him. "Sorry, didn't mean ta scare yah. Asperger's, you know, and made it hard for me to get a job when I were young. They finally acknowledge it, but it's a wee bit too late for me."
Adriel scowled as he straightened up his posture. "Dat isn't right!" he exclaimed in an indignant tone, then glanced around since some people looked their way and immediately leaned back against the wall and shook his head. "You should go to shelters and ask for advice, you will find someone who will know information to help you. Even Greece has such things, and our economy is bad."
"You sound like you know all about it?" Paul lightly probed, then he turned around when Adriel let an expression of relief cross his face when Mrs. Leetle came into view. "Oh, she your mother?"
"Landlady," Adriel corrected, the relief from the sudden change also evident. "Sorry, Paul, but I hate to run. She picked up some frozen treats and we don't want it to melt, yes?"
"Aye, I've taken up a lot of your time," Paul said as he backed away with a smile. "Thanks for the fiver, lad, I will be able to get a nice lunch with it."
"No problem," Adriel said with a faux-friendly nod, then turned away and hurried over to Mrs. Leetle so they could take the train back together without looking back to convey how 'uncomfortable' he had been towards the end. Hopefully, his answers would give the right implication as long as Art didn't talk.
To say that Adriel was surprised when Art shoved hard enough at their bond to wake him in the middle of the night was an understatement - he had thought he was too far away for Art to do something like this and he realized his little pet could actually be devious. He stopped hiding and reached out for Art's warmth, and the chill that had started whittling away at him was thawed.
Art's panic, fear, and curiosity was very strong, and he got a feeling of Art demanding to know what he was doing. Adriel sent back reassuring feelings, soothing feelings, that he loved Art, and then a firm expectation for Art to obey what he had said that had Art's feelings shuddering with a spike of arousal that was then shoved down with a stronger spike of irritation.
Adriel stretched in his bed as his lips curled up into a playful smirk that he did not hide one bit, and this time it was Art who withdrew and hid. Huh. Looked like Art had figured out a trick of his. How cute, but bad timing since Adriel had wanted to play now that he knew that Art was very turned on by the thought of Adriel commanding and dominating him.
Ah well, he was good at patience and the long game, so he settled back down and hid his side of things as well. It did make him wonder if Art could only hide from him, or if he could hide from others. And if the latter, could Adriel learn what Art did?
Adriel thought about the question for a bit and went over the last interaction where he had used Art's ability to figure out how much time he had. He had honestly thought he had gleaned the information directly from Art's mind after grabbing the bond and demanding the answer, but what if he had used Art's ability? If they experimented together, could they know what they wanted and hide what they wanted from everybody else? He knew he could cloak others if he was in direct contact with them... Smother them with his void, anyway.
Art had never actually been smothered, though. It was more like Art had gone still and had been fearfully sitting in the dark and hoping that nothing would grab him if Adriel were to put it into more physical rather than metaphysical terms. Still, he was playing the long game, so it meant that 'Evangelos' would not be willing to step foot into Holland Park if he could help it. No, now it was time for him to wait for the third wheel to come sniffing around, then he could engage them without them even knowing they were playing right into his hands.
Had it been Scotland yard, Adriel would probably have had to wait for weeks for any results, but he was actually on his way to the agency when the Trojans ambushed him on the train. 'Paul' was leading the group with two other men, and Adriel immediately flinched away and tried to look for an escape when it looked like two large men with a homeless guy that didn't look so homeless were making a beeline towards him.
"Hello, Paul," he greeted in a faux friendly way when a third man stepped out from the opposite side, and he shrank back the only direction he could go which was by the closed exit doors that would not open on his side for another three stations. "Did you uh... get the help that you needed?"
"Relax, lad, we're not here to hurt ya," Paul replied with a friendly smile as he held his hands up in a way that meant he was harmless, but Adriel looked even warier rather than reassured and stuck his hands in his pockets where there his keys were to clench them in a fist. "No, I'm serious. Did you get that work permit?"
Adriel nervously licked his lips. "I'm actually on my way to sign the papers," he offered with another smile, obviously trying to pretend he wasn't terrified, but his eyes darted around only to blank when he saw the normal passengers being led away to other cars. Adriel straightened himself up like he was using to having to survive and leveled his blank expression at Paul in a 'I'm fucking cornered and I'm so close to the fight response' way. "What's this about, Paul? You aren't homeless, are you."
Paul elbowed the other two men so they could all take a step back and give him a little space, though the way the four men were spread out meant he could not get away, and there were another two posted at each car door to prevent anyone from coming in. "I'm really not here to hurt you, Evangelos, and I am glad to hear you're getting your work permit," he said in a reassuring tone that had Adriel pressing back against the wall again, and he replaced blankness with wariness to convey he was listening with a healthy dose of skepticism only because he had no other choice. "Look, my name is Tony, and I'm just reaching into my pocket to pull out my ID, okay?" Adriel gave a small nod and let his eyes dart around like maybe something had changed, then they zoomed in on the badge that Tony pulled out and he looked even more wary. "I'm not here to arrest you, either. I'm just here to question you is all."
Adriel swallowed hard, but he gave a reluctant nod of agreement in the way that anyone feeling like they had no other choice would. "What do you want to know, Tony?" he asked in a forcedly polite tone that was hiding nerves.
"That man at the subway, why did he run from you?"
Adriel immediately blanked his expression and shook his head no. "I'm not answering that," he replied in a firm tone, doing a complete one eighty like he didn't care about the consequences. "I don't know his name, I have never met him before, and I didn't threaten him or anything. The train pulled up and he ran away."
"Evangelos, I thought we were friends?" Tony said in a disappointed tone that had Adriel looking wary again, though honestly he was starting to get bored since Tony had zero imagination and was using literal movie lines. "We even helped each other out!"
Adriel scowled at him then looked away with a scoff. "You mean you helped me out, and now you're expecting me to help you out," Adriel bit out. "You just pretended you were something you are not." Adriel paused to look as if he was debating on demanding his money back, then he shook his head no like he was being an idiot for thinking that. "You want me in debt to you, but I won't say anything else. Deport me if you wish."
Tony seemed to realize he was going to get nothing from 'Evangelos' at the moment, so he immediately switched tactics to professional. "Evangelos Asterios Onasis, age twenty-five, currently the only male model in a branch that IMG is trying to form," he recited, and Adriel frowned with worried and confused anger like he was wondering where the man was going with this. "Born in Exarchia, Greece, to parents that managed Alhambra theater, and your mother used to be a dance artist before she had you. Brutally murdered when you were almost six, you were sent to an orphanage in Attica but was never adopted when the people that expressed interest turned away when they found out you had Intuition Shock Syndrome. I am terribly sorry about that, by the way, I am sure it is a very painful experience for you."
Adriel just swallowed several times as he glared at Tony, though he thought again about the Subway with Art to make his eyes a little damp. "Still not speaking?" Tony asked. "That's ok. Like I said, we're not here to hurt you, have you deported, or hurt the man you are trying to protect. You are trying to protect him, right?"
Adriel released a tiny bit of the tension in his body, but he still kept his mouth firmly shut. "Hm, what will it take to get you to trust that I am not here to harass or threaten you?" Tony asked out loud with an expression that showed that he was unhappy with himself. "I didn't mean to terrify you, but I suppose this does look a bit bad. We're a special task force that operate here that usually apprehend terrorists, and the man that ran away is currently working with us. I'm sure you've heard the news, but we're looking for Hunter and he is targeting that man." Tony paused. "You really don't know his name, do you?"
Adriel glanced away like he was ashamed of being caught, but he immediately turned his eyes back and intensified his glare. "Okay, I know when to stop while I'm ahead," Tony said as he took another step back, then he reached into his pocket and flicked a card to Adriel's feet who reacted like any terrified and cornered person would - he jumped to the side like it was a threat and pulled the fist holding his keys and held it up threateningly which had Tony taking another couple steps back and silently indicating the others to back away. "It's just a card, Evangelos. There is a number and an address there - if you want to know more about the man at the train station, then swing by for a conversation or call and tell me where you want to meet. We're going to let you stay here and keep everyone else out, and we won't follow you or approach you until you call or come to us."
Adriel allowed himself to slowly be reassured, then he knelt without looking away from Tony to snatch up the card and glanced at it. "And if I never come?" he asked.
"Then we stay away unless your life ends up in danger."
Adriel mentally cursed since it meant that they were going to put surveillance up around his flat and that was not an outcome he had expected though in hindsight he should have. "What do you mean in danger?" he asked. "Is that man dangerous?" Then he furrowed his brows with confusion. "Or does it have to do with Hunter?"
"The latter, but we cannot tell you anything more unless you agree to certain things," Tony replied, then gestured to the others to leave and take guard on the other side of the car doors. "Look, we work in a very dangerous job, so you should stay away from Holland Park if you have no intention of calling or coming by. Don't look for the man from the train station, and don't try to engage with him if you do see him."
"It's not like I can find him myself," Adriel said in a bitter tone, then he snapped his jaws shut like he had said too much and immediately relaxed his body and looked as nonchalant as possible - pretending to be an actor pretending to play things off. "I have no intentions to go look for him, and I do not plan to go to Holland Park ever again. I don't know him so I don't need to go there."
Tony gave a slow reluctant nod, but Adriel could see that he seemed satisfied and it was probably the 'bitter words that slipped out' that all but confirmed that he and Art were soul mates. "As long as you stick to those conditions, you should be safe," he replied, then he began to back away. "I'll be going on my way now, and hopefully we won't see each other under dangerous circumstances. Good luck with your job and welcome to London."
Adriel gave a curt and wary nod, and as soon as the train pulled up to the next station, he ran out the door while he pulled out his phone to order an uber like any panicked but pragmatic civilian would. He would then have to 'try not to have a breakdown or show how tens he was' around Cindy, take an uber home, then continue to refuse to take public transportation unless he started 'running low on funds' or had to go pretty far.
Then he would have to try and spot all of the surveillances on his flat without looking obvious about it - at least not outside - and see if there were blind spots. Evangelos was definitely going to go into a cleaning frenzy when he got home to check everything he owned, then google search how to know about taps and spy things in his house, then search the interior of his home like a paranoid and anxious mess.
However, they swallowed his bait. Now it was a chess game to maneuver himself so he could steal the queen off the board and keep it safe.
Adriel got more than a work permit - he got a Tier 2 Visa which meant he could permanently work as long as he remained employed by any licensed employer allowed to hire visa and permit workers. It had nothing to do with the Trojans, too - it was all Cindy and her pull in the industry. He started getting a steady trickle of jobs locally to model bespoke clothing and other niche but well off shops that did more online business than store, and the pay was peanuts but it kept him afloat so he didn't have to dip into his 'extra cash' except for the occasional small donation to a charity for the whole tax thing.
Oh, and it got him a lot more clothes, so he was also turning into an eBay seller after he donated all of his old clothes and ran out of room again. And the trinkets and the small jewelry he didn't care one way or another for. He also settled down when he 'couldn't find cameras in his apartment,' but he remained in character even in his own bedroom which was actually fine since he was trying to make it real so full immersion was a good thing. Every night Art poked in, he would send him soothing waves of affection and to be unafraid and just obey, and Art settled down so he figured things were going fine on that end. As much as he wanted to, he did not tease or fluster Art so that Art wouldn't cause a different kind of suspicion among the Trojans that could ruin his plans.
At the twelve day mark, 'Evangelos' caved in and called the number on his card since the next few days had nothing on schedule. He might be getting a little popular locally, but he still wasn't known well. Still, his reputation was 'creative, easy to work with, talented, and mild tempered' which would help in the long run, and that meant he needed to start the next step of his plan just in case things got hectic for the upcoming spring shots that Cindy was predicting would have a good demand on him. Apparently, his blue eyes was perfect for the season and his portfolio that showed flexible attitudes, and they would be wanting to do more summer shoots for the next season's clothes.
Adriel did wonder what Art would think about his modelling when he told him, or if Art had been doing research on this persona on his own. He had a feeling that if he could get his hands on Art, Art could probably make his background completely airtight since Art would know what holes to look for just from experience rather than intuition. The only issue Adriel was genuinely having a problem figuring out was 'what do I do with Hunter/Adriel? They won't rest unless it's been years or Hunter is captured or killed.' He couldn't use a random body since they would immediately know through DNA tests, and they probably wouldn't accept anything less than a body if he took the 'faking my death' route. He also didn't think Evangelos would last under close scrutiny for the years it would take to 'disappear,' and with the internet's fascination with serial killers, someone would always be looking for Hunter just to get the fame for solving the crime.
There was also the royal pardon route... And the chances of that was laughably improbable. He could make a decent case based around the wallflower syndrome except he didn't want to become a lab rat. It was a conundrum that he was struggling with as he spoke with Tony to set up a lunch date within the hour, and it was one that he had not been sweating over too much before but the hour of reckoning was beginning to cast a shadow on everything as the sands of time began to run out.
Adriel went with the 'nervous/anxious/curious/scared but pretending not to care' disposition for the lunch, and it really was just him and Tony at the little Italian restaurant he had picked. There were two other men posted outside, but they were across the street at a coffee cafe and acting like two regular constables on a lunch break. He politely ordered his own food in Italian, waited for Tony to order his own food in English, then fidgeted with his spoon for a second, set it down and smoothed out the unwrinkled napkin it was on, then peeked up at Tony before looking away with a conflicted expression.
"He is still safe," Tony immediately said when he picked up on how nervous and cautious he was, and Adriel allowed his body to relax a little as he looked down then gave a small nod. "There is a constant surveillance team around him that can reach him in seconds now, and he's been... Doing better." Adriel peeked over in concern and got a reassuring smile. "Oh, he isn't sick or hurt or anything, but he was very upset and refused to speak to anyone after that day in the station which was why I had to corner and question you. He has calmed down and has gotten back to work, though he still refuses to speak if you are brought up."
Adriel quietly nodded as he moved his silverware to the side, then he began to unfold the dinner cloth. "Thank you," he murmured without looking up. "I really must have fudged it up if you know... I mean, you seem like... Well, I haven't spoken to anyone about it except for Mrs. Leetle, and she won't breathe a word." He looked up with worry. "Please do not involve her in this? She is elderly and a widow, and she has only recently began to live and find happiness again. I do not want her to know about anything extra, she is already worried I might be rejected and she doesn't know why he ran away. I swear I didn't tell her about you-"
"Calm down, lad," Tony said in a reassuring tone as he shook his head to indicate he wasn't going to do any of that. "Take a sip of your water or suck on a piece of ice, it will help. We will not bother your landlady at all and I believe you when you say you have kept your silence. You were very stubborn about that even when surrounded and terrified on the train - again, not something I meant to do and I really should have taken your past into account - and I can admire that. You were also kind to someone you thought was a homeless man and tried to offer some very good advice before I scared you a bit too much and made you run off then, too. Has anybody hurt you in London?"
Adriel set down the glass he had been slowly sipping on and gave a casual shake of his head no with a one-shoulder shrug. "Not in London," he reluctantly admitted. "In Germany, yes, but it doesn't matter and I got away in time. Many times in Greece which is why I am wary of immigrants and am not comfortable with being one myself despite my legally being here. Oh, and I have a Tier 2 visa as well."
"Congratulations!" Tony said with an encouraging smile. "The visas are a lot more difficult to obtain than the permit, but then again, your agency is very well placed and your boss seems to have taken quite the liking to you! And no, we haven't officially approached her, but any time your name is brought up, she has been gushing about you like a proud mother."
Adriel widened his eyes a little bit like he was startled and smoothed the napkin in his lap in a nervous and skeptical fidget. "Really?" he asked, and when Tony nodded with a sincere look in his eyes, Adriel flushed a little bit and glanced away as though pleased but uncertain. A small blush was doable, but he couldn't do anything more than that and even forcing tears required him to think of the single time since he was a child that he had cried since being rejected still hurt even though he knew that Art wanted him now. "I mean, I knew that at my recent shots the people have been kinder than I expected, especially after all of the stories I have read about this industry online, but I didn't know that she talked about me a lot. She has been a very kind boss, and even though I never expected to go into modelling, I think now that I am very lucky that she picked me to trial her idea."
"You deserve a lucky break after the hard life," Tony said, then their conversation went silent as garlic bread and salad was served.
Adriel didn't touch the garlic bread - it had a heavy scent that could cling for days - but he did start eating his salad as he gestured to the bread. "You can have all of that if you wish," he said in a slightly embarrassed tone. "I have to stick with a strict diet and exercise as part of my contract, and too much bread is one of the things I have to avoid."
"That must be tough," Tony replied, picking up on the small talk as he reached out for one of the bread sliced. "I don't think I could do your job - the more you talk about it, the harder it sounds."
Adriel nodded an agreement and eased his body to show his eagerness at the change in topic. "I thought it was just standing around to take pictures in clothes they want online or in magazines," he explained. "I found out otherwise on my very first day! The poses you must take for the perfect angle shots are highly uncomfortable or even painful, and you are doing this for hours! Then there are other things like playing in the ocean in December!" He gave a shiver at the remembrance of that day. "I am from Greece and have never swam in waters so cold! It made me very sick when I got home three days later, and it took a few days to recover. They have decided my tolerance is two day in snow and cold outdoors for now and they do not accept jobs that will put me in the cold for longer than that. I have read there are many agencies who do not care at all, and if you get sick and can't go in, they will fire you and look for another."
Tony gave a sympathetic frown and shook his head in disgust. "Some companies will take advantage of people," he huffed, then gave Adriel a smile. "I am glad you are with a good one, though. It sounds like London has been a very good place for you.
He was born and raised out here, though he did go to boarding school in Scotland."
Adriel leaned forward with a sparkle of excitement in his eyes though he also 'tried to temper' his 'eagerness' about possibly knowing more. "Oh, I thought he might be foreign, like from Italy or any of the Mediterranean countries since he has skin like me. Well, mine is darker since I get a lot of sun, but his could if he did a lot of outdoor activities. He seems to be more of an office type?"
"Oh, he is," Tony replied with a nod once he finished his piece of bread. "Very much an office type! I can't say more, of course, but if you want to meet him, we can work something out."
Adriel hesitated, then pursed his lips and shook his head no as he set down his salad fork like he had just lost his appetite. "I... did not think I would find..." he began in a hesitant tone, then ended it on a shrug to indicate soulmate but imply he wasn't going to use the word. "I did not think I would want one. I did not anyone to feel they are entitled to me because of a possibility, and I do not wish to do that to him either. He wants his privacy and space, and I will respect that."
"It's not like that, lad," Tony replied in a lower tone filled with concern. "He is worried for your safety since he is doing something very dangerous to those around him because it has turned him into a target. I do think he wants to meet you very much, but he seems to be terrified that people will find out who you are and go after you to get to him. You are
vulnerable and you are a chink in his armor, and I swear he is doing what he can to protect you."
Adriel let his lower lip tremble a little as he down and to the side at the floor, then he gripped the napkin in his lap with both hands to act like he was fighting for control. "Thank you," he whispered, as though afraid to speak louder, then he swallowed a couple times and visibly forced himself to relax and pick up his fork. "I will make sure to keep myself self so he doesn't need to be afraid for me, and I can wait until it is safe then see if he might want to go on a date to get to know each other?"
The last was ended on an uncertain note, but Tony nodded. "I am sure he would want that since he has clammed up tighter than the locked keeping the crowned jewels safe," Tony honestly replied in a lighter tone meant to teasingly reassure Adriel. "However, there is another option."
Adriel looked at Tony with eyed wide with confusion. "Another option?" he asked, following along with what Tony was trying to go for. They probably wanted him under lock and key to protect him from hunter, but also to use him against Art, and he was not quite willing to go along if that was the plan. "Like a safe house?"
"Exactly like one!" Tony quietly said in a tone of praise like he thought Adriel was very smart for catching on quick. "I'm guessing you have seen some crime shows?" Adriel gave a confused nod, like he knew what Tony was saying but doubted that it really was a thing and having no idea how it should go. "We could put you up in one - a nice one, even, rather than a cheap hotel room, and let the two of you speak through discreet phone and video calls."
Adriel began to poke at his salad as he 'thought about it' with his eyes lowered to the greens, then he finally shook his head no. "I can't," he admitted. "I have a contract, and the spring shoots and possibly even the fashion runways might open up for me. Even if it is a small thing, I have to do this, and I can't miss days or I could lose my visa. If he is from here, then I need to work to be naturalized, and for that I must begin studying laws, history, and work long enough to be eligible for it."
Tony shook his head no and gave a large and friendly smile, and Adriel allowed a tiny bit of suspicion flicker across his face for a brief second. "You don't have to worry about that one bit," he reassured, and Adriel set his fork down and subtly tensed up. "Ah, what I mean to say is that we can set you up with a new job! One for linguists? Perhaps even an assistant archivist position which would be more secure than a modelling job is though it is much less prestigious. Then-"
Adriel pushed his chair back a little and pursed his lips with indignation. "
I can make it on my own," he quietly hissed in a highly offended tone as he partially stood up to get ready to leave. "I am not going to throw away my career and my own hard work over a possibility! Yes, is it possible that I will lose my job, too, but
I did this! I got me here! I won't let anyone control me or tell me what I can do or what I can work!"
Tony held up both of his hands outwards. "I am sorry, I didn't mean to imply that you are weak or incapable," he immediately said with a bow of his head. "I was just offering an opportunity I thought you might enjoy since you admitted that job security was a worry..."
"It is a worry, but I would not tell a stranger what my important worries are!" he snapped, not leaving but not sitting down yet. "And this is exactly why! Because people like you try to use any weakness they see!
I don't know him so he means nothing yet even if I am curious and might want to know what love is like! I can find someone, though! Someone not shallow!"
"Please, sit down Evangelos," Tony politely requested as he remained in an apologetic pose. "I really didn't mean to give you that impression.
Please." Adriel hesitated at the last plea, then he sat back down with a disgruntled expression, though this time he partially hugged himself and partially crossed his arms as though he was closing himself off. "Look, it was just one option. You can keep your job and still have a nice safe house if you are willing to accept a team around you as well. Then we can allow Ar-
him to come and visit you in between jobs so you can both get to know each other!"
Adriel gave the officer a skeptical look and did not change his body language except to curl his hands into fists where they were hard to see blocked by his arms as they were. "No thank you, it sounds too good to be true," he said in a polite and cordial tone. "I would suspect every room to have cameras or something, and I can't do that. I'll wait until everything is over. Thank you for the offer."
"Now now, let's not be hasty," Tony quickly said, then looked very relieved when the waiter came to take away the entrees and put their meals down. He thanked the waiter while keeping an eye on Adriel who had still not stopped his defensive posture to make sure he didn't try to bolt, then waited until the man was gone before be clasped his hands together and placed them on the table to take a pseudo '
confession pose' using the table rather his knees for his arms to try and coax Adriel into believing him. "I never said anything about cameras. There will be some outside for protection, but nobody will be spying on you."
Of course, Tony could be telling the truth for all Adriel knew. He didn't really believe it, and Evangelos' history allowed him to express his suspicion. He leaned back in his chair and relaxed his fists, but that was about as far as opening his defensive pose went. "So not only do you want to use me as bait without saying a word, you also expect me to believe that?" he asked in a slightly sarcastic tone with a roll of his eyes. "I wasn't born yesterday, Tony. You said that one person is after him, and everyone knows that guy
stalks his targets. If you sent
him to my safe house, then that guy will know, and you want to be able to catch him. I don't want a stalker, thanks. I don't even know if what you said about
him worrying about me is true. I'm not some easy victim,
Tony."
Tony's eyes sharpened as Adriel laid out some of what was making Evangelos so paranoid, then the officer picked up his fork and began cutting up his ravioli open with it. "Go ahead and eat," he said with a gesture to Adriel's plate. "No point in wasting food, right?"
And like any cautious person who knew a hard life and had faced hungry nights, he slowly unfurled his body while keeping a wary eye on Tony and picked up his knife and fork to begin cutting up the lamb chop. "That's it?" he asked after a couple minutes and a few bites of silence passed. "You'll just drop this and let me live my own life?"
"I was never going to take over your life, Evangelos," Tony replied once he swallowed and wiped his mouth clean with his dinner napkin. "You might find it hard to believe, but not everyone is out to hurt or get you. You're right, we were going to set you up as bait, but not without informing you of it first. There will not be surveillance of any kind in the house without your awareness of it, and you can pick the locations where you want privacy as long as you keep in mind that it will leave holes in security that could get you hurt if that guy comes after you. He is very possessive of
him from what we have seen, and he has started leaving bite marks behind as a way to claim him. He sees
him as different,
special, so he hasn't used the brand he is infamous for, but we are worried that bite marks may not be enough soon."
Adriel had slowly let concern seep into his body language and eyes as Tony tried the new tactic of 'I'll be honest with you,' but he was also scowling since he had technically caught him and doubted that they were going to inform him about it first. Evangelos's public mask was that of a hard working man with natural talent and beauty, and he knew it but was not snooty about it. The mask under that was the troublemaker that might go out for a one night stand, have some drinks, or pop some pills at a party. The one below that was the world weary orphan that was sharp out of survival needs and refused to be put in situations where he had no control. The final the one beneath it all was someone who was lonely and wanted love, but couldn't bring himself to trust anyone without proof, not even his soul mate.
People were complex beings - even shallow people - and one that had had a bad enough experience to develop ISS would definitely have several masks to protect himself. Just going along with the offer was outside of Evangelos' personality, and Adriel knew he had to walk a fine line between that but also getting to see Art. The warning Tony gave him about security holes gave him the feeling that he was actually being honest about being open with security, but he was also hoping that Evangelos would not leave anything more than the bathrooms unmonitored.
"There can be bars on the windows of the private areas," he relented, then he began cutting more meat off the bone. "That
isn't a yes. I am still thinking. I would be leaving Mrs. Leetle behind which would be safer for her unless that guy decides to go after her for information. Staying there is even riskier, though. Will you be keeping her safe, too?"
"I can have one of my men move into your flat to watch her and help around the place," he replied, then picked up his fork so he could resume eating. "Small repairs, some painting, and providing her company, of course."
Adriel relaxed a little more - genuinely this time since he had grown fond of the sweet woman - then placed a bite of the lamb he had been cutting up in his mouth and slowly chewed. "I like her," he said in a warning tone.
"We know," Tony acknowledged. "We assumed, anyway, given my first impression was that she was a family member to you. Mother, grandmother, beloved aunt, something like that. You are very close with her."
Adriel softened his expression a little bit for a short moment, then he just casually shrugged with an uncaring expression. "She is nice because she is lonely," he replied back. "But she is still nice, so I like her and don't want her in danger or left alone." He paused as he pursed his lips. "Cindy also knows I have a soul mate in London somewhere - I told her a while back that I occasionally felt
something when travelling, but I didn't know who. It was long before the day in the subway, and I hadn't told her about the subway situation... Only Mrs. Leetle knows that. Would I be able to tell either of them anything? They are both very kind to me."
Tony shook his head no with a solemn expression. "The more they know, the more danger they would be in," he explained, and Adriel pursed his lips for a split second before giving a short nod of agreement. "You can tell Mrs. Leetle you have to travel for the job but you have a friend willing to house sit and help her while you are away, and we will speak with your boss since we need to coordinate with them at your sets."
Honestly, it was a good deal... Probably the best deal he would get. He didn't like the thought of a safe house since it meant they were in control of the environment, but they were willing to cede some to him which meant he would be able to figure out a method of sneaking out. Still, he could make one reasonable request and likely get it.
"I would like to go on a date with him first to see if he might be interested," he quietly requested with his eyes down, poking at his lambchop but not eating it to show his nerves and a deeply hidden abandonment issue. "I don't mean somewhere obvious like the theatres out here or my gym, either. A pottery class where partners are 'randomly' determined if they don't come with someone, going to a pub in a small town in Wales where any stranger sticks out, volunteer work at an animal shelter..." Adriel shrugged. "Something along those lines he might be interested in. I'm not picky and am up for almost anything, but I don't know what he likes so he can pick it out. I don't want a security team or anything, I just want to meet him somewhere quiet and safe."
"We might be able to accommodate that," Tony said with a thoughtful frown, looking a little flummoxed himself about that location would work. "Perhaps the small town idea. We could even see about combining it with one of your modelling locations if there is something like that. Then we will have a small team disguised as a security to keep bystanders away in the area in case something does happen, but you can have a bit of time with him and see if the arrangement will work for you."
Adriel perked up for a very split second like his mask had flickered for a moment before before resuming the uncaring attitude. "Sure, sure," he agreed, sounding a little eager but also nervous. Then he took a deep breath and unzipped his jacket to pull out one of the calendars from his 'autumn country-side life' shoot and put it on the table. "Will you please pass him that and tell him I'm autumn?" He flushed a little and looked away. "Uhm... just in case, you know. I figure you guys will need to check it for security, so I'll let you know that it was for the feminist shoot early January and it is provocative, but there is nothing overtly showing and mine is more of a homey theme."
Tony chuckled as he took the calendar. "I'll be sure it gets to him," he said. "It's the least I can do."
And if Adriel weren't playing the long game, he could take the day of the date and steal Art away, but he was playing for keeps and he didn't want to ruin Art's life to do so. "Thank you."
Adriel knew when Art got his present since Art's presences at night were heavily tinged with curious/embarrassed/shy/lust now, but he kept his own nice and innocent despite Art's little niggling prods that hinted at an interest for more. It wasn't that he wasn't interested - he definitely was interested. It's just Adriel wanted to be there so he could savor every little bit of stripped innocence from those large brown eyes just like Art had slowly removed the darkness from his own heart during those months they had lived together.
However, just as Cindy had predicted, February came with a sharp increase in demand for him for spring fashion shoots, and with that demand came a higher pay and more benefits. Some of those jobs were in London, but Cindy told him he needed to pick one of the other countries, and at her suggestion, he chose southern France for shots in a warmer climate. He couldn't tell Art - how do you convey 'I'm going to France but be back in a couple weeks!' through an emotional connection that only left faint impressions? But he figured that Tony had mentioned it since Art had been pretty clingy in their connection the night before he left, and he had had to send a soothing and reassuring feeling for a while before he felt Art's side slip away from sleep.
Two weeks in southern France doing shoots for clothes, wine, jewelry, and even one of the resorts he was stayed a couple night in was a really really nice break from the horrible English winter. Not to say it was easy, or that he didn't miss Art's presence at night, or that there hadn't been problems, but at least there was a connection even if they couldn't communicate through it and one of the female models that had been flirting with him then tried to sneak into his room had been blacklisted by IMG.
Those two weeks, his 'house sitter' stayed in his apartment as well to see if that system would work out. When he returned, he did need to do a lot of extra cleaning because he was a bit of a neat freak and there had been crumbs on the counter, tea stain in the sink from someone's daily tea intake, and he washed his bedding even though it had already been washed for him because he didn't know if it had been properly washed, but the bathroom had only needed the mirror wiped down and the living room had been clean. Mrs. Leetle had also been appreciative of all the help the 'nice young man' had given her, so he wasn't going to hold some crumbs and tea stains against them. Had there been hair in the sink or soap scum in the tub, that would be different.
Cleaning also meant checking for any surveillance items put in, but he didn't spot anything. It took some hours for Art to realize he was back and his side of the connection was open, but as soon as he did, Art was all over him like ants on sugar and he had to send so many reassurances of good health that his unpacking had been left alone for an hour. Of course, then there was excited bubbling which let him know there was good news on the horizon, and he figured that some kind of plan had finally been made that he would probably hear about in the next couple days.
It did, too. Cindy contacted him the day after he got back to tell him there was a commercial being filmed in South Wales, and she had immediately volunteered him since he had acting experience. He did not, of course, but Evangelos did and Adriel was very good at lying, manipulations, and reading body language so he accepted with as much excitement as Evangelos would have and began packing for a five day trip even though it was only a three day job.
A few hours later, he got a call from a private number, and it was Tony letting him know that Art would be in the same small town on his second day filming, and Adriel said he was glad they decided the small pub date was a good idea.
Early in the pre-dawn hours, Adriel was at the station with a ticket and his suitcase, and he took the first train to Wales as a second class passenger.