âYou ever heard the old saying, âitâs the thought that countsâ? Point is, I feel like youâre taking advantage of the fact that youâre my favorite student. You wouldnât be doing that, now would you?â
âThatâs the difference between you and me, Polter. Give an inch and theyâll take a mile. Whoever âtheyâ are. Today itâs a sandwich, tomorrow it could be my secret stash of protein bars in the lower cabinet drawer.â
âThatâs classified information, by the way.â
âYou really want to know what I think?â Thereâs a dry sort of humor in his voice, an amusement in the irony of someone asking him to give them advice on their love life, what with his own having been such a trail of spectacular failures. Maybe the kid was looking to scratch a couple fuck-ups from his bucket list.
âJust go for it. Embrace you who are - if itâs cheesy jokes and mix tapes or cdâs or whatever you kids do these days and puns about computer programming, do it. If the girl reciprocates then clearly youâre doing something right and being your own goofy-ass self is way easier than remembering to be whoever it was youâre pretending to be to impress her in the first place.â He paused and bit back a smirk.
âYou want real advice though? Find someone better to talk to about this kind of stuff because Iâm currently single for a reason.â
âStay here,â the order was a low growl pressed between clenched teeth. âDonât move a muscle, donât even think about moving a muscle, got it?â
He didnât wait for a response, there was no time. The footsteps from down the hallway grew louder and so did the accompanying voices. Three men, from the sound of it. Their steps were heavy and - click - there it was, the unmistakable sound of a loaded revolver.
He reached out an arm, pushed the girl harder against the wall, and ignored the throbbing ache in his muscles. Too tense. Too tight. Too small a space for two bodies too many - heâd have to make a move soon, their window of opportunity was closing. Luke reached toward his own holster and handed her his gun.
âTake this. If something happens to me youâll need it but donât use it unless you absolutely have to and for Godâs sake donât say a word.â His eyes drill holes into hers. The footsteps grow louder. He inhales sharply.
All right. Itâs now or never.
â My character will give yours advice
The girl was rattling off again about something she learned in class. Biology or anatomy or one of the sciences where you get to dissect things. She sounded stressed. He couldnât take it anymore.âJudice,â he snapped, the sharpness in his tone startling her. She looked like a frightened bird. âGrace,â he tried again, softer this time. âYou gotta relax. Grades matter, sure, but they arenât the be all end all - especially not for us. Weâre spies. Weâre not going to be expected to wright 12-paged research papers with perfect APA formatting in the real world. Our real worldâs gonna be a little different than everyone elseâs. Loosen up. Go for a job, do some aerobics. Itâll be good for you to get some fresh air.â
â My character will insult yours
âCâmon Grace you can do better than that. My grandma fights better than you do and she was a conscientious objector in two wars. You gotta get mad, you gotta get riled up, lose control.Â
Letâs see it. Pretend Iâm someone you hate. Pretend I just kicked your puppy or insulted your hero. Einstein had stupid hair. Yeah, you heard me. Want more? That kid Drew you always hang around has a weird face and dresses funny. There we go. Better. I mean my grandma could still wipe the floor with you but at least weâre getting somewhere.â
Lina had been under the radar lately, she had made a hole under her freak room and decided she wasnât ready to come outside. Attention was something Evelina was always good at getting, she was always being ogled by someone. Yet, lately she hadnât, she had started being brushed off as something one sees everyday. Her circus tour show had become a regular festival. There was no one for her and she wanted to be adored. So Evelina did what she did best, she called for her ex boyfriend and pretend to have something of his. While she waited for his arrival, she put on the costume Luke loved to see her in and jumped on the aerial hoop. Lina knew full well what Lukeâs favorite things were that she used to do for him. It might have seen pathetic that she knew what he loved, and it could be seen as she wasnât over him. Truth was, she wasnât over him not being around to adore her.Â
There was a knock and a sigh of annoyance as Lina giggled and called him to come in. It mightâve not been what she had expected at first, she knew he would be confused and angry but Lina knew what to do. âI know, I know itâs unexpected but câmon, you used to love it when I did this to you.â She flashed him her beautiful smile as she moved around the lyra (aerial hoop), flaunting him her circus moves. âRemember? You coming over and me surprising you with a show.â She spun around, one hand on the lyra and dropped to the floor. She moved in front of him, closing the door behind him before he could protest. Her arms were wrapped around his neck, her hips against his. She heard his comment of not remembering, with a look that made Evelina taste iron on her mouth, but she only smiled and moved her lips closer to his neck, whispering as she planted soft kisses. âAre you sure? Not even that one time when we were both up in the silk, and the trapeze?â She trailed her lips up to his ear and whispered again. âWouldnât you like to relive that part again?â Without hesitation or hearing his response, their foreheads were against each others, she teased him with her lips in front of his, just a second apart. Until finally, she kissed him and wrapped her legs against his body as she carried herself against him.
"Luke, man, weâre celebrating early! Get your ass to McGilliganâs! That bartender, the cute one, is here and I keep getting drinks to talk to him. It isnât a great system and I need my wing-man. Itâs our last free day before mission prep,â thereâs a loud clattering followed by a string of wild expletives. âFuck, I hope he didnât see that. Get your ass over here!âÂ
âŚ
Cullenâs breathing hard and his heartâs beating so loud he can hear it in his ears. The sound of the gunshot reverberated as it echoed through the narrow corridor. The mark, his mark, lay a few feet away. The hole through his skull was small and too far to the left to be considered a perfect shot, but fatal all the same. He turned and saw Luke doubled over with his hands on his knees as he caught his breath. âLuke,â he began, more than a little unsure of what to say. Just a few seconds ago he was positive he was about to be killed. He figures that thank you would be as good a place as any to start. âLuke, man-ââWhat the hell was that!â Luke yelled as he slammed Cullen hard into the wall. He grimaced as his head connected with the unforgiving concrete. âYou had that, why didnât you take the shot!âCullen struggled but it was Lukeâs hands clutched around his lapel that kept him upright. He figured almost dying took a lot out of you by the way his knees kept buckling. âGet the fuck off me,â Cullen snapped as he shoved at his partner to little effect. Luke was a few inches shorter but was built solidly with muscle and he was determined to hold Cullen in place. Cullen wasnât going anywhere. âWhy didnât you take the shot?â he repeated. âIf I hadnât been here-âLuke looked a little less like Cullen was going to be the next person he shot today by the way his eyes softened. He loosened his grip on Cullenâs suit jacket and seeing an opportunity he shrugged out of his grasp and put all his force behind a sucker-punch to Lukeâs jaw. Cullen wasnât the strongest guy out of ETA. A punch like that from someone in one of the athletic concentrations woudâve had him laid out unconscious on the floor. Cullen, with his sloppy form and the adrenalin out of his system,  was only able to make Luke stumble back in surprise. He rubbed at his jaw and for a moment Cullen was sure he was about to return the favor. Luke just shook his head and turned away and began walking towards the extraction point. Never turn your back on anyone, everyone can be a threat. Except maybe the shooter who couldnât pull the trigger. He saw disappointment on his face before he left. That makes two of us, he thinks. Luke was half-way down the hall and never made any indication of whether he should follow. âThanks for saving my fucking life,â he murmured to himself as he side-stepped the markâs rapidly cooling body and followed Luke out the door.Â
âStop distancing yourself from everyone else. I know, I know, ironic advice coming from me but Iâm serious, Tace. I had to learn the hard way that I canât do everything by myself out in the field no matter how much I want to and because i was too slow to learn, too stupid to learn someone else got hurt. You get the benefit of my wisdom so damnit, listen.Â
Iâm not saying you have to like everyone or even tolerate them but you have to work with them. Work with them well. Survive. Thatâs what we do. We lean on one another and we survive.â
âMy character will fight alongside yours
The hail of gunfire sounds like something from a bad Michael Bay movie. All they were missing were the explosions. (As if on cue, something rumbles in the distance and a deafening sound is followed by a cloud of smoke. The smell of ash and fire hits Lukeâs nostrils.)
Gripping his firearm tighter (heâs on his last cartridge, heâll be out of ammo soon) he casts a glance over the twisted hunk of metal heâd managed to duck behind right before the warehouse blew up and from over the top he can see Taci no more than eight or nine feet away. Close enough to make eye contact, too far to feel safe. She catches his eye and nods as he motions with two fingers, first at himself and then at the get-away vehicle theyâd left idling in the alleyway to their left. If they can make a run for it and miraculously dodge about a thousand bullets being shot at  them from automatics they could get away with their lives and maybe this mission wonât be a total failure.
The asset was gone. The documents destroyed. They had nothing left but their own asses on the line.Â
He holds up three fingers and Taci seems to know exactly what that means. (Thank god for that student-trainer unspoken connection.) On three. Heâll provide cover, sheâll run like hell.Â
According to some of his students who liked to grumble about their demanding training regimen more than they liked to actually train, there were only so many ways you could hit a punching bag. As a response to their sarcasm Luke had smiled, agreed, and then proceeded to move the dayâs session out of the gym and onto the field where they exchanged punching bags for the same kind of foam dummies a football teamâs defensive line  might use during their practices.
And when they got tired of that, there was the suicide drills. In fact, Luke made sure there was enough back-and-forth running to keep all his students gasping so hard for air they didnât have time to make smart ass comments about the necessity of practicing their uppercuts or right hooks.Â
It was only when the sun began to set and the flood lights flickered to life on the field that the trainer finally relented and sent his class off. He made his way across the field and through the gym, enjoying the silence that followed him. It was a silence disrupted  by the sound of someone else, someone still toiling away on the gymnastics equipment and Luke smirked as he paused, leaning a shoulder against a wall, arms crossing over his chest as he watched a familiar figure slice through the air. âLooking good, Lina,â he remarked during a lull in her routine. âNext time we have a mission that calls for a pirouette off a set of bars weâll know who to call.â
âYesâŚand medicine equals whatâs in it. But regardless clearly you are here for other reasons and no one will blame you for focusing on that instead of medicinal qualities of laughter. Booby trapping it? At least give me a few hints, I am the one who told you you should protect it.â
âIâm thinking hooking something up to the aluminum foil so it shocks anyone who makes a grab for it. Donât go spreading the word though. Itâll be our little secret.â
âThat bad huh? Well that can be arranged. A couple of spies breaking out of spy school - what could possibly go wrong. Where would you like to go?â
At the moment Rocky couldnât control his body, his eyes just darted from the tiles to the visage of Lukeâs body, every muscle dripping, every curve defined. The cocky kid found himself at a loss for words. He couldnât seem to focus, the rush of thoughts and feelings were too strong, too much for the boy to process. A reddish tint set on Rockyâs cheek. âYouâre naked!â The boy yelled, a finger darting towards the male. Arms draped over his body, as the nerves kicked in, that one sentiment of shame, guilt, overpowering his will, and his eyes just fell to the floor, unable to look the other in the eye.
âWhat are you doing here? This is supposed to be my time, where I can relax without having to worry about anybody being here, but of all people, why you?â Rocky rambled, almost blurting out his secrets. His back was pressed to the wall, the steamy moisture now dampening his skin, his lip still quivered, it seemed like the only sound heâd managed to get out where faint whimpers, he felt weak, exposed, this wasnât like him, but it was what was left once the facade was gone.
Of all the people to see him like this, it had to be Luke Evans.
He mustered up any bits of courage he had left and stepped forward, arms falling to his sides, Rocky let his palm rest on Lukeâs chest. âYou shouldnât be hereâ, was all he could seem to say.
Rockyâs eyes glistened with regret, hope, wonder, and they were stuck on Luke. Quickly he leaned, pressing his lips on the otherâs. Pulling back, he stammered âTh-That was because last time I missed my mark, so could you go now?â
âNot so loud, yeah?â He missed between clenched teeth, head turning instinctively in Rockyâs direction as the younger man spoke. He caught a glimpse of him, no more, and forced himself to train his eyes back on the wall. âAnd yeah, I am. This is how people usually take a shower, you know. In the locker room. Where naked showers typically occur.â
Despite the dry tone he could hear himself rambling. Unraveling. The sound of his conscience urging him to shut up fought to be heard over the other part of him, the part slowly beginning to panic, that informed him this wasnât good.
And then, to his surprise, it was Rocky who was telling him who should and shouldnât be where. Despite his reservation about the whole situation he laughed. He couldnât help it. He laughed and his shoulders shook and he turned, eyes meeting Rockyâs. âI shouldnât be here? You might want to rethink that. Besides, this is no big deal right? Nothing you havenât seen before?â The kid was more nervous than he was. âBut if it makes you feel any better, Iâll go. Iâm finished here.â
But he didnât move. He couldnât. Again, a flash of panic that turns to realization, to understanding as the younger man put a hand to his chest and he could feel the warmth of his fingertips pressed against his bare skin. âDonât - â Words of protest disappear but the moment was fleeting. âDamnit, Rocky.â He hesitated, torn between wanting to push the kid away or kiss him back. (He did neither and instead grabbed his towel.) âQuit playing around, yeah?â
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