The Bond Between (1x1 Ivory_Coated_Stars)(DISCONTINUED T-T)

[chibi_blue_mouse]

Nicodemus smiled a bit in return. "I suppose you'd be out of luck. I mean, what if the snipers come back, right?" he said, getting easily into the flow of the teasing. "Sniper!" he suddenly exclaimed with a laugh as he tackled Alistair down onto the bed, making sure the both of them landed on their sides so as not to aggravate their wounds. He hadn't felt this carefree in a very, very long time.

Darien smirked a bit at the reports of the protections around the manor. Easily avoidable. Now all he needed to know was where to find the young lord's bedroom and he would have a plan of attack.

Ivory_Coated_Stars

 

[Ivory_Coated_Stars]

Alistair couldn't help but smile after Nico tackled him, an "attack" that hadn't been used on him in a while. "Well, even if the snipers DID come back, I would be in trouble, considering the fact that you're the only one that ever happened to see them." The blonde said, having been knowledgeable about the lack of snipers since the early days of the two's time together, but never having said anything about it. The male only laughed as the memory surfaced. "I suppose it's safe to say that you no longer wish to strangle me? Or is that just my idealism speaking?" Alistair asked, his smirk remaining.

chibi_blue_mouse

 

[chibi_blue_mouse]

Nicodemus smiled. "Well it's certainly not idealism." he whispered back to the other, chuckling a bit.

Darien completed his plans the next day and by that night, he and Crow had made the trek to Alistair's manor. "So you know the objective. Grab the young lord, and get out. If there is any interference, I'll be the one dealing with it. You had your chance to do this right, so now we're following my plan. Let's move." he said, glaring at Crow. He would be leading the other into the manor, leading the path towards Alistair's room.

Nicodemus hissed as Alistair treated his wound. Though Alistair's were healing nicely, just needing a change of bandages, Nicodemus's got slightly infected. So . . . he had told the other to reopen the scabbed over wound and reclean it. The yellowing on his bandages hadn't been much so he was confidant he could get past the infection, but he wanted to try and do everything he could to help himself based on what he had done to and been told to do for other slaves in the past. Still, having his wound reopened hurt like hell!

((Hope you don't mind the time-skip. ^-^))

Ivory_Coated_Stars

 

[Ivory_Coated_Stars]

Kress's gaze narrowed as he and Shadow approached the large estate. It was the time that the two were going to exercise the plan Shadow had made, under the orders of their superiors. The crow couldn't help but worry, though if anything, he was talented at keeping his unease under wraps. It plays through his mind over and over the previous night, what would happen in the manor. All of the scenarios where everyone lived ended with Alistair getting captured, and Nicodemus hating him.

A soft sigh escaped his lips as they approached the manor before noting his words. Kress simply glared back at the other, the moment that their gazes met was enough to cause a storm. "Like hell." The other thought as he pulled up his mask, obscuring the bottom half of his face. He supposed that in a way, it was kind of funny how the other thought that he knew all there was to know about the situation, when in reality, he didn't have the slightest clue about the depth of what happened before. Nor was Kress ever going to rush to point it out. In the end, however, had Shadow known, Kress would have been helpless in protecting Nico. His brother was his target. In all honesty, he could care less about what happens to the aristocrat. If Kress were to procure his safety at all, it would be at Nico's wishes, not his own. And it certainly wouldn't be there, in front of Shadow's eyes. No. If he were to save the blue blood, it would have to be done silently and very carefully.

Kress could only relax his glare at the problem ahead of him. Shadow was an obstacle, but as much as he wanted to, he couldn't get rid of him. Not only would it be messy and dangerous to attempt, it would be too obvious. Crow's gaze shifted in spite. For now he had to focus on the matter at hand, following Shadow to Alistair's room.

-

Alistair cringed as he reopened Nico's wound, as if feeling the pain as well. It hurt him to just watch himself do it, so he could only imagine how much it hurt the other. Though what else could he do? It was infected and needed to be re treated. The blonde only sighed as he looked at the wound before speaking. "I told you that I wasn't the best at healing. You should probably ask someone with more experience to look at it." He said as he followed Nico's exact instructions, cleaning the wound even more thoroughly than before and getting the gauze to close the wound up gently. "Finished." Alistair said as he looked at the gauze tinted yellow with concern. "Are you certain that you are going to be okay?" The blonde asked, his gaze and focus back on wrapping Nico's wound.

(( OOC: Not at all, it was a good point for a time skip ^.^ ))

chibi_blue_mouse

 

[chibi_blue_mouse]

Nicodemus smiled through the pain and he turned to Alistair once the other finished bandaging his wound. "I'll be fine. It's a lot better than some infected cases I've seen." he said, shrugging a bit. "I just need to keep it clean, I guess." he said and then laughed a bit. "That means you're going to have to avoid trouble so I don't get caught up in it, okay?" he teased the other, getting up to throw away the dirty bandages. "When I'm free, I'll be able to just go to a doctor without any awkward questions." he said, frowning, knowing that doctors tended to hesitate when treating slaves. Slaves were seen as less than people, so doctors tended not to see them as worth their time.

Darien led the crow through the halls, knocking out the few servants who happened to see them and avoiding any others. Soon, they were outside Alistair's room. He gave a look towards Crow, his hand on his sword at his side. "Grab the lord, make sure he can't make a ruckus, knock him out, gag him, I don't care. Just grab him, make sure he won't draw attention to you, and get out. Same way we came." he said before bursting into the room.

Nicodemus had finished cleaning up and was cuddling with Alistair, kissing the other softly, still a bit hesitant but opening up towards showing more affection towards the other. But once the door burst open, he pulled back, and his worry that Alistair's father had discovered their relationship made him slower with the reaction time and he found himself pulled away from Alistair, shoved up against a wall, much to the pain of his infected wound. He found a sword against his neck as the person who had him pinned looked over to the door where . . . Kress?! What? Oh no . . ."What are you waiting for Crow? Get the target!" the mercenary in front of Nicodemus snapped. Nicodemus scowled and reached up to grab the sword and push it away when he found his hands caught and pressed to his chest by a shaking hand and he found himself making eye contact with the other.

Darien felt the tensing in the body that he had pinned to the wall. He had rushed in and acted without paying really any attention to what he was doing, his mind on the mission. He grabbed the person who was not the target, leaving the lord for Kress to grab. But when he felt the one he grabbed prepare to fight back, he had to refocus his attention, and that's when he made eye contact with a face from the past that he had not forgotten. His eyes widened and he took a sharp breath in. "Nick . . ." he whispered before he put the sword away and closed the distance between them, kissing the other deeply, desperately. He pulled back after a moment with a smile. "I missed you, you stupid paperweight." he teased the other.

Nicodemus's eyes widened as he heard a name only one person had ever called him and then he was kissed. Kissed in a way that he'd never been kissed before. Then . . . the other pulled back and called him a paperweight. Why couldn't his life be easy?! "Dare . . ." he murmured, eyes as wide as they could be. He couldn't say anything else. What could he say? What was there to say?! How could he explain this to Alistair?!

((And let the love triangle drama begin. XD))

Ivory_Coated_Stars

 

[Ivory_Coated_Stars]

With the assurance that Nico would actually see someone for his wound, Alistair relaxed, smiling at him. "I guess I could for a while, only if you promise to do so yourself." The blonde said before receiving a kiss from the other. Though it was still hesitant, he was happy that he was getting less and less conscious about the world around them. Alistair kissed him back, a small tingle running through his spine. It was then that he heard someone roughly burst through the door.

For a moment, the blonde thought it was the guards coming to haul him to his father, but after much more of an analysis, he noted that they were two mercenaries coming to finish the job. One was a stranger and the other was..."You b*****d." Alistair growled, thinking that they had everything settled before. However it was strange. Instead of following the other's orders, he simply stood there, as if he was waiting. Though the moment that he grabbed hold of Nico, both of them dashed to grab the assailant. Upon reaching him, Alistair paused for a second, shocked. They were kissing each other? The blonde's shock turned to anger in an instant.

With that, he grabbed the mercenary by the collar, slamming him against the wall and punching him hard in the jaw. It was in that instant that Alistair felt a strike from behind his neck. The blonde soon found himself blacking out, but not before his gaze shot to Kress as he tried to stay awake. Soon he lost the battle and dropped to the ground, unconscious.

-

As the two approached the room, Kress stopped and looked at the two, pulling down his mask. There was no point in wearing it around people that already knew him. He drew his sword, though he was extremely hesitant on using it. Even with all of Shadow's irritation, Kress simply stood there, figuring it was bet to wait. If the situation called for it, he would be able to flip the script.

When Shadow grabbed Nico, Kress rushed in, ready to attack, though he paused the moment the saw Shadow kiss him. Crow's eyes widened at how unexpected it was. Seconds later, Kress saw Shadow get slammed to the wall and punched in the jaw. For a second Kress was jealous, having wanted to do so himself, but his demeanor quickly changed. That was dangerous on the blonde's part. Crow quickly came behind him and knocked him out while he wasn't suspecting it. As he dropped to the floor, Kress glared coldly at the other, though it wasn't because he jeopardized the mission. It was the kiss. Kress looked to Nico, confused about the situation, but concerned none the less.

Kress walked up to the other, his gaze softening as he pulled out the smelling salts that were more potent than the last knocking the other out, but catching him before he fell face first to the ground. "Constantly getting yourself caught in the middle of things. Dammit Nico." The raven haired male thought as he laid him on the bed, narrowing his eyes on the bandages that he noted both he and the noble shared. His eyes narrowed, being all too familiar with the bandages, imagining that if he removed them, he would see the marks of a whip lining his back. "But on his own son?" Crow thought as he looked at the blue blood lying on the ground.

With a sigh, Kress looked to Shadow, his gaze instantly hardening. Of all the people Nico had to kiss. It had to be him. Like hell if he would ever let that happen. He narrowed his gaze, though he turned away, grabbing the target and looking to Shadow. He didn't want to leave Nico there. Especially if his injuries were caused by a whip. Crow looked to Shadow, before gazing at the corridor he was going to walk. "Grab him. He could be a problem if we leave him here." The raven haired male said as he walked down the halls, following the path that they came from.

((OOC: Oh yes. This is going to get very interesting. >.<))

chibi_blue_mouse

 

[chibi_blue_mouse]

Darien found himself pushed slammed against the wall and punched before Crow finally did his job and knocked out the young lord. "What took you so long?" he grumbled, glaring at Crow, but the other had moved on to Nicodemus and his eyes widened. But Crow only used smelling salts. Nicodemus had noticed the smelling salts too and had taken a deep breath, sending a mildly annoyed glare towards Crow, what was going on? It almost looked like he was pouting! And the expression on Crow's face . . . and the order once Nicodemus had been knocked out . . . "Of course I'm not leaving him here!" Darien snapped irritably, scooping Nicodemus up into his arms, his right arm was shaking, but he was ignoring any pain. He wouldn't leave Nicodemus behind. Not when he had the choice to take the other with him.

He waited to ask his next questions until after they left the manor. He had shifted Nicodemus so that the other was over his left shoulder, his right arm hanging rather limply at his side. He'd pushed it farther than he ever had before, trying to carry Nicodemus. "Do you and Nick . . . do you know each other?" he asked, glaring at Crow as they were on the way back to headquarters. "You removed your mask . . . you never do that. And your face . . . I never knew you could actually look . . . well you looked downright caring! What is he to you?" he asked, feeling a bit threatened by Crow. For the first time in his career, he was scared of Crow. Nicodemus . . . he glanced at the unconscious boy on his shoulder. Had he moved on after they were torn apart? It didn't make sense for Crow to be one of the people Nicodemus had 'moved on' to . . . Crow had been brought into the mercenaries only days after Shadow had infiltrated the headquarters . . . He was trying to work out how Nicodemus and Crow could possibly know each other. Well, there was the botched kidnapping attempt, but there was no way such a short amount of time would cause Crow to become so . . . tender towards Nicodemus. The idea that they could be brothers had never even crossed Darien's mind. For one thing, Nicodemus had never confided to Darien that he had a brother. For another, Crow and Shadow hated each other, so Shadow never learned about Crow's brother either. He was missing too many pieces to find the answer.

((Why do I get the feeling that Nico's in for quite a few awkward moments? XD))

Ivory_Coated_Stars

 

[Ivory_Coated_Stars]

The two quietly walked the corridors with their respective captives, soon making their way out of the mansion and into the trees, all without being detected. Kress raised his eyebrow at the building, impressed that everything had gone so smoothly...well, almost. Crow peered over at his little brother hanging over Shadow's shoulder. He had gotten caught up in the situation. Again. It was rather frustrating. Crow simply continued walking, trying to figure out what to do with him. The only one he could think to help was Kaitlin, and that would take his earnings. Quite a bit of it. Then again, he didn't want to pull her into his mess again. Well, there was also Shadow.

Kress's train of thought was broken when Shadow began to ask him questions. His gaze shifted over to the other, his glare matching his before it went back to the path ahead. "Wouldn't you like to know?" He thought spitefully. He wasn't going to tell him anything without a few answers himself. "I could ask the same question. What the hell was that back there? If I didn't know any better, I'd say mr. Perfect had an old flame." He said, his face unnaturally calm. He looked at Nico on Shadow's other shoulder, his over protectiveness hardly hidden. He was curious about his relationship with him. "You know how we work. This is no different. You can't expect an answer without giving a few yourself, Shadow." Kress said glaring at the path ahead of them, noting that they would reach the city soon.

(( OOC: Because he definitely is. Everyone is going to have questions for him. XD ))

chibi_blue_mouse

 

[chibi_blue_mouse]

Shadow chuckled. He wasn't quite sure exactly how much he wanted to reveal to Crow, but he supposed if he wanted to know the answer to his question, he'd have to reveal a bit about his past with Nicodemus. "Well you hit it on the nose. I guess you might also say he's the reason I was able to escape. Our master wasn't too happy to find out we were together." he said, his right hand twitching towards Nicodemus, wanting to be able to protect him. "Nick was always good at being the master's favorite though. I'm not surprised he gave you so much trouble. He's almost disgustingly loyal." he said, a fond smile on his face. He'd gotten a bit caught up in the memories.

((And I'm sure Alistair is going to be less than pleased about it all. XD))

Ivory_Coated_Stars

 

[Ivory_Coated_Stars]

Kress looked down. He helped Shadow escape? It only left him to wonder how much he didn't know about Nico. It was quite sometime since he had seen him, but had it really been that long? Regardless, Kress wasn't going to attempt to pry anything out of Shadow. He supposed that it was all he really needed to know, and Nico would tell him if it were important. Though, he did have a few questions. Why didn't Nico escape at that point? He sighed, looking to Nico, then back at Shadow, a memory filled gaze that he could sympathize with on the other's face. If the two had anything in common, it was that. Crow looked forward, prying his eyes from the two and seeing the town coming up fairly soon. "I suppose a deal's a deal." He said before reaching a small bridge that led right to the gates. He stopped lest anyone hear him. "He's my younger brother." He said as he looked back at Shadow before he continued to walk, trying not to say anything else on the matter until the two reached the base. He didn't need any wandering "comrades" to say anything about it to the higher ups.

((OOC: Much less, lol >.<))

chibi_blue_mouse

 

[chibi_blue_mouse]

Darien's eyes widened. "Your brother?" he asked, rather blindsided by the revelation. "He never mentioned having a brother . . ." he murmured, feeling a bit, well, hurt that Nicodemus hadn't confided this fact to him. He then shook his head. "Well, I'm not going to hurt him . . . or let him get hurt. And I'll be damned before Darius or any of the other higher ups lay a hand on him." he said, jogging to catch up with Crow, having been a bit stunned before. Then he realized something else. "Wait . . . You just let Kaitlyn hand him back to his master?! To that a*****e?!" he asked incredulously, gesturing to the unconscious Alistair that Kress was holding. Darien certainly was having no intention of letting go of Nicodemus now that he'd found him and had the means to free him from his life as a slave.

((I can see him and Darien very much not getting along. XD))

Ivory_Coated_Stars

 

[Ivory_Coated_Stars]

Kress paused on the bridge, listening to Shadow raise his voice before they entered a tiny thicket of trees, the city jut beyond it. He then turned around to the other mercenary, his glare hard and solid. "Listen you b*****d, just because I decided to share that slice of information with you, doesn't mean that I am going to decide to open up my entire life story. We are far from buddies and I have nothing to explain to you. I let Nico go back because it was the safest at the time. So before you go pointing your damn finger, just remember that I never asked for your input on how to protect my brother." Kress turned around facing the trail. "Now if you're done griping on about what doesn't concern you, I would like to leave this place. If anyone hears us, there will be no possible way Nico will be safe." Kress soon walked into the gates of the city, making his way through a labyrinth of alleys before approaching the base.

((OOC: Oh, their dislike for each other will be rather evident.))

chibi_blue_mouse

 

[chibi_blue_mouse]

Darien scoffed. "Safest . . . right." he muttered, but kept moving. Slavery was the least safe thing that Darien could think of. There was no security in being a slave. Once they got back to base, Darien wanted to take Nicodemus to his room, arguing that it was closer than Crow's and that Nicodemus couldn't be brought with Alistair to the higher ups if they wanted to be safe. However, Kaitlyn had been walking by, and she caught sight of Kress, Shadow, and Nico.

"Oh dear." Kaitlyn murmured with a bit of a wry smile. "Hey Crow, Shadow. Er, I see you have a bit of a dilemma about what to do with little Nico here . . . Well since I'm sure the boss-man would want to see both of you, I'll just have to take him won't I. I'll keep him safe and sound. Just pay me five gold each and we'll call it even." she said, a smirk on her face.

Darien frowned at Kaitlyn. "And why should I trust you with him? I don't want him sold the highest bidder." he snapped angrily, if anything holding on to Nicodemus with a firmer grip.

Kaitlyn scoffed. "I'm not a monster, that's what the five gold each is for. Payment for babysitting and insurance." she said with a smirk. "Now I'll take five gold from you now, Shadow, and I'll collect five gold from Crow when you're ready to take him elsewhere. It's a special discount too. Consider yourself lucky." she said, that wry smirk on her face.

Shadow still looked uncertain. "I have your word?" he asked suspiciously.

Kaitlyn sighed exasperatedly. "By my oath and my blood, yes!" she said, chopping the normally wordy official way of making a binding promise down to the simplest form. She held her arms out and received the unconscious Nicodemus as well as five gold from Shadow. She smiled and winked at Kress as she left, headed to her room. Nicodemus would be safe with her . . . as long as she didn't get him completely drunk again. There would be no accounting for hangovers!

Ivory_Coated_Stars

 

[Ivory_Coated_Stars]

Upon entering the base, the two began to walk the silent halls, headed to the superiors. However, this was not before their small squabble over where to put Nico. Fortunately, Kaitlyn came into view. He was willing to negotiate with her, if anything, giving Nico to her would have been smarter anyway. Before Kress could even breathe a word, Kaitlyn seemed to already know their dilemma, having already been familiar with who Nico was. Kress could only look at the woman, skeptical himself, but he soon let out a soft sigh. He smiled at the sandy haired woman as she winked at him, happy that there was someone there that he could even have an ounce of trust in.

As she walked away, Kress turned to Shadow before looking down the corridor, heading to the main room where Darius was sure to be. Upon entering the room, Kress noted the other standing there, simply leaning against the wall in wait of the two's return. The mercenary looked up, seeing the blonde slumped over Kress's shoulder. "Well done Shadow. You managed to accomplish the mission." His eyes narrowed at Kress, and the crow soon matched his gaze. "The one that Crow here couldn't do on his own." Kress's gaze turned into a glare as Darius simply had a cocky smile on his face before walking off. He paused for a moment before looking back at the two. "Follow me." The man said as he led the two through a series of even more corridors to a place that Kress wasn't all too familiar with. It was then that Darius opened the door, revealing that all of the entrances and exits were barred just behind the door. "To ensure no escape." Darius said, handing Shadow the key, rather than Crow. "Keep a good watch over the captive Shadow, and make sure not to screw this one up, Crow." Kress clenched his jaw at the other's words before relaxing his body and walking in, seeming to repeat the ritual he had done for Nico when he was in the same position. Kress put Alistair in the chair and bound him with ropes, taking a pale of water to splash over him and wake him up.

-

Upon feeling the splash of water drop on him, Alistair abruptly opened his silver eyes. He looked around to see where he was, but it was no where that he had recognized. It was only moments that his eyes locked on the two mercenaries, both of them now being familiar to him. "What is the meaning of this? Where is Nico?!" He yelled at the two, wanting answers. Alistair's silver gaze darted to the unknown mercenary in the room. The one that kissed Nico. "I know you have him." He said, his glare getting more intense at the assailant before returning his gaze to Kress.

chibi_blue_mouse

 

[chibi_blue_mouse]

Darien glared at Alistair, pocketing the key as Kress woke the other up. However, when the other started asking about Nico . . . it was as though pure hatred was radiating from him and he approached the other, a hand on his sword. "You're never going to touch Nicodemus again." he hissed angrily. "You masters can't be trusted." he snarled, wanting nothing more than to be able to slit the young lord's throat. But that wasn't the mission . . . so he had to stay his blade.

Ivory_Coated_Stars