A London Reality [London, England]

[Hayden]

The phone in his nightstand buzzed.  Hayden looked at his clock on his bed stand and groaned.  It was 3 am he'd only been in bed for half an hour.  Fucking bullshit!

He rolled over blurry-eyed and tugged the drawer open and found the secret phone at the bottom of the junk inside.  It always fell to the bottom no matter what he did.  Better that way but still annoying in the middle of the night, and it was the middle of the fucking night.

He didn't bother sitting up as he tabbed through security to get into the phone. 

  Cuz. Special mark coming your way. Handle with care. [dossier attached]   

Hayden sighed.  That couldn't wait till morning.  Arrival time was a few days away.  Hayden didn't bother looking at the attached information beyond arrival time.  He had plenty of time to get clean sheets and straighten up the space.  Not that anyone had stayed there in a while, most Atharim passing through were just that -- passing through and needed supplies.  On to bigger and better things.  Hayden didn't much care.  That this one was staying was special. But that his cousin several times removed had sent him a personal warning was unique.  Meant it mattered to her -- for whatever reason.

Hayden rolled over and closed his eyes.  Hopefully sleep came again otherwise he was going to be a fucking mess.

[Nox]

Trains, boats and buses -- all expenses paid by the Atharim -- and Sage. Jacob was annoyed that Nox hadn't just flown. There was still a bit too much terror in that and terror and the horde did not seem like the best combination -- which Jacob had relented to when reminded of the damage Nox might do in such a confined terrifying place. And not to mention Nox's own fear of flying on top of it.

The safe house Nox arrived at was above a bar, Harbour House. The bar itself was not part of the safe house -- no Atharim markings adjoined the signage which was good to know. Nox was relieved to find no one in the residence designated for Atharim. It was a hole in the wall place meant for just this type of adventure -- a safe place to crash with a drink below. There was no gear, no computer just the bare necessity of a roof over your head. More than he had at times back home.

Nox set his things down on the bed and grabbed his laptop from his back pack and went down stairs. The interior stairs led straight to the bar, it wasn't inside it but he didn't even have to leave the building. Nice touch, wondered what the owner thought about having Atharim living above them. Maybe they knew -- maybe not.

The bar wasn't empty at this hour. It wasn't loud by any means but it was more relaxed that any place he'd been to recently. Then again he'd been living above a burlesque club and fighting in a fight club -- everything was tame compared to either.

Nox set his laptop on the bar as he sat down and waited for the bartender to come over. He was a little taller than himself, with tossled blonde hair and piercing green eyes. He smiled and Nox couldn't help but return it. Felt good to see a smile -- felt good to smile. At least a real one where he hadn't been faking it. "What can I get you?"

"Sam Adam's Red?" Nox asked.

"Can't really do that. You want a recommendation?" the bartender retorted as he leaned on the bar in front of him.

"Sure. One and only one, whatever you recommend." Nox flirted as he pulled out a credit and slid it across the bar for payment. Didn't matter the cost, it was on the Atharim.

"Only one? You haven't even tasted it yet."

"I don't drink more than one of anything stronger than a beer."

The bartender started making a drink. Nox watched the ingredients and wasn't certain exactly what it was. But it was definitely stronger than a beer.

"Low tolerance? You look like a guy who could chew nails."

"I try not to do that. Bad for the teeth."

They both laughed. Nox added. "Also on the clock." Nox patted the laptop.

The bartender smiled with a nodded. "I'll bring it over, start a tab, want any food? Cook'll be here soon."

Nox nodded. "Surprise me."

[Hayden]

So he'd looked at the dossier of his latest guest. There wasn't much on him. Even the Atharim didn't have much on this guy. He was an American -- young, cute.

Searching for him on the internet had show up even less than the Atharim, except for some edited videos that had a ton of views. Hayden of coursed watched it and was pleasantly surprised and deeply disturbed by it all.

Men who could do magic wasn't unknown, but it still scared the fuck out of him. He had hoped never to meet one of them. He knew they were bad news -- new those sick kids died at Atharim hands. He'd cleaned up a few messes they'd made in the past. But fuck, he never wanted to meet a real one. And what the fuck was he doing working with the Atharim.

He sent Zephyr a respond telling her he'd greeted their guest and that he would stand by for more orders.

It took only a few moments before she responded back Watch his back. Make sure he does his job. Terminate if he fails. The parameters of his job were interlaced in the message he received. This was why they sent him here. Hayden sighed, fucking waste.

Not every man when smiled at smiled back. Not every man flirted in return. At least it would be fun getting to know him. Not a fucking chore like some of the hard cases that came through.

He came down to work and Hayden started making him Godfather of course with a Sebastian House whiskey -- Dad would be proud, even if Ethan was pursuing a House label tequila now. The label would sell well, and Hayden would add it to the top shelf, but the locals liked their IPAs and local brews best.

When Dante showed up Hayden put in an order for fish and chips, give the American a taste of London done proper.

[Nox]

The booth Nox chose was in the corner, he sat so he could glance up and watch the bartender. Wasn't much unlike what he did at Kallisti. A pang of guilt stabbed at his heart and he set into looking up information about his first mark. He said he'd look at them all. Said he'd not make a blanket assessment. He had a name, a company and all the basic information that the Atharim had on him.

And he had the whole Atharim database at his disposal. Among other things -- that the Atharim didn't necessarily count on. Nox didn't plan on using Sage, but he was always there. Always watching and every once and a while his friend would point him to an article that would be helpful. He hoped that would be the case this time too. But for now he dug deep himself. He'd done it all his life. He and Aurora. That also pulled at his heart strings. He still missed his sister. Missed his sweatshirt but it had been for a good reason. Even if he'd just been looking at another guy. They were over. Nox had to remind himself -- he was doing nothing wrong.

The bartender brought Nox fish and chips with his drink that he remade when the food was ready. He'd brought water with lemon before that citing "It'll go better with food."

Nox smiled at the personal service. "It's Nox, by the way."

He smiled back with a tip of his imaginary hat. "I know. Hayden." Hayden returned to his position at the bar and Nox watched him walk away biting his bottom lip. He let his imagination run wild for a few minutes before he settled back into his work. The Atharim had very little proof that this guy was bad. Nox needed to find something or the deal was off.

---

The business man in question wasn't killing people. He wasn't using people -- at least nothing that could be out and out be contributed to the power of the gods. He was good at what he did. And the details of the Atharim were even harder to dig through than Nox had anticipated.

He sat in the booth with water and more food delivered by Hayden and a brief respite of flirting was had each time the bartender arrived and left. It was a nice distraction and Nox anticipated that had been the idea. A bell tolled signaling last call and Nox looked at his watch almost expecting it to be earlier than it was. "Fuck."

There were two glasses of wine left on the table from when Hayden made an interruption. Hayden locked down the door after the last guest slipped out and nodded towards the entrance Nox had come in through, "Your way is still unbarred."

"I'm working on it. Just a bit slow today." Nox was a little stiff from sitting all day. He wasn't sure how people did it all the time. He hated it.

"Don't worry about it. Stay as long as you like." He said sitting down in the booth next to Nox. "I guess you were serious when you said only one."

Nox smiled. "My dad drank himself to death. I prefer not to follow in his footsteps, so I don't tempt myself with numbness."

Hayden nodded his head. "You just say whatever, no matter what?"

"No point in hiding things. People will either beleive me or not. Lying gets me no where. I'll keep a secret, to save lives, but that's different."

"So you're always blunt and to the point."

Nox shrugged. "Try to be. Though I'm not very good at articulating my feelings or thoughts. I tend to ramble and talk non-sense."

Hayden chuckled. "Okay, so I'll be blunt then. You wanna go upstairs? I'll work out those kinks in your neck, and we'll see where your not drunk self takes this? Or do I have the wrong idea."

Nox laughed. "No you got it right. I'm not in town long."

Hayden stood up and grabbed the two wine glasses, downing one that he'd started and nodded towards the stairs. "You work for some very shady people, staying in my very shady guest apartment, totally expect you to disappear in a day or two without word. But I'm not going to pass up a chance to see that body naked, so I figure you like blunt. I'll be blunt."

Nox laughed. "I like a man who knows what he wants." The words left his lips and Nox didn't look back as he shut his laptop and followed Hayden upstairs. It seemed he'd gotten the answer to what the owner thought of having the Atharim for guests.

[Hayden]

He watched Hayden as he worked. Nox seemed able to divide his attention like he'd been doing it for a while. Hayden wondered what a guy like him was doing in a bar like this working for the Atharim. He was evil incarnate if you asked his cousin and her intrepid bunch of fanatics. It had been part of his family legacy but not his or his fathers. Though they did get wrangled into the business. It left for interesting work, but Hayden much preferred the bar than the cleaning.

The kid -- and he wasn't much older than that honestly, he was true to his word and only drank the one glass of wine he'd said he would. Two still sat warm on the table in front of him. When he closed up Hayden drank the untouched drink as he sussed out the man before him.

It wasn't a usual thing, but this guy was good looking, he flirted with Hayden and it wouldn't hurt either of them if he tried. Fuck his cousin and her warnings, but that lingering ability sat in the back of Hayden's mind -- he could easily kill him. But there was a certain amount of thrill in that as well.

Nox followed him upstairs and Hayden used his own spare key to open the door he was letting out. Nox didn't seem to mind. There was a small smile on his lips.

What might have been awkward was not. Nox made himself at home, taking off his shoes and putting everything down. He tossed his bag from the bed to the chair in anticipation.

Hayden spoke first. "Are you sure you don't want more." Hayden took a slow sip and swallowed with purpose. Nox's eyes never left his lips. There was a hesitation in his companion's body language so Hayden made the first move. He closed the distance sipping from the wine glass and kissed the man letting the wine trickle into his mouth.

Nox chuckled. "Okay, maybe a little more." And the rest was as they say history.

[Nox]

Nox had gone back on one rule as he and Hayden spent the rest of his first night in London in the guest apartment above Hayden's bar. He shared the last glass of wine with Hayden. At first it had just been a sip and then Hayden kissed him with a mouthful of the red liquid. It hadn't taken them a long time to finish the glass or find themself tangled in the sheets of the bed.

There was no way to flee when their night wound down. When their bodies were spent and sweaty. Hayden fell asleep naked next to Nox and he tried to sleep. The warmth next to him a comfort and an anxiety all at the same time. Nox drifted to sleep several times only to be woken when he bumped into the warm body next to him, or Hayden's arm flung over his body rousing Nox from a light sleep.

It wasn't relatively uneventful sleep -- almost peaceful in comparison. The horde was sated -- not from the violence, but from the pure satisfaction Nox had from being with a guy. Wasn't about love -- wasn't even about the procreation -- it was all about the truth of the matter -- Nox felt something more than just pleasure.

The horde didn't want love. Didn't want a family. It didn't want carnal sex. It wanted to make a life. And what that meant for the horde was procreation -- to spread to live on. For a human that biological impulse was different. Nox remembered the horde feeling sated with Raffe -- saw him as food but never reacted more -- he was sated. Nox's breath caught in his throat as he made the realization.

"Missing someone?"

Nox blinked and turned his head towards Hayden as the other man draped his arm over Nox's chest. "Something like that. More that I realized I've been doing something wrong for a while."

"Girls and not boys?"

Nox laughed. "Yeah. But I had someone. He feed a need I didn't quite understand until now."

Hayden smiled and rolled over on top of Nox with a sly smile. "Do you want me to leave?"

Nox shook his head. "No. No, I don't." Nox pulled Hayden down and whispered into the kiss. "I want you to fuck me."

[Hayden]

Hayden had forgotten about the Atharim. Forgotten about the bits he didn't care about. And in the night that passed he connected with Nox on a different level. It was easy to read someone when intimate. And there was a lot going on for Nox. The way his body moved, the way he paid attention to things. Hayden learned more from a close encounter than he would have in ten days talking to the man.

He knew there was someone else. Knew that this was an important moment in his life. The hesitation wasn't because he was new to being with guys, which Hayden was not surprised to find out, but was surprised by how much the kid talked when given the chance.

Most of their night had been covered in sweat and sex. But the morning, Nox made breakfast. He'd slipped out while Hayden slept found a grocery and bought breakfast. Hayden woke to sizzling bacon, fresh coffee and a traditional American breakfast being plated. Not his typical wake up with anyone. Hayden didn't particularly like breakfast in the morning but it was sweet and delicious.

And his confession did nothing to hamper Hayden's attraction to Nox. This wasn't a love thing. It wasn't even a mission. In the short time he'd known Nox he had started to like him. Most hunters he'd met were the love'm and leave'm type. Nox was likely no different except that he had a loss. It was written all over his body when he thought Hayden wasn't looking. When they weren't engrossed in conversation or passion, Nox was distant and sad even though he showed very little sign of it on the outside. Hayden wanted to help.

And of course there was the hot guy in the room. Sex was never too far from his mind while he stood there bearing all his scars in his boxers. He still had bruises and Hayden didn't want to know how he lost the arm. His life was fucked up enough, Hayden didn't need someone elses nightmares.

[Nox]

There might have been a third round after the second -- something to do with payment for an epic breakfast Nox had made. Hayden still lounged half naked on Nox's bed while Nox sat in a chair across the room fully showered and on his laptop.

"Anyone say you work too much?"

Nox grinned. "Just everyone ever." But this god wasn't going to kill himself but he might not either.

Hayden pulled himself distractingly up from the bed and Nox watched as he padded over to him and wrapped his arms around his neck and looked down at what Nox was reading.

An article on the screen said something to the effect. "Talks looked bad -- Sold!" Hayden growled. "That one was sure to fail. Fucking bullshit."

"What do you mean?" Nox asked.

Hayden removed the laptop from his lap and set it on the coffee table in front of him and took its spot on his lap. He then enlightened Nox to all the ways this deal was bad. How the man who closed it was going to fuck over all of the little people in the neighborhood. And the company who had been bought -- they were were against the merger from the start for those reasons. Then all of a sudden it was golden -- a done deal. It was compulsion at its finest. Nox sighed. Saving lives wouldn't fix the deal -- but it might help them realize things went to shit. At least he'd stop it from happening to some other poor saps who had no say in the matter.

"You look sad."

Nox smiled and kissed Hayden changing the topic. Round four was far more fun, but at the end Hayden disappeared upstairs to his own apartment. "Stop by the bar tonight if you are still here or not out doing whatever it is you are here to do."

[Hayden]

He'd spent most of the day with Nox. He needed a nap if he was going to be in the bar for a full shift -- not that it mattered but his regulars might mind. They came in not only for the booze but also the talking. And Hayden enjoyed his customers. Loved their lives and wanted to help.

He popped off a message on the secret phone telling Zef the kid was talked into finishing the mark, so they just had to wait and see what happened.

She was happy it was a quick job, but the message came across as she wouldn't beleive it till she saw it. Hayden was sure this guy would kill if he set his mind to it. There hadn't been any doubt in his body language. Nothing to suggest now that he'd made up his mind he wouldn't do it. It was almost scary to see the certainty in his face when Hayden told him about the bad shit that guy was capable of.

Why the Atharim wanted him dead though, that wasn't Hayden's concern. He didn't care. He made his back up plan to kill Reggie Hill, but he hoped he didn't have to enact it. He hated doing it. Hated that part of the job. But when you are a contract cleaner you do what the money says you do.

Hayden dug a little deeper into Nox. He couldn't find much, but he did find out where he worked prior, where that video had come from, and the underground club where he fought. And he made a few calls. He had a feeling that Zef was going to ask him to do more than clean up after him. He needed to know what he had to deal with, and how to get more information if the internet wasn't going to be much help.

[Nox]

There was a press conference. It was a public venue. A gun shot to the head would be bad -- a heart attack if done well could work. That was his plan. Watching that Atharim die was painful, but it was a good attempt to hide the cause of death in plain sight.

And that would have been great, probably worked like a champ if the target hadn't felt the power when Nox seized it. If the target hadn't swatted away the weaves before they even got close.

What made it worse was Nox had to make an escape in a city he didn't know. There were cameras everywhere. Literally everywhere.

And Sage wasn't available at a drop of a hat. But Nox managed to get away from anyone pursuing him. Thankfully it hadn't been the cops only some lowly security personnel hired by the godling. No one got a good look at him. He hoped. But this was a fuck up he didn't want to deal with again. He still needed to bring the guy down, if only he couldn't see what he was doing. There had to be a way.

Nox found himself at the bar below the safe house. Hayden offered him a single glass of wine and brought out food while Nox brooded over his thoughts. The bartender didn't bother him. Just brought him water with lemon after the first drink and offered Nox a gentle touch when his hand brushed across Nox's.

He said nothing at closing time as he took Nox's hand and lead him upstairs. Nox was lost in his head. Thinking about how best to hide his weaves thinking about his sister and how she'd handle it with science -- there had to be a trick with the way you handled the power. How would it be an effective fighting implement in the god wars if the other gods saw what was coming at them. It'd be just as simple to snuff out the wielder as it was the weave itself. There had to be a way.

Hayden didn't say anything that night. And they didn't have sex, but Hayden didn't seem to mind as he tucked Nox in and laid down beside him. Nox had to give Hayden credit. He was good at his job. He'd probably make a great therapist too. But bartender had a few extra benefits to it -- one it wasn't frowned upon sleeping with your clients.