Of all the places in Atlas Clover had snuck into, the General’s apartment had proved to be one of the hardest. Every gap in the city’s security that Clover weaseled his way through, James would close, only for Clover to turn around and find another one, in a game of twisted whack-a-mole.
This time, Clover had not been looking to cause a problem. He was not here because Salem had sent him. He was here on his own, to satisfy a strange sort of curiosity, a desire to go somewhere he’d never been in life, now that he was not scared to sneak in.
Of course, that was when James found him.
He heard the door open behind him and whirled around where he was running a finger along the wall, caught up in the novelty of a new place, somewhere forbidden- even if it wasn’t much different than standard-issue military quarters, if a bit nicer. A growl rumbles in his chest as his back hits the wall, teeth bared in a snarl as James slams his hands against the wall on either side of him.
He feels like a wild animal, cornered, startled, but he forces the snarl into something closer to a smile, tilting his head up so he could look James in the eyes.
“What a coincidence,” he says innocently. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”
"You died stabbed through the chest, not the brain, so don't play idiot." James' eyes are cold, but unlike any of their previous encounters, they gave out very clearly all the emotions. Deep blue storm was filled with anger.
"So was I wrong to let you live after all?" He still hated every bit of looking at Clover now, at what he have become. "You're not my friend anymore, so choose your excuse wisely."
James never tolerated stepping into his personal life uninvited. There were times when he could forgive it, there were people who were allowed to get away with it, but Clover didn't fall into any of the categories. He did, but not after coming back as someone so unfamiliar, clearly not belonging to this world anymore, twisted in a way James didn't understand and didn't want to understand.