More on Thursdays And Saturdays!

Hey! It's your friendly neighborhood fanfic author! I write in the same universe as bignini9 and tophatwriters. (In fact, I am one of the top hat writers!) This blog upsdates every Thursday with some new stories for y'all. Hope you enjoy!

[bignini9]

If any of my followers are still active I just transferred almost all of my 2014/2015 fics to Archive of our own!

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

[tophatwriters]

Some tophatwriters stuff is slowly being moved over as well!

[bigkadan8]

A few things:

1. I’m not dead

2. This name isn’t my name anymore (oops)

3. Once I get on AO3 it’s over for you bitches

[bigkadan8]

4. I just remembered that changing usernames on tumblr is A Thing

[bignini9]

If any of my followers are still active I just transferred almost all of my 2014/2015 fics to Archive of our own!

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

[tophatwriters]

Some tophatwriters stuff is slowly being moved over as well!

[bigkadan8]

A few things:

1. I’m not dead

2. This name isn’t my name anymore (oops)

3. Once I get on AO3 it’s over for you bitches

[krekart]

“Great men are forged in fire. It is the privilege of lesser men to light the flames.”

I drew a poster for my @bigkatie8 fic series, Forged in Fire. Please don’t remove the caption!

[bigkadan8]

What comes next?

Hello, my fellow puzzlers!

I’ll be frank with you, the desire to write more for the Forged in Fire series has been burning in me lately (eh? eh?). Only problem is, I’m not entirely sure where to take it next. That’s where you guys come in.

I have a vague outline of where I want the series to end, ultimately, but I’m drawing a blank on a LOT of the in between stuff. So I’m asking you guys; what do you want to see next for Desmond, Raymond, Mary, Bronev, Swift, and/or even Mackintosh?

I’m open to any suggestions. Thank you guys so much!

[bigkadan8]

Stress Fracture

Six months after coming to London, Alfendi’s life is thrown through a loop after a miscalculation by the professor and visit from an old friend. Sure, Alfendi has faces down the likes of Targent, Zombies, and Flora’s cooking, but how will he handle Luke Triton? Set six months after Bronev Bros. vs. Zombies. Warnings: stress, angst, suspense.

| Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14 | Ch. 15 | Ch. 16 | Ch. 17 | Ch. 18 | Ch. 19 | Ch. 20 | Ch. 21 | Epilogue: A Gentleman’s Farewell

In comparison to the fight at the museum, the rest of Luke’s visit was a rather quiet affair. He had ultimately decided not to stay with the Laytons -- The Professor and Alfendi still needed recovery time, after all, and he didn’t want to invade on that -- but he visited with them every moment that he could.

Still, by the time farewells came about, Luke could not believe that the entire week had flown by without him noticing. It seemed as if he had only just arrived, but at the same time as if he had been here for years.

However long it had actually been, Luke now found himself at the airport with his three closest friends and no idea what to say. How could he accurately express what this visit had meant to him?

“Send your parents our love,” The Professor requested with a smile. “Perhaps next time, we will be able to visit you in Ireland.”

“Oh, yes!” Flora clapped her hands together enthusiastically. “That would be great, wouldn’t it, Alfendi?”

The red haired boy didn’t budge at being spoken to. He just stood there with his arms crossed and his gaze averted.

“...Well, it was lovely to have you.” The Professor interjected into the awkward silence.

“Thanks, it was great to see you again!” Luke replied warmly. “Really, thank you so much.”

The gentleman tipped his top hat, and Luke turned to Flora. “And thank you, too. Everything was--”

He was cut off when the young lady flung her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. “Fly safe, Luke.” She exclaimed. “And come back soon!”

“Right, I will!” He replied with a laugh as she let go.

That left only one.

“Hey, Al?” He crouched down slightly so that he and Alfendi were at eye level.

“...What, Triton?” The young boy sounded suspicious for some reason.

“You take care of this lot, alright?” He wanted to reach forward and ruffle the boy’s hair, but knew that his hand would just be swatted away again. “Keep ‘em out of trouble for me.”

“...I’m gonna keep ‘em out of trouble, but I ain’t doin’ it fer you.” The boy replied crossly, looking down at the ground.

There was a time when the remark would have stung just a bit, but Luke knew better now. Underneath that tough exterior, he could see the scared little boy who was worried about everyone he cared for.

Despite himself, Luke couldn’t help but chuckle and ruffle the boys hair, which earned him a spectacular swat.

“Bug off!” Alfendi growled almost playfully.

Straightening up once again, Luke grabbed his bags and looked over his shoulder right as the flight attendant called out “Last call for flight 107 to Ireland!”

“Well, I guess this is it for now.” He said, trying to sound cheerful. Sure, it would be hard to return to Ireland, but he would have his memories. Besides, it was high time that he learned to enjoy his time with his family at their new home. He would create new memories there, happier memories.

“Goodbye, everyone!” He said as he picked up his bags. “Be sure to write, okay?”

Both the Professor and Flora said that they would, and Luke turned to make his way to board the plane.

“Oi, Triton!”

He paused at the sound of his own name and turned to be met by Alfendi, who had run up to him.

“Is everything okay, Al?” He asked concerned.

The boy froze, as if he had not thought about what to do after running up. “I… yeah.” Alfendi crossed his arms defensively. “It’s jus’.... you take care of yerself too, ‘kay?”

Luke smiled down at the boy. “I will, I promise.”

“Good.” Alfendi nodded curtly, as if settling some very important business. “Than I guess you can go.”

He couldn’t take it. Dropping his bags, he knelt down and gave the boy a quick hug. “I’ll see you soon, okay? I promise.”

After a moment, he felt Alfendi hug him back for the briefest of seconds. “Yeah, whatever mate.”

When he stood up again and picked up his bags, Luke allowed himself one last glance at his London family and one last content smile before turning again and boarding the plane.

This wasn’t going to be their last adventure together, he could tell.  

A/N: We did it kids!

Thank you to everyone who stuck with me through the super long process of posting this story. Please review to let me know what you thought!

I’m going to get back into more regularly posting (for real, I swear) and I will be revisiting the FiF series in the near future. Currently, I’m planning to take the series out all the way through BBvZ!

Also, keep an eye out for the seque to this story on @tophatwriters in the near future!

L8rs

[bigkadan8]

Stress Fracture

Six months after coming to London, Alfendi’s life is thrown through a loop after a miscalculation by the professor and visit from an old friend. Sure, Alfendi has faces down the likes of Targent, Zombies, and Flora’s cooking, but how will he handle Luke Triton? Set six months after Bronev Bros. vs. Zombies. Warnings: stress, angst, suspense.

| Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14 | Ch. 15 | Ch. 16 | Ch. 17 | Ch. 18 | Ch. 19 | Ch. 20 |

“AL!”

What was that big blue idiot yapping about this time?! Couldn’t the moron see that Alfendi was a bit busy at the moment? Rolling his eyes as his opponent fell to the ground, the redhead turned, trying to idiotic companion in the fray --

-- ”Oof!”

Before he knew what was happening, Alfendi found himself on his back with Luke Triton standing over him.

“Oi! Just what’dya think yer --”

The words didn’t make it out of his mouth before Luke was struck by a bandits blade and fell to the ground next to him.

No!

The eight year old felt his rage bubbling up inside of him once again, just as it had when he had learned that these people were stealing from his father. They had threatened his family, and now they had hurt his friend. He would not stand for this.

Letting out a wild cry of fury, the boy launched himself at his opponent.

95% chance of him sidestepping. 60% chance of him favoring his right side, his dominant hand as indicated by the fact that it is his weapon hand --

-- When the large man stepped to the right to avoid Alfendi’s charge, the boy changed directions to ram right into his opponent’s stomach, knocking the man back a few steps. It did not take the man long to regain his balance, however, and swung with his blade --

-- 85% chance of a horizontal attack, based on the trajectory of the swing --

-- Alfendi bent backwards to avoid the dagger as it swung inches in front of his face, straightening up once the danger had passed --

--off balance, there should be at least three different openings for an attack: legs, sternum, face. Legs are best bet by 70%, taking out the left leg should increase instability --

-- Alfendi swept his opponent’s left leg out from under him, using the man’s weight against him and causing him to fall further to his right --

-- solid blow to the sternum should finish him, give you 100% advantage --

Alfendi’s heart froze when he heard the gunshot.

“Freeze! This scene is now under Scotland Yard’s control!”

It took a moment for Alfendi to realize that he was still breathing and that he had not, in fact, been shot. Looking around him, it seemed that he had not been the only one that had frozen at the sudden police presence and the sirens blaring.

The police were here. He was saved. He wasn’t going to get hurt --

Luke!

“Triton?” Alfendi called out looking around wildly. Luke had been hurt. He had been struck down by that knife bearing maniac -- how Alfendi kept meeting up with those, he had no idea -- and fallen. Was he okay? Was he still alive?

No reply.

“Triton?!” He called again, frantic. Luke was hurt. He was dying and it was all Alfendi’s fault. He had gotten his friend killed. “Luke?!”

“O-over here, Al!”

Alfendi didn’t waste one moment, rushing to his friend’s aid immediately after hearing that weak reply. By the time he reached his companion, the blue boy was already pushing himself to his feet, holding one arm with a bloody hand.

“Triton!” He tried to examine the older boy, but it was exceedingly difficult with his hands shaking the way they were. “Are you alrigh’? Are yah hurt?! Wha’ happened?!”

“Al, calm down.” Luke’s voice sounded much steadier than Alfendi’s. “It’s alright, just a cut. See?” The older boy gestured with his head to his upper left arm, which he was still holding onto with his right hand. Alfendi realized that he must be covering up a nasty scratch, but that the wound would not be enough to kill Luke Triton.

It was only then that he remembered that he wasn’t supposed to care.

“R-r-right.” He folded his arms to his the shaking and trying his best to steady his voice as he looked away. “T-too bad it didn’ t-take a bigger chunk of yah.”

Good. That would make Luke angry at him again. They would fight again, and Luke would remember to hate him. He wouldn’t have to care, to feel so scared and so small and so damn concerned for somebody else. He could go back to just looking out for number one --

Luke laughed.

“Wha’s so funny?!” Alfendi demanded angrily. Was this some sort of mockery? Was that how this fight was going to go, then?

When Alfendi looked back up at Luke, however, the older boy was smiling warmly at him.

“Yeah, maybe.” The blue boy replied. “Next time, maybe.”

…Was that it? Was Triton not going to fight him?

“Who says I’m gonna wait fer next time?” Alfendi demanded crossly. “Maybe I’ll do it myself!”

Triton had the audacity to laugh again, ruffling Alfendi’s hair with his non-bloody hand. “I’ll keep an eye out for that, then.”

This was wrong. Instead of being pushed away, Alfendi was being invited to care more. For some reason, Triton didn’t want to leave him alone, but was reaching out to him instead...

                                                              ~

“How do I know I can trust you!?” Alfendi shouted. He just wanted to be safe. Alfendi wanted to feel protected. He didn’t want to be here anymore. He couldn’t stand it anymore.

“I can help you, Alfendi! Please, just let me!!” The Professor pleaded.

Alfendi closed his eyes. He couldn’t keep going on like this, he wouldn’t make it.  He reached up blindly with one of his hands, feeling himself start to fall....

                                                             ~

Alfendi swatted Triton’s hand out of his hair irritably. “Whatever, mate.” He managed to spit out, still managing to sound aloof.

Neither of them said much as they were lead outside by blue clad officers. Even if they had said anything, it probably would have been drowned out by the sirens anyway.

Now that he was outside, Alfendi was exhausted. The fight was over. He could relax. He could go home and rest and…

Oh right. He couldn’t go home.

In the thick of the fight, Alfendi had forgotten that he had run away from home. Honestly, it all seemed so silly in retrospect. How had he been worrying about some bloody letter earlier that very day when now he had just been fighting for his life?

It was almost a shame that he wouldn’t be able to explain any of this to the Prof. He had all but demonized his foster father, and he doubted that the man wanted anything to do with him anymore --

“--fendi! Alfendi!”

The scarlet haired boy’s head shot up at the familiar voice. No, it couldn’t be…?

But it was. The next thing Alfendi knew, he was being hugged by a shaking Hershel Layton.

“P-Prof?” He asked tentatively.

“Alfendi, my boy. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” The prof squeezed him tighter as he said the words. “Please forgive me, I’m so sorry…”

“I… It’s fine, Pops.”  God, why did he have to start crying now? “It… I’m sorry too.”

They stayed like that for a moment before Alfendi’s father let go so that he could look the young boy in the eye. Alfendi couldn’t help but notice that the prof had also been crying. “Please, don’t ever scare me like that again.”

“I won’t.” Alfendi replied, trying once again to steady his voice. He wanted his father to know that he was serious. “Honest, I won’t. I… I’m here to stay, promise.”

AN: oop

Sorry for the delay. I just suck generally and I’m out of excuses. Good news is you only have to put up with it for one more chapter! That’s right, folks, the epilogue comes on Thursday!

Or next Tuesday!

Soon!

Ish.

I swear. 

Special thanks to @kayespuzzles for reminding me to post

[bigkadan8]

Stress Fracture

Six months after coming to London, Alfendi’s life is thrown through a loop after a miscalculation by the professor and visit from an old friend. Sure, Alfendi has faces down the likes of Targent, Zombies, and Flora’s cooking, but how will he handle Luke Triton? Set six months after Bronev Bros. vs. Zombies. Warnings: stress, angst, suspense.

| Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14 | Ch. 15 | Ch. 16 | Ch. 17 | Ch. 18 | Ch. 19 | Chapter 20: Night at the Museum |

The two boys scarcely breathed while the van was in motion. Luke caught himself holding his breath several times without realizing he was doing it, but forced himself to stop and breathe. He had to be a good role model for the redhead at his side, after all.

Alfendi was, of course, not giving any sign of being frightened, but Luke was beginning to learn that a lack of expression did not mean a lack of emotion with this boy.

“Almost there.” Luke almost gasped when he heard the voice from up front. “Get ready to move.”

“Roger that.” A second, scratchier voice responded. “You stay with the truck, be ready to load when we get back.”

Silence fell again for a moment. Luke glanced over at Alfendi, who seemed to have overheard as well.

“We should hide.” He mouthed to the younger boy, who nodded his acknowledgement.

They had just huddled behind the largest crate when the van came to a stop. Luke couldn’t force himself to stop holding his breath when he heard the doors open and the criminals get out. For a moment, he thought he could hear muffled voices outside, but then everything fell silent.

“I think we’re clear.” he whispered to Alfendi, slowly straightening up from his hiding place. “We can probably--”

Alfendi snatched his collar and yanked him back down right before the doors in the back of the van flew open.

When he heard the footsteps of the guard move away from the van, Luke dared to speak up again. “It’s alright, Al.” He whispered, trying to muster up as much courage as he could. A gentleman always protected children, after all. “I know a perfect puzzle that will let us sneak past this -- Al?”

When he turned to glance at his companion, the boy was already gone. He would have panicked, save for the sound of a scuffle outside. By the time Luke peaked his head out of the van, Alfendi had already knocked the guard unconscious.

“...Well that also works.” He admitted after a moment. Every puzzle certainly had a solution, but not always the one he expected.

By the time that Luke had climbed out of the van and looked around again, Alfendi was almost at the door of what seemed to be a garage.

“Wait, where are you going?” he called after the scarlet haired boy. The look he got in return was somewhere between disbelief and exasperation.

“I’m leavin, Triton!” The boy called back to him. “We covered this!”

Wait, had Alfendi been serious about leaving town? Luke had figured that was just talk. Kids talked about running away from home all the time, didn’t they? He had certainly daydreamed about it plenty himself back when things had been so rocky with his father...

“It’s been… somethin’, I guess.” Alfendi interrupted his thoughts. “Maybe I’ll see you around sometime! Hopefully not but, yaknow, maybe.”

“Wait!” Luke couldn’t let this happen. Not only would he be failing to protect Alfendi, but he would be letting the Professor down too if he let the boy run away. He needed to think of something, and fast. “If-if you go that way, you’ll get caught!”

That at least stopped the boy, who turned back again to give Luke a suspicious look. “How do you mean?” It was more of a demand than a question.

It was a good question, too. “Uhm…. you saw all those vans back at their base right?” Yeah, good start! Keep going with it! “Well, there’s only one here. The others are probably right out there, and they’ll stop you if you try to leave that way!”

Alfendi regarded him suspiciously for a moment, but then shrugged and made his way back over to Luke. The older boy tried not to show how relieved he was.

“What now, then?” The boy asked nonchalantly, as if he was asking about the weather. “We jus’ wait for ‘em t’ come out an’ drive us back, then?”  Alfendi gave a small huff of a laugh at his own sarcastic remark.

“No…” Luke looked around for a moment. This wasn’t just any garage. No, he knew this place -- or it was familiar to him, at least. It was a loading bay of sorts… and they had been brought here by thieves, specifically art thieves…

Bingo.

“No, we’re gonna go through the inside and walk out the front door.”

It was both refreshing and frightening to have it affirmed that his guess had been correct, but there was no mistaking the Oxshire Museum now that they were inside. Luke would know that T-Rex skeleton anywhere, after all.

“Which way t’ th--mmph!” Alfendi’s question was cut off when Luke clapped a hand over his mouth, pulling him back as he did so.

“....sure we’re gonna be able to get it into the van?” The robber asked his companion as they walked by where the boys were hiding. “Azran relics are pretty heavy…”

“Yeah, and pretty expensive.” His partner replied. “We’ll drag it out if we have to, I don’t mind scratching up the floors…”

And with that, they were out of earshot once again.

“...They’re after the Azran relics!” Luke felt his rage rising within him. How dare they?!

“So?”

That little apathetic word was enough to send Luke’s anger over the edge.

“So?!” He demanded of the boy. “So that was the professor’s discovery! He gave everything to bring those back -- Al? Al, wait!”

Before Luke could stop him, Alfendi was tearing after the guards down the hall. Luke went to chase the boy, but Alfendi had already knocked one guard out and was finishing up the other when Luke got close.

“Tha’s -- not -- yer -- stuff!” Alfendi shouted between punches.

“Al!” Luke cried, but it was too late. Down on the first floor, every single robber was staring up at the two boys.

Alfendi seemed to realize his mistake in a moment, because he looked up at Luke with something akin to fear.

“Don’ let them get t’ the door.”

“Right.”

With that, both boys were off.

Luke shouldn’t have been surprised at how well Alfendi could fight. He had seen plenty of examples of the boy’s fighting prowess already in the short time they had spent together. He just hadn’t expected the small redhead to be some sort of a ninja spartan when unleashed in a group of opponents.

Luke had been doing his part, of course, putting to use the self defense he had learned during his time away from London, but he had certainly noticed that the majority of the fighting seemed to center around his companion while he picked off strays who made their way for the exit.

Not that he was complaining, of course. He was just worried for Alfendi’s sake, not for the sake of his own pride. Besides, it wasn’t exactly easy, keeping the stragglers from running. Still, it was his duty both as a gentleman and a history enthusiast to make sure that none of these reckless criminals got away with their horrid deeds.

The two boys were doing a fairly good job at holding their own against the criminals, but Luke feared that they wouldn’t be able to keep up their momentum for very long. They were, after all, vastly outnumbered.

He turned in time to see Alfendi take out two guards, one right after the other. For someone his age, the boy could certainly fight very well. Luke couldn’t help but wonder for a moment how the boy had developed such skills but, upon remembering what he had learned about the child on the van, decided that it was best not to pursue that train of thought.

Alfendi did seem to be a natural, though. Luke hoped that being around the boy didn’t mean a future full of crazy fights and adventures.

Luke was just starting to feel his legs shake from exhaustion and wonder how long he could keep fighting when he heard the sirens in the distance. The police were coming. Everything was going to be okay.

“Al!” He called out to his companion, turning to see if the redhead had also heard the sirens. That was when he saw the bandit running up behind Alfendi with a knife.

“AL!”

A/N: ..............oh wait this is still a thing?

Thanks the the incessant bullying of @bignini9 and @kayespuzzles, I finally decided to actually post the thing and not be lazy.

Only a few chapters left at this point!! I’m really excited to see this story through (even if my posting habits suggest differently. Sorry about that again....)

SO yeah have this.

[bigkadan8]

Hey, I was just wondering... I haven't seen any story updates these past few weeks. I'm not sure if you're just super busy or if Tumblr's being weird.... //awkwardly steps out

Hey friendo!

Yeah, I’m really sorry about that. The situation’s gone kinda like this lately:

Me: *goes to post Stress Fracture*

Brain: Go on unexplained hiatus instead

Me: why?

Brain: You gotta

In all seriousness, I’m getting tossed around in the hurricane that is life (quite literally, recently) and posting has just sorta not happened. No worries, though, I should be back by next week!

Love you all! Thank you for being patient with me, and I promise it’ll get done soon!  

[infernalhera]

Nicki of House Minaj, First of her Name, The Unburnable, Cyrus Slayer

House Words: What’s good?

[bigkadan8]

Stress Fracture

Six months after coming to London, Alfendi’s life is thrown through a loop after a miscalculation by the professor and visit from an old friend. Sure, Alfendi has faces down the likes of Targent, Zombies, and Flora’s cooking, but how will he handle Luke Triton? Set six months after Bronev Bros. vs. Zombies. Warnings: stress, angst, suspense.

| Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14 | Ch. 15 | Ch. 16 | Ch. 17 | Ch. 18 | Chapter 19: Knowing the Enemy |

Additional warning: This chapter contains several Bronev Bros. vs. Zombies spoilers!

Well. That had shut Triton up.

Alfendi wasn’t sure what about learning he had won had affected the older boy, making him look almost… sad.

Huh.

“I’ll probably go to Desmoncole first.” Alfendi pressed on. “He’s a smart guy. He’ll probably know how I can get under th’ radar again--”

“Des-mon-col-e?” Luke asked, suddenly dropping his kicked puppy look as he tilted his head to one side in confusion.

Alfendi froze. He had slipped up. The memory of Desmoncole’s voice at Christmas ran through his head a moment too late.

‘I don’t mind you calling me ‘Desmoncole,’’ the man had said, ‘But I might request that you not say that in front of others. Not everyone knows about my… alter ego.’

“Desmoncle.” The word came out of his mouth too abruptly, too fearfully. He needed to wipe the look of panic from his face, but somehow it was frozen there. “I said ‘Desmoncle.’ It’s like…. Uncle. I didn--”

“Did you just combine ‘Desmond’ and ‘Descole?’” Luke didn’t looked shocked. Surprisingly, the blue boy looked amused. “I wonder why he didn’t think of that…”

“Wait.” Alfendi held out his hand to stop Triton’s musings. “Do you… know things?”

Luke laughed so abruptly that Alfendi couldn’t keep himself from jumping. “If by ‘know things’ you mean ‘do I know that Desmond Sycamore used to secretly be a masked vigilante that ran around the country in disguises taking down Targent,’ then yes, I know things.”

Alfendi let out a laugh.

Wait, what?

Had he just laughed at something Luke Triton had said? Why the hell had he done that? How stupid! The redhead punched himself in the chest before he could accidentally make such a stupid mistake again.

“...Yeah.” he said after he had regained his cool, aloof disposition. “Tha’s wha’ I meant.”

There was a lull in the conversation for a moment, and it was only then that something else that Triton had said registered with him.

“Wait…” He didn’t like asking questions, it was like admitting that somebody else knew something he didn’t. “Did… did you jus’ mention Targent a second ago?”

Now it was Luke’s turn to look confused. “Yeah. Do you know about Targent?”

“O’ course I know abou’ Targent!” Alfendi exclaimed. “S’ hard not t’ know abou’ the people who’re tryin’ t’ kill everyone where yah live--”

“Wait.” Luke cut him off, somehow looking even more puzzled. Didn’t this guy listen to explanations? Or did he just talk without ever listening at all? “Are you talking about the golem attack--”

“Ye--”

“--three years ago?”

“Three years?” Alfendi shook his head. It hadn’t even been a year… right? “Wait. You got it all wrong.” The boy surprised himself with the patience in his tone as he explained. “There are more than a hundred days in a year.”

“I know.” Luke answered with a chuckle. Why was he laughing? “I’m talking about three hundred sixty five day years. So…” the boy paused while he calculated, “one thousand and ninety five days. Give or take.”

Alfendi felt dizzy listening to the figure. That was a lot of days.

“But... “ he held out his hands in front of him as if bracing himself. “It’s been six months since the golem attack. I think.”

To be honest, he wasn’t really that sure anymore. This day-week-month-year thing was way too confusing.

“Six months?” Triton must have been just as confused by the calendar year, because he looked entirely perplexed. “Wait, are we talking about the same thing?”

How could they not be talking about the same thing?

“Y’know.” Alfendi gestured around with his hands. “Giant golem. Shootin’ lazers at Chippenham. Big fighter robot battle.”

“What?” Alfendi winced at the volume of Triton’s exclamation. If they weren’t careful, the guards outside would hear them. “Giant golem? Chippenham? Fighter robots?”

“Quiet!” Alfendi hissed back, holding a finger over his own lips. “Yeah, all of tha’. What’re you talkin’ abou’?”

“I’m talking about something that happened in Froenborg three years ago.” At least Triton was keeping his voice down. “There was a giant airship temple that sent out golems to destroy the world.”

Alfendi shook his head and gave an exaggerated shrug to emphasize the fact that he had no idea what the older boy was talking about.

“Hold on…” Luke gave him a questioning glance. “So if you’re not talking about the attack three years ago… does that mean that Targent orchestrated another golem attack?”

The redhead nodded nonchalantly.  

“But how is that possible?!” For some reason, Triton seemed pretty distressed by this information. “Targent was shut down, we made sure they were shut down!”

“Tha’s what Desmoncole said too.” Alfendi held back an exasperated sigh. Why were grown ups always so predictable? “Guess you guys weren’ all tha’ careful.”

“We were too!” Triton insisted stubbornly. Alfendi smirked back by way of reply. Really, it was all too easy to push this guy’s buttons.

“Well if it wasn’ Targent, then how d’yah explain this?” Alfendi pulled out his dagger with an all too innocent smile, holding the blade right by Triton’s eyes and revelling in the satisfaction of seeing the older boy cringe at the sharp object that was suddenly so close to his face. “Tha’s the Targent crest, innit?” He turned the blade so that the flat side was facing Luke.

“Uhhhh…” As Luke leaned back, Alfendi moved the blade closer to him, his innocent smile turning into a mischievous smirk. “Yeah, I think it is.”

“Are yah sure?” His voice remained sweet and childish as he moved his dagger closer. The blade was almost touching the bridge of Luke’s nose now.

“That… that’s it alright--oh, would you knock it off?” Triton pushed back Alfendi’s arm as he sat upright again, effectively moving the dagger away from his face. Alfendi giggled as he returned the dagger to its sheath.

“So yeah. They were still there.” He finished cheekily. “Don’ worry, we finished ‘em off nice and good this time.”

Instead of being put off like Alfendi had hoped, Triton had that stupid bemused look on his face again. “So you went on a proper investigation with the professor, huh?”

“Wha’ of it?!” God, why couldn’t Triton do the decent thing and get pissed off again?

“Must have been fun to tag along, though, right?” What, was Triton trying to relate their experiences, like they had something in common?! Alfendi wouldn’t have it.

“Before you go gettin’ the wrong idea, I invited him.” The boy scoffed. “He tagged along with me.”

“...Did he do the pointing thing when you found the bad guy?” Luke asked. Not only was the blue boy undeterred, but he actually sounded excited when he asked the question.

“Pointin’ thing?” Alfendi asked cautiously. What was Triton getting at?

“You know.” The older boy’s expression suddenly turned more serious, and when he spoke again his voice was deeper, his accent sounding more like that of a London accent. “The true culprit of this crime… is you!”

As he spoke, Triton tipped the brim of his hat in the same manner that the professor did and pointed one finger dramatically over at Alfendi.

“...No?” Alfendi held back the giggles that threatened to erupt out of him. Triton looked like such an idiot doing that.

“Really?” The older boy looked surprised, his voice returning to normal. “I thought he must have, since you did it at dinner!”

“I did no’!” The redhead protested. There was no way he could have done anything so goofy.

“You did too!” The older boy chuckled before reverting to a much squeakier, higher pitched voice with an exaggerated accent and pointing again. “You ge’ th’ bloody hell out me house!”  

“I don’ sound like tha’!” Alfendi gave Luke a shove in the hopes that it would shut him up, but the older boy just laughed louder. Alfendi soon found that he was unable to hold in his own giggles, and both boys laughed together for a moment.

“...hear something, Carl?” A muffled, unfamiliar voice came from the outside of the van. Alfendi clapped a hand over Triton’s mouth at the same moment that he felt Triton’s hand cover his own mouth.

“Sh-shhh!” Alfendi insisted in a whisper as Triton let go of his mouth, his laughter still dying down. “Yer gonna get us caught!”

“S-sorry.” Luke’s laughter was beginning to calm down as well.   

There was another lull in their conversation as both boys smothered their laughter, but Alfendi couldn’t help but notice that this time the lull was neither awkward nor, surprisingly, hostile.

Huh. Weird.

“So why did you ask the professor to come to Chippenham, if not to point fingers?” Alfendi had to suppress another chuckle at the goofiness of the older boy’s question.

“Oh, y’know.” Alfendi shrugged. “People were goin’ missin’. Targent was takin’ kids off the streets. No’ tha’ I care too much about other kids, mind,” the redhead added as an afterthought. He didn’t want Luke Triton to get the wrong impression, after all. “Bu’ after they tried t’ nab me, I figured it was time t’--”

“Wait, why did they try to take you?” Luke interrupted him. “Wouldn’t your someone have noticed that you went missing?”

Alfendi felt himself tense up and immediately tried to fight the reaction. He couldn’t afford to show weakness now. No, he needed to stay cool and collected.

“Nope.” God, he hoped that didn’t come out as stiff as it sounded. “‘Cept fer the local gang recruiters, maybe.”

He regretted saying that the moment he finished. Luke Triton looked down at him with an pathetically sappy, pitying look that Alfendi couldn’t stand. Just moments ago they had been equals, and now Triton was looking down at him again.

“Knock it off, will ya?” The redhead snapped. “I don’ need yer p--”

He was cut off when the car suddenly roared to life, as all of his energy went into holding back a surprised yelp. Before he knew it, he could feel the car beginning to move.

They were underway.

“Here we go.” Luke whispered with so much irritating anticipation that Alfendi wanted to punch it out of him.  

Alfendi didn’t reply. He didn’t have to, after all. All he had to do now was sit tight until the car stopped moving, then he could slip away and leave London forever.

All he had to do was wait. It would all be over soon.

A/N: Hey friendos!

Sorry for the late night update! Today was a bit hectic u see. 

Alfendi isn’t wrong in that last line, this will all be over soon! There are only three chapters left to this story! Hard to believe it’s almost over already.

So yeah, this chapter has a lot of direct references to Bronev Bros. vs. Zombies. If you haven’t read that story, now is as good of a time as ever!

Mmmmmmmkay so I’m running out of things to say again. See you on Sunday! Please reblog and review!

L8rs <3

[bigkadan8]

Stress Fracture

Six months after coming to London, Alfendi’s life is thrown through a loop after a miscalculation by the professor and visit from an old friend. Sure, Alfendi has faces down the likes of Targent, Zombies, and Flora’s cooking, but how will he handle Luke Triton? Set six months after Bronev Bros. vs. Zombies. Warnings: stress, angst, suspense.

| Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14 | Ch. 15 | Ch. 16 | Ch. 17 | Chapter 18: Numbers and Figures |

It was less than half an hour until Luke could hear the sound of voices once again. Voices were good, they meant that there were people coming and going ahead. Voices mean that they were close to the exit.

He turned to share his observation with his companion, but the words died on his lips when he saw how tense boy was. Clearly, Alfendi was not as enthusiastic about the sounds of other people as Luke was.

Interesting.

The rat - Petunia, as her name evidently was - was now perched on Luke’s shoulder as she guided them toward the exit. Well, she was occasionally giving them advice. Mostly she was rambling on about the types of cheeses she preferred.

‘And cheddar… and parmesan--oh! Turn left up here!’

“Turn left up here!” Luke relayed the directions to his reluctant companion. He wasn’t sure how he had convinced Alfendi to come with him when he had been so wary of Luke’s ability, but he was glad that the boy had decided to come along. Despite their previous… disagreements, Luke felt responsible for the professor’s son. Professor Layton had saved his life too many times for Luke not to return the favor.

As he went to round the corner, Luke suddenly felt something push against his stomach, keeping him back. He almost let out an alarmed yelp before he realized that the thing pushing him back was Alfendi’s arm.

“What--”

“Shh.” Alfendi’s yellow eyes were alert as he peeked around the corner.

Curious, Luke found himself peeking around the corner as well. The sight that greeted him surprised him, to say the least.

The room - no, the garage around the corner was enormous. There were at least ten vans waiting, but there was enough room was big enough for ten more. There were two large doors at the front of the room with two guards standing at each one. The space not taken up by vans was taken up by enormous stacks of crates. Luke wondered what they could have been filled with.

“Hey Al,” he went to ask his companion. “What do you--”

“C’mon.” Alfendi cut him off, grabbing his arm and pulling him forward. “Now.”

Before he could protest Luke found himself yanked into the room, and the next thing he knew he was ducking behind the crates he had seen before.

“What are you doing?” he whispered over to Alfendi. Couldn’t the kid see the danger of the situation they were in? They couldn’t just rush in blindly!

“There was an 80% chance th’ guards would look away when they did.” Alfendi sounded serious, despite the fact that his claim was absurd. “We don’ have long, get ready t’ run again.”

“Hold on!” Luke urged. He reached up to his shoulder, where Petunia was clinging to the fabric of his sweater so she wouldn’t fall. The run, it seemed, had jarred her.

Placing her on the ground, he let out a small squeak, trying to convey as much gratitude as he could. If rats could smile, she would have.

‘Good luck!’ she squeaked back before scampering into the open lid of a crate. Luke watched her go for a moment, hoping she would be alright. That was when the contents of the crate caught his eye.

“Alfendi, are those --” he started to ask, but a yank on his arm silenced him again.

“Now!” Alfendi whispered urgently, pulling Luke straight to the back of one of the vans.

Before Luke really knew what was happening, Alfendi had pulled him into the back of one of the vans and he found himself hiding behind some more crates that were stashed in there.

“Stop doing that!” Luke chided once Alfendi finally let go of him.

Alfendi looked offended. “There was a 60% chance they were all lookin’ away!” he declared as if the figure actually made any sense. “Now, I’d say tha’ the guards’ll probably change shifts soon. 70% chance it’s within th’ hour--”

“Will you knock it off with the percentages already?” Luke snapped. If Alfendi held himself to these ramblings, he would put them both in danger.

For a moment, Alfendi actually looked hurt. Then the boy’s expression turned defensive. “We were kidnapped at what, seven o’ clock?” the redhead asked. “Assumin’ we weren’t out fer more than half an hour an’ that we’ve been walkin for about an hour since then, tha’ makes it eight o’ clock. Now, the guards’ll take shifts, righ’? But th’ shifts can’ be too long or they won’ be able to focus, so they switch out every two hours or so, give or take a half hour. Now.” Alfendi gestured to the crates, which Luke realized were empty unlike the ones outside. “These guys are tryin’ for some kinda heist, righ’? An’ t’ pull it off they need t’ move th’ vans. Best time t’ do that is once th’ guards shift out an’ while it’s dark out. If it’s eight thirty now, we’re probably about half an hour into th’ last shift. Once tha’ ends, it’ll be dark enough fer th’ vans t’ move out. Since there’s tha’ half an hour difference, tha’ takes th’ possibility down from 100% t’ 70%.” Alfendi folded his arms, staring frustratedly down at the floor of the van. “Well, not precisely 70%. More like…”

As Luke waited for an answer, he couldn’t help but notice Alfendi’s pained expression. He had looked so hurt before, too, when Luke had implied that his percentages were random.

Alfendi had managed to calculate all of those factors in that quickly. It was an impressive feat for an adult, let alone a seven year old boy. And Luke had insulted it.

In that moment, Luke remembered the first time he had ever approached a teacher about how the class pet had said that it’s name wasn’t really Fluffy, but Harold. The woman had laughed him off, made him feel pathetic when he should have felt accomplished. Ever since that day, he had been extremely conservative in telling people about his skill. He couldn’t stand to have it brushed aside again like it was nothing more than child’s play.

The way he had just made Alfendi feel.

For the first time, Luke felt something close to camaraderie with the boy. Perhaps they were not as different as he had thought.

“67%. Ish.” Alfendi’s sudden declaration made him jump slightly. As Luke came out of his thoughts, the boy started to rub his head. “Tha’ was hard. I’ve never done two significant figures before…”

Touched by the boy’s honesty, Luke reached out to ruffle the boy’s hair. He retracted his hand, however, when he remembered that he had been bitten by this same child earlier that evening. It was probably best not to surprise the boy.

“Take it easy,” he cautioned. “You don’t wanna wear yourself out before we even get going!”

Alfendi jumped upon being spoken to and momentarily clapped a hand over his mouth, as if he had not realized that he had been speaking out loud. A moment later, he glared at Luke, hissing a quick “Shove off.” before turning away.

Well. That had… happened. Luke decided to give civil conversation another try. after all, he had been so close to actually talking to Alfendi without that hostile barrier between them...

“You calculated all that in your head?” Luke tried to convey exactly how impressed he was through his tone.

Alfendi shot him a skeptical glance. “...Yeah.” The boy replied guardedly. “Wha’s it t’ yah?”

“It’s impressive!” Alfendi’s eyes narrowed as Luke gave the compliment as if he was trying to find an insult laced in those words, so Luke pressed on. “No really, very impressive! Where did you learn to do that?”

“Where did you learn to shut up?” Alfendi shot back in that childish way of his. “Oh! Tha’s righ’! You didn’t!”

Okay. So this tactic wasn’t working either.

“So I think I saw what was in those crates outside.” Luke mused aloud.

“Good for you. You have eyes. I’m so proud.” Alfendi deadpanned, glaring murderously down at the floor again.

Undeterred, Luke pressed on. “I think they were paintings, actually. Do you think this is some sort of an art heist?”

“Paint-tin’?” Alfendi cocked his head to the side as he said the word, scrunching up his nose as if he had just tasted something he didn’t care for.

“Yeah!” Luke tried not to be too excited about the fact that Alfendi didn’t look like he was about to kill him anymore. “You know, when people make pictures and sell them?”

“Why would people steal pictures?!” Alfendi asked irritably, as if the idea of an art heist was somehow offensive to him. “Wha’s the point?”

“Because some of them are really expensive.” Luke explained. “If they’re painted by someone famous, they can sell for over a hundred pounds!”

“Over a hundred pounds?” Alfendi asked, seemingly dumbfounded. “For a picture?”

“Pretty crazy, right?” Luke agreed. “Anyway, there are only a few places here in London that display paintings that expensive. If we can narrow down which one they’re going to, we’ll be able to stop them!”

“Why?”

It was just one word, but it threw Luke off completely. Surely, Alfendi must be joking.

“Be…because it’s illegal?” It was more of a question than an answer.

“So?”

“So they’re breaking the law!” Luke exclaimed. “They’re stealing!”

A shrug was all he got by way of reply.

“D...don’t you care about that?” Luke’s voice faltered. Surely, the professor’s son had to care about helping others and stopping bad guys.

“Nope.” Alfendi’s words barely even registered in Luke’s head. “Not one bit.”

“But-but you work for Scotland Yard!” Luke stammered out.

Alfendi snorted. “Yeah, as an apprentice, not an Inspector.”

“But they’re stealing!” Luke repeated, as if it would somehow make a difference.

“They ain’t stealin’ from me!” Alfendi shot back before shrugging again. “Look, if anythin’ I think these guys’ve got the righ’ idea. I’d join ‘em if they weren’ tryin’ t’ kill me.”

“...Really?” Luke couldn’t hide his disappointment. How could Alfendi say such a thing?

“Yeah.” Alfendi seemed unphased by Luke’s reaction. “M’ gonna need somethin’ t’ get me out of London, an’ a paintin’ worth a hundred pounds could be jus’ the--”

“Wait, Luke cut the other boy off, confused now. “Why are you leaving London? The professor isn’t moving, is he?”

The redhead rolled his eyes in response. “No, dummy. I’m th’ one who’s movin’.” He prodded a thumb against his chest to emphasize his words. “Don’ worry, you’ll get yer precious Prof back now.”

Luke didn’t even know how to respond to that. Every word the boy said made him regret his ‘competition’ for the professor’s attention even more. A little boy was running away from home because of Luke’s temper.

This needed to be fixed. This needed to be fixed now.

A/N: I can’t actually think of anything to say, so.... review/reblog please! See you tuesday!

[bigkadan8]

Stress Fracture

Six months after coming to London, Alfendi’s life is thrown through a loop after a miscalculation by the professor and visit from an old friend. Sure, Alfendi has faces down the likes of Targent, Zombies, and Flora’s cooking, but how will he handle Luke Triton? Set six months after Bronev Bros. vs. Zombies. Warnings: stress, angst, suspense.

| Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14 | Ch. 15 | Ch. 16 | Chapter 17: An Inspector’s Dilemma |

It was almost rude to hear the phone ring. Answering the phone would distract him from attempting to distract himself from the case he had worked on all afternoon.

...Wait.

Inspector Chelmey grumbled the whole way across the room and did not stop when he picked up the receiver.

“What d’yah want?” He growled. Honestly, who called at this hour?

“Inspector?” Was that Layton’s voice just now? What did he want?

“What do you want?” He demanded to know.

“Well…” Inspector Chelmey had long since learned how to read tones. It was the priority of every inspector of the Yard to sense the tone of the suspects and informants they chose to speak to. Right now, Hershel Layton sounded… anxious.

That was new.

“What is it, Layton?” Chelmey urged. “Spit it out, man!”

“Well, the thing is that I rather need to speak to Alfendi.” Layton said almost all in the same breath. Wow, he really was anxious.

Chelmey sighed deeply. He had warned Layton that taking in a troubled child would not be easy, and that it would be nothing like bringing Luke Triton along on his adventures. He had hoped that the two would have been able to avoid trouble for a little bit longer, but he supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised by this call after his apprentice’s behavior this afternoon.

Still. He was in the middle of an investigation, even if he was taking a temporary break from it. A good Inspector did not allow himself to get swept up in other people’s problems. The distraction was entirely unnecessary.  

“Then go an’ talk t’ him.” he replied gruffly. “I ain’t yer life coach, Layton.”

“You mean…?” Layton sounded surprisingly confused by the declaration.

“I mean that you gotta talk to yer kid yerself!” Chelmey found his volume rising.

“You mean to say that he’s not with you?”  

“...Huh?” Chelmey must have misheard. He must have misheard. “Hang on,” he asked for clarity’s sake. “Why would I have ‘im?”

“Well, there was a misunderstanding at dinner.” Hershel was beginning to sound beyond anxious. He sounded downright afraid. “When he left he said he was going to see you.”

No.

“He’s… he’s not here, Layton.”

“Are you sure?” There was an edge of panic in Layton’s voice now. “He left almost an hour ago.”

No.

Something had happened to his apprentice. He had been alienated through a stupid misunderstanding and someone had hurt him.

Chelmey found his mind straying to the safe hiding behind the painting across the room. He ought to suit up now, gather his equipment and find his boy. He needed to make sure that everything was alright, that nothing would hurt Alfendi again --

Knock knock knock!

“Go away!” Chelmey pressed the receiver against his shoulder and  hollered in the direction of his door. He didn’t have time for this.

“Inspector Chelmey!” That was the muffled voice of Sergeant Barton.

“I said go away!” The inspector roared back. Yard business be damned, his apprentice was in danger--

“Sir, it’s about Alfendi Layton!” Chelmey froze at the words. “I believe he might be in danger!”

NO.

“Layton,” Chelmey prayed that his rival had not heard anything that Barton had said. “I’m gonna have t’ call yah back.”

Before Hershel had the chance to protest, Chelmey had already hung up on him.

“And yer sure this is legitimate?” Chelmey held his head in his hand as he stared down at the black and white photograph in his hands.

“Yes, sir.” Barton sounded uncharacteristically somber. “Forensics ran a test before I came over. This is real.”

Chelmey wanted to look away from the photograph, but he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off of it, no matter how sick it made him.

Alfendi Layton and Luke Triton were both tied to chairs in an indistinct room. Judging by the way they were slumped over, both boys had been unconscious when the photo had been taken.

Chelmey couldn’t see Alfendi’s face in the picture, not with the way his wild curls fell. He couldn’t tell whether Alfendi injured or not.

It wasn’t until after he tore his eyes off of his apprentice that something caught the inspector’s eye.

“What’s that?” he asked, pointing at the collar of Luke Triton’s shirt. There were dark stains that stood out against the light fabric.

Barton seemed to have noticed the stains as well. “Sir…” he sounded anxious. “You… you don’t think that… that’s blood, do you?”

Chelmey didn’t answer. The sight of the blood chilled him to the bone. Right now, Alfendi Layton and Luke Triton could be…

“What does this mean?” Barton asked anxiously.

Chelmey swallowed hard. “It means that I have to call somebody back.”

A/N: We now interrupt your regularly scheduled Luke and Al feud for some Inspector Chelmey. More at 11. 

I know it’s a bit of a break of pace, but this chapter was a great deal of fun, especially toward the end. 

Once again, I’m running out of things to ramble about so........... see you sunday! please reblog/review!

Katie out.

[bigkadan8]

Stress Fracture

Six months after coming to London, Alfendi’s life is thrown through a loop after a miscalculation by the professor and visit from an old friend. Sure, Alfendi has faces down the likes of Targent, Zombies, and Flora’s cooking, but how will he handle Luke Triton? Set six months after Bronev Bros. vs. Zombies. Warnings: stress, angst, suspense.

| Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14 | Ch. 15 | Ch. 16: Ratted Out |

Fifty seven… Fifty eight… Fifty nine…

Alfendi swirled his knife around between his fingers as he counted down the seconds, his smirk only growing more smug with each passing moment. This was going to be the lesson of a lifetime.

Sixty one… sixty tw--ah. Showtime.

Alfendi wished that the blue know-it-all could have seen the look on his face. Luke was so pissed, it was like Christmas all over again.

“Finally realized you were already untied, did ya?” Alfendi didn’t even try not to sound smug.

No matter what happened next, Alfendi knew that the glare Triton shot him would always stay tucked away in a very special corner of his heart. It was so nice, this feeling of winning.

“You ready to move on, then?” Alfendi asked. “Or were you hopin’ to sit around all day?”

“...That wasn’t very nice.” The older boy said finally with an expression that couldn’t be called anything less than a pout. Alfendi wanted to laugh out loud.

“I know it wasn’.” He replied smartly. “I’m not tryin’ t’ win any awards fer niceness, Triton.”

Luke looked almost shocked by this answer. “Really, what would the professor say?”

Alfendi swung out his arms, gesturing to the hallway around them. “D’yah see the professor here?” he asked triumphantly. “No? Good. Let’s get a move on, shall we?”

“...Fine.” Really, Alfendi was starting to wish that he had brought a camera. Triton’s sulking was so rewarding.

The building was a lot bigger than Alfendi had anticipated. In fact, it was at least 50% bigger than the professor’s house, maybe even 60 or 70%. Unbidden memories of the factory in Chippenham popped into his mind, but Alfendi fought them back. Surely, this couldn’t be a Targent operation? Hadn’t Desmoncole taken out the last of their branches?

“Take a left.” Alfendi ordered authoritatively. He had taken the lead as they made their way for whatever exits they could find. Sure, Triton was more experienced, but Alfendi had more recent experience, which was what really mattered when you got down to it. Or at least that was what he told himself.

“Hold on!” Luke said suddenly after they had rounded the corner. It was the first time he had spoken ever since they had started moving. Alfendi had been perfectly content to let the older boy stew in the bitterness of his loss. “Isn’t that the room we just left?”

Alfendi’s gaze followed as Triton’s finger pointed toward an open door. Inside the room were two chairs, one of which was overturned, and an unconscious guard bleeding --

Oh.

“Nope.” he replied stubbornly, not even breaking his stride. “Tha’s a completely different room. C’mon.”

“Wha-- no it’s not!” Alfendi felt Triton grab his shoulder, forcing him to stop and look into the room again. “Look, we’re back where we started!”

“No we’re not.” Alfendi crossed his arms, looking anywhere but into the open door.  “Never seen tha’ room before in my life.”

“...You have no idea where we’re going, do you?” The older boy sounded astonished, as if he were only just now realizing this. God, grown ups were idiots.

“No, of course I do, I hang out here all th’ time.” Alfendi snarked back, narrowing his eyes. “C’mon, Triton, do yah really think I know this place?”

Triton looked almost horrified. “If you don’t know where you’re going then why are you leading?”

Alfendi rolled his eyes. “‘Cause I’ve got a better sense of direction than you.” He stated the obvious. “Now c’mon, we don’ wanna be here when tha’ guard wakes up!”

Well, at least they weren’t going in circles anymore.

Alfendi wasn’t sure how long they had been walking. Upon realizing that Alfendi hadn’t studied the floor plan before getting kidnapped, Triton had decided to question every turn they took for the past… well, however long it had been. Alfendi was pretty sure it had been at least an hour.

“Turn righ’ up here.” Alfendi nodded at the upcoming intersection in the hall.

“You sure about that?” Triton was such a sore loser.

“Of course I am.” Alfendi snapped back. “60%. Now let’s move.”

The Triton boy gave him a doubtful look, but took the turn anyway. Alfendi could see why the professor had decided to bring the blue boy along on his adventures, he followed orders without question even when he knew that they weren’t coming from a reliable source. The Prof must’ve liked that sort of blind faith. Maybe that was why Alfendi wasn’t a good fit.

“You know, 60% isn’t actually that much of a--oof!”

Triton was cut off when he walked into Alfendi. Normally, the red haired boy would have been more annoyed, but his all of his attention was directed at the sight in front of him.

“Shh.” he cautioned. “No sudden moves.”

He had led them straight into danger. How could he have been so foolish? Even trying to show up Triton, he really should have been more careful. They were going to die here, and it was all his fault --

“Whatdya mean, why not--oh!” Triton was far too loud, and he had attracted the predator’s attention. “Hello there, little guy!”

Was he mad? Alfendi shot the older boy a bewildered glare as Triton not only leaned down, but actually let the rat that had been blocking their path crawl into his hand.

Scratch that. If they died here, it wouldn’t be his fault.

“Wha’ d’yah think yer doin?!” Alfendi demanded to know.

“Relax!” Luke sounded far too at ease for someone with the living embodiment of death and disease in the palm of his hand. “It’s just a little rat.”

“Just a rat?” Alfendi repeated dumbfoundedly. “Just a rat?” Who even was this guy, that he could just casually pick up such a vile creature without a care? Hadn’t the Prof taught this kid any survival skills?

“Yes?” The way Triton said the word, it sounded more like a question than an answer. “Alfendi, you’re not scared of rats, are you?”

Alfendi felt himself stiffen. No. Triton was not entitled to know about any fears he may or may not have. The blue boy had not earned that right - in fact, he had done everything to ensure that he never earned that right.

Besides. Alfendi wasn’t afraid. No, he was just… cautious. Yeah. That’s why his insides squirmed at the sight of the creature and why he wanted to run at the sight of it.

“No.” He responded stubbornly. “No way.”

Luke shot him that annoying look that adults gave when they didn’t believe a word he said, which made Alfendi seethe with rage. This idiot was going to get them killed, and he was still standing there being a totally condescending.

The redhead wrapped his fingers around the hilt of his dagger. If they got out of this alive, Alfendi resolved to cut out Luke Triton’s tongue for putting them in harm’s way like this.

“Hey Al,” the way Triton said his name so casually was really starting to piss him off. “Do you suppose this little guy knows how to get out of here?”

“Probably.” Alfendi muttered, crossing his arms huffily. “Little monster probably has t’ sneak out if it wants to corrupt more souls--what are you doing?!”

Alfendi was so shocked when his companion started squeaking at the rat that he could not continue his tirade. Even if he had tried to press on, the fact that the rat squeaked back silenced any last comment he could have thought of.

“Hey, he says he knows the way out of here!” Triton looked back over at Alfendi, which ruined any possibility of him sneaking away while the older boy was distracted. He must have looked as alarmed as he felt, because Triton gave him a funny look. “What’s wrong?”

Alfendi kept his eyes fixed on the other boy, ready to flee at any sudden movement. “....Right.” he answered slowly, not wanting to provoke any further insanity. “You jus’... follow the rat. I’ll be right behind you.” As Alfendi said the last words, his yellow eyes flickered over to the corner they had just rounded. It was a four way intersection, surely he could make a clean getaway if he moved fast enough…

Unfortunately Luke must have seen his glance at his escape route, because he gave Alfendi an almost disappointed look. “Oh, come off it.” He said, his enthusiasm drained almost instantly. “You know that I can talk to animals.”

“....”

Alfendi wasn’t sure what the Triton boy was getting at. As he continued to stare in confusion, Luke’s expression somehow seemed to drop. The only sound in the room was the rat still squeaking in the older boy’s palm.

“You…” The older boy seemed completely taken off guard. “Th… the professor did tell you that I can talk to animals, didn’t he?”

Slowly but surely, Alfendi felt his former smugness return to him. So the Prof had left some details about his precious Luke Triton out of his ramblings, huh?

“Nope.” The boy replied almost cheerfully. “Not once.”

Judging by Triton’s expression, it would seem that Alfendi wasn’t the only one who resented it when the Prof didn’t mention him.

A/N: Welcome back!

Thanks for your patience with this chapter! I travelled a good bit yesterday to see relatives, I was out of the house at 8am and didn’t get back until 12:30a, this morning, so needless to say I didn’t have an opportunity to post.

The plot thickens!! I can’t believe we’re getting so close to the climax of this story, I can’t wait to see what you all think!

As always, reviews and reblogs are welcome!

[bigkadan8]

BigKatieUpd8

Today's chapter has been postponed due to a family engagement. I'll post it tomorrow though, so no worries!

[bigkadan8]

Stress Fracture

Six months after coming to London, Alfendi’s life is thrown through a loop after a miscalculation by the professor and visit from an old friend. Sure, Alfendi has faces down the likes of Targent, Zombies, and Flora’s cooking, but how will he handle Luke Triton? Set six months after Bronev Bros. vs. Zombies. Warnings: stress, angst, suspense.

| Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14 | Ch. 15:  An Apprentice’s Dilemma |

This was bad.

This was really bad.

Luke couldn’t see a thing when he woke up and soon realized that he must be blindfolded. Worried, he tried to raise his arms to take the offending piece of fabric off of his eyes, but found that his arms were bound behind him.

The young man frantically tried to reach out, to kick, to move in some way, but to no avail. He couldn’t even stand up.

This was bad.

A soft groaning sound directly behind him made him suddenly aware that he was not alone. He wondered whether or not he should speak up.

Think, Triton. A guard or an attacker would not have groaned like that. Besides, the voice was far too young to be one of his kidnappers. That did not leave many options.

“...Alfendi?” He called out softly, both wanting to be heard and afraid that someone might hear him.

“Tr… Triton?” That was Alfendi’s voice alright. “Yer here too?”

“Yeah.” Luke guessed that Alfendi couldn’t see him, which mean that he was also blindfolded and, most likely, also bound.

“Damn.” Alfendi sounded irritated. “Why did they have t’ trap me in here with you?”

...Okay. So Alfendi was still feeling hostile.

“Don’t worry.” Luke tried to be reassuring, despite the animosity aimed at him. “I’m sure the professor will--”

“Shut up, will ya?” Alfendi cut him off irritably. “I’m tryin’ t’ concentrate.”

“...Concentrate on what?” Luke couldn’t help but ask.

“Concentrate on g-getting us out...” Luke could swear he heard the boy sniffle.

“...Are you okay, Al?” His concern was rising again. Was this all just a brave front? Luke could hardly blame Alfendi for being scared, after all. The first time he had been kidnapped, he had not done much better. At least Alfendi wasn’t strung up several stories off of the ground--

Something slammed into his back, cutting off his train of thought. It seemed that Alfendi must have jerked his chair backwards to stop him from talking.

Still, if Alfendi was scared, Luke felt as though he ought to say something --

His train of thought was cut off again, this time by a wail.

“Alfendi?!” Luke started squirming in his chair, only to have something hit his back again.

“What’s that racket?!” An unfamiliar voice called out suddenly, followed by the sound of a door opening.

“Pl-pl-please!” Alfendi cried out, making Luke’s heart ache. He sounded so young and afraid… “Please, j-jus’ let me go! I‘ll do whatever you want, jus’ let me go!!”

“Oi!” A second, gruffer voice called from further away. “What’s goin’ on in there?”

“Kid’s gone berserk!” The first voice called out over the sound of Alfendi’s wailing.

“He’s gonna get us found if you don’t shut him up!” The second voice called out. “Deal with it, now.”

Luke could barely hear the first man sigh over Alfendi’s panic. “Okay, c’mon kid. We’re gonna move you to another room, okay?”

What?

Luke couldn’t let them take Alfendi. Even if he managed to get out himself, he couldn’t guarantee that he would find the Professor’s son again. He had to act soon, he had to get out of these ropes --

CLUNKK!

Despite the fact that he could not see, Luke whipped his head toward the noise. It was followed by the sounds of a struggle. What was going on? Was that guard hurting Al--

BANG!!

Luke’s heart stopped.

“Al?” He called out tentatively, fighting back the fear that threatened to choke him. There was no way. That couldn’t have been a gunshot, he refused to believe it. He would not let the professor’s son get shot in his care. “ALFEND--”

“Shut up, will ya?”

Relief flooded through him, threatening to fill his eyes with tears. Alfendi was okay. He was alive.

“What happened?” Luke couldn’t bear being this confused. Fortunately, the wool was quite literally pulled off from over his eyes, and he was able to see.

They were in a cramped little room with no windows. The only furnishing were the two chairs that the boys were tied to, one of which was now overturned, and --

And there was a grown man bleeding on the floor.

“What did you do?!” Luke demanded in horror. He had definitely heard a gunshot just now, but he had assumed the wrong target.

“Relax, will yah?” Alfendi grumbled from behind him. Now that Luke looked carefully, he could see that the guard had only been shot in the arm. Ultimately, something else must have knocked him out. Judging by the shifting of the ropes around him, Luke guessed that the child was untying him.

“Relax?” How could he relax? “Alfendi, that man needs medical attention!”

“Nahh, he’s fine.” The boy’s voice was muffled. Was he biting the rope? “Now shut up.”

“I can’t do that.” Luke was the older of the two, and therefore he was responsibility to make sure that everyone was alright. “Alfendi--”

“Oh my god.” The ropes stopped shifting. “Do you even know how t’ shut up?”

“I’m being serious!” Luke protested. He needed Alfendi to understand the weight of this situation. “Look, we need to call the police --”

“I’m gonna leave you here if yah don’ stop talking.” The boy commented dryly. He sounded beyond irritation now, as if he were completely done with everything.

Little did he know that Luke could handle petty threats. “Listen, Alfendi.” He started authoritatively. “This is a very serio--”

“Tha’s it.” Luke heard the sound of Alfendi slamming his hands down on the floor dramatically. Moments later, the redhead was in front of him and headed toward the door, leaving Luke behind still bound to the chair.

“W-wait!” What? How was this happening? “Alfendi, come back! This isn’t funny--”

“Good luck saving yerself, Triton!”

The door slammed shut.

The silence in the moments that followed was almost deafening. Without Alfendi to untie him, Luke had no idea how he was supposed to get out of this.

Was he going to die here?

There was at least one other kidnapper out there. When they came back and saw their partner lying on the floor, they would be furious. And that was assuming they came in before the first man woke up…

Then there was the problem of the professor’s son, who was out there all by himself with another kidnapper. Even if he did get out of here eventually, the odds of Luke being able to find Alfendi again were incredibly slim. How could he ever face the shame of having endangered his best friend’s son?

Ashamed, Luke hid his face in his hands. This was all too much --

It took him a moment to realize that he shouldn’t have been able to do that…

A/N: Greetings, my lovelies!

Slight Easter egg in this chapter. For those of you wondering, yes, Alfendi’s method of tricking the guards is a direct reference to Bronev Bros. vs. Zombies. Al didn’t learn all of his tricks from Chelmey, after all...

Thank you all for the positive feedback on the last few chapters!! It’s been really motivating me to keep posting so that we could get to the action chapters.

As always, feel free to like, reblog, and review! See you with another chapter on Sunday!

L8rs

[bigkadan8]

Stress Fracture

Six months after coming to London, Alfendi’s life is thrown through a loop after a miscalculation by the professor and visit from an old friend. Sure, Alfendi has faces down the likes of Targent, Zombies, and Flora’s cooking, but how will he handle Luke Triton? Set six months after Bronev Bros. vs. Zombies. Warnings: stress, angst, suspense.

| Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14: Responsibility |

Luke found himself wishing that he hadn’t worn his good white dress shirt to dinner. The pasta stains would never come out.

The young man was still wandering almost aimlessly around London. It wasn’t that he was lost - he had recommended the hotel he was staying in to several people in the past, and he could find it without even really trying. He just… didn’t want to. Not yet.

Of course Luke knew that dragging about through the streets of London wasn’t going to help. If anything, it would just give the pasta stains more time to settle in.  

Regardless of whether or not he returned to his hotel now, though, Luke did not have the time or energy to wash out the stain, and frankly, he didn’t care nearly as much as he should.

He’d been kicked out of the professor’s house. That place which should have been a second home to him was now off limits. Granted, he was sure that the professor and Flora would have told him differently, but that did not change the facts. The red runt had pushed him out.

Luke wished that he had never come to London

The young man did not have long to wish, though, out of nowhere a small child ran into him and nearly knocked him over.

“W-woah!” It took Luke a moment to catch his balance again. The child seemed to have worse balance, though, because he had fallen to the ground.

“Hey!” Luke leaned over, placing a hand on the red haired boy’s shoulder. “Are you alright? I’m so--”

The yellow eyes that glared up at him silenced him momentarily, though not because of their anger. Luke found himself silenced because of the tears that were falling from them.

Not only had Alfendi blindly run into him, but Alfendi was… crying?

“H-hey…” Luke felt his concern rising. Regardless of whatever hostile feelings he may have felt toward the boy, the young man could not bear to see any child suffer. Besides… something about seeing the boy in a moment of weakness made Luke hyper-aware for the first time that Alfendi couldn’t be much older than seven years old, and that made his stomach twist.

Seeing Alfendi so small suddenly reminded Luke of how big he was.

“Are you alright?” Luke asked softly, crouching down so that he and Alfendi were at eye level. “Why aren’t you home? Wh--”

“Knock it off!” The boy cried out, knocking Luke’s hand off of his shoulder and pushing himself to his feet abruptly. “God, nobody asked yah t’ butt into everyone’s business!”

Luke should have felt offended as the boy stormed off. He should have remembered everything this boy had just said to him and how he had just been treated. But somehow… somehow, now that he had seen the boy as a child, he could not unsee it. Alfendi was almost half his age.

His stomach lurched almost painfully at the thought. Instead of rage, Luke was overwhelmed with guilt.

“Wait!” He called after the boy. “Are you lost? What’s going on--?”

“Buzz off!” The redhead didn’t even look back as he yelled the words.

He wasn’t going to accept any help, was he?

“What did I ever do to you?” Luke called out helplessly. He recognized that he had given just as bad as he had gotten at dinner, but Alfendi had hated him before then. In fact, it seemed as though the boy had decided to hate him from the moment he laid eyes on him. “What did I do to make you hate me?”

“You didn’ know about me!” Alfendi whipped around to face him, his cries echoing through the street.

Wait, what?

“That’s not my fault!” Luke found himself pleading with the child. “It’s not that I didn’t want to--”

“Run.”

Luke stood his ground. “I’m not gonna leave, Alfendi.” he said with certainty. “Not until we work this out--”

“No,” the boy was charging him all of a sudden, “run!”

Without further explanation, the boy tugged on Luke’s arm, yanking him forward so hard that his hat nearly came off of his head and dragging him along as he ran. As Luke reached for his hat to make sure that it didn’t fly away, he turned his head to look behind them.

Two figures all in black were chasing them, their faces hidden behind masks.

Oh. Run.

Now that he knew the danger they were in, Luke pushed on and ran so fast that he expected to surpass Alfendi. The kid was fast, though, and still pulled him along slightly.

“Here!” Alfendi ordered suddenly, pulling Luke to their left so hard that he tripped over his feet and crashed to the ground right as the corner, taking Alfendi down with him.

They stayed there silently for a few moments as they sat up. Luke decided that the fact that he could no longer heard their pursuers footsteps was a good sign, and that they might have lost… well, whoever they were. Why the two boys were being chased in such a manner, Luke hadn’t the foggiest.

What he did know, however, was that Alfendi was still clinging to his arm. The boy was frightened, and rightly so. It was Luke’s job as the boy’s elder to comfort him

“It’s alright, Alfendi.” He reassured, trying to peek around the corner to see if he could spot the strange men who had chased them. “I think we lost theeeaargh!”

The rest of Luke was lost when a set of sharp teeth made their way into his arm. Apparently, Alfendi had only been holding onto him to ensure that he could bite properly.

“Hey!” Luke rubbed his forearm where it had been attacked. “What was that fo--”

“Wha’ part of ‘run’ do you not get?!” The redhead demanded angrily.

“Well, I’m sorry!” Luke found himself feeling just as sore as his arm was. “I didn’t expect two masked men to come and chase us just now!”

“Well, tha’s yer problem!” Alfendi jabbed at Luke’s shoulder. “I’m not gonna risk my like jus’ ‘cause yer not prepared!”

“Not prepared?!” Luke was astonished at the implication that this was somehow something he should have been watching out for. “Why should I have--”

Something came down over his head, and in moments everything went black.

A/N: A slight plot twist appears. 

Yeah actually I have nothing to say for myself. Just. Just take this. See you on Tuesday. 

[bigkadan8]

I LOVED THAT NEW CHAPTER HOLY SHIT THANKK YOU SO MUCH

THANK YOU, RANDOM CITIZEN!

Dude okay fun fact that scene with Flora and Al on the sidewalk was literally the first thing I imagined and the rest of the story kinda built its way outward from there, so yeah this here chapter is pretty important to me.

Thanks for the review!