[Felix Golding]

rebellion is the only thing that keeps you alive

He took the proffered lighter with a smile and an expression of gratitude, and Felix would have to remember to ask him for it later when he wanted another cigarette. He had a few more at home, but that was the only one he’d brought with him. Almost there, Noah said quietly, and Felix nodded, taking a subtly deep breath to calm the sudden thump of his pulse. No point getting worked up just yet. He took the last drag on his cigarette with steady fingers and then flicked the butt out the window. Then Noah provided the perfect distraction to his building nerves. More of his annoying and perplexing cat puns. Or the implication of one, anyway. Felix expected it at this point. He didn’t expect the next words out of Noah’s mouth to be an apology, and he was surprised for a brief moment, especially when the apology was followed up with praise and appreciation. And then he was abruptly suspicious. He could count on one hand the number of times someone had apologized for a slight against him, and he wasn’t sure he trusted this apology. He’d already pegged Noah as someone who was good at using their words to get what they wanted. He wasn’t sure what Noah was trying to get by apologizing, but he knew it was something. The praise didn’t help any, as it was even more foreign to him than an apology. He tensed when Noah mentioned questions and then, yep, there it was. What he wanted. Information about Felix. Asking specific questions about him, as if he had any right to the information, as if he had offered up any information about himself first. Felix narrowed his eyes at Noah. Did he really think now was the time for “getting to know you” kind of questions? The cat puns were stupid, but he was willing to put up with them if it meant no personal questions. “No deal. Keep your questions to yourself. I prefer the cat jokes. Meow.” Noah would probably be relentless now, especially after that meow, but that was the point; distraction, deflection. Felix would weather through it. His personal life and interests were none of the other man’s business, and weren’t at all pertinent to this mission. If he wanted to know anything about Felix he was going to have to pry it out of him with a crowbar. It wasn’t like there was much to tell, anyway. There wasn’t much he liked to do for fun besides running, and while it made him feel good, he didn’t know if he’d actually call it fun. A good day for him meant a long run followed by peace and quiet and hanging out with Hubble without anyone bothering him. A good coffee and cigarettes on the roof. He was boring. There wasn’t much to tell. But it still wasn’t anyone’s business. When Noah turned off the headlights, Felix knew they were close. He assessed the warehouse and its defenses speculatively as the car crept slowly along, cataloguing the lights and high fences, the lack of obvious cameras and guards, the darkness around the buildings, and the single vehicle parked between the buildings. Seemed like overkill for a pest control company. Did that mean they did this kind of thing often? Or were they into something else entirely and this kidnapping was a one-off? Noah asked Felix’s opinion on how they should get through the fence, shaking him out of his speculation, and Felix took a moment to contemplate. He didn’t see any people around, so that meant no guards or lookouts, unless they were walking the perimeter. If there was a guard walking the perimeter, though, and they cut through the fence, there was a chance the potential yet-unseen guard might notice the hole and sound the alarm that they were there. If they cut the fastenings of the fence to one of the poles, they could pull the fence back and go underneath without making a hole, but that had the potential to be loud if chain-link clanged against the pole with their jostling, which might also alert a possible guard. They also had to think about Laurel, and how injured she would be, and how quickly they might have to make an escape. She probably wouldn’t be able to go over the fence, if she was badly injured, and going under might not be good, either. And what if he or Noah got injured? No, going over probably wasn’t the right call. Picking the lock might pose the same problems as cutting a hole, if a patrolling guard happened to notice the lock missing from the gate. So the choices were to risk the noise by going under the fence, or to cut a hole and try to make it as inconspicuous as possible. If they cut it right at one of the support poles and didn’t bend the fence too much when slipping through, the opening wouldn’t be immediately obvious at first glance and could probably remain unnoticed if there was a guard patrolling the property. “Cut a hole,” he concluded. “Right at one of the poles, so it’s easier to hide,” he added, in case Noah wasn’t familiar with that trick. He assumed Noah had bolt cutters, since he was the one who had suggested the option. He was interested to see what else Noah carried in his trunk. He’d already mentioned molotovs, and bats and tasers. He probably had some extra blades, too. Guns? Felix wouldn’t be opposed to carrying a handgun with him, just for an extra measure of reassurance. He would have brought his own along if he knew this was how the night would end up. Across the road from the warehouse that was their target, there were a few other warehouses. Other businesses, with smaller properties than the one they were casing, all closed for the night. They might have cameras, but it was doubtful that their scope extended beyond their own parking lots. One warehouse in particular had a few big trucks parked in the front lot, and the gaps between them were big enough to park Noah’s car and easily maneuver around it. The spot would be shielded from view of their target, and at that angle it would be shielded from any potential cameras on the property the lot belonged to as well. Felix pointed it out silently and left it up to Noah whether or not he’d choose to park them there. Maybe he had somewhere else in mind that would give them an even better situational advantage. TAG: Noah St Cloud

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[Noah St Cloud]

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[attr="class","Noahpostname"]noah st. cloud

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[attr="class","Noahpostlyric"]those walls will make sinners[break]
out of such lovely lads[break]

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[attr="class","Noahpostingbox"]


Felix wasn’t interested in the suggested trade, his eyes narrowed and proverbial tail lashing as he shot it down. Private, was he? Too bad. Unfortunately for him, secrets didn't stay secret around Noah for long.[break][break]

On the far brighter side, Felix meowed. An absolute win in Noah’s book.[break][break]

“Oh-ho.” He chuckled breathlessly, shaking his head with a grin that was a little bit sharper, a little more wolfish. Being denied information had always been an unspoken challenge. A goad. A ‘tame me if you can’. Most people weren’t interesting enough for him to fall for it, merely playing at being haughty or mysterious without any real intrigue to them, but this time… His eyes glinted at the prospect. “If that’s how it is, by all means, feel free to meow for me as often as you’d like.”[break][break]

He was so getting him a collar. Blue to match his eyes – with a silver bell. Before that, Noah was going to track down every last file, record, and social media profile that mentioned his name even once. Where had they found this guy? Who had recruited him? Why hadn’t he been given to Noah to bring in?[break][break]

Cutting through the fence was deemed the best way to deal with the obstacle and Noah nodded, having arrived at the same conclusion for the same reasons.[break][break]

“I knew you were more than just a pretty face.” Switching off the murmuring radio, Noah parked in the place Felix had indicated. It was a good spot – probably the best they could get – and it meant avoiding driving around for too long which would have risked them being seen. Felix undoubtedly had an eye for this kind of thing. Depending on how the rest of the rescue went, Noah thought perhaps he’d pull some strings to ensure he became a regular mission partner.[break][break]

He reached over to feel under the glovebox for a small hidden button, pressing it before withdrawing again. “Alright, c’mon Kitty Softpaws, time to play.”[break][break]

Exiting the vehicle, he walked around to its back on silent feet to open up the trunk. At a glance, all that appeared to be in there was a first aid kit, a small toolbox, and a torch. He felt around for another small button which, upon pressing, popped up the ‘bottom’ of the trunk to reveal another layer of items beneath it.[break][break]

Most eye catching were the cleaning supplies, different coloured bottles and sprays nestled in with rolls of saran wrap and garbage bags. Eight knives of various sizes were laid out in a line (half of them in sheathes) and beside them were some bottles of alcohol wrapped in rags, both to protect them from smashing as he drove and to make the aforementioned Molotov cocktails with. One metal baseball bat, a couple of stun guns, and a mini cordless chainsaw had a home in there as well, along with bolt and wire cutters.[break][break]

“Should’ve brought a gun,” he sighed. It would have been loud. It could have brought police attention to the warehouses. But it would have been fast. “I thought I was doing a quick little check in tonight, a nice little ‘how are you’, not all this.”[break][break]

Already equipped with his favourite knife, he didn’t feel the need for another – especially since he had another ‘weapon’ prepared in the form of Felix’s lighter. Stun guns were fun and his fingers hovered over them for a moment, but he ultimately reached for the baseball bat instead. Maybe he could simply knock the abductors out cold. Perhaps leave it Felix to kill them or ask Blackstorm to send someone else to deal with it.[break][break]

Giving his partner an expectant look, he gestured towards the assortment. “‘Take what you need, but never from greed…’ Y’know, like that Barbie movie? With the pegasus?”[break][break]

After waiting for Felix to either pick out what he wanted or decline the offer, he hid away the items under the fake base again and closed the trunk.[break][break]

“It’s gonna be real awkward if I was wrong and she’s not actually here.” He spoke quietly as they approached the fence, voice almost a whisper. Yet then he perked up, reconsidering that statement, and shot Felix a considering look. “Although, if she’s not, we could go to Pat’s? Or Firelli’s? They should still be open this time of night. We could report Laurel missing to Blackstorm there, let someone else deal with it. Get some drinks, some food…”[break][break]

In the darkest spot he could find that was close to the car, Noah got to work, cutting the fence at the pole. The wire cutters weren’t big (they could fit in his back pocket) and he decided he would bring them with him. Partly because he couldn’t be bothered to return them to his car but mostly because he imagined they could be useful if they ran into any other obstacles.[break][break]

Once he felt he had cut high enough that they could get through the gap in a hurry without too much trouble, but low enough that it wouldn’t hang off and be obvious that it was cut, he peeled back the fence as quietly as possible and held it open for Felix to slip through before ducking through it himself.



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[attr="class","Noahdark2PostTag"]Tag: Felix Golding

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[Felix Golding]

rebellion is the only thing that keeps you alive

Noah’s reaction to being refused information about Felix was not unexpected. He made another cat joke, of course—Felix had goaded him into it after all—but the sharp look in his eyes was something Felix instinctively shied away from. He had a feeling Noah wouldn’t give up or be distracted so easily, and Felix was even more annoyed with himself for playing along with the cat jokes. He dropped his inquiries for now, though. Small blessings. When he said that he knew Felix was more than a pretty face, Felix sighed. “You knew because I told you,” he muttered. He didn’t need the reminder of the awkward comment he’d made, because he didn’t even believe it. The pretty part, anyway. He knew he wasn’t ugly—at least his face wasn’t—but “pretty” wasn’t a word he felt fit him at all. He’d just said it in a misguided attempt at a joke, and he was sure Noah was just teasing him with it now. Especially when he tacked on yet another cat nickname. Felix couldn’t help but flinch back when Noah reached toward him without warning, an automatic and learned response, but he relaxed an instant later when he realized Noah wasn’t reaching for him. He was reaching for the glovebox between his knees, and he didn’t even brush against Felix accidentally in the process. Felix was silently grateful. He hoped Noah hadn’t noticed the flinch, but he doubted he was that lucky. He quickly climbed out of the car, putting the small incident behind him, hoping that if Noah had noticed, he would ignore it if Felix pretended it hadn’t happened. He circled around to the trunk. There wasn’t much in it, just a flashlight, a medkit, and some tools. Felix was disappointed, having expected a Winchester-style arsenal, minus the occult shit. Then Noah hit another button, lifting a compartment to reveal what was hidden, and the corner of Felix’s mouth twitched as he almost smiled. That was more like it. There were the makings for molotovs, just like Noah had said, along with a few weapons. Also a variety of things that looked like they would be very useful for cleaning up after a murder. Perhaps even dismembering and disposing of a corpse. Fascinating. He wondered how often Noah required the use of those particular items. He could easily find out, if he wanted to, with a simple touch, but… now wasn’t the time, and it shouldn’t concern him at the moment. He was annoyed at how he kept having to insist to himself that he didn’t want to know more about the other man. Irritated at his own persistent curiosity. Noah mentioned wishing he’d brought a gun, and Felix nodded in agreement. There was plenty he wished he’d brought with him, but the situation had seemed too time-sensitive to go back for anything once things were in motion. “We’ll have to make do,” he muttered, and his eyes caught on the glinting metal of the blades. If he‘d had time he would have armed himself with more of his own knives. Noah said that he should take what he needed… and then he added something about a barbie movie, and Felix couldn’t control the incredulous look he turned on the other man, blinking in disbelief. What the fuck? But he decided not to comment on that perplexing bit of words, turning back to the contents of the trunk after a moment as he schooled his features into blankness once more. He shook his head slightly; he never knew what was going to come out of Noah’s mouth next. He eyed what was available with interest, wondering what had drawn Noah to each of the knives, and why these eight were the ones he kept with him. The ones with sheathes were more interesting to him than the bare ones, purely for his own purposes; he would need to carry the knife with him, and he didn’t want to start off with a naked blade in his hand. Noah reached in and, after a moment’s consideration, withdrew a bat. Interesting choice. Did he want to make a mess? Or was he aiming for disabling rather than killing? Maybe he would start with fists and see where things went from there, Felix decided. Either way, he wanted another knife. If he was going to kill someone tonight, it occurred to him that maybe he wouldn’t want to do it with his own weapon. He was attached to every blade he currently had on him, and he would hate to have to get rid of any of them simply because they carried the echo of a murder he didn’t want to re-live. He picked up Noah’s blades one at a time, drawing them from their sheathes and testing the weight and balance of them in his hand, checking the sharpness with the edge of his thumb. There was one he liked. It was well-balanced, and it had a better grip than his ka-bar bowie knife, with a cross-guard that would keep his hand from slipping down the blade if it got soaked in blood. It held the echo of violence, but with no strong emotions attached, and Felix was able to easily ignore the memories it held. If it had been used and kept, that meant it was a good weapon. That was good enough for him. He slipped the knife into the front of his waistband, lifting his shirt just enough to secure it in place and not show any skin. As they drew close to the fence, Noah mused about the possibility of being in the wrong place. “I’m sure I can figure out if you were right or wrong before we storm the castle,” Felix said flatly, not bothering with reassurances. There was only one vehicle in the parking lot, a creeper van; white and unmarked. They only had to get to it, and if those men had transported Laurel in it Felix would know with a single touch. Noah sort of sounded like he hoped he was wrong, and Felix could almost agree with that sentiment. He would rather leave the rescue job to someone else, too. If Noah did feel that way, Felix had to reassess his earlier assumption of how much Laurel meant to him. As for going out for drinks and food, Felix knew that would be a bad idea. He could be a bit of a lightweight, and he either got mouthy and too comfortable when he was drunk, tongue far too loose, or he got depressing and maudlin. Both very good reasons why he always drank alone. At home. Away from other people. Not to mention, going out with Noah most assuredly meant listening to more cat jokes, and probably putting up with more of his prying. Something Felix would be far too amenable and vulnerable to if Noah plied him with liquor first. He didn’t voice his refusal, though, figuring he’d wait and say something if it became relevant. Crouching in the shadows beside Noah as he went to work on the fence, Felix kept his head on a swivel, on the lookout for a patrolling guard, or anyone at all who might spot them. It was a little strange that they hadn’t seen anyone, and he wondered if it was arrogance, negligence, or something else that was the cause of not having anyone on patrol. When he was done, Noah held the fence back for him, inviting him to go first, and Felix quickly slipped through. He clenched his teeth against the urge to shudder when the back of Noah’s arm skimmed ever so slightly against his chest due to their proximity. It was merely the fabric of their shirts brushing together, but it was the closest they’d been to touching all night, and Felix was surprised it had taken as long as it had. Not that he wasn’t immensely grateful for the lack of contact, he just found it odd. Most people didn’t hesitate to reach out in a casual way, such as a friendly nudge, or a playful flick, unless they were touch-averse like he was. Noah’s demeanor didn’t strike him as the type, but he could be wrong. Noah slipped through the fence behind him, and they moved quickly and quietly across the property. Felix bee-lined for the van. He laid a careful hand on the back handle, not wanting to trigger any kind of alarm. It took all of two seconds before he withdrew his hand and nodded to Noah. “They certainly used the van to bring her here,” he murmured quietly, moving closer to Noah so he could be better heard. “Whether she’s still here or they took her away in a different vehicle, I can’t say. Still only two of them, but there might have been more already here.” His instincts told him there probably weren’t, but he knew better than to mention that. Noah had already proven to prefer detailed plans, like his uncle, so he doubted he would hold Felix’s instincts in any sort of regard. He knew without trying that he wouldn’t get anything from the building itself, as no single part of it could be isolated. As a whole it was too big, and would hold too many echoes of memory, enough to overwhelm him and make it difficult to sift through. They would have to do things the old-fashioned way. “I suppose we’ll have to do that recon we discussed,” he said, resigned. It made the most sense to start with the building the van was parked closest to. He took a couple steps back to look it over. There were windows high up the wall, but he could probably reach them if Noah gave him a boost like they’d talked about. Brow furrowed slightly at the thought of the contact that would be necessary for that to happen, he pointed to the window and looked back at Noah with an expression of query. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- TAG: Noah St Cloud OOC: sorry it got so long again, it was an accident I swear 😅

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[Noah St Cloud]

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[attr="class","Noahpostname"]noah st. cloud

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[attr="class","Noahpostlyric"]those walls will make sinners[break]
out of such lovely lads[break]

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[attr="class","Noahpostingbox"]


Using the night's darkness as their cover, they crept across to the only vehicle in the parking lot. He kept his ears pricked for other footsteps, for radio static or low chatter or even muffled screams, but none came. It was as if he and Felix were the only two people for miles around, though he knew better than to believe that was true.[break][break]

A light touch to the van’s handle allowed Felix to confirm the abductors had used it to bring Laurel there. It was simultaneously a relief and a shame to Noah. A relief as he was still invested in keeping Blackstorm’s hideout a secret, of course, and it would be good to know the job got done properly; to know that the threat had been dealt with.[break][break]

But it was also a shame since he was now tempted by thoughts of getting food and drinks with his new companion. He could have plied Felix with alcohol to make him loosen up a little (and maybe brought back that funny incredulous expression by referring to other Barbie movies), and he would've had one less memory with the potential to get him in trouble with his girl.[break][break]

Alas, it would be silly to walk away now.[break][break]

Felix brought up having to do recon and didn’t sound particularly excited or pleased about it. That wasn’t saying much, though, as most of the words from Felix’s mouth had been spoken flatly that night, and Noah reflected it wasn’t the type of situation most people would feel enthusiasm for. Yet the tone was still registered in his head when, brow furrowed slightly, Felix pointed up at the closest building’s windows and gave Noah a questioning look. Clearly he had in mind Noah’s earlier proposal to hold him up to one, and Noah… hesitated, watching him for a moment.[break][break]

Felix had flinched in the car. Flinched. It was impossible not to notice at that proximity. Noah hadn’t acknowledged it at the time and hadn’t planned on doing so that night or perhaps ever, yet in the face of purposefully putting his hands on Felix to lift him up, it got him thinking. Thinking about how it seemed like a pretty extreme reaction when Noah hadn’t even been directly reaching for him.[break][break]

He could understand tensing up when being touched without warning; he was well aware of the crawling discomfort, like centipedes nestling under his skin, that was brought about by unfamiliar hands on his body that he hadn’t approved of. But he was also good at hiding it. Had grown used to it, in a way, and tended to just let it happen until he could shift away as inconspicuously as possible. So to see Felix flinch –[break][break]

There was something scratching about in the back of his brain, something that he couldn’t quite drag to the forefront to inspect more closely. Did he put Felix on edge that much? Felix hadn’t wanted to share a cigarette and had stayed well out of his reach in Laurel’s apartment, even after Noah had done his best to make himself appear friendly and unthreatening (albeit a little on the annoying side), which all seemed to be evidence that suggested he did.[break][break]

Yet he couldn’t directly question it. If he was wrong, that would be awkward. If he was right, that would be painfully awkward and how exactly would that conversation even go, anyway? Like – ‘oh hey, I noticed you didn’t seem to like me reaching over you in the car. Is it me specifically? Are you a germaphobe? Are you jumpy because of the current situation? Do you have trauma from your neck scar or did you have an unorthodox childhood that made you weird about touching?’[break][break]

In any case, pretty much coercing Felix to touch him at that moment seemed counterproductive to building that trust he was so keen on attaining.[break][break]

He softly clucked his tongue, quirking a brow.[break][break]

“Y’know, due to your namesake, I figured you’d enjoy climbing me to get to high places.” He walked a little closer to the wall as though preparing to get into position, and laid his bat gently on the ground to free up his hands.[break][break]

But when he turned back to Felix he didn’t crouch or interlock his fingers to make a step for him, instead simply keeping his posture relaxed and his expression open and casual. He didn’t want his next suggestion to sound significant or pointed in any way because it shouldn’t be, really.[break][break]

“I’d be careful; I promise I wouldn’t drop you. But I mean, if you’re not a fan of heights and don’t want to risk it, I could look around for something to stand on? Hop up to the window myself while you keep lookout?”[break][break]

As he spoke his gaze was steady and did not waver from the other man, intent on spotting any change in his features. Any twitch. Any body language that might suggest Felix felt any particular way about the offered excuse not to come near Noah. Was he overthinking it? Or were his instincts onto something?[break][break]

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OOC: this one’s mostly messy internal monologue lol, let me know if you’d like more to work with, or feel free to move Noah around a bit and have him give Felix the boost or go off to find something to step on c:




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[attr="class","Noahdark2PostTag"]Tag: Felix Golding

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[Felix Golding]

rebellion is the only thing that keeps you alive

The look Noah turned on him was calculating. Considering. Felix didn’t know what the look was for, what Noah was thinking, or why he was hesitating. What Noah said next put Felix on edge immediately. Was his reluctance that obvious? The thought of that grated on him. He tried so hard to hide his reactions and emotions, and he knew he wasn’t always entirely successful—the reaction in the car a prime example—but he thought he was pretty good at it anyway. Good enough that most people didn’t even notice when he slipped up. He had a lifetime of practice, after all. So the fact that Noah saw through him so easily didn’t sit well with him. It stirred a feeling in his gut that he couldn’t quite place. Trepidation, maybe. Or something like it. Oh, Noah was dangerous. In a completely separate way than he’d first presumed. Once this was all over, he would do his best never to work with Noah again. He watched the other man put his bat down and position himself close to the window. The phrase “climb him like a tree” came to mind, triggered by Noah’s words, but Felix wasn’t sure where he’d heard the phrase or in what context. Felix huffed, a vaguely amused sound, when Noah suggested he might be afraid of heights. If only he knew just how far from the truth that was. “I don’t mind heights,” he said simply, taking a few steps closer. He wasn’t going to stand passively by while Noah did all the work. He could pull his weight. And he didn’t need to be coddled either, no matter what Noah suspected, or thought he knew about him. He wasn’t really worried Noah would drop him; he had excellent balance, and Noah seemed pretty sturdy. He also knew the act of lifting him wouldn’t require that much touching. The issue was that once he was up, he would have to rely on Noah to keep him up and to make sure he didn’t get hurt, and the thought of that made his skin crawl. He hated relying on anyone, for anything, even something so trivial. It required the tiniest measure of trust, and he didn’t make a habit of handing out trust to near-strangers. Or anyone, really. He clenched his jaw in defiance of his own emotions, steeling himself for what was coming and ignoring the intent stare Noah was fixing him with. Almost as if he was waiting for him to have a meltdown, or do something crazy. “Give me a boost,” he said firmly, determined to go through with it no matter how much he was going to hate it. To Noah’s credit, he laced his fingers together without hesitation, crouching and positioning himself just right. Felix stepped with his left leg, knowing the knee on his right leg probably wouldn’t be strong enough to lift him on its own. Noah levered him up to the window without much effort, and he gripped tight onto the ledge and glanced down with a nod. Noah nodded back, and Felix held on long enough for the other man to let go and reposition below him, taking his weight with a boot on each shoulder and lifting him up another few inches. They completed the maneuver wordlessly, and Felix was grateful for Noah’s competence. He didn’t see much at first when he peered through the glass, until he noticed movement higher up than he was expecting it. The warehouse was dark, with crates and equipment in rows taking up most of the space. There was a set of metal stairs that led up to another room, an office of some kind maybe, with a window that looked out over the warehouse. The light was on in the room, but even though the blinds were drawn, he could see the shadows of at least two people moving behind them. As he watched, the door opened, and the guy with the bad dye job stepped out, lighting up a cigarette and leaning against the rail of the catwalk, casual as could be. The front of his clothing was dark with what looked like blood, and Felix’s stomach dropped at the sight of it. That didn’t bode well for Laurel. He kept watching, waiting for a sign that she was alive, that she was in the room with them. He could still see the shadow of another figure moving through the blinds, and then it moved toward the door, and there was Kyle, trading words with the other guy. They were too far away for Felix to read their lips. There was still a shadow behind the blinds. Shorter, and completely still. Perhaps sitting? If it was even a person at all. Well, if it wasn’t Laurel, maybe they could interrogate the two men and find out where they had taken her, and if she was still alive. “I’ve got eyes on Kyle and Blondie,” he murmured down to Noah. “Possibly another person, but I don’t have a clear view, so I can’t tell whether or not it’s the girl.” As he watched, Blondie handed his cigarette to Kyle and disappeared back into the room. Kyle took a couple drags, and then followed him in, leaving the door open this time. “It’s going to be close quarters, unless we can draw them out,” he added musingly, thinking of the coming fight. “Alright, let me down.” He didn’t think he was going to see anything more useful than he already had, and they needed to discuss their plan of action. Getting him down was going to be a little more complicated than getting him up had been, and the easiest way to do it would probably be for Noah to pull Felix down into his arms before setting him on his feet. It was the last thing he wanted, but he braced himself for the inevitable contact. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- TAG: Noah St Cloud OOC: likewise feel free to move Felix around, and even skip through explanations of what was seen with a “Felix explained the details” kind of thing, if you want.

✿

[Noah St Cloud]

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[attr="class","Noahpostname"]noah st. cloud

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[attr="class","Noahpostlyric"]those walls will make sinners[break]
out of such lovely lads[break]

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[attr="class","Noahpostingbox"]
Though Noah had offered him an excuse, a way to avoid the physical contact, Felix did not take it and instead moved closer. There was a rigidness to his jaw as he did so, however. One that suggested he was clenching it.[break][break]

Noah liked to think he was pretty observant but he knew his interpretations of that information weren’t always spot on. Sure, it was possible Felix was putting on a show. Forcing himself to go ahead with it so he could hide a ‘weakness’. But maybe he genuinely wasn’t as averse to contact as Noah had assumed. Maybe the flinch had been a one-off. The clenched jaw triggered by irritation rather than nervous tension.[break][break]

He decided… he would stick a pin in it. Whether Felix hated to be touched or not was unlikely to affect the rescue anyway, so when Felix told him to give him a boost, Noah wasted no time getting into position to do exactly that. He was a little surprised by how easy it was to get him up on his shoulders – by how incredibly light Felix was for a man – but he didn’t comment and didn’t let the disbelief show on his face.[break][break]

Once Felix felt he’d seen enough, Noah adjusted his hands, moving them from where they’d been holding his ankles to the back of his knees. He would glide them up Felix’s sides to grab his waist once it was within reach. “Okay, step down, I’ve got you, hook your leg around and I’ll get your waist and – yeah.” Instructions didn’t seem to be needed. He was sure there was an easier way to do it, and remembered a moment too late that he could have simply lowered himself to the ground, with Felix using the wall for balance until he could hop off. Woops.[break][break]

He helped Felix shift down his body, keeping his expression neutral and making the choice not to be observant in favour of ignoring most aspects of the experience. The only things he paid attention to were where his hands needed to be for Felix to remain supported, and the quiet thrum of regret that came with holding someone who wasn’t Tawny like that – especially when their faces briefly came closer than he'd expected them to.[break][break]

He averted his gaze, feeling weirdly guilty and like he ought to apologise to several people.[break][break]

Were Felix someone Noah knew a little better (or rather, if Felix hadn’t flinched), he imagined the air would have felt far less… tense. He would have let his hands linger and teased him about not leaving enough room for Jesus, or perhaps dramatically dipped him as if they were mid dance. Instead, he let go as soon as Felix’s feet were firmly on the ground, allowing the other man to step back as quickly as he wished.[break][break]

Once he had, Noah allowed himself to smile again. “Nice. We’re good at that. Maybe we should join a cheerleading squad.”[break][break]

Felix recounted what he had seen and Noah was grateful for the distraction. He wondered if they could find another outside window to peek directly into the office, but he supposed it would likely be too high up and too risky to use anyway. The important thing was: the abductors were in the building. And if Laurel wasn’t, they could question Kyle and ‘Blondie’ on her whereabouts.[break][break]

“They were smoking,” Noah said first, still in a hushed tone. “That means Kyle has ammunition for his gift.” A lighter, matches, or maybe he could create it from thin air – it didn’t matter what the source was, Kyle had access to fire. “I would say we should keep him in that room, since he might feel a little less inclined to flame up in there, but…”[break][break]

He frowned, briefly stooping down to retrieve his baseball bat. “This really depends on how stupid he is. If he tries to torch us while we’re in there, all five of us might go up in flames if he doesn’t have good control. My gift’s quick but I don’t know if any fire he makes will immediately be extinguished or if I’ll have to deliberately put it out.”[break][break]

He twirled the bat in his hand, testing and refamiliarizing himself with its weight, then started to walk around the building with hopes of finding a side entrance. “Anyway, if they’ve just had their 'smoke break', they’ll probably be staying in that room for a little while. We could sneak up there, listen in at the door, try to get a look inside?” He cocked his head. “Then once we burst in, I’ll try to drag Kyle out. Make the room a little less crowded and a little less likely to become a furnace.”[break][break]

A lap of the building revealed no additional doors. The main one was the only way in or out and he slowed to a halt in front of it, disappointed but not entirely surprised. On the bright side it hadn’t been locked, and when Noah laid a hand on it and carefully, slowly edged it open enough for a person to slip through, it didn’t creak in the way he feared it would. He glanced back at Felix, brow quirked in silent question. Shall we?


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[attr="class","Noahdark2PostTag"]Tag: Felix Golding

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[googlefont=Mr Dafoe:400|Roboto:400,400i,700]

[Felix Golding]

rebellion is the only thing that keeps you alive

Noah seemed to determine that getting his hands all over Felix was the easiest way too, unfortunately. Just like Felix had feared. He wished he had suggested Noah crouch down, but he didn’t know if Noah’s knees could take it, and he didn’t know how low Noah would have to go before he could hop off safely without jamming his bad knee. And his bad knee was not something he wanted to bring up. He wished he had suggested something else, or that Noah had thought of a different way, but no such luck. He was pulled carefully down into Noah’s arms, and it was every bit as skin-crawling as he had expected. He thought Noah might make a joke, a comment, something, but he was uncharacteristically silent. Not even a cat comparison. Felix didn’t know if that made the experience better or worse. If he had spoken, Felix might have been able to focus on his words, his voice, and pay less attention to his hands. Then again, no doubt whatever he said would have been irritating. So it was really a tossup. As Noah’s hands trailed up from his ankles to his knees, then the backs of his thighs, Felix was stiff and awkward, wanting to pull away from the touch but knowing he couldn’t or he would fall. He forced his limbs to cooperate, wrapping around Noah to climb down him. No one had touched those parts of his body in a very long time, and the memories rushing in at the contact were difficult to stave off. Not the memories of his very few ill-fated forays into sexual exploration, either. Even worse memories from long before that. Moving down Noah’s body wasn’t nearly as terrible as Noah’s hands moving up his had been. The equal contact didn’t put him off, it was just unfamiliar and strange. It was the gripping hands that made his heart race, in a very bad way, and he was keenly aware of where they were on his body. He barely suppressed the urge to grab Noah’s wrists in a tight grip and yank his hands away. Their faces were very close for a moment, practically sharing breath, but that didn’t concern Felix. Noah’s hands at his waist did. He was going to need a big fucking drink tonight, that was for sure, and a long hot shower. Maybe at the same time. Shower drinking, yes, that sounded perfect. Once he was finally on his feet, he pushed at Noah’s chest to get away, feeling like a rabbit caught between a wolf’s jaws for a brief moment, but Noah let him go immediately. He almost stumbled back with how hard he was straining away. He backed up, needing the space, but he didn’t have far to go; the white van was closer behind him than he thought. When he hit it he relaxed fractionally, feeling more comfortable with a hard and sturdy surface behind him to hold him up and guard his back. Thank fuck it didn’t trigger the van’s alarm. Then Noah was talking again, making some quip about cheerleaders, but Felix didn’t really register what he said, the blood rushing in his ears too loud to hear it. He ran shaky hands through his hair to put it back in order where it had fallen disheveled, and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he forcefully pushed away his lingering discomfort and the panic that had been creeping up. He’d deal with it later, when he was alone. He started talking, relaying to Noah all that he’d seen in hushed tones, and he was relieved his voice didn’t do something horrible and embarrassing like crack or waver. By the time he had finished speaking he had managed to push all of his emotions far down inside and secure his mask of apathy back in place. Though he still keenly felt every spot Noah’s hands had touched, as if he’d been branded by the contact. He felt like he needed to scrub at his skin with steel wool to remove the feeling. He focused on Noah’s voice, attempting to further ground himself in the present, as he started to mull over what Felix had told him, voicing his thoughts out loud. “Too bad you didn’t have a fire extinguisher in your trunk,” Felix commented, only half joking. Noah twirled the bat he’d picked back up, and Felix nodded in wordless agreement at what he said next. They took a quick lap of the building, each going separate ways and meeting in the middle on the other side. Besides the huge bay doors probably used to take crates and equipment in and out, there was only the one door that they’d already discovered. Felix was still worried they’d run into a guard, but none ever appeared. The door they had returned to wasn’t locked, turning easily under Noah’s hand, and unless Blondie was a precog or clairvoyant, there was no way it was a trap. Meaning the unlocked door and lack of guard was either negligence or arrogance, like he’d thought. Felix nodded again at Noah’s questioning look, and they slipped through the open door and into the darkness. Felix closed it silently behind them. They crept through the gaps between crates and equipment, and Felix started to hear voices echoing distantly through the big cavernous building, emanating from the open door up above. A man’s voice, sounding sharp and threatening, and then a woman’s voice, quieter. He couldn’t quite make out the words yet, but he glanced at Noah with an inquisitive look, wondering if there was a chance that he recognized the woman’s voice as Laurel’s. They reached the bottom of the steps and the voices got clearer. Felix eyed the staircase, hoping the metal didn’t creak under their weight. The space between the railings was wide enough for them both to go up next to each other if they wanted to. He didn’t know if Noah wanted to go first, follow behind, or stay together, but there was no point in hesitation. He mounted the first stair, placing his foot carefully and quietly, and was relieved when it didn’t creak under his weight. The next one was equally as quiet. As long as they remained careful, their ascent shouldn’t alert the kidnappers of their presence. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- TAG: Noah St Cloud OOC: aaa another one where Felix hardly talks at all! This is mostly reaction without much new direction, so let me know if you need a little more to work with. Also, feel free to move Felix around as you need.

✿

[Noah St Cloud]

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[attr="class","Noahpostname"]noah st. cloud

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[attr="class","Noahpostlyric"]those walls will make sinners[break]
out of such lovely lads[break]

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[attr="class","Noahpostingbox"]
CW: Mentions of torture, death, blood, fighting[break]
OOC: sorry this is long and messy! it's definitely my bedtime. lotsa description and then action, let me know if you’d like me to cut it down[break][break]

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At Felix’s nod, Noah slipped into the warehouse with the other man quick to follow behind him. Visibility was far lesser than it had been outside, but at least the building's few windows ensured it wasn’t pitch black. Plus, the yellow slits of light shining through the office’s blinds made it clear which direction they were headed.[break][break]

A voice could be heard as they weaved through various crates and equipment to the stairs. Male. Steeped in intent to harm. But whether it was the vastness of the warehouse making the voice echo or the walls of the office muffling it, Noah couldn’t hear exactly what was being said.[break][break]

Upon hearing a second, softer voice, he met Felix’s questioning look with a lift of his shoulder, honestly unable to confirm whether it was Laurel or not. He knew her, but not that well.[break][break]

They crept up the stairs together, Noah finding no reason to trail behind or push ahead of Felix, and words became easier to pick out as they approached the source of the ‘conversation’ – especially as the male voice rose.[break][break]

“Then try it again.”[break][break]

“It’ll just be the same!” The female one heightened as well, edged with panic, and there was a wetness to it – a slight lisp as though there was blood in her mouth. Noah was sure it was Laurel now. He glanced across to Felix and mouthed her name to him with a nod.[break][break]

“He won’t be able to tell you anything,” she continued. “He doesn’t know anything.”[break][break]

Something smelled off. Literally. The scent of rotten meat and of bile and of something earthy reached him as they made it to the catwalk, as well as the expected coppery perfume of blood. If Noah hadn’t heard Laurel speak a moment ago, he might have assumed the worst.[break][break]

Crouched, he snuck across to the window and lifted his head just enough to peek through the blind’s slits.[break][break]

Laurel was tied to a chair. Blood around her lips and down her chin and the front of her shirt. He hoped it hadn't been coughed up from internal injuries, but then he noticed red pliers on the desk behind her, and something that looked suspiciously like a couple of molars with it. Damn. Considerable strength was needed to do something like that – unless her teeth were already weak or loose.[break][break]

Kyle moved in front of her which blocked Noah from checking her for other injuries, so he looked to Blondie instead (specifically his arms) to assess. He didn’t look body-builder strong. Felix would probably be fine; guys his size were usually quick and slippery in a fight, and from how he’d shoved away from Noah earlier it seemed unlikely that he would allow himself to be grabbed. Besides, if he had any second thoughts about who was paired with who, Noah imagined Felix would have little issue indicating as such.[break][break]

“Come on, we’ve been over this.” Noah’s gaze flicked to Kyle’s back. Watched him place his hands on the arms of Laurel’s chair and lean over her. “You have nothing to gain by not bringing him back properly.” His tone was weird – perhaps intended to sound kinder than Blondie’s had been, but within context came across as slimy to Noah’s ears. Were they doing a good cop/bad cop routine? Considering what Felix had said about him, it seemed weird that they’d chosen Kyle to do the sweet talking. But maybe that was purposeful. Maybe if good cop failed, he’d be really bad cop and get to try that ‘fun thing’ he’d mentioned.[break][break]

There was also a bottle of water and a rag on the desk – full and dry respectively – so at least they hadn’t done any waterboarding yet, if that had been on their agenda. Was it sad that he'd prefer it if that was the nefarious thing Kyle had in mind?[break][break]

Oh. And there was a dark figure slumped in the far corner. Grubby and slack with vacant, open eyes. A dead man. Long dead.[break][break]

Noah ducked beneath the window again and crept across to the door, turning so he was positioned on one side of it while Felix readied himself on the other. I’ll go first, Noah mouthed. If he could deal with Kyle in one hit, he could then quickly spin on his heel to help with Blondie. Excitement sparked through him anew and lit up his eyes while he grinned, lifting his hand to the door handle. Ready? Once he had an affirmative answer, he counted down from three.[break][break]

Noah flung the door open and, without preamble, sprung forward to swing the bat at Kyle’s face.[break][break]

As unfortunate as it was, Kyle’s reflexes weren’t half-bad! Noah would give him that. At the sound of the door he’d turned around, his eyes wide as he flinched back, but the bat still made contact and ripped a shout from his mouth as he was sent stumbling sideways into the wall. Noah had been aiming for his temple – to knock him out cold – but he’d likely broken his jaw instead.[break][break]

A good enough start.[break][break]

Still hoping to incapacitate rather than get too gory, he wasted no time after the first blow to try landing a second, this time lifting the bat above his head to swing it directly down on Kyle’s.[break][break]

Kyle narrowly dodged again, the bat cracking upon his shoulder and eliciting another satisfying bark of pain from the man. Noah’s stomach fluttered. His veins buzzed. Though Kyle had been brought to his knees, his hands shot up to latched onto the bat, stopping Noah from immediately swinging again.[break][break]

“Lighter!” Kyle snapped out, his wild-eyed stare tearing towards the other duo in the room. Noah had told himself to ignore the other sounds and movements of the other scuffle unless he felt like it was coming too close, and he wasn’t about to be distracted now. As long as Felix kept Blondie occupied long enough for Noah to deal with Kyle, that was the main thing.[break][break]

In the same breath Kyle tried to tug yank Noah forward with the bat, prompting Noah to kick his chest to yank it free from his grasp. Unfortunately (irritatingly), doing so unbalanced him enough to make him stagger back a bit, and Kyle took advantage by scrambling upright to lunge straight for him.[break][break]

The bat was swiftly abandoned in favour of trading fists. Noah’s knife remained tucked away because… because…[break][break]

There was no because. No excuse.[break][break]

It was within reach multiple times; he could have drawn it at any point but, honestly, there was a chance he was enjoying the exchange of blows. The bruising of his ribs and splitting of his lips. The swift revenge of swiping Kyle’s feet out from under him and nearly making him bite off his tongue with a palm to his chin. Noah’s pulse thrummed and his smile was one of complete contentment.[break][break]

Kyle got up again, but not for long. Laurel lifted her feet up and kicked him hard in the back, with a force that made her chair crash over backwards while Kyle was shoved straight into Noah. Noah gripped his shirt and used the momentum to fall back, pushing his own feet up to flip Kyle over the top of him and roll, out the open door and onto the catwalk, landing Noah on top.



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[attr="class","Noahdark2PostTag"]Tag: Felix Golding

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[googlefont=Mr Dafoe:400|Roboto:400,400i,700]

[Felix Golding]

rebellion is the only thing that keeps you alive

They ascended the stairs side by side with only an inch or two of space between them. A lack of distance Felix was keenly aware of but not too bothered by, focus placed elsewhere at the moment. The voices came again, and this time Noah recognized the female one as Laurel’s, mouthing her name to Felix in confirmation. As they climbed higher, the faint smell of death Felix realized he’d been smelling increased to a gag-inducing level. It reminded him of the time Hubble had rolled in the dead squirrel in the garden, but ten times worse, along with the overwhelming and familiar copper tang of blood. Noah popped his head up to peer through the window, but Felix didn’t bother doing so himself, figuring if there was something he needed to know that Noah would indicate that he should look. Otherwise, the plan was the same, and he focused on that; Noah took care of Kyle while he went after Blondie. Simple as that, he told himself, getting into the right headspace and psyching himself up for the coming fight. He adjusted the knife in the front of his waistband, as well as the one in the back, making sure they’d be easy to access if or when he needed them. Noah moved to the opposite side of the doorway as him, and Felix nodded when he signaled that he’d go first. As far as they knew, Kyle was the bigger threat, so incapacitating him as soon as possible was the safest bet. Felix nodded again to confirm his readiness. Noah started a silent countdown before bursting through the door swinging, Felix hot on his heels. Both men seemed completely surprised to see them, as if they weren’t expecting them at all. Blondie wasn’t a precog, then. Felix was still clearly aware that he could have a hidden gift, but he didn’t know how to account for it. The guy didn’t react with any sort of power right off the bat, so either he didn’t have one, it wasn’t geared toward fighting, or it was proximity-based. Or he was holding back, for some reason. Felix only spared Kyle and Noah a brief glance as he darted past them to head off Blondie as the man took a step towards the brewing fight. He sized Felix up and then smirked coldly and struck first, which was what Felix was waiting for. The guy was fast, but Felix was faster. He dodged the blow with a quick step and pulled his usual move, grabbing the man’s wrist and pulling, using his opponent’s own momentum to throw him off balance. It immediately went wrong, though, in a way it never had before. Blondie was indeed thrown off balance, but so was Felix despite his sure footing, the blow being much stronger than he’d expected. Much stronger than it had any right to be. He couldn’t follow up with the counterstrike as he stumbled, but he was able to right himself faster than the other man did. The threat had escalated quickly, as Felix determined the guy was much stronger than he looked, and was perhaps even gifted with enhanced strength. Which meant he would have no luck without a weapon, and may even be incapacitated if he was struck only once. He was quick, but he didn’t want to take any chances. He dodged a blow and drew Noah’s knife from his front waistband, flipping it once over the back of his hand to settle it more comfortably in his grasp. A pained noise came from behind him, but he didn’t look. It didn’t sound like Noah, and a dark thrill raced through him at the thought that Noah was making Kyle suffer the way that he deserved. Kyle shouted for a lighter, and Blondie fumbled in his pockets and produced what Felix’s uncle had always called a “crackhead lighter”; clear plastic so the amount of fluid inside could be easily seen. Felix feinted at him and then knocked it from his hand before his thumb could strike the flint, and it went skidding under Laurel’s chair. Blondie eyed the blade that was now in his hand, and then aimed another blow as he stepped into Felix’s space, crowding him and making his maneuvers more difficult. Still fast, but Felix was still faster. He dodged the hit again and brought his blade down in a glinting arc to cut a deep gash in his opponent’s thigh. The man cursed in pain, and then used his proximity to make a grab for Felix, but Felix was expecting it. It was why he’d let him get so close and hadn’t moved away. Blondie’s reaching hand went for a grip on Felix’s arm, and Felix brought his knife up again, using his shorter stature to his advantage. He wished he could say he hesitated, but his adrenaline was pumping, his heart racing, and the sounds of violence behind him spurred him on. He wanted this over as quickly as possible, and seeing what the men had done to Laurel made him certain they wouldn’t hesitate to kill him, or Noah, or Laurel. The blade of the borrowed knife sank deep into the man’s armpit, and Felix twisted it for good measure before pulling it free. Blood immediately began to pour, coloring the man’s shirt with a red-black stain. He shouted in pain, but was still able to grab Felix, hand wrapping around his forearm, and he was just as strong as Felix had worried he was, holding far too tight as Felix tried to squirm away from the touch. His memory flashed back to the arms held tight around Laurel’s body, to the teeth on the desk, to the strong blow he had been lucky enough to dodge. Oh fuck, was his last thought before his arm was wrenched roughly to the side, as easy as breaking a twig. There was a snap, an all-too-familiar pop, and Felix’s fingers lost their grip, knife dropping from his grasp. Agony seared through his nerves from his neck to the tips of his fingers, and he cried out, a quick, cut-off sound that was almost more surprise than pain. The twisting continued, and Felix cursed at him loudly and colorfully, kicking out and aiming for the man’s knee. He yelped and let go of Felix as his knee cracked under the weight of Felix’s heavy boot and hard kick. Enhanced strength didn’t mean he was unbreakable. Felix backed up quickly, putting space between them and hoping the severed artery would hurry up and do its job of killing the man before they exchanged any more blows. He drew the blade at his back just in case, using his right hand as his left arm dangled uselessly at his side. The familiar blade was a comfort between his fingers. The matte black ka-bar bowie knife was as long as his forearm from grip to tip and had been a birthday gift from his uncle when he turned twenty-one. It had seen a lot of use, but he’d never killed with it. Blondie took a stumbling step toward him, looking pale and shaky, and Felix raised the knife. It wasn’t necessary. The man thumped to the ground a moment later, a pool of blood growing around him as his body drained from the artery under his arm that Felix had cut. Felix re-sheathed his own knife and bent to pick up Noah’s, hissing as his arm was jostled with the movement. Something was definitely broken, and he was pretty sure his shoulder was dislocated, too. It wasn’t the first time that particular shoulder had been dislocated, and he was familiar with the feeling. It had felt like the man was trying to rip his arm free from his body, and he wouldn’t be surprised if that had been his intention. Luckily he’d managed a fatal blow of his own beforehand. Through a haze of pain and ebbing adrenaline, he looked around, taking stock of things. His hair had fallen over his forehead, and he tried to push it back with his good arm, but it was uncooperative, so he left it. The chair Laurel was in was tipped over, and she was struggling at the bonds that held her. A dead body was propped in the corner that he hadn’t noticed before. Noah and Kyle were no longer in the room. “A little help here?” Laurel snapped at Felix as he moved past her. “Just a moment,” he said, not looking at her. Noah and Kyle had taken the fight out onto the catwalk, and Felix hovered in the doorway, bloody knife still gripped in his hand. Noah seemed like he had the upper hand, and Felix didn’t want to step in if he wasn’t needed, especially with his injury, but he would use the knife again, on Kyle, if Noah needed him to. “Done yet?” Felix asked pointedly, a vague taunt to his tone as he came a little farther out of the room and leaned a hip against the catwalk railing, gesturing with the bloody knife. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- TAG: Noah St Cloud OOC: this is kind of a mess, so let me know if I overlooked anything or if anything is too incomprehensible to make sense of lol

✿

[Noah St Cloud]

[nospaces]

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[attr="class","Noahpostname"]noah st. cloud

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[attr="class","Noahpostlyric"]those walls will make sinners[break]
out of such lovely lads[break]

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[attr="class","Noahpostingbox"]
CW: More violence[break]
OOC: A little long again, next ones should be shorter lmaoo[break][break]

---

[break][break]

They struggled, but Noah landed a punch directly to Kyle’s broken jaw and that seemed to be enough to stun him, allowing Noah to bring his fist down on the man’s face again. And again. And again. And again –[break][break]

It went on and on until it didn’t. Noah’s knuckles burned, even with the protection of his gloves, and Kyle’s features were distorted, red and swollen, his mouth and nose bloody. His breaths came in audible, scraping wheezes but there was room to make it worse; perhaps Noah could retrieve the water bottle and pour it into his nose, watch him splutter on it. Or perhaps now he could bring out the knife. Carve off his eyelids and/or ears in retribution for Laurel’s teeth.[break][break]

“Aw,” Noah cooed, giving a ‘gentle’ pat to Kyle’s fractured face. “Can’t perform your little magic tricks by yourself, can you? Need a lighter to get yourself going? Gotta say, it’s a little disappointing.”[break][break]

Still sat astride Kyle’s stomach, Noah reached down to pick up one of the man’s hands. “How does it work, hm? Do you control the flames with your mind? All subtle-like? Or do you have to throw one of these bad boys out towards them, à la Star Wars force-choke?”[break][break]

As expected there was no answer, so Noah entertained himself by bending back a finger until it snapped.[break][break]

The new game didn’t last for long. In his periphery the yellow light from the office flickered, indicating someone had moved to stand in the doorway, and his head snapped in their direction.[break][break]

His lips curled in a feral, challenging grin as he half-expected to see Blondie on his way to save his buddy, only to relax again once he saw it was Felix, who stepped out further to lean against the catwalk railing and ask (pointedly) if he was done, bloody knife glinting in his grip.[break][break]

“Hah – would you like me to be?” Noah looked down at Kyle again, giving a shake to the arm he was holding up. “What about you, huh? Would you like this to be over?”[break][break]

It took a moment for Kyle to swear at him, and it was wobbly and choked, damn near incomprehensible. Noah felt his adrenaline begin to ebb, the excitement swiftly fading as his new audience reminded him of potential others. Kyle had had enough, and now Noah had too. He neatly snapped the man's neck, sniffed, then stood without another word. All in a day’s work.[break][break]

He turned towards Felix while he stepped over and away from the body, his gaze brushing over him intently. His russet hair had abandoned the neat style it had been in at the beginning of the night and Noah’s lips briefly quirked at the sight of it, sorely tempted to reach out and tousle it further. His face seemed unharmed, no visible head wounds to suggest they should worry about a concussion, and though the dark fabric of his clothes may have been hiding splatters of blood, Noah couldn’t spot any obvious slashes in the material or cuts on his body.[break][break]

The odd angle of his left arm was the most obvious hurt, having caught Noah’s eye long before anything else. He moved closer with a lightly pinched brow, his hand lifting towards the dislocated limb. “Can I get that for you?”[break][break]

“I hope you’re referring to getting me off the floor.”[break][break]

Laurel’s voice pulled his attention away to where she was, indeed, on the floor, unable to rise up while she was bound to the chair. He hesitated, peeking back at Felix. He seemed… okay. He would probably be alright for another minute or two, since he was standing upright at least. The same couldn’t be said for Laurel.[break][break]

As he strode over to her he spared a glance towards the freshest corpse in the office. Blondie was sprawled in a sizeable puddle of blood (enough to indicate that an artery had been hit) and Noah’s first thought was: so, the cat does have claws. He wasn’t sure how to feel about that. On one hand, great; Felix could defend himself, could prove useful in other missions that took a violent turn. On the other hand, Felix was markedly less safe than he had been before. Noah would still tease him of course, but… his guard had raised, just a bit. He was keenly aware of the knife in his grip.[break][break]

Plus, the method of execution had left him with a lot of clean up. Though, Noah supposed he’d never specified whether the rescue ought to be ‘tidy’ or not, so he couldn’t be too disgruntled by the mess.[break][break]

He righted Laurel’s chair and immediately set about cutting her loose, using his knife to sever the ropes around her wrists and stomach.[break][break]

It appeared that more than teeth had been lost to the pliers (her fingers were bloody, all ten nails missing) and she had angry red, blistered skin along her forearms. When he glanced up to check her face she was glaring at him, as if daring him to comment, looking like something out of a horror movie with her pallid, clammy skin and the blood smeared around her mouth.[break][break]

“Hey, Hellraiser,” he murmured. “How you doing?”[break][break]

The soft tone was likely the wrong approach, because it wiped the stubborn expression clean from her face. Her lower lip wobbled. For just a moment he thought she might cry. But before he could blink she had averted her gaze, the glare returning even if it was no longer aimed at him. “I’m mostly wondering if your healer friends can grow teeth back.”[break][break]

He honestly wasn’t sure. Bone breaks and cuts? Definitely, Nahlani could fix those without leaving a mark. Parts of the skeleton that had been removed from the body? Less certain. Would be good to know for future incidents though.[break][break]

“We’ll soon find out,” he replied. Laurel redirected her gaze again, this time her stare lightening with something equal parts hopeful and expectant, and Noah followed it towards Felix. “Oh right. Kitty, meet Hellraiser. Hellraiser, Kitty. He’s not a healer though. Sorry.”[break][break]

“Kitty?” Laurel first blinked in confusion, then smiled wryly. “Ah. I see it.”[break][break]

Noah huffed a laugh and nodded enthusiastically, straightening back up after the final rope had been cut. “Of course you do! I mean, look.” He flung his hand out towards Blondie. Laurel glanced but did not look so Noah turned to address Felix directly. “Bringing me dead rodents already. You really do like me.”[break][break]

With Laurel free and apparently not mortally wounded, he stepped towards his rescue-partner again. “Now – your arm? Please? I much prefer you when you’re not… crooked.”


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[attr="class","Noahdark2PostTag"]Tag: Felix Golding

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[googlefont=Mr Dafoe:400|Roboto:400,400i,700]

[Felix Golding]

rebellion is the only thing that keeps you alive

Felix could tell that Noah was just toying with the guy, and he wished he were in a better state to appreciate it because, no, he wouldn’t like him to be done, actually. He’d love to watch Noah pummel Kyle all damn night. It was almost cathartic to witness, like watching someone kick the shit out of one of his own abusers, since that was who Kyle reminded him of. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option. He was in a considerable amount of pain, he and Laurel needed a hospital, and more people could show up at any moment to break up this little party. Noah seemed to agree, and Felix took a perverse amount of pleasure from the crack of him snapping Kyle’s neck. Then Noah was up and looking him over, and Felix did the same to him, noting the beginnings of bruises on his face. What had happened to his bat? He watched cautiously as Noah’s hand reached toward him, but didn’t have the energy to recoil from the touch. Noah didn’t make contact, though, only indicating his dislocated shoulder with apparent concern, and an offer that briefly confused Felix. Get what? He frowned, his pain-addled brain taking a moment to process what Noah meant before he realized he was offering to help him pop his shoulder back in. No one had ever helped him with his shoulder before. He’d always done it himself. With considerable effort. It was probably easier, and less painful, with help. But why was Noah offering? Probably because he needed Felix in fighting shape, in case more people showed up, he realized. Before he could reply and let him know it was probably more than just a dislocated shoulder, Laurel was snagging Noah’s attention away. Felix trailed him back into the room, stepping neatly over the puddle of blood and bending down to wipe the knife clean on the dead man’s clothes while Noah saw to Laurel. He re-sheathed the blade and stepped back around the blood. He wondered, with a detached sense of curiosity, what the reaction of the mens’ colleagues would be when they found their bodies. With a few moments of time, Felix took the opportunity to assess his injuries. He prodded at his arm in a perfunctory way, gritting his teeth against a hiss of pain. The feeling in his shoulder was familiar, and the pain in his elbow was familiar in a different kind of way. His shoulder was dislocated and he was reasonably certain his elbow was broken. Noah released Laurel from the chair, speaking softly to her, and Felix tuned them out for the moment as he made an effort to compartmentalize his pain. He needed to stay present and clear-headed, and the compartmentalization was a familiar routine that he easily employed, taking a couple of deep and steady breaths to try and get to where he needed to be. When Laurel mentioned a healer, his interest was caught, and he tuned back into their conversation. He knew of course, in an abstract way, that Blackstorm had healers, but it had never occurred to him that he’d ever use one, and so he hadn’t thought to consider the option until it was mentioned. A healer was much better than a hospital. Felix hated hospitals. A healer meant one person and no waiting. His thoughts drifted away a bit on the river of pain, reflecting back on parts of his past in a detached and bitter sort of way, despite his efforts to stay focused. A healer sure would have been useful to him during his childhood. His skin wouldn’t be a ruination of scars if he’d had access to one. He couldn’t help but wonder if a healer could heal old injuries, but quickly banished the thought. He doubted it, and even if they could, he would never ask. He heard Noah introducing him to Laurel as “Kitty”, and it jarred him back to awareness once again. He shot Noah a dark glare, the pain making it harder to keep his usual emotionless mask in place. Laurel got “Hellraiser” and he was “Kitty”?! What a bastard. “I had to get my aggression out somehow or else I’d scratch up the couch,” he snapped when Noah compared the dead man to a rodent that Felix had brought him. His voice was a little strained, even to his own ears, as he tried to distract himself from his throbbing arm and shoulder. “But don’t get used to it; you'll have to invest in a laser pointer at the very least if you want to keep me stimulated.” He hated himself a little bit for playing into the stupid joke, but he thought maybe if he participated in it, too, then Noah would get bored of it. Noah stepped toward him, still concerned over his shoulder, and Felix frowned and shook his head. “My elbow is broken as well. I won’t be able to bend my arm the right way to pop it back, so looks like you’ll have to deal with me being “crooked” a little while longer.” He knew the motion that popping his shoulder back in would take, and he knew his arm couldn’t do that at the moment. A healer would be able to fix the elbow, but his shoulder would need to be relocated before they could heal the muscles and tendons. He didn’t look forward to that, far too familiar with the pain of it. More than the pain, though, having yet another stranger’s hands on him was not going to be pleasant. Then a thought niggled at the back of his mind, and he voiced it before he could think better of it. “Do you have experience with healing?” he asked Noah, hoping the other man would understand the real question behind what Felix was asking and volunteer himself. He didn’t really want any new hands on him tonight, he’d already dealt with enough of that. Noah’s touch would be only mildly better than a complete stranger’s, being slightly more familiar to him, but mildly better was better than nothing. He felt like he knew what to expect from Noah’s touch, that was the only comfort. He wouldn’t ask outright, though. He didn’t want to feel as if he owed Noah anything. He had no reason to think Noah would volunteer to help, because why would he, but if for some reason he did, Felix would accept. He regretted that he wasn’t wearing an extra layer. If he was he could have tied his arm up into a makeshift sling to limit the jostling. A bottle of vodka would have been nice, too, and if he thought he needed it earlier, he wanted it even more, now. He thought briefly of the bottles in Noah’s trunk, but dismissed them. A stiff drink could wait for later, when he was alone. “We should get out of here, before anyone else shows up.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------- TAG: Noah St Cloud OOC: feel free to move Felix around if you need to, to get them out of the building and back to Noah’s car, or whatever. This boy needs a healer! lol

✿

[Noah St Cloud]

[nospaces]

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[attr="class","Noahpostname"]noah st. cloud

[break]

[attr="class","Noahpostlyric"]those walls will make sinners[break]
out of such lovely lads[break]

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[attr="class","Noahpostingbox"]
OOC: Lotsa dialogue. Lemme know for any changes/if I jumped ahead too much![break][break]

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[break]

Spicy kitten, Noah thought, his eyes bright as Felix hissed at him. There was the reaction he’d been looking for. It was an absolute delight to see him scowl and bristle after almost a whole night of impassivity. And to make it better, he was playing into the joke! Talking about clawing the couch and needing a laser pointer, making the gift ideas just pile higher and higher…[break][break]

The fun was lessened somewhat by the strain to Felix’s voice. A note of something not quite right that tried to hide beneath the ire. Poor baby had to be hurt. An assumption which was confirmed a moment later as Felix revealed his elbow was broken.[break][break]

Noah’s smile fell in an instant. “Oh no,” he sighed. “My poor little meowmeow…” How had that happened? Had he underestimated Blondie's speed – or overestimated Felix's? Damn. Noah supposed he’d now be rocking up to Nahlani’s house with two strangers in tow, and hoped she wouldn’t be annoyed about it. He couldn’t afford to inspire reluctance in yet another healer, especially one who was so preferable to her peers.[break][break]

As he was thinking this, Felix asked if Noah had any experience with healing, which at first made him think the other man had taken a hit hard enough to make him confused about what gift Noah had. But he caught on quickly, excitement rocketing through his veins again at the prospect of borrowing a gift and the implication of Felix asking about it. As annoyed as he appeared about the cat thing, he seemed to be suggesting Noah could use the gift on him. That had to mean he'd gained a little of his trust, right?[break][break]

Noah nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, definitely.” Not really. Whenever he’d visited healers, they’d almost always been in near-perfect health; not much for him to test their gift on. “I could do it for you. I'd like to.” And since he was committing to playing doctor, he pulled off his sweater and double knotted the ends of the sleeves together, then held it out to Felix with a lift to his brow. “Sling?”[break][break]

Once he had permission, he carefully hung the loop over Felix’s head, allowing the other man to adjust and put his arm through however he wanted.[break][break]

Laurel spat some blood on the floor, drawing his attention away once more. He frowned at the dark spot she’d made, miniscule compared to the nearby puddle but nonetheless evidence. Someone should probably clean up the mess (‘no body no crime’ always seemed to work best for him) but when Felix suggested they leave, he decided that the someone wouldn’t be him. Once he had a chance to update Blackstorm on Laurel he’d ask them to send someone else. Though he had to wonder, if Blondie and Kyle had friends who happened to stumble upon it first, would they deal with it rather than get police involved?[break][break]

It didn’t matter for the time being. Noah beamed. “Sure thing, short king. Let’s go!” He retrieved his bat from where it had rolled into a corner of the office (thankfully not through the blood), then turned to Laurel as he noticed the tentative way she held herself while shuffling over to the door. “Can you walk alright?”[break][break]

She gave him a flat look. “I lost teeth, not my legs.”[break][break]

“Hah. You’d think that would make you less inclined to back talk, yet here you are.” On the bright side, it probably meant her spirit hadn’t been broken. Less for Blackstorm to fuss over since, in a group like theirs, mental hurts tended to be treated more seriously than physical ones.[break][break]

He blinked, glancing across to the desk where her molars were still sat on top. “Oh right, we should probably bring those with us.”[break][break]

With only a little pushback he made Laurel take them, muttering about dental records (not that there were enough teeth to trace back to her) and about there only being so much healers could do. He took the lead out of the warehouse, silent as he focused on scanning for potential threats, and soon he was holding back the fencing for the other two to slip through.[break][break]

Only when they reached his car did he relax a bit. He returned his bat to the trunk and grabbed the first aid, passing it straight to Laurel for her to do with what she wished. He would offer to help her himself, but he got the sense she wouldn’t let him. Getting her to a gifted healer was the best he could do for her.[break][break]

The trio bundled into his car, and after cheerfully reminding his ‘kids’ to “buckle up,” they set off.[break][break]

“Hey, Siri.” His phone lit up from where he’d attached it to the dash. “Call ‘Scrubs is greater than Gray’s Anatomy’.”[break][break]

It took five rings for Nahlani to answer, her voice muffled and thick with sleep but easy enough to hear on speaker. “Noah?”[break][break]

“Hey, ‘Lani.” He softened his tone for the second time that night. “Sorry for calling so late. You awake?”[break][break]

“Yeah… Yeah. I am now.” He could imagine her sitting up and rubbing at her eyes, squinting at the alarm clock by her bed. “Are you coming over?”[break][break]

“Yeah, plus two others.” He clucked his tongue. “Looks like it could rain.”[break][break]

“Need coats?”[break][break]

“And umbrellas.”[break][break]

“Oh.” It was almost impressive how much worry she could inject into a single word. It wasn’t that serious, no one was dying, but he held back from saying so as he knew their definitions of ‘badly injured’ didn’t exactly align. Besides, it was probably better for her to overprepare than to be caught off guard. “Okay, just – ask your friends to be quiet when they come in, if they can. The kids are sleeping.”[break][break]

Noah shot a pointed look at his passengers. “I will.” He assumed it wouldn’t be an issue. As sassy as Felix and Laurel could be, they didn’t have loud vibes. Not like some of the clumsy brutes he knew. “Thank you.”[break][break]

She sighed. “See you in a bit.” Then she hung up.[break][break]

The roads were even clearer than they had been earlier, so the journey likely wouldn't take as long. Noah let silence reign for all of ten seconds before he glanced across at Felix. “So, the lucky number three thing. Is there any real reason or do you just like its curves when it’s written down?”


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[attr="class","Noahdark2PostTag"]Tag: Felix Golding

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[googlefont=Mr Dafoe:400|Roboto:400,400i,700]

[Felix Golding]

rebellion is the only thing that keeps you alive

Thankfully the other man seemed to understand what he was hinting at and readily agreed to heal him. Felix didn’t know why he would like to, but he was distracted from dwelling on it too much when, a moment later, Noah stripped his sweater off and offered it to Felix as a sling. He hesitated, but ultimately accepted, allowing Noah to hook it over his neck. He carefully maneuvered his arm into it, biting his lip hard against any noise of pain as his broken bone was jostled. It would have been easier if he had help adjusting it, but he didn’t really want it, and he wouldn’t ask. He was as perplexed by Noah offering his sweater as he was by his eagerness to heal him, but he reasoned both things away. He was sure Noah had given him a way to immobilize his arm so that he would still be able to fight, to an extent, if need be. It was the only logical reason that he could see. He adjusted the sheath in his waistband so he could draw with his right hand, just in case. And Noah had probably only agreed to heal him so that he could practice more with the power, to get better at it. It’s what he would have done, if he had the gift that Noah did. It was either that, or Noah was feigning concern to try to earn his trust. He didn’t want to consider that possibility, since he had already planned to let Noah be the one to heal him, and he didn’t want Noah thinking he had succeeded in that endeavor. He also didn’t want to consider why Noah might be trying to earn his trust. So, he dismissed that option for now, if only for his own peace of mind. Noah agreed that they should leave, but lingered a bit longer in the office anyway, fussing over Laurel and gathering things. While he did that, Felix stepped out onto the catwalk at the top of the stairs and surveyed the warehouse, relieved to find nothing obviously amiss. He was anxious that someone else would show up at any moment, though, so he kept watch while the other two finished up with whatever the hell they were doing. The three of them eventually made their way out of the building as quietly as he and Noah had come in. The jostling of going down the stairs was excruciating, even with the sling, but Felix grit his teeth and endured. Noah took point, followed by Laurel, and Felix brought up the rear. He tucked his shirt behind the handle of the knife, knowing if something happened and he had to draw it, doing so with his less dominant hand would be more of a challenge that he needed to compensate for. They made it to the car without incident, but Felix struggled to lower his guard until they were on the road and putting the warehouse behind them. His eyes kept flicking to the side mirror though, making sure they weren’t being followed. He listened to Noah’s conversation with the apparent healer in a detached sort of way, curiously noting his use of code phrases. Was it just paranoia, or was it a knowledge of potential phone surveillance that made them use that language, he wondered. Felix periodically checked his phone for bugs, the way his uncle had taught him, but he wondered if he should be concerned about more than that. He didn’t know how to ask. Noah finished his conversation, but before Felix could decide how to bring up his concerns, Noah was breaking the silence with another of his questions. “It’s just… always been lucky for me. Sort of. Since I was a kid. It’s complicated.” Felix answered automatically. Truthfully, three was both lucky and unlucky for him. To call it his “lucky number” wasn’t accurate, but it sounded better than “personally significant number”. Three was the number of mirrors he’d knocked over and broken when he was three years old—a story his mother had told him many times, and where he was convinced his “bad luck” had begun. Three was the amount of stitches he’d received during his first trip to the emergency room when he was six. It was the amount of guardians he’d gone through before finally being free of the fear and abuse. It was the number of times he’d stabbed the first man he’d [probably] killed. The number of dogs he’d looked at before he’d found Hubble. The number of miles he ran per day. The cigarette he always flipped over as his lucky. And a thousand more things, both good and bad. But he wasn’t about to tell Noah all of that. Yes, he was a superstitious person. No, he didn’t like admitting it. Which was probably a surprise to no one. When Noah had asked the question, Felix’s focus had been torn between blocking out his pain, watching to make sure they weren’t being followed, being highly aware of the stranger in the seat behind him, and ruminating on the issue of potential phone surveillance. Which meant that his distracted brain hadn’t been prepared for sudden interrogation, and so Noah had gotten a free answer out of him. He glared at the man in the driver’s seat. “Stop asking me stuff,” he said, tone accusatory. He wasn’t in any state to guard his responses. While talking might help get his mind off the pain, he didn’t have a lot to talk about without worrying he’d reveal too much about himself. “How far do we have to go?” he asked, though his concern was more for limiting further conversation than getting healed quicker. Despite the prospect of stopping his pain, he wasn’t at all looking forward to the healing process; Noah’s touch was more welcome than a total stranger’s, but Noah was still very much a stranger himself. Felix didn’t totally trust him, but he trusted him not to touch more than he had to, and not to take advantage of him— physically at least— in his weakened state. It was enough to stave off potential panic, but it was still going to be highly uncomfortable for him when the time came. TAG: Noah St Cloud

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[Noah St Cloud]

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[attr="class","Noahpostname"]noah st. cloud

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[attr="class","Noahpostlyric"]those walls will make sinners[break]
out of such lovely lads[break]

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Surprisingly Felix deigned to answer Noah's less-than-serious question. Granted, it was not a full answer, but considering his earlier attempt to get to know him, Noah was reaffirmed in his belief that he was making progress with the man.[break][break]

Yet almost as soon as he'd finished speaking, Felix’s glare burned into the side of his face, apparently angry again despite having given the small divulgence freely. Noah only kept his eyes on the road and tapped at the steering wheel, smirking at the demand to stop asking questions.[break][break]

“But I like asking you stuff,” he replied cheerily. “I think we could be friends.” Wouldn’t that be hilarious? If Felix could eventually be brought to heel? Noah imagined he could do it if he was persistent enough, and entertainment wasn’t the only reward; Felix’s gift was useful. If Noah could cut out the middle man, have a way to contact Felix directly and forge a stronger surety that he would respond, then he could potentially ask him to help with tasks that weren’t necessarily Blackstorm related.[break][break]

He glanced in the rearview mirror, ready to get Laurel involved, but saw her dour expression as she stared out the window and decided to leave her be.[break][break]

All signs seemed to indicate that Felix did not enjoy car journeys with him, with Felix swiftly moving on to ask how far they had left to drive. Noah snorted. But he told him they were close and as promised they were soon parked in front of an average Downtown residence; a narrow townhouse wedged into a row of others just like it.[break][break]

Before they stepped out Noah briefly considered threatening his passengers. Letting them know that he didn’t believe in coincidences and how if Nahlani were to suddenly get hurt or disappear, he’d be checking on them first. He didn’t like it when people messed with his things, after all.[break][break]

Yet he supposed he was being paranoid. What kind of idiot would want to harm a healer? They were so incredibly useful. And if something did happen to Nahlani, it would probably make things easier for him if his suspects didn’t know he was in pursuit.[break][break]

After locking the car he led the way to her door and lightly tapped on the glass. Nahlani opened it a moment later, wrapped up in her dressing gown with her long, dark hair loose. He grinned. She did not return it.[break][break]

“Shit–” Wide-eyed, she took one look at his split lip and reached straight for his neck. He dodged backwards.[break][break]

“I’m fine,” he assured. Her concern was very touching though; it was good to know the late-night house calls hadn't turned her against him yet. He jerked his head towards Laurel, who was loitering on the step behind him like a second shadow. “Her first.”[break][break]

Nahlani visibly hesitated but invited the trio inside, ushering them into her living room and closing the door behind them. Her expression was sympathetic as Laurel gave a stiff explanation of her injuries, and she only cringed once: when Laurel pulled her teeth out of her pocket.[break][break]

(“It’s what she gets for being named after a plant,” Noah interjected at one point, his own expression solemn. “Maybe someone wanted to make her into a wreath and hang her up on their door – liven up their living space.” Nahlani smacked his arm and he pretended it hurt more than it did.)[break][break]

Finally, they were able to answer the question of whether Nahlani could do anything about the teeth. She couldn’t regrow new ones from 'scratch', but she could reattach those that had been pulled out. Noah, of course, was both very smug and very pleased by this development.[break][break]

The process was accompanied by a soft golden glow emanating from Nahlani’s palms, like she was holding lit candles against Laurel’s skin. She'd told Noah, once, that the glow was half of the reason she hadn’t gotten a job in healthcare; because her particular brand of healing was so damn obvious.[break][break]

Once Laurel was fixed up (and sent trailing off to the kitchen to get herself a cookie), Nahlani turned towards Felix. Noah stepped in her path before she could take more than two steps in his direction.[break][break]

“Me next,” he said simply. “Then I can heal him.”[break][break]

Although she looked perplexed, Nahlani reached for Noah once more and this time he didn’t pull away. As always it felt like sinking into a warm bubble bath or a feather-soft bed. A long, full-body massage. All the bumps and hurts, aches he didn’t even realise he had, simply fading into non-existence as he melted into the feel of it, drawing a sigh of relief from his mouth. It made his eyes droop. His limbs loose. It made him sleepy – another reason why Nahlani liked to give her patients a sugar boost after she was done with them.[break][break]

A pleased hum slipped from his throat when it was over, and when he smiled down at her it was languid. “Thank you.” The warmth of her gift remained, settled into his bones and seeping through his skin even as she withdrew her touch.[break][break]

She rubbed at her arms as she stepped back. “Rough night, huh?”[break][break]

“Mm.” There was no need to tell her the details. Experience told him she would stop him if he tried. “Do you want to see if Laurel wants company while I do this?” Laurel did seem awfully quiet; not at all as effusive as he’d imagined she’d be.[break][break]

Her brow quirked, her stare briefly flicking past him to Felix. “I feel like I should supervise, but… okay. Come get me if you need anything.”[break][break]

Once they were alone, Noah spun to face Felix with a wide grin and a lifted brow, drowsiness shoved aside by the excitement sparking through him. The healing would be quicker if he touched his patient’s neck or torso (the heart pumping the ‘goodness’ around, or something like that), but Noah had suspicions on how trying to touch Felix in those places might go. Besides, he needed to fix his elbow before anything else.[break][break]

Noah slipped off his gloves and stuffed them in his pockets as he approached, pausing for a moment to wiggle his fingers at him. “Are you ready?”[break][break]

Once Felix had given his assent, Noah slipped his hand onto Felix’s bare wrist and instantly found something to complain about.[break][break]

“Jeez, Fe,” he whined. “You’re so cold. We need to get you a nice thick coat or something.” It could have been the warmth of Nahlani’s gift under his skin that made Felix feel that way, but Nahlani had never felt that chilly to him. Maybe Felix had a slow metabolism. He was so skinny though…[break][break]

He refocused his thoughts on the task at hand, his hand slipping slightly up Felix's forearm from his wrist, closer to the elbow. He willed the breaks to mend, picturing that warmth seeping into the other man as Nahlani had once instructed, and watched with unabashed curiosity and wonder as the glow gradually grew from his palms and flickered through Felix’s veins.


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[attr="class","Noahdark2PostTag"]Tag: Felix Golding

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[Felix Golding]

rebellion is the only thing that keeps you alive

Felix didn’t reply to Noah’s hint at friendship besides a brief eyeroll, which Noah probably didn’t catch. Noah said they didn’t have far to go, for which Felix was both thankful and apprehensive, and it wasn’t long before they pulled up to a townhouse downtown. Felix gingerly climbed out of the car, hissing briefly in pain but keeping every other noise he wanted to make firmly internal. Laurel followed Noah up the sidewalk, and Felix brought up the rear again. A woman answered the door very soon after Noah knocked, and Felix eyed her speculatively. She looked as if she had gotten out of bed for this, and also as if she were used to late night house calls. She reached for Noah immediately, but he avoided her touch and told her to take care of Laurel first. How normal was it for her to heal people from her doorstep? Seemed potentially reckless to him. He catalogued the room they stepped into once the healer let them in, noting any potential weapons or escape routes more out of paranoid habit than necessity; the woman didn’t trigger his danger sense, but he didn’t know who else might live in the house with her. The woman seemed very familiar and friendly with Noah, and Felix wondered how frequently the other man had to visit her. It must have been relatively often for them to be so comfortable with each other. She dealt with Laurel first, and Felix listened to the back and forth between the three of them with half an ear as he glanced around. He reached for the remote on the coffee table, picking it up and focusing on the memory echoes it contained to get a brief reading on the family. They seemed safe enough based on what he saw, and he replaced the remote quietly, reasonably sure no one had noticed he’d picked it up in the first place. He refocused on the healer when she started to use her gift on Laurel. Her palms shone, gold and bright, and Felix was fascinated. When she was finished, she sent Laurel to get a cookie, and Felix perked up a bit, hoping he got one, too. He wondered what kind they were, and if they were homemade or storebought. He hoped they were homemade, but a cookie was a cookie. When the healer turned toward him, Felix took a step back at the same time that Noah moved between them, heading her off. Giving Felix his back. It wasn’t like he was getting in between Felix and some kind of threat, but the gesture was surprising all the same. It was unusual for anyone to stand between Felix and another person, regardless of the threat level. He brushed it off after the initial shock of surprise. It meant nothing. Noah let the healer know the plan, and despite her puzzled look she complied without argument. Felix stepped out from behind Noah and watched in curiosity as she went to work, wanting to know what to expect when Noah turned the gift on him. He examined Noah’s face as it relaxed and his eyelids drooped a bit, as he sighed and the tension in his shoulders eased. Interesting. When she was through, Noah thanked her and they exchanged a few words before Noah more or less dismissed her. And then they were alone, and Noah was turning on Felix with a grin that seemed far too wide and excited for what he was about to do. He removed his gloves, and Felix just barely kept himself from recoiling in apprehension at the sight of his bare and eager hands combined with the look on his face. He asked if Felix was ready, and Felix nodded even though he wasn’t quite sure that he was. Was Noah going to reach for his neck, the way the healer had done with both Noah and Laurel? He didn’t, though, he reached toward Felix’s hand where it dangled out of the sling, and Felix bit back a gasp at the touch; Noah’s fingers on his bare skin were almost hot. He wondered if it was the healing or if Noah just ran hot like that. Noah seemed to notice the temperature difference, too, commenting on it loudly, and Felix sighed. “I’m always cold,” he snapped. “Just get on with it.”. He couldn’t remember a time when he wasn’t cold. Probably something to do with his lack of sleep, or his terrible diet, or his lack of body fat, or a combination of a multitude of reasons. He’d never given it much thought, honestly. It was just another discomfort for him to endure. The grip on his wrist was light and tingling, but he only just managed to fight the impulse to jerk away from it. Not only would the movement hurt, because of his elbow, but he understood that contact was required for the healing. Noah stopped holding his wrist after a moment, hand slipping further into the sling of the sweater, sliding up Felix’s forearm, and probably feeling the raised scar tissue along it. Most of it wasn’t self-inflicted, but people tended to assume all of it was when they saw the damage, which was why he wore long sleeves in public. He mentally braced himself for the questions and comments that Noah would probably come up with. The contact remained light and gentle, almost giving him goosebumps, and Felix clenched his jaw against the feeling. Welcome touches were foreign to him, especially skin to skin contact. He could scarcely remember the last time his skin had been touched by another person. The warmth from the touch started to spread, and Felix tried not to fight it, unsure if it would matter either way. As the heat reached his broken elbow and turned into fire, he panicked a little, realizing Noah was about to heal his broken bone without setting it first. A spike of anxiety shot adrenaline through him at the thought. He didn’t know how necessary setting the bone was when using a healing gift, but he didn’t want to risk his elbow healing crooked and having to be rebroken and healed again. Did Noah have experience healing broken bones? Maybe the healer should have stayed for guidance after all. Felix grabbed his broken limb on impulse, jerking it straight himself. He was unable to completely tamp down a strangled groan of pain as a result, an instant before the healing energy caught up, and he bit the noise off as the pain was soothed. His shoulder couldn’t be helped at the moment. He just had to hope the slowly healing tendons didn’t become too tight to pop the limb back into place. The heat of the healing spread slowly up his arm, soothing the ache of his shoulder, feeling like it was flowing through his veins as slow as honey. It suddenly sped up when it hit his chest, and a gasp was wrenched from his throat at the sudden and shocking jolt of something almost like pleasure. He felt almost… good. It was strange. He didn’t know how to deal with it. It was so unfamiliar that he wasn’t sure he liked it. His elbow was fixed, the ligaments of his shoulder had stopped aching, and even the ache in his bad knee was gone, an ache so familiar and persistent that he hadn’t realized it had been such a constant presence for the last fifteen years. His eyelids drooped, the same way Noah’s had. He felt like he was seconds away from falling asleep on his feet, years of insomnia catching up to him all at once. He swayed a bit where he stood, toward Noah, before he caught himself and righted his footing. He wasn’t supposed to feel so good, he wasn’t supposed to be so relaxed. It was dangerous, all of it. “Wait. No. Stop it,” he muttered urgently, jerking away from Noah’s touch and the deceptively euphoric feeling that came with it. It all felt so overwhelmingly wrong. The tingling feeling persisted once Noah’s touch was gone, but it wasn’t as intense, and he silently willed it to quickly fade away. “Are you sure you were doing that right?” he asked as he bent his arm to test that his elbow had healed correctly. It seemed fine. He still felt echoes of that strange tingling throughout his body, but he was healed, at least. “Seems like it was successful but… it didn't feel right.” Felix scowled to himself. He shoved the loop of the sweater off his neck and pushed it at Noah, returning it to him, not needing the sling for his elbow anymore. His extremities were still tingling a bit, reminding him of the staticky prickle that happened when blood rushed suddenly to a sleeping limb. Hot and almost itchy. Like his nerve endings didn’t know how to deal with the sensation of something other than pain and discomfort. His brain didn’t know how to deal with it either, and he still felt that sense of wrongness, though it was fading a bit as the buzz from the healing faded. “Is it always like that?” he couldn’t help but ask. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- TAG: Noah St Cloud OOC: first post back got away from me a bit wordcount wise lol

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