"Don't do anything stupid."
Chivalry never came naturally to Erebus. His disposition for solitude more often than not made the option of turning a blind eye all the more tempting than it already was – what for get your hands dirty for the sake of another without the promise of personal gain? Heartless, he knew; only a fool would think him otherwise with a mindset so seemingly self-centered. But tonight. Tonight was different. The day had been rough and the past week hadn’t been the most accommodating, either. He would have gone to the nearest gym to relieve the pent up stress, but the night called out to him more than usual and he never had the heart to reject night’s beckoning.
Much to the luck of the young lady he spotted in quite the pinch.
Hands shoved deep into the pockets of his jeans, he strolled down the sidewalk with the glistening moon above head. It was then he spotted a woman across the street, encircled by what appeared to be a gang of hoodlums that made it their life’s mission to harass the lady as much as humanely possible. Oh, how Erebus abhorred those who thought themselves more superior than everyone else. Granted, his statement was like a pot calling a kettle black but at least he didn’t harm anyone the same way the group of scum seemed to be doing. His hands itched to do something – not entirely due to the desire to help but primarily for an excuse for some action – and before his mind could give any instructions, his body took over and he found himself striding towards them without care of any oncoming vehicles. “Oi,” Erebus bellowed once he reached close proximity, throwing at them the cliched lines you’d hear in these situations before a fight ensued between him and the males of various sizes.
Now, Erebus wasn’t the most muscular of men. In fact he was more on the slender side, and it was only up until recently he rediscovered his love for aggression. However to things he hand under his belt were years – more like centuries – of experience, and immortality. In the middle of all the chaos the young female managed to escape undetected, leaving Erebus to fend for himself. Not as horrible of a situation as one would perceive it to be, if he were to be honest; a few blows were enough to scare two of the men away and to leave another down on the ground. Clearly, the odds were in his favour. He grabbed one of the remaining men by the collar, about to proceed with whatever his body chose to do until he heard an additional voice. “Don’t do anything stupid,” the voice said. Under any other circumstance Erebus would have scoffed or laughed, but now adrenaline coursed through his veins, muscle memory of countless brawls from the past controlling his arms and manipulating his legs.
Who dared disturb his fun?
He shoved the man away and turned towards the ‘intruder’, another male of taller stature but that never stopped Erebus before; who was to say it would stop him tonight? Fire raged behind cold eyes; an alarming amalgamation, there was no doubt about that.
“I don’t think I said you could tell me what to do.” Voice as cold as ice he met the stranger’s gaze head on, body for now still but ready to lunge at any given moment.
’Don’t you dare,’ screamed his eyes. ’Run away,’ whispered the darkness of the night.