Archive of Our Own

Angelo sighed heavily as he dropped himself into a seat. The subway rumbled beneath him, bouncing in tune to the tracks. There was still some time before the next stop, and he wasn't quite as keen as their target was to jump on the live tracks. 

They were still in one piece. After everything... That felt like something they should be celebrating. That sentiment didn't seem to be shared by his partner, though. Not if the way he was pacing the car was anything to go off of. As Kelcy turned to start walking back towards him, Angelo caught a glimpse of something in his hand. He seemed to be...Studying a piece of paper?

Or... Was that a photo?

"What'cha got there, Kels?" Angelo asked, leaning forwards to rest his elbows on his knees. "Please don't tell me that's, like... A photo of your family who Mr. Munchies out there killed or nothin'. Is going after him like revenge or something?" Ah. A moment too late, and Angelo snapped his mouth shut. What if Kelcy was actually about to tell him some sort of tragic past? 

Kelcy just stopped in front of him with an exasperated huff. "It's not mine. Gavril dropped it, I would imagine." He turned the photo over as he held it out for the other to take. A wave of relief washed over Angelo as he reached out as well. Social faux pas avoided, however temporarily!

The photo was fuzzy on the edges against his fingers, creased along the white sections. The picture itself was... Surprisingly well-kept. Angelo recognized their escaped target in the photo, though he looked much younger—Had he dyed his hair black since this photo...? A lot had changed, but the resemblance was uncanny. The other person in the image, though, he wasn't sure what to do with. Pale skin, long hair, a hat—The two of them looked happy, at least. 

It was a shame Gavril hadn't kept to that life.

"... 'Punk Rat Poison', huh? Wonder what that's got to do with anything..." Angelo murmured, reaching up to scratch his goatee. "And I wonder if this other guy is associated with our guy..." 

Kelcy was still for a long moment. With two pairs of sunglasses between them, Angelo hadn't expected to be feeling the full weight of Kelcy's stare so frequently—It was making him a little nervous. 

"... Angelo. Why don't you explain to me what you know about Gavril?" 

Uh oh. He'd really hoped that Kelcy had forgotten about that little slip-up. Angelo couldn't help but reach up to tug on his already-loose collar, staring at the opposite wall of the train. "Ah, well... Look, is this about me skimming his file? Honestly, I... Didn't think it'd all be exactly relevant. So I just read the most important parts! I mean—I know about the goo, he's got a bunch of counts of theft... I know we can't confirm his kill count. He doesn't leave anything but missing person reports behind in the areas he passes through..." Angelo began to trail off, nervously glancing back at Kelcy.

Kelcy crossed his arms. "So you really didn't read much of it? I—Alright, look..." With a pause, Kelcy sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "… Damn it. This is serious, Angelo. If you'd read that file, you'd know you did sign up for this. For exactly this." Pulling his hand out of his hair, Kelcy gestured to the empty scene in front of them. 

Angelo dropped his arm back into his lap, and carefully fidgeted with the soft edge of the photo again. Now that Kelcy had pointed it out, the lack of movement in the car was... Deafening. The wheels clattered on the tracks, clearer than Angelo had ever heard them before without the soft murmur of passengers, or the shuffling of bags and limbs. 

How many people had been in this car? Was it just a couple? Was it full? When the missing persons reports came, would it truly include everyone who'd been on the train? 

Would they ever know?

Kelcy shook his head. “You’re right, though. We don’t know how many people are dead. We don’t know how that goddamn sludge works. There’s a lot that we don’t know yet.” Kelcy grabbed the overhead railing, and leaned down to stare at Angelo. “But we do know some things. We got lucky this time—But we shouldn’t have to rely on luck.” 

Ouch. Kelcy had been more upset about that than he’d let on, apparently. "... I know enough about him now?" Angelo tried to salvage, looking up at Kelcy. "I'll be ready for next time. I promise you that."

Angelo watched tension leave Kelcy’s shoulders, and caught a raised eyebrow above his sunglasses. "Next time…? There doesn't need to be a next time," He stated after a moment, before straightening up and turning away with his arms crossed. "You can go. There's other missions, other assignments—Safer, more mundane. Something more your speed. I'm not going to make you go up against Gavril again. You were lucky to survive this time," He reiterated, a touch of exhaustion creeping into his voice. 

Angelo winced slightly, leaning back and setting the photo down on the seat next to him. As he did, his wrist brushed up against his gun—And he glanced down to check on it.

He’d used a lot of bullets before realizing that it didn’t do much to the carnivorous sludge—But he hadn’t really done much with it after that. He reached down and unholstered it, carefully removing the mag to separate the bullets. He was expecting to be low, sure—But ice shot through his heart as he stared into the hollow space.

He’d shot his last bullet at Gavril, to save Kelcy.

"... I'll admit it. Lucky is an understatement,” Angelo started, putting his gun back together and re-holstering it. “But... You were lucky too, that I was there." Angelo offered up tentatively. "I mean—Gavril had you pretty pinned down, ‘nd he certainly sounded like he meant business. And you only brought your taser against this guy?" Angelo gestured vaguely as Kelcy turned halfway back. "That bullet didn't even slow him down after the first shock. I know you don’t use guns often, but—Do you even understand how wild that is?" He was getting animated now—He couldn't stop his knee from bouncing nervously. 

He hadn't shot to kill. Kelcy had to have known that—It was a painful spot, surely, but not a lethal one. And yet—Gavril had walked it off. More than walked—he ran and jumped off of a train. 

And there was no blood. None whatsoever. Only that single curl of sludge that'd spilled out. The train’s floor remained pristine, despite the violence that it had seen in the past hour. "Kels, you'd've been dead if I didn't slug him in the shoulder. And if that barely slowed him down—What the hell d'you think a taser is gonna do?"

Kelcy remained silent, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly. They eventually found their place in an unsettled frown. With a sigh, he stepped back over and reached out for the photo on the seat. He took its place, shoulder to shoulder with Angelo. "... Maybe he wouldn’t have killed me. Who knows? He might've let me go, if he thought I'd be more fun to him alive," He mused. He leaned forwards and rested his elbows on his thighs, tilting the picture back and forth as he studied it. "He's done that one before."

Angelo scoffed, and reached up to put his hands behind his head. "Sure. And I'm in the running for a Nobel fuckin' Prize. You needed me there." Angelo paused at that. He didn’t entirely mean it when he said it, but… The more he though about it, the more it made sense. One-on-one against Gavril wasn’t fair. The sludge saw to that. Kelcy needed a partner—Even if he wouldn’t admit it. Right? And Angelo had pulled through. 

That was a feeling that he wasn't keen on giving up so easily. Even if it meant seeing that gooey cannibal bastard again. "Look, Kels—You don't want to use your actual gun. I—In this situation, y'know, I don't entirely get that, but I hear ya. I don't wanna die. And I don't want you to die either. So, y'know... I think we can make this work." Angelo grinned, and stuck his hand out. "What d'ya say? Angelo and Kelcy, the dynamic duo?"

Kelcy stared at his hand for a moment, before turning in his seat and sighing. His hand was solid in Angelo's a moment later, and Angelo couldn't help but grin. 

"If you're serious, you're going to be reading that file. I'll read it to you, if that's what it takes. Non-negotiable." There was the barest hint of a smile on his face, and a light playfulness to his tone—But he meant it, that much Angelo could pick up on.

Angelo sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "Geez, fine. When I have time, I'll trawl through it..." Bo-ring. What was there to really read, other than half-baked speculations and forensic analyses? Angelo wasn’t interested in the nitty gritty—Just the action would do. 

Kelcy snorted, a muffled laugh. Above them, a bell rung—And the next stop was announced. Kelcy stared at the ceiling for a moment before standing up. "... I think you'll have plenty of time on the plane for a review."

Angelo stood up too, raising an eyebrow. "What plane? Kels, there ain't no way Gavril's gettin' that far so quick. He'll probably be in the city for a while yet, on foot—What the hell would we need a plane for?"

Kelcy stepped over to the door as the station arrival message played overhead. "How many airports are there in the city, Angelo?"

Angelo grabbed onto a railing as the train slowed. "Uh... Three, but what's that got to do with anything...?"

As the door opened, Kelcy lightly waved the photograph. "If this photo means what I think it means... New York is just an access point. Gavril's not interested in staying here much longer. And with more options to go through than we can watch, with multiple flights leaving regularly... I think we should try to anticipate his next move."

Angelo followed Kelcy out the door, and through the turnstiles. "And his next move is the airport...?"

"Mm. How do you feel about L.A.?"

Angelo tilted his head. "L.A.? I've never been. Hot chicks and hotter temps...? 'Least, that's what I've heard.”

Kelcy stared at him for a long moment. “… Well, that’s one way to put it, I suppose.”

With a shrug of his shoulders, Angelo put his hands in his pockets. “Hey, you asked. What in the hell makes you think L.A.'s where he's heading, anyways? The airports are international—He could go damn near anywhere. And doesn’t L.A. have a whole mess of airports too…? The chances of finding him there don’t feel much better than here…”

Kelcy sighed as he climbed the steps out of the subway. A pair of mice scurried across their path, back down into the subway.

“Y’know, maybe you should read that file. It might answer a lot of your questions.”

Angelo groaned, rolling his eyes. “You’re killin’ me here, Kels. If you think that’s where he’ll be though, I believe it. You’ve never led me astray before.” Sure, this might’ve been the first and only time so far—But given the way Kelcy had tracked down Gavril tonight, it almost felt like the guy had a sixth sense for slime. Besides, it was no skin off of Angelo’s back if he was wrong—They’d just have to travel again. What a shame.

With a wave of his hand, Kelcy started trying to flag down a taxi. “Let’s hope I continue that streak, then. The sooner Gavril’s detained, the safer everyone will be.”

Angelo glanced behind himself at the entrance to the subway one last time. He took in the flow of people walking in and out, unaware of the cannibalistic threat walking somewhere below their feet.

Kelcy stepped away towards the road, trying to catch the attention of the busy cabs. Angelo took a deep breath, and murmured to himself.