Last week Lena had been sitting at her desk looking up race tracks that she could rent, use, or call in a favor. Before she had any time to think, Jimmy and the rest of her NASA security buddies had blown her entire plan out of the water. Now they had her stationed at an empty track they used to race at and were out kidnapping her boyfriend into the back of an all black van.
“Sometimes I think they would all trade in their security clearances to go into acting.” Lena chuckled to herself as she paced the garage they had set up in. A desk. Two chairs facing each other and a single light over them. Oh yes they were having WAY too much fun with this.
Lena had been eying the track out the single window when she heard her phone go off. Pulling it out, the message was simple: t-15.
“Show time.” the woman smiled, pulling the switch that set the track into darkness.
Who was she kidding. She loved every moment of this.
---
He would be glad later he’d left the shop for the day and was enjoying a coffee-drink with extra espresso to counter falling off the bed and not being able to get back to sleep, but after the nightmare last night… his first thought on seeing dark suits and embroidered patches, and at least one pair of shades, was not ‘Girlfriends co workers’ but ‘Negaverse murder squad’.
Which he would also realize later said something about his state of mind, since as far as he knew, Glamor had yet to fail anyone who relied on it to separate their powered and unpowered identities.
So he was sort of embarrassed-grateful that the worst he’d been able to do was bloody a nose and toss a hot coffee on someone before he’d realized no one, in fact, was going anywhere near his starseed, and no one had demonstrated power levels indicative of being an agent in low key gear, and he’d… well settled STILL wasn’t the right word for it but he hadn’t powered up and launched anyone unnecessary distances, though he had made it fairly clear that this was a lull in the action and not a surrender when he let them escort him where they were going, just to figure out what the hell was going on.
---
The opening of the metal door was Lena’s final cue. The boys had wanted her to hide in the dark fearing her presence would end their fun. Lena had decided that Xan needed at least one sign that things were not as dark and twisted mafia as they may appear.
So she had settled for leaning against the edge of the table and watching as four men in black led in the single man. For a split second, her face faltered as she realized one was holding something to his nose.
“Oh Lord.” Lena was smirking as she crossed her arms under her chest. It was typical business attire for her: black slacks, white button down and killer heels. Lord save anyone not wearing boots around her.
“I did warn you he could fight.” She laughed as the men brought Xanthus forward and insisted rather strongly he sit.
“When you said fight I didn't think you meant like a demon.” the guard made out in a clearly my nose was swollen voice. “Christ man, who taught you how to throw a punch. I want to shake his hand.”
---
“...Spite and a few past broken knuckles.” Xan joked, as he simultaneously became more relaxed and embarrassed. He hadn’t even realized it was possible to pull that particular emotional combination. “So who gets to thank you for not having them pull this hilarity while I was -in the shop-?”
Good god they might be having an entirely different conversation if he’d been holding a wrench instead of a double espresso drink. He kind of didn’t want to think about that one. “And does someone want to give me the punchline while we’re at it?”
Haha. Punchline. Look it was totally funny and he totally hadn’t almost really really hurt someone being tired. ...s**t now he kind of wanted a drink. He knew she was right about this thing eating him but that thought train was a nasty reminder.
“...Sorry dude, I jumped to conclusions and then jumped on you guys…”
----
“That would be Marvin.” Lena pointed to the bald guy who was slinking off into the darkness. Biggest guy there and clearly the most unhappy about it. “He had the brains to make sure you didn't have a bike anywhere near you. Or a chair…” the last part came with a wink.
Jimmy put a hand in Xanthus shoulder but was clearly addressing Lena. “Mind if I skip the next part and try to get this cleaned up? Marvin and Josh should be able to hold him down while Alex gets the cuffs.”
“Go get cleaned up before Rachel comes after us both.” Lena sighed and shook her head out as the men seemed to shift back around the room.
Lena was silent for a long moment before she finally picked her head up and gazed at the blonde. Her eyes had a touch of softness to them but her voice...it was a practiced firm tone. “Any idea where you are and why?”
---
“Good job Marvin…” Xan noted, though an edge of wary sarcasm drifted into his tone, and he shook his head at Lena. “Well I don’t see Fox and Scully so I assume this isn’t about that field trip I took you on that time…”
He was not sure he liked the bit about ‘hold him down’ or ‘cuffs’. Or at least not with Martin and Jimmy and co involved. “...No idea, but if this is a breakup or something I can really think of a less dramatic way to go about it…”
It was Lena, so he wasn’t sure what else to do other than joke. A few strangers in Nasa badges, that was one thing, but he had no idea what this was. “Should I ask what kind of chats you’ve been having with Marv that he knows about the chair thing?”
How much did they know? Granted some of that information might save a life but he’d like to know…
---
“Since when I have ever done anything without a bit of drama?” Her hand gave a wave and a snort could be heard from somewhere in the darkness. It brought on a glare in its direction before that same glare shifted back towards Xanthus.
“Oh come now. The story of you getting in that bar fight in New Orleans is priceless.” Those green eyes were shifted on the edges but she mouthed I’m not an idiot towards him. “But no Xan, this isn’t a break up nor a shake down. Frankly I had planned to do this over dinner but some people decided it would be more fun to pretend to be Arnold and scare the new boyfriend. Who am I to turn down a bit of fun?”
Pushing off the table, those heels clicked on the cold concrete floor as she came across and squatted in front of him. “But in all seriousness, this is something you need Xan. A wake up call.
And I’m not going to turn down help if you try to make a break from me. I’m not as fast as you…”
---
Xan heaved a heavy sigh of relief, though he’d understand if the wanna-be agents in the background struggled to read that way. “Yeah well I hope it was worth it, damn.” He couldn’t imagine what they were thinking now anyway. “Also not in those heels no.” He noted, glancing to her impressive heels impishly, though he still wasn’t sure how much he felt it. “ ...Well consider me awake… or as awake as I’m getting after throwing my coffee at someone. “What am I doing that needs a wake up call?”
---
His tone...his reaction….his clearly unamused stance brought a smile to her face. Yes she knew this had been a bit much but her reason had never changed.
“Marvin, hit the lights please. Then could you big lugs give us a chance to talk and not feel like birds in a cage?” Lena’s voice echoed in the empty room and suddenly sounded as if power was being fed to it. Large warehouse lights turned orange giving off a worthless glow before blazing to life.
Lena rose back to her feet smile at Xanthas as both could hear footsteps. Someone mumbled something about if she needed them but Lena ignored them. No, all she needed was right in front of her.
Now if she could just get him to see that.
“Xan, you are one of the strongest and bravest men I have ever known. But you are also one of the most stubborn. You will face a monster head on and not have a care but something you love you stay away from…”
Now she jerked her eyes up over his head and with slight movement of her neck, nodded for him to take a look behind him.
---
Oh.
Now he knew what she was talking about, and he flinched as though she’d just dug her high heels into his foot.
“Lena I…” He wasn’t even sure what to say that he hadn’t already. There was only so many ways you could say ‘I can’t.’ Especially when the object of your troubles was staring you in the face. His motorcycle, and his riding gear. Not the old set, that one was still a ruined reminder of ripped seams. “This isn’t exactly ripping of a bandaid or bluffing down a guy who’s trying to hammer me into the ground like a tent peg. This isn’t even something I can hit… or look at under a microscope.”
And that more or less… might be the problem. A series of uncontrollable events. Things he felt he should have been able to do something about but couldn’t. And people died. Over something that shouldn’t have killed anything. …
It was kind of like Mistral. Christ it was Mistral, before there was Mistral.
“You can say I’m strong all day but I dont know if I’m that strong.”
--
“You are as strong as you let yourself be.” Lena responded stepping around him and towards the bike. “You can’t. I know you say that every time but is it really you can’t?” She asked softly picking up the helmet and holding it in her hand.
“Because you still ride. You have taken me on rides and you drive like a bat out of hell.” Turning, helmet in hand, she walked back to him and offered him the helmet with both hands. “Xanthas, this is haunting you. And yes it’s something you can’t beat with your fists but no one can beat it but you.”
“Why not just try sitting on it again?”
---
“...Because every time I’ve tried I remember enough to know how close I came to spending the rest of my life helpless and it scares the -s**t- out of me.” He admitted. He was twisting the signet ring again, fidgeting because it made him feel a little better, but when he noticed himself doing it, he reluctantly reached to take the helmet, as though he were afraid it would sprout claws and teeth and go for his jugular. “There’s only two things I remember that left scars on me that I couldn’t punch and that was the first one.”
And he hadn’t put the connection together for the second until she brought him here. That didn’t do much to make him feel smart. “I get it, I feel like some newb who crashes for the first time and sells his bike, but it’s like feeling something’s waiting out there having had a taste of you and it wants to finish what it started.” He glanced at the helmet, the bike, and then her. “....And you’re not going to let this go until I shove a wheelie down it’s throat or something are you?”
---
The smile on her face said everything as he took the helmet and she leaned down to place a soft kiss on his lips. “Get on the bike my bull. Before I duct tape your mouth shut.*
Stepping back, she ran her hand down his arm and tugged on his hand to get him to stand. “Even if you fail, you tried. I will still be here. And think of it this way. If you do this, you get to say you conquered an unseen beast instead of just being a meat shield.”
“I’m not asking for you to race. I’m asking for you to ride.”
--
OK.
OK he could do this. It was just a ride. He rode all the time. Hell he’d built himself a motorcycle from goddamn parts before he’d purified, just to get around without being tracked. His youma had even resembled one.
But if anyone could ask him to try, and have him consider it… she could.
“...Fine.” He rose to his feet, even though he half felt as though his legs might go out from under him. His bones didn’t entirely feel so much like bones as… well he wasn’t sure, but something not of the kind of structure he needed to be there. “... Fine. I’ll get my gear on and I’ll… -try-. But only because you asked.”
Only for her would be make a fool of himself.
--
The smile that lit up her face was one of the brightest she had ever given him. “That’s my hero.” Lena whispered, leaning in once more but this time she only kissed his cheek. “Rugged all around.” The chuckle was meant to joke at his scruff that was growing in again.
“Bathroom is over there. And don’t worry, I’ve already made sure you couldn’t sneak out the window.” With a wink, she stepped back and pointed to a side door on the other wall. As she did so, Lena clicked all the way over towards the small window in this garage and flipped another switch.
Outside, lights began to flip on once more as a track came to life.
---
Ohgod.
He was pretty sure the pit of his stomach had -actually fallen out- somewhere, and was doing his damndest not to show it. In spite of his best efforts though, he couldn’t help closing his eyes for a second and sucking in a breath as though the sight was painful.
“Great. OK. Great.” He groaned, reaching to grab the leathers before he could change his mind. If he thought about it too hard he would. He already wanted to. At least there was no one in the stands, not like in the dreams. The biggest crowd was Lena and her handful of wanna-be MIBs. Even with a bloodied, possibly broken nose, he’s pretty sure none of them will be rooting for him to crash and burn.
“I should probably point out that this bike isn’t really designed for this track, so it’s a good thing you’re not looking for a race.
Nope. No way this could go wrong.
Much.
He headed for the bathroom on that note, trying not to let himself think about this any harder than he had to.
----
“I see you aren’t scared enough to not be a smart a**.” Lena smiled back at him as she watched the male disappear to get changed. He was trying so damn hard and she could tell it was something he wanted to just walk away from.
As the door clicked, Lena motioned to the guys to give her a hand. Last thing she needed to do was tip the bike. Made for this track or not, it was the only one she knew he had. So unless there was a secret stash of bikes somewhere, this was it.
“Okay, Marv, you won the first half of the bet.” Lena could hear Jimmy’s stuffed up voice as they came back into the room to move the bike to the track. “I didn’t believe it was possible that you would get him to even agree to this.”
“I got you to agree to play Santa at the Christmas Party last year.” Lena reminded him, her heels clicking as she headed to open the garage door for them to move out. “And didn’t even have to bat an eyelash.”
“Yea...using my kid huh?” Jimmy chuckled as one of the others smacked him in the back to get him moving. “Ow...watch it. Broken nose…”
“It isn’t broken you big baby. Now get the bike out and shut up.”
---
He wished he remembered what it felt like, because he knew something must have called him back to the dangerous sport over and over again. Something he couldn’t get by bending or breaking road rules, but those parts… even the bits where he remembered how he’d gotten into it…. There wasn’t anything left but still images.
He kind of remembered describing it as being ‘like Hermes’. Though at the moment he wasn’t sure if that meant ‘feeling like you’re expected to jump out of a plane under someone else's assurance that it was definitely a parachute and not a backpack.
Everything went fine… more or less.
Which was to say he made it, three, four laps around the track before he ******** up. Which was still two or three laps more than he thought he’d manage. It was probably why he’d honestly gotten a little cocky, and something like muscle memory had kicked in going around a bend. A little too much lean, a bike that was just the wrong amount heavier than the one he was compensating for in his head and he just… failed to recover from the corner and then he was flat on the ground with the bike on it’s side a yard or so off ahead of him, wheels spinning like his head.
The part that amazes him isn’t so much that he’s alive, it’s that he’s almost loopy with exhilaration. Oooor maybe a few other chemicals might be in the mix, because he knows he’s going to feel it in the morning, or possibly in the next few minutes but right now his brain is trying to catch up to the rest of him and catch up to the sudden stop.
He’s not exactly sure how long it took Lena to get from where she was to nearby, but it’s a little disorienting to be looking at her from this angle anyway as he lifts the visor on his helmet with one hand enough to add.
“Well that was dumb….”
-----
It had been amazing to watch. At first he seemed shaky. Okay, maybe down right unstable, but it had not taken him long to get back into it. The more he went around, the larger Lena’s smile grew. Even behind her she could hear the males beginning to get impressed.
That was until the bike went skidding.
So that was what it was like to have your heart stop.
Behind her, Lena heard an ‘Aw damn…’ and something that sounded like a wad of cash exchange hands. But she didn’t care. “Xan!” Her voice broke as she took off. The heels clearly altered her strides, slowly her down a bit as she crossed over the track. Blisters be damned.
Half limping as she watched him move, Lena could feel her heart in her chest.
“No s**t! You were doing great! What happened?” The others began to close in around, one heading to check on the bike.
“But look! You didn’t die! And no one showed up to try and kill you either!”
---
“I corrected for the wrong bike…” He admitted, sheepishly, gingerly patting down his own torso as the adrenaline started to loose its edge after the tumble. “I was trying to right a lighter bike after the turn and just…” He waved a hand in a skidding motion, wincing at the bruises he knew were forming, though the battered bike leathers had otherwise done their job, even if he probably needed to replace some gear now. “Down I went…. Oh that’s gonna be black and blue in the morni…” He broke off with a hiss as he started to sit up, and the feeling in his ankle he’d classified as ‘that's a little weird’ turned into something more like ‘that’s a little slice of hell’. “Apparently not for lack of trying… I think I need a hand…”
---
Her smile was so close to a laugh at his comments before it slipped back into a look of worry. Lena could see the look shift on his face from a simple ow to more of a dear lord a nega just stabbed me in the gut with a sword.
“Xan, what hurts?” Lena managed to get out, squatting back down, hands going to his shoulders. “If it is your neck or head, lay back down. We will call an ambulance…”
“Lena, back up…” Came a male voice. Marvin had moved forward, quickly coming around and gazing down sternly at Xan. He was looking at the man’s eyes and only nodded a moment. “Head’s fine. If he’s sitting up, so his’ back. Though you are going to want some advil.”
Moving back, Marvin offered out a hand. “Can you stand?”
---
“I don’t think so… I tried to put weight on it and it didn’t go great… I think the bike caught it when we went down. It’s mostly bruises, my gear did it’s job, I just ******** up. Right now I’d be more worried if I couldn't feel my toes.” Even if his toes, so to speak, had currently decided to do their damndest to make him wish otherwise. Well. Ankle. Same difference when it felt like your nerve endings had converted themselves into a prolonged scream that reminded him of when Titan had folded his pauldron into his shoulder. “Sorry.” He added to Marvin, figuring it couldn’t hurt to repeat what had gone wrong. “Tracks fine, I corrected for a lighter bike than I was driving. Smart right?”
Fight like a demon. -drive like an idiot- apparently.
--
“Sit up.” Marvin responded, realizing that the male was not curling into pain. So it hurt but he wasn’t going to die if he moved. “Then give me your hand and go up on the other leg...Jimmy, get the van!” He screamed back over then looked at Xan.
“Lena, closest hospital?”
The words snapped the woman from her haze. In a flurry of blinks, she seemed to remember her phone in her pocket and started to glow as the screen lit up. Punching buttons she mumbled. “Uh...thirty minutes away?” She clicked the screen dark again and walked over to the pair.
“Oh Xan…”
---
After a while he mostly gave up on tracking exactly how long they spent getting bumped around to various doctors, x-rays, and more doctors, nurses, and questions he was pretty sure he’d heard a hundred times before (regardless of how many times he was patiently reassured it was probably to make sure he hadn’t broken his head to go with the ankle… which… as it turned out. Was definitely broken. Because of COURSE it was, because that was the logical conclusion to doing something that had kept him in terror for years. And even though it was -just- the ankle, and not far worse, he was trying not to settle into a state of frustrated petulance, and had even apologized for long suffering Jimmy’s abuse on the way over. (He’d… kicked… Jimmy. Jimmy granted may have seemed to deserve it at the -exact second- it happened and he’d jostled the broken ankle on a bump in the road… but he apologized anyway.
He owed Jimmy a Beer. And he was at this point not entirely convinced Marvin hadn’t planned the whole thing. The bump anyway.
“Jimmy’s just lucky I can’t get his phone…” He added, sullenly, to the conversation he’s been paying less attention to than he probably should, because regardless of how it looks, having clothing items -cut off- to disturb broken bones less is way less funny when you’re the subject, and he owes Jimmy a couple beers anyway, might as well make it a case because -goddamnit, work boots aren’t cheap and he liked those jeans-. And he feels like a buffoon with a cast on.
--
It had been one thing after another. Getting Xan into the car had been fun. Marvin and Jimmy had tagged teamed the lug and Lena had of course been the lap pillow. She refused to lay on the back seat so he could use her boobs as a pillow. The other two had stayed behind to clean up the mess and get the bike back to Xan’s place.
What was more fun though was watching him get xrays without pain meds. Boy paperwork was strange...and the order made no sense.
But finally, after heavens knew how long, Lena was standing there holding the crutches they had given her and gazing down at the man in the hospital gown and blue cast. The look on her face said she was tired but more so, disappointed they had let him tie the gown in the front. She wanted to watch his a** crutch down the hallway.
“I think he has more to worry about now than his phone.” Lena sighed, watching the nurse insist on getting his nose checked out for the...eighth time now? Or was it ninth? “He comes home with a splint on that and his wife will do more damage than you. They have family photos coming up.”
Leaning the crutches against the wall, Lena literally dropped into the chair next to the ER bed. “I wish they would just make up their minds if they want to fill you full of lead or not.”
---
“Do they have kids?” Xan suggested. “Have them decorate it.” He suggested, imagining Jimmy’s nose splint covered with brightly colored cartoon characters and maybe some glitter. It was almost worth the embarrassing photos just for that mental image. “...They’re probably having someone check my bank account and insurance to see how much they can wring me out for.” He added, sarcastically. “That's how this works right?” He flashed her as close to a smile as he could manage when he was already tense and a little grumpy. It kind of reminded him of New Years, but at least then his brain hadn’t kept trying to convince him that this was entirely to boring so of course he should just -get up and walk away- never mind that other little mental voice telling him he’d fall on his nose without the crutches. That was totally ten minutes ago.
“...I wouldn’t have punched him in the nose if you’d just texted me or something by the way.” He pointed out, deciding he wasn’t going to let her out of a certain degree of being complicit in disrupting family photos. “It’ll be fine.” he added, though he wasn’t talking about Jimmy’s nose, and he wasn’t entirely talking entirely to her. “I’ll get a cast or whatever and some crutches and stay off my foot for a while and it’ll be fine.”
---
“How much of that are you saying for me to hear and how much of it is you trying to convince yourself?” Lena smiled weakly back at him as she rose out of the chair and moved to lean over the ER bed he was forced to lay in. Leaning down, she placed a soft kiss on his forehead. “You have six weeks off that you know. And if I catch you up and trying to walk on it before you are able, I’m going to skin you alive.”
How was it she could whisper like that against his skin and make a death threat all at the same time. But she knew him as Kairatos just as much as the human. It would take death to keep him from powering up.
Like hell he was fighting chaos with a busted leg. He would have to fight her first.
“Besides, if I would have texted you, where would the fun in it be?” Now grinning, Lena leaned back as she watched a doctor head towards them out of the corner of her eye. “He needed a wake up call. We work for NASA. Not the CIA after all.”
--
“Maybe we pick a different threat than skinning.” Xanthus suggested with a repressed shudder, even with the kiss. “So you’re saying by the way he needs a replica of the noisy cricket for laughs?” He suggested. “Or a… pen or something that looks like that flashy memory stick?” He wasn’t sure he could do either, but -ugh-. Six weeks. He was going to climb a wall. At least if he was trying to figure out how to cram pen refills and a LED into a metal tube he’d have something to do with his hands.
“But seriously imagine the poor b*****d if he knew you’d been to Mars.” He joked, because he had no idea what else to do while they waited on the latest round of deliberation. He just wanted to be moving, he suspected. To confirm he wasn’t stuck here, like some part of his brain insisted. Some… half memory he supposed.
---
“It made my point.” Lena smirked before he brought up Mars and she felt that smile shift. Arms coming up and crossing under her chest, as her head leaned to the side. “Yes. He would then think I was completely insane and in need of a vacation. Which some days I agree with but…”
Lena was cut off by a knock a the door. Her head turned as a man in scrubs walked in carrying a clipboard with what Lena could assume was the x-ray and MRI results. She did not like the look on his face.
“Well Mr. Goldman, it seems when you take a spill, you go all out.” Lena’s glare at the man could have stopped a bullet. He was trying to be light and uplifting and it was coming off as stupid humor. That was never a good thing.
Clearly he sensed something because he cleared his throat and seemed to ruffle through some pages of notes. Pulling out a sheet, he turned it around so both could see the image of Xan’s ankle taken even after it had been set.
Lena winced.
“You managed to break your fibula in both directions. My guess is the motorcycle did most the damage unless you tried walking on it before you got here. Or even an additional impact after.” He glanced between the two. “Anyway, I am going to refer you to a specialist and get you in first thing in the morning. You are going to need surgery to make sure that heals correctly Mr. Goldman. But at least it appears you have someone willing to assist in your recovery.”
Oh if looks could peel paint.
---
Ryuthulhu
Have fun Kai!
