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ikenbar · 3 years

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Mr. Love: Ike’s Choice CH4 PT11

Second to last part until Chapter four comes to a close! I’ll hate to see it go but I’ll be back on my regular schedule after this. Not to mention, Chapter five has got to be one of my favorites. It’s one I actually go back and read when I have spare time! So get excited!! :D

Warnings: Blood, fainting, setting of a dislocated arm (you more hear about it then witness it), cleaning wounds, we got fluff, we got angst (only a tiny bit tho), and we got some of that sweet farm raised and grass fed cliffhangers!! :D

(Chapter Four (Victor and Gavin) Prologue, and part one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten can be found here!)

Please read the author’s note (and the beginning of the story) on chapter one part one if you’re new here :D

And an additional note in a previous part of chapter four part three here! (I promise these notes are important)

Chapter four:

Part ten:

“No bodyguards.” I insisted for the uptenth time as Adri and I climbed the stairs to my apartment, “I told you I’m fine. Just a minor scrape.”

“It’s not your scrape that makes me worried.” Victor’s voice had a sense of importance, “It’s how you got it. You were driven off the road, Ikamara! What if you had gotten killed?!”

“It takes a lot more than a few cars and guns to kill me, Victor.”

“Ike-”

“Victor,-” I interrupted, moving the phone to my shoulder to grab my keys from my pocket, “I’m-” I grunted. A sharp pain rushed through my chest. I gripped my side and I handed the phone to Adri. “Talk to victor for me while I grab my keys.” I groaned, trying to keep face. Adri nodded slowly then held the phone up to her ear.

“Hey Vicky!... It’s a no to ‘Vicky?’ Alright, well, Ike blasted some holes in their tires. They aren’t going anywhere. I promise. And, if they do, you’ll be the first person we call, ok?... alright police first, and then you!” Adri paused a moment as she listened to Victor, “... You want to send a doctor?... Well...” Adri gave me a once over. I threw the keys into my door knob and yanked the phone from Adri’s ear.

“No doctors.” I deadpanned, “I’ve dealt with worse injuries than these. We’ll be fine…” I unlocked my door but didn’t open it right away. I looked over to Adri, “... Although, one thing is strange to me.”

“What tipped you off? Was it the fact that you were thrown off the road by a bull headed man, perhaps?” Victor asked with sourness on his tongue.

“No, My-”

“Hold on.” Adri took my phone again but, instead of putting it to her ear, tapped the speaker phone button and held it up between us, “Sorry, V. I was hearing one part of this conversation and it was getting old. Please, Ike.” She gestured for me to continue.

“... Thanks, Adri.” I cleared my throat, “My evol makes it so I have nearly impenetrable skin. Not even bullets can get through it... if that’s the case-”

“Then what cut your arm?” Victor and Adri had caught on quickly as they asked the same question at the same time. I looked down at my arm.

“I don’t know. The last time I remember being cut this bad was when I was younger and my evol was still developing.”

“Didn’t you get a cut on your date?” Victor asked, “Do you know what could have caused it?”

“No. I-” I paused, “... that waiter’s cufflink. It was what tore at my shirt so it must have been what cut me too.”

“Do you remember what kind of cufflink it was?” Victor asked. I looked down and hummed in thought.

“Wait.” Adri said, snapping her fingers, “Some construction work requires them to drill or grind into hard and heavy materials so that the building can be sturdy under certain conditions such as earthquakes or thunderstorms.”

“Interesting fact.” I rolled my eyes, “What does that have to do with-”

“Some of the equipment they use had diamonds embedded in them.”

Something clicked in my head.

“The waiter’s cufflink,” I said slowly, “It must have had a diamond in it as well…”

“Exactly.” Adri nodded.

“Ike,” Victor said, gravely, “Did Montu see your injury?” I felt my blood run cold.

“I… I don’t know.” I gasped, thinking hard about the events that had just transpired, “We were talking for some time but... I don’t think he knew I was hurt… but I was covered in blood.”

“Maybe he thought it was mine.” Adri said quickly and reassuringly, “You were bleeding on me when we were hiding in the ceiling.”

“Let’s hope that’s true.” Victor seemed to have said that more to himself then to me, “... Are you two sure you’re alright being alone right now? If not I can send someone over to-”

“We’re alright.” I reassured, though a little unsure, “No need to send anyone. If I really do need someone over... I have my neighbor. He’s a cop so he’ll be able to protect us if we need it.”

“... He?” Victor asked in a strange tone.

“... Yeah? Why?”

“Nothing. I’ll let you go then. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Alright.” I said, complicated feelings rising in my chest, “Hey, send me a bill for your tires. It was my fault they were-”

“Stop.” Even over the phone, Victor’s tone was still harsh enough to silence me, “It wasn’t your fault. I’ve got it handled so don’t worry about it.”

I sighed, “... Thank you, Victor.”

“If you feel as if you can’t go to work tomorrow-”

“I’ll be there.” I said quickly.

“... Ok. Get some sleep.”

“You too.”

“I will. Good night, Ike.”

“Good night, Victor.”

“Good night, V!” Adri chimed.

“... Good night, Adrienne.” Victor sighed. I hung up the phone and Adri tossed it to me, a teasing smirk rising from her lips.

“For a moment it felt like you two had forgotten about me.” She taunted, wiggling her eyebrows, “Maybe I should have just left you two alone!”

“Shut it.” I rolled my eyes and twisted the doorknob to my apartment. The door creaked open revealing a quiet, empty, and dark room. I knew no one was in there but for some strange reason, I felt as if I was being watched. Images from the warehouse flashed in my mind. A room where there were photos of me sitting on the sofa or making something in the kitchen. Montu knew where I lived and had been watching me. I wasn’t afraid of them. I beat them that night. I got away from them… but now…

I looked down at Adri. I had taken the sleeve of her jacket and propped her arm up so it wasn’t hanging so loosely by her side. I grit my teeth as I brushed my side again with my hand. This time, it wasn’t just me in my apartment. It would be my sister too. A bloodied and bruised sister whom I couldn’t rightly take care of alone in my situation…

I was going to need some help.

With a sigh, I locked eyes with Adri. “We were in a car accident.” I enunciated each word I said with precision, "Got it?"

"Uh, sure?" Adri replied, looking very confused.

I nodded and closed my door as I turned to the apartment across from mine. After a long moment of hesitation, I walked over and knocked on the door. There was a moment of silence then movement came from the other end. Instant regret flooded my body. I frantically looked down at my bullet ridden clothes and bleeding arm. I quickly pulled off my jacket but my blazer was just as destroyed. I groaned as the door opened to reveal a casually dressed Gavin in the doorway.

"H-Hey birdcop." I stammered, sounding even more guilty than I looked. At first Gavin looked at me confused, but his face dropped and his eyes dilated.

“What happened to you?!” Gavin’s voice, though stern, shook slightly as he immediately grabbed for my blood soaked sleeve and inspected it.

“Car accident.” My jaw felt tight as I spouted out my excuse. Gavin looked up at me.

“This was from a car accident?” Gavin’s voice made it clear he was unconvinced.

I nodded and kept the ball rolling, "I hit a snag in the road and fell head long into a construction site and onto some tools. I scraped up my arm pretty bad… and may have broken a couple of ribs.”

“We need to get you to the hospital.” Gavin reached inside his apartment to grab something.

“No!” I quickly grabbed his arm, wincing as my side sparked in pain, “If I’m in need of any kind of sewing, they won’t be able to poke the needle through my skin and find out I am an evolver. I have the stuff we need in my bathroom. Can… you help us patch up?"

“Us?” Gavin looked up. His eyes locked on to something. I turned and saw a red faced Adri staring blankly at Gavin, clearly at a loss for words.

“My sister was on the bike with me.” I said, guilt and regret riding on my tongue, “I protected her pretty well but she still has some injuries. Mainly her shoulder being dislocated.”

“Why didn’t you take her to a hospital?” Gavin asked, gesturing with irritation.

“They would insist on working on me if I took her.” I said, folding my arms and looking back at Gavin, “Besides, I figured I could handle it.” Gavin glared down at me. I arched my eyebrow. “If you don’t want to help I’m sure I could-”

“No.” Gavin quickly interrupted me as he walked out of his apartment, “I’ll help.”

“Good.” I nodded and walked back to my apartment, “Thanks, Birdcop.” Gavin grunted from behind me. I rolled my eyes but a warm feeling still tickled my heart as I reached for the door to my apartment again.

“Are you alright?” Gavin’s soft words made me turn around. He was looking worriedly at Adri, who was looking down at the ground, avoiding all eye contact.

“Y-yep!” She stammered, face somehow getting even redder than before.

“Are you sure?” Gavin reached out to her, “Your face is really red. Are you cold?” The moment Gavin’s hand touched her elbow, a small yelp came from Adri’s mouth. She quickly covered it with her free hand and ran next to me.

“Open the damn door.” She whispered, pulling on my sleeve.

“I don’t know.” I cooed, arching my eyebrow as I smirked, “I kinda wanna see where this goes.” Adri cursed and forced my hand away from the doorknob. She threw the door open and ran inside, despite how dark the room still was. I bit back the comments riding on my tongue as I switched on the lights. Suddenly the apartment had become as inviting as it usually was. I sighed lightly with relief as Gavin walked in behind me. I looked up at him. Worry and confusion played on his eyes as he looked at Adri. I patted his arm lightly. "Don’t worry.” I whispered, causing him to look down at me, “She’s always like this.”

“Really?” Gavin’s expression softened slightly. I nodded.

“Now, make yourself at home." I said in my normal tone as I walked into the apartment and towards the bathroom, "I’ll be right out with what we need.” I walked past Adri, who had fallen onto the couch, slumped over, and covered her face with her jacket. I smirked and continued walking, deciding against making fun of her. At that point, she would kill me faster then Montu would.

Just as I got to the bathroom door, I paused to look back at the room. Gavin had made his way to the couch, sitting next to Adri delicately. He spoke to her in a tone soft enough that I couldn’t hear them. I had some idea though when Adri’s nervous expression turned into one of horror. Gavin was likely telling her how he was going to set her arm. Something he shouldn’t have to do because the whole ordeal was my fault. But there was no way I could with my ribs being the way they were.

I tapped at the door, watching them a little longer before finally entering the bathroom. Whether or not it was my fault was not important. No matter what, Adri was still hurt and she needed help, and Gavin was going to help her…

He was going to help us.

After I was sure I was out of everyone’s eyeline, I collapsed onto the counter in pain. I clutched at my side and gritted my teeth. When had it become so hard to breathe? I panted in short breaths as I opened my mirror. I immediately located the first aid kit.

… on the top shelf.

Of course it was.

I cursed and tapped my finger on the counter. Would it even be worth the pain? I could just run the scratch over some water and be fine! I’ll use an old t-shirt or something to stop the blood! We’d be-

I heard a painful cry come from outside of the bathroom. I cringed as guilt rushed through my stomach. After another moment of thought, I took a deep breath and reached for the first aid kit. Pain erupted and pushed throughout my chest. Gritting my teeth to the point of breaking, I quickly grabbed the first aid kit and collapsed once more unto the counter. But, because I had used all of my energy to grab the kit, I slipped onto the floor instead. I hit the floor hard as I fell to my knees. Nausea rushed through my throat as black dots flooded my vision, threatening a blackout. I clutched my head and moaned, fighting to stay conscious as the familiar feeling of exhaustion hit me like a truck.

Hurried footsteps approached the bathroom. I tried fixing myself to look less pathetic but the quick motion ended up making me feel even worse. A figure appeared next to me, kneeling down and surveying me closely. “Hey,” Gavin’s worried voice echoed slightly in my ears, “Are you alright?”

“Peachy.” I gasped, looking over at him. Gavin’s form seemed to be shifting slightly, making it hard for me to focus on him. I closed my eyes and rubbed them as I shoved the first aid kit into his stomach. “Here.” I groaned, “take that to Adri. She’ll…” My balance faltered. The hand on my back quickly moved to my arm, pulling me into Gavin’s chest.

“Hey,” Gavin quickly patted my cheek, “Stay with me, Ike.” I shook my head and weakly brushed away his hand.

“I’m fine.” I lied, “Just give the kit to A-” Before I could finish, I felt the first aid kit slide back onto my lap. I opened my eyes in time to see Gavin slip his arm under my knees. “W-wait-” I began, but it was too late. Gavin carefully pulled me close to him and lifted me up, making sure to take it slow so as to not make my condition worse. I fell further into his chest and gripped at his shirt, closing my eyes again as another wave of nausea crashed into my throat.

“You still here, Ike?” Gavin asked softly, rubbing his thumb over my arm.

“A warning would have been nice.” I groaned, letting my head fall onto his shoulder. Gavin held me tighter as he moved out of the room. A small gasp came from somewhere in the room.

“Is she ok?!” Adri, through the exhaustion in her voice, sounded incredibly worried as Gavin led me further into the room.

“She’s fine.” Gavin said, his voice vibrating through his chest, “She’s just pushed herself a little farther than necessary.” I weakly flicked at Gavin’s chin. Gavin chuckled, the air from his nose teasing my bangs and cooling the cold sweat on my forehead.

I opened my eyes as Gavin gently placed me down next to Adri on the couch. He lay my head on one of the throw pillows on the couch and raised my knees up as he tucked a pillow underneath them, keeping them from falling. Gavin took the first aid kit and placed it on the coffee table behind him. Once he was sure I was taken care of, Gavin knelt down next to me.

“Ike-” He began. I raised a hand.

“Ice packs are in the top door of the fridge.” I took my raised hand and pointed it to the kitchen, “Grab one for Adri. While you’re there you can grab me a juice box from the fridge so I don’t pass out.” Gavin nodded and quickly stood from my side. I looked over to Adri. She was watching Gavin, gripping her shoulder tightly. Though she was putting on a tough face, I could tell she was in pain. “Hey, kiddo.” I kicked her lightly, pulling her attention to me, “How are you doing?” Adri looked at me strangely for a moment, then she sighed.

“You know,” Adri elbowed me playfully, “If someone wasn’t already trying to, I would kill you right now.” She smirked. Although it was weak and obviously full of pain, I was glad to see her smile again. I smiled too, winking playfully to her.

Gavin walked back over to us, two ice packs and a grape juice box in hand. He handed me the box. I carefully moved to sit up as I reached for it. Gavin’s hand twitched. I gave him a a reassuring look as I took the box. He hesitated a moment, watching me take a few sips of the juice before moving to sit next to Adri. “Sorry.” He said, handing her an ice pack, “I wish there was a better way to get it back in.”

“It’s fine.” Adri sighed, taking the pack from him and placing it on her shoulder, “I feel like we have grown closer to each other this way.” Gavin chuckled lightly, causing a warm blush to push through Adri’s cheeks. She cleared her throat and stood up carefully from the couch. Both Gavin and I reacted, moving to help her. “I’m fine!” She said, hurriedly waving away our hands as she held her arm up, “I’m just gonna take a quick shower. Ike, you don’t mind if I borrow some clothes do you?”

“Do you think a shower is a good idea?” Gavin asked seriously, “I just set your arm.”

“Well, I’m covered in dirt and blood, so I’m gonna say yes.” She walked across the room and to my bedroom.

“Maybe a bath would be better.” I said as Adri opened my closet, “There’s less of a chance that you could accidentally hurt your arm. And you can keep that ice pack on you.” Adri paused at the door, thinking over my offer, “... I have bath salts under the sink.”

“Sold!” Adri chimed, smiling excitedly as she reached into the closet. She pulled out one of my flannels and a pair of yoga pants then shut the door. She turned to us. “Make sure she hurts like I did, Officer.” Adri said, skipping into the bathroom, “I wanna hear her scream!” I shook my head and glared at her. Adri spit out her tongue and closed the door behind her, leaving Gavin and I alone together on the couch.

Gavin cleared his throat as sat closer to me. “How’s your side?” He asked, handing me the second ice pack in his hand.

“Could be worse.” I grunted, taking the pack and swinging my legs off of the couch, finally feeling strong enough to completely sit up. Gavin reached out but I shooed his hand away. Instead I looked him seriously in the eye. “Thank you for doing that.” I said, tone matching my stare, “I know it must have been hard setting her arm on your own.”

“Don’t worry about it. It wasn’t that far out of place.” Gavin replied just as seriously as he looked me over, “Besides, it was nothing compared to how it was seeing you on the floor back there.” My heart froze. Gavin reached out and touched the back of his hand to my forehead, “I heard a thud so I rushed to check on you. You were as pale as a ghost. I was scared I didn’t get there in time.” Gavin’s hand fell onto my cheek. I quickly turned my head away from him. I didn’t want him to feel how warm my cheeks were getting.

“Y-yeah. Sorry about that.” I said, swirling the juicebox in my hand absentmindedly, “You said it yourself. I just... pushed myself a little farther than necessary.” There was a soft pause. Then Gavin sighed and reached to inspect my arm once more. The moment his calloused fingers grazed my wound, shots of electricity strung up my body. After he inspected it closer, Gavin let go of my hand. His expression changed to one of determination and he reached over to grab the first aid kit. Since the kit was so far from him, Gavin had to lean over me, rubbing his chest on my arm and pushing his leg against mine. I could feel the heat emanating from his clothes as he leaned even closer to me. I felt the burn in my cheeks rise. I quickly turned from him and covered my face, coughing awkwardly to break the air.

After what had seemed like forever, Gavin finally pulled away from me, first aid kit in hand and obliviousness dripping from his aura. He moved a little further away from me and placed the kit on his lap.

"Take your clothes off." Gavin said nonchalantly as he opened it’s lid.

My eyelids flew open. "Excuse me?" I arched my eyebrows and looked at Gavin with a smirk, "I'm flattered, Birdcop, but buy me dinner first."

"I mean take off your jacket and shirt.” Gavin rolled his eyes, as he pulled some alcohol and cotton out of the kit, “How do you expect me to clean your wound with your clothes on?”

“Carefully.”

“Ike, just the jacket and the shirt. Stop making this harder than it has to be.”

I rolled my eyes and moved to remove my jacket. The pain in my chest reappeared. I hitched my breath and grabbed my side, grimacing through the pain.

There was a moment of awkward silence.

We both knew what had to be done.

"Can I-" Gavin started. I held up a finger to quiet him. After a moment I sighed and used that finger to point at him.

"No one tells Minor." I muttered, glaring at the image of Minor's face that popped into my mind, "Agreed?"

"Agreed." Gavin answered resoundly, a tone of dread leaking from his tongue. I nodded then moved closer to him. Gavin also slid closer and grabbed my blazer by the collar, slowly and carefully pulling it down and off my shoulders. Fragments of debris rained onto the couch as folds of fabric came undone. "Glass?" Gavin asked.

"... I crashed through a window." I said, hesitantly.

"Where did you crash?" Gavin's voice almost had a hint of laughter.

"Just off of Aspen and Brooks." I answered honestly, "There's a new apartment being built there."

"Really?" Gavin sounded skeptical as he moved the jacket steadily past my scrape, "I just received word from a cop buddy of mine that there was gunfire coming from there."

"Really?" I asked, thinking fast.

"Yeah, multiple shots."

"My tire blew and I fell into some tools. I wonder if someone thought it was gunshots and miss called."

"Maybe." Gavin finally pulled my jacket off of me, "I was told it was a false alarm." Mixed feelings welled in my chest as Gavin came closer to me. How did Montu get out of there in time? If the police was called for gunshots, there was no way they would get those cars out of there in ti-

Gavin's hands pulled at the buttons of my shirt. Flustered, I quickly pushed him back. "Uh, I-I can do the buttons." I stammered, unbuttoning my shirt quickly and shakily. Gavin backed away quickly, holding his hand up to his mouth and nodding.

"R-right." He muttered, "Sorry." I looked up at him. His ears blossomed into a bright red as he searched frantically around the room for something to look at. I smiled slightly, both from how adorable he was acting and also from the quick distraction from the subject.

I finished undoing my shirt and Gavin helped pull it off of me. I thanked my lucky stars that I wore a tank top that day as Gavin took a better look at the damage done to my arm. He pursed his lips but didn’t say much more. Instead, he moved back to the alcohol and cotton from before and set the box back on the coffee table. Gavin took the cotton ball, coated it in alcohol, then carefully cleaned the wound. I winced as it stung my arm. Deciding to focus on something else, I kept my eyes on Gavin. He was extremely focused on the task at hand. His hands brushed over my skin with a sort of movement that proved that this wasn't his first time dealing with this type of wound.

My thoughts seemed to drift as I looked into his eyes. They were full of determination but there was also a soft note of worry. He seemed to be detracting himself from the worry by cleaning my arm but he couldn't quite hide the fact that it was still there, bugging him obsessively.

That tone vanished as Gavin locked eyes with something on my arm. He stopped cleaning as his worry and determination were replaced with shock. Then anger. "So," Gavin said, clicking his tongue slightly, "Where did you land exactly?"

"I… already told you." My defences rose slightly to his change of attitude, "I crashed my bike into some construction tools."

"Oh really?" Gavin's grip around my arm tightened, as if prepared to stop me from running. He grabbed a pair of tweezers from the first aid kit then used them to pluck something out from the middle of my arm. I winced and looked at what he had grabbed. My blood pooled to my feet.

"I don't remember bullets being used in building construction." Gavin waved Dylan's flattened bullet in front of my face.

"...oh yeah." I shakily said, repositioning myself on the couch, "I also ran into Montu while I was there."

The bullet fell from the tweezers.

“You what?!” Gavin's tone changed dramatically as his grip tightened even further, "When were you going to tell me about this?!" Gavin spoke sharply.

“After Adri had left.” I groaned and pawed at Gavin’s hand, trying to get him to let it go. He did so by throwing it aside and standing up.

"Why do I not believe you?!" Gavin growled, pulling out his phone and tapping it fervently.

"...what are you doing?" I asked, fear rising in my gut.

"I'm calling it in!" Gavin put the phone to his ear, "This is agent-"

"No!" I jumped at Gavin and took his phone. Pain erupted from my side but I merely grunted through it as I hung up the call and tossed the phone aside. Unable to take it anymore, I hissed and fell to my knees, catching myself on my coffee table before I completely hit the ground.

"What are you doing?!" Gavin barked, bending down to help me up, "I was jus-" I covered Gavin's mouth.

"Montu's room from the warehouse had pictures from my apartment." I spoke in a harsh whisper, "I have no idea if he is listening right now or not. Saying your emergency code right now may not be the best option.” Gavin stared at me intently for a moment. I stared back meaningfully.

Ultimately, after a long moment of silence, Gavin pulled my hand from his face and looked at me with a softened expression as he clutched it tightly. I eased my shoulders slightly, looking in his eyes for any sign of contentment. Gavin noticed this and sighed. Before I could say anything, he leaned forward and rested his forehead against mine. “You’re going to be the death of me.” He softly said, rubbing his thumb against the back of my hand.

“I’m pretty sure I’d be the death of me.” I said, leaning against his forehead. Gavin chuckled. Something pulled at my chest. His laugh, which was once a sound of reassurance, now sounded strained, as if he was holding something back.

Without delaying any longer, Gavin helped me to my feet again and onto the couch. He brought the first aid kit to his lap as he grabbed my arm again. “...Gavin.” I started, “I-”

“Ike.” Gavin interrupted, cleaning my arm once more from newly formed blood, “No more excuses. Talk to me honestly. What happened?” I froze. He sounded exhausted. Likely from me hiding so much from him and my constant lies. But if I told him anything, I would be taken off of the case! And I couldn’t afford to lose the progress I was making. Not to mention, the progress I had made with him! If I told Gavin now, he would hate me and we would just go back to the way things were before. I would never forgive myself if that were to happen. I needed to keep this a secret for as long as possible. For him… for us.

I sighed, “I had just gotten back off from work…”

>>>

I traced my finger down the bandage around my arm. Gavin and I had been sitting in silence for what seemed like forever, brewing over what just been said.

“... That’s it?” Gavin said, looking at his hands as he slumped over the couch.

“Yup.” I sighed.

“You blew holes in their tires then left.”

“Right.”

“And you are certain they said that they were going to visit another evolver tonight as well?”

I closed my eyes, “Yeah. Very certain.”

“Alright then.” Gavin stood up, “This is a good lead. And it looks like you were right about Dylan. I’m going to need his information for when we take him in for questioning.”

“Right.” I said, but my thoughts didn’t agree. If Montu meant what he said, there was no way he was going to let Dylan go after losing me again. Whether that meant through death or something else, I didn’t know. All I did know is that there was no chance we were hearing from Dylan anytime soon.

“And Dylan said he did that on his own? No one made him go after you?” Gavin asked.

“Yes.” My voice shook slightly as I stood up as well. Gavin held out a helping hand but I brushed him off casually as I made my way to my bedroom, “Dylan told me outright that he had a vendetta against me. And that he was the one that threw the bomb.” I reached my closet and sighed, “Now, can we be done? I’ve had a long day.” I opened the closet doors and reached for a fresh set of clothes.

“One last thing.” Gavin walked up behind me. Before I could figure out what was happening, he had pinned me between himself and the closet, shutting out any way of escape. He grabbed my shoulder and spun me, locking my eyes in his. There was a flurry of emotions in his honey-like glow. Each emotion moved so fast, I couldn’t keep up with any of them.

I moved to look away but Gavin grabbed my chin, pulling my face back onto him. “I need you to promise me that there is nothing else you are keeping from me.” Gavin spoke in a tone I had never heard him use. It was full of earnestness and determination… and worry, “And I need you to promise me you don’t have any life threatening secret that you are keeping from me. Promise me you have and will always tell me everything that pertains to this. That pertains to your safety.” I hesitated. Gavin’s grip tightened, “Please, Ike.

“Promise me.”

I couldn’t move. Nor could I promise him something so important. But, I knew what would happen if I didn’t...

“... I… I promise.” I said, already beating myself up for doing something so stupid. Gavin’s stare was intense as he read my face, looking for some sort of lie. Before he could find it, I pushed his hand away and reached behind me, pulling a sweater off from a hanger. “Like I can keep anything from you anyway.” I scoffed, pushing him aside as I searched for clothes, “You’ve pulled everything I’ve tried to hide from you out of me anyway. Might as well just come clean, right?”

“I hope you mean that.” Gavin practically whispered as he backed away from me. I hummed but decided not to say anything more, too afraid to let anything slip.

After I had found an outfit, I turned and looked at Gavin. He had his arms folded and was staring at the ground, lost in thought. Sensing my eyes, Gavin looked up at me. I twirled my finger in the air. Gavin blushed and quickly nodded, turning on his heel to face away from me. From this angle, I could see just how red his ears had gotten. I smirked and carefully removed my tank top, avoiding using too much effort. The last thing I needed was to be in so much pain that Gavin needed to help me undress as well.

Gavin cleared his throat, "I think it goes without saying that I'm spending the night here."

"Oh does it?" I hummed, only half paying attention as I got dressed.

"Yes. For your and your sister's protection."

"Thank you for the offer but I think I can handle it from here."

"But you're injured." Gavin slightly turned his head, "How can you expect to protect anyone in your condition?"

"Carefully." I pushed Gavin's head back around.

“You should copyright that phase.” Gavin grumbled. After a pause, he sighed, "Ike, I just want to make sure you’re safe. Just one night. That’s all I ask.”

I thought for a moment. I wouldn’t be able to talk to Adri about anything while he was here. Not to mention, Gavin wouldn’t have any place to sleep as Adri would be taking the couch… but he was right. If something were to happen while Adri was here, I wouldn’t be able to protect her. After all, Montu looked pretty peeved last I saw him. It would be nice to have a cop stay the night…

“Fine.” I said, buttoning the last button on my new shirt as I walked into Gavin’s view once more, “But you need to promise not to bombard Adri with any questions. The whole thing was pretty traumatic for her.”

A bang came from the bathroom door. “Alright!” Adri came walking out of the bathroom with a large flannel and loose yoga pants, “Who’s ready to get this party started?!”

Gavin folded his arms and turned back to me, “Oh yeah. She looks like she is positively shaking from trauma.”

(Next)

#hehehehehheh the old fixing the injuries fluff #come on #yall knew it was coming #and yall knew it would be with birdcop #i bet even birdcop knew it too #mr love #mlqc #mr love gavin #mlqc gavin fluff #mlqc gavin #mlqc gavin angst #mlqc angst #mlqc fluff #mlqc fanfiction #mr love fanfiction #mr love ikes choice #ikenbarproductions

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ikenbar · 3 years

Text

Mr. Love: Ike’s Choice CH4 PT10

The long over due ACTION SEQUENCE!! If you can’t handle action, go back to the last post for the fluff. Or... like... wait next week for some fluff ;)

Warnings: Action!, blood, guns, guns being fired, pain, slight torture, all the fun stuff!! Including cliffhangers!! :D

(In all seriousness it really isn’t as bad as it seems. Enjoy the story!! :D)

(Chapter Four (Victor and Gavin) Prologue, and part one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, and nine can be found here!)

Please read the author’s note (and the beginning of the story) on chapter one part one if you’re new here :D

And an additional note in a previous part of chapter four part three here! (I promise these notes are important)

Chapter four:

Part ten:

Adri’s arms returned around my waist just as the light finally turned green. I booked it to the right, the opposite way of my still blinking turn signal. The sedan shuddered slightly, obviously thrown off. It didn't take long until it lurched after me, screeching it’s wheels as it struggled to catch up with me. With the roads empty and my distance advantage, the odds of my escape were in my favor.

I turned down a street and was immediately met with another black SUV. They were driving down the wrong lane and coming right for me. I quickly swerved and avoided hitting them. As I drove past them, I looked into the car’s window. The driver’s window was rolled down and I was able to make out a mask that matched the two I saw in the other cars.

Montu wasn’t as easily outwitted as I had thought.

There was a fork in the road ahead of me, where a third and forth car sped into view. I glanced behind me as the second car turned to follow and the first car pulled in from the corner. A masked person popped their head out of the second car’s passenger window and pulled a gun on me. I grabbed Adri’s shirt from behind me and quickly pulled her into my lap.

The man fired, hitting me on the shoulder and causing me to swerve slightly on my bike. I cursed and held Adri close to me as I looked around. There was an alley between one of the buildings. If I could get through there, I could gain enough of a distance to lose them.

I moved to turn but another bullet hit my shoulder, throwing my arm forward further than I had wanted, sending me and my bike straight into the building instead of beside it. I quickly wrapped my arms around Adri and braced for impact.

The bike caught onto the edge of the curb and flipped forward, launching me straight into the window. The glass shattered easily on my impact. I tumbled cumbersomely into the building, tearing up my clothes on the broken shards of glass. The force of the impact sent my mind into a daze, making me release Adri from my arms unintentionally. After a few more rolls, I rocked onto my back.

I groaned and pushed my helmet off my head. A sharp pain pushed through my chest, one I was all too familiar with. I held my side and propped myself up on my elbow, taking this moment to scan my surroundings. The building seemed to be under construction. Tools and various supplies coated the floors of the room and unpainted dry walls surrounded us, giving the empty room a somewhat cluttered feel.

I looked to my side and my eyes landed on Adri. She was on her side, lying motionless on the ground next to me. “Adri!” I quickly sprung to my feet, only to immediately regret it as a twinge of pain protruded from my side. I hissed and stumbled in my steps. My heel caught on an uneven piece of flooring and I felt myself tumble backwards. I reached my arm out as I fell directly onto a pile of tools. A bitter pain spread through my forearm. I hissed and moved to look at the damage.

Loud shouting came from outside, as well as car doors opening and shutting. With no time to delay, I quickly brought myself back to my feet. Being careful of the flooring, I scooped Adri up from the ground, threw her helmet off, and held her close to me as I ran behind an unfinished piece of wall.

Ignoring my body’s scream for some rest, I waited with baited breath as I heard the men walk into the building. I heard a mechanical voice shout to the men. The same mechanical voice that I heard over the phone.

“Find her! We will search all night if we have to! We will not let her get away that easily, do I make myself clear?!” The men shouted their affirmatives as they walked around the room. I quickly looked around. The room was a mess from the construction being done there but there was virtually no place to hide. With hope for a way out looking grim, I looked up. The ceiling was open and full of boards and loose paneling. The construction must not have started there yet. And right under it was a large stack of sand.

That should work.

I rushed over the bags of sand, clutching Adri tightly as I moved. I shifted Adri to one side and used my other arm to lift myself up and through the roof. I lay Adri underneath me and cradled her as I tucked us further into the tight space, only leaving some room to watch the front door of the room. Adri groaned and shifted slightly underneath me. I shushed her, but I was praying for thanks that she was awake.

“W-what-” She began in a whisper, but quickly shut her mouth as gunned men started filing in the room. One by one they entered until at least twelve of them stood together, watching each other's backs as they used their flashlights to scan the small room. They held their guns up in front of them but, after seeing it was seemingly clear, they lowered their guns. One of the men started barking orders to the others. They nodded and all but three of them left, holding the guns back up in the air as they moved. The one who was seemingly in charge sighed and rubbed the back of his neck as he turned to the door.

“Montu, sir.” He shouted, “We lost her.”

“How could you have lost her?!” The mechanical voice boomed from outside the room. A figure strode into the room. They were dressed in a black suit, the same as the others, and wore a mask.

But this mask was different.

Instead of just covering their face, it covered their whole head. In the front was the face of a bull. Longhorns came through the top of it all, making them tower over the others, despite the fact they were already taller then most of them without the horns. A sort of Egyptian headdress draped down the back of it, dressing their aura in a way that made him seem like a god.

That was Montu.

It had to be.

“How could you have lost her?!” Montu repeated with more emphasis as they pushed aggressively against the head of the soldier that called them in, “There is literally no place she could run! This place is open spaced and she is wounded so I don’t see why all of you are DILLY DALLYING WHEN THAT MONSTER IS STILL SOMEWHERE IN THIS BUILDING!!! DYLAN!” Montu grabbed the collar to one of the men and pulled him away from the group and toward the opening to the room. Montu ripped off his mask so he could stare him directly in the eye, “GET TO THE ENTRANCE TO MAKE SURE SHE CAN’T ESCAPE! And you’d better not sCREW THIS UP LIKE YOU DID WITH THE INCINERARY BOMB!!”

“I knew it!” I spoke as quietly as I could without alarming anyone, “I knew he had something to do with this.”

“Who is he?” Adri asked, just as quietly.

“Dylan. An accountant I fired before this all started.” I sunk closer to Adri, holding her closer as I pondered everything over, “Why though? Why would me firing him cause him to want to hurt me? Or worse, kill me?”

My questions were left unanswered as Montu released Dylan. They shoved his mask back into his chest and turned from him, signaling his dismissal. Dylan glared at the back of their head but needlessly complied as pulled the mask back over his face. Montu signaled to the others to leave as well, which they did without question.

Montu walked further into the room, arms folded and mumbling incoherently to themself. I looked around for my options. It wouldn’t take long for them to go to the same conclusion that I did with this hiding spot. We had to find some way out of the ceiling and back onto the floor. Then to my bike. If it was still able to run from the crash, that is.

Something fell from my peripherals. I quickly looked down. There, on the sandbags, were droplets of blood that weren’t there before. A slight tickle came from my arm. I quickly looked down at my forearm. A large scrape slid across the bottom of it, taking up most of the skin I had there. Blood was seeping through various open cuts and threatened to fall.

“You ok?” Adri asked quickly as her eyes followed mine.

“Y-yeah. I’m fine.” I said, slightly dazed, “It’s… it’s just a cut.” I clutched at my arm to my side, stopping the flow of the blood from dripping further. How on earth did that happen?! I am bulletproof! What could have been sharp enough to break my skin?!

Montu growled in frustration, bringing both of our attention back down to them. “What’s taking so long?!” They asked angrily to themself. They stopped in the middle of the room. Not only that,

But right under us.

I held my breath, impulsively clenching my hand into a fist. Something warm trickled down my forearm and to my fist. I looked down just in time to see blood trailing down my arm and to my fist. A particularly large droplet pooled at the tip of my knuckle. I reached out to catch it but it was too late. The droplet fell from my fist, through the roof,

And right on top of Montu’s head.

They stopped pacing.

Their head slowly turned to look up…

“SIR!” A voice called from further into the building, “COME QUICKLY!!” Montu’s attention snapped to the direction of the voice. They cursed and rushed through the doorway, leaving Adri and me alone in the room.

Adri and I simultaneously sighed in relief. Unwilling to lose this opportunity, I quickly jumped onto the sandbags. The pain in my chest became more prominent but I didn’t have time to fix it. I grit my teeth and reached up, gesturing Adri to follow suit. She did, jumping into my outstretched arms gently. I set her down and motioned for her to follow my movements. She nodded. I stayed low and I walked to the entrance. Adri followed behind me, tucking close behind me as we stopped at the door. I motioned for her to stay. Adri nodded and mouthed, “Be careful.” I nodded. Slowly and carefully, I looked outside the room.

A clicking noise came from just behind my ear.

I cringed and slowly looked up. A masked man had a gun pointed to my head. “Don’t move.” Dylan demanded.

“Dylan-” I said calmly, stepping out of the room.

“I SAID DON’T MOVE!” He shouted, raising the gun to point between my eyes. I stopped. Dylan may have raised his voice but it was obvious that he was refraining from speaking in full volume, as if he didn’t want anyone except for the people within our vicinity to hear him.

He wanted me for himself.

I slowly raised my hands. “You know that doesn’t work on me.” I maintained my calm demeanor as I locked eyes with with him through his mask, “Why don’t we just put it down and-”

“Just because your skin is bullet proof, doesn’t mean your bones won’t break any less from the force.” Dylan snapped, shocking me into silence, “You probably broke a rib from how you crashed into the building.”

“Wh-”

“I can tell by how carefully you’re holding your arm up.”

My eyebrow twitched, “This isn’t right, Dylan. I know yo-”

“YOU KNOW NOTHING!!” Dylan’s shouting made me cringe, “If you knew me, you’d never have fired me.”

“Is this what this is really all about?! You getting fired!?” My composure wavered slightly, “You did bad at your job so you were let go. End of story.”

“End of story?! I needed that job!! I have mouths to feed!! I have bills that need to get paid!!”

“You should have thought of that before you took your job for granted! I gave you warnings that you blew off because you thought that your years working there would be enough of a life preserver. I-” I bit my tongue, “... Dylan, all of that aside, I know you are a good person. You shouldn’t be doing this! Do you realize you are putting innocent lives in danger?”

“Montu helped me see the truth.” Dylan’s voice quivered slightly, “He told me all about how everyone handed you all the power you have because you’re some sad sap with no regard for the people who actually work for their keep. Who grovel at the floor to survive. You had everything fed to you with a silver spoon. But now, now is the time to end your reign of power and pity. Once. And. For. All.” Dylan lowered his gun slightly and fired. Pain rushed through my arm as the bullet flew into my open wound. I yelped and hunched over, clutching tightly at my arm. “HERE!” Dylan’s shouts echoed through the building, “SHE’S HERE! I’VE FOU-”

Something shot out from the wall next to us. It grabbed Dylan’s shirt and wrenched him into the wall. With a dull thud, Dylan’s head slammed into the pillar next to him, successfully knocking him unconscious. I watched the scene, mouth agape and mind blank. But my expression straightened as my eyes fell on what was holding Dylan’s shirt.

A small, pale, hand clutched at his shirt.

Through the wall I could see the large floppy jacket sleeve down it’s arm but no body connected to it. Before I could fully grasp what was going on, the hand let go of Dylan and shot back behind the wall, leaving no trace of a hole or obstruction that it could have pushed through.

“What in the-” I began but was quickly stopped as a hand grabbed my arm. I looked up and caught Adri’s determined face as she whipped me around and pulled me to the window we crashed through.

“No time to explain!” Adri called back to me as we ran, “We need to get out of here!” I nodded and looked back behind me. Dylan lay motionless on the ground, his gun mere inches from his hand. I stopped.

“Get to the bike.” I instructed, pulling Adri’s hand from me.

“But-”

“Go!” I rushed over to Dylan, giving no more thought to Adri. I quickly scooped up the gun and turned back around, only to find that I was too late. A line of men had blocked the window as more rushed into the room, guns pointing straight at me. Two men had a hold of Adri, gripping her arms firmly as she struggled in their grasp. Soon I was surrounded by masked men with no way of escape.

The sound of a tongue clicking came from beside me. I looked over in time to see Montu walked into the room, pushing past their line of men until he stood a few feet in front of me. “Did you really think you could get away?” Their mechanical voice had become somewhat smooth compared to how harsh it had sounded before when they yelled at their men, “After all of this running, did you really think you could get away?” I furrowed my brows and looked over to Adri. She had stopped struggling and was looking at Montu as well. She had a look of annoyance and distaste as she looked them up and down.

“What do you want?” I asked through gritted teeth as I turned back to Montu.

“Don’t tell me you have already forgotten our phone call earlier.” They said, holding their hands behind their back as they leaned forward slightly. I kept quiet, biting the harsh words snaking their way onto my tongue.

“You know,” Adri spoke up from behind Montu, making everyone’s attention latch onto her, “You are a lot taller than I expected. I mean sure, I pictured someone tall and buff but, I mean, you’re body mass doesn’t even match your height. You just seem kinda disproportionate. It’s like you’re compensating for something.” The room went quiet. Montu looked back over to me.

“You dragged a little girl into this?!” They nearly shouted, almost as if they were scolding me.

“Correction.” Adri said, holding up a finger. The man holding her hand looked down in shock, as if he couldn’t believe he wasn’t holding her anymore., “I dragged myself into this. Ike just so happened to be driving me.”

“Would you shut her up?!” Montu boomed, making the men holding Adri snap to attention. The one who had somehow lost his hold of Adri’s wrist, quickly regained his grip and raised the butt of his gun over her, prepared to strike. I quickly whipped the gun in my hand up to him, steadily pointing it at his head as I cocked the bullet into place. The sounds of many other guns being cocked filled the room as the men prepared for a fight.

“Touch her and I blow your head off.” My voice was steady, showing just how much I really meant what I said. Montu held up a hand, causing the men around me to freeze. Montu inspected me closely. Then, without a word, walked over to Adri. Adri’s once chilled face hardened as they approached her. I snapped my gun to Montu’s head, causing the men’s guns to readjust on me.

“Now, now, Ms. Bikira.” Montu chimed, actions as cool as ever as they faced Adri, “We don’t want any bullet’s flying, would we? You may be able to take the attack, but,” Montu picked up a lock of Adri’s hair and ran it through their palm, “She wouldn’t.”

I froze, the gun still held at their head. A familiar heat toiled in my stomach. One I wasn’t happy to have back again. I cursed to myself as my hands began shaking slightly. I tightened my grip around my gun.

“Let her go.” I boomed, “She has nothing to do with this.” Montu hummed, making the voice modulator glitch in a way that sent shivers up my spine.

“Is that so?” They asked, letting Adri’s hair fall back to the side of her head. Adri’s shoulders eased slightly.

In one swift motion, Montu grabbed Adri’s arm, pulled her forward, and wrapped it behind her back. Montu faced her towards me, pressing her arm against her back. Adri fell into his, grunting in pain. I quickly adjusted my gun so it was pointing right between Montu’s eyes. The fire burning in my stomach raged uncomfortably.

“Now.” Montu continued, pulling Adri closer to their face as they pressed her arm into her back, “Why don’t we drop that gun, huh?” I gritted my teeth as the gun in my hand began to shake even harder. Montu moved Adri’s arm a little farther. A popping noise could be heard. Adri yelped and cursed, writhing against Montu’s hands.

“Alright!” I dropped the gun and kicked it forward, “You win! Just… just let her go.” Montu watched me silently, obviously indulging in my anxiety.

Eventually they let go of Adri’s arm. She fell onto her knees, clutching her shoulder tightly and breathing unsteadily. I looked at her with worry but stayed put. I didn’t know what Montu would do if I moved in a way he didn’t want me to.

I bragged my eyes back to Montu. My stomach screamed in protest as I watched them adjust themself, as if nothing had just happened. They brushed the wrinkles on their shirt and put their hands around their back as he looked back up at me. “Now, was that so hard?” Montu’s voice hadn’t wavered at all, as if torturing little girls was their favorite pastime. I bore my teeth and balled my hands into tight fists, trying to stop my hands from shaking too much.

“Uh uh uh!” Montu reached out their foot and stepped on Adri’s calf, pressing down on it firmly and causing Adri to yelp in pain once more, “Don’t you go thinking you’re off the hook.”

“What the hell do you want from me?!” I growled through my teeth.

Montu sighed, “I suppose our conversation over the phone really did go over your head.” Montu shook their head and clicked their tongue again, making my hands shake nearly out of control, “Ikamara Bikira, I want you to come clean about your wrong doings and put an end to the lies you have spread to the world.”

“What lies?!” I snapped, throwing my hands up in frustration, “I haven’t lied about anything! I’ve worked hard to get to where I-”

“NO YOU HAVEN'T!!”

Montu’s cool tone snapped like a twig to my words, causing everyone one in the room to jump in response. I watched their chest rise and fall unsteadily as they struggled to catch their breath.

“Geez.” Adri chuckled weakly from under Montu, “For someone who nearly broke my arm, you sure act like a child.”

“Sh-SHUT UP!” Montu shouted through their teeth as their already staggered breaths became more hurried.

“Seriously.” Adri turned and locked eyes with me. A strange emotion swam in her violet eyes, “I feel like I should be telling him that this is all just a phase.”

Adri winked.

I shook my head slightly, not really catching on...

Then something clicked.

Something that, admittedly, took a ridiculously long time to realize.

I looked back up at Montu. The fury in my stomach was replaced with something new.

Determination.

“She’s right.” I said, folding my arms and arching my eyebrows, “Only a child would see my success and immediately think it was handed to me. Especially one that knows exactly what it’s like to have everything handed to them.”

“WATCH IT BIKIRA!” Montu screamed. The foot on Adri’s calf buried itself further in her skin. Adri yelped but, from one quick reassuring glance, I knew she was alright and could take a little more. I smirked

“What? Did daddy not give you everything you asked for?”

Montu paused a moment, clearly taken aback. Then, they let out a loud and painful screech as they raised their foot high in the air. They threw it straight down onto Adri’s calf but, to nearly everyone’s surprise, it went straight through it. Montu’s balance failed them as they staggered forward, heading face first into the ground. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Focusing on the energy in my stomach, I pushed it through my legs, down to my knees, and through my toes. I opened my eyes and relaxed my body.

Then leapt forward.

The ground underneath me gave way as I rocketed into Montu’s stomach, throwing him backwards and into the wall just under the window pane. The men blocking it dove just in the nick of time for me to shove his head into it, breaking one of the horns clean in half from his mask. Montu collapsed underneath me, knocked unconscious.

Guns fired from behind me. I frantically looked around, just in time to see Adri rushing past me and leaping seamlessly out the window. I moved to follow, but froze. I looked down at Montu. There he was. The man who wanted me dead and would stop at nothing to make it happen.

He was vulnerable.

His mask was within arms length…

“Ike!!”

I looked up. Adri was struggling to lift my bike with one hand as the other lay limply by her side. She was looking at me with fever. “What the hell are you doing?!” She asked, gesturing to me uselessly. Angry grunts came from behind me. I turned and saw the men reloading their guns hurriedly. My eyes strayed to the ground. Dylan’s gun still lay on the ground untouched. I whipped my head back around. My eyes landed on the row of black sedans behind Adri.

An idea flashed in my mind.

Before the men could understand what was going on, I scooped up the gun and vaulted myself over Montu and through the window. I landed safely on the ground and pulled the guns in front of my eyes. “Get down!” I shouted to Adri. She quickly obeyed.

With one quick motion, I fired at the front tire of the first car. The bullet hit it directly, causing the tire to flatten almost immediately. I moved the gun smoothly and hit the other cars as well, only shooting the first tire of each one to save time. I heard the men exclaim from behind me as more shots fired from their guns. Some of them whizzed past me while I felt the others hit my back. I pushed the gun into the back of my pants as I ran to my bike. I picked Adri up and twisted her into my chest as I lifted the bike of the ground easily. I surveyed it quickly. Other than a slightly deflated front tire, it was still suitable for driving. I twisted the bike around and, moving Adri so her legs were over my knee, I leapt onto the bike.

Just before pushing off, I caught sight of Montu in my mirror. They had pushed their way over the window pane to the front of the group. A crack slid down his mask where their eye would be. I couldn’t make out any of their face but I could feel them as they stared at me, breathing heavily, fists tightly clenched at their side. Not willing to find out what they would do if I stayed, I sped off, leaving the men there to rot.

I felt the breeze tickling the cut in my arm as I drove, cooling it down and easing the pain somewhat. That night had been long but now I had some intel about Montu and why they were after me. Not to mention the fact that Dylan really was behind the bombing. Gavin would be pleased to hear it… but how I was going to tell him about it without letting it slip that I was being targeted would be an issue for a different day.

Adri shifted in my lap. I quickly looked down at her. “Adri are you-” I began, but I was quickly interrupted by a slap to my chest.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were an evolver!” Adri said behind deep breaths and a large grin.

“I could ask you the same thing!” I said, a smile relaxing on my face, “You knocked Dylan clean out!”

“I know!” Adri laughed, “He didn’t see it coming!”

“No one did!” I hit Adri playfully with my shoulder. Adri laughed giddily.

A buzzing came from inside Adri’s jacket. She pulled out my phone and checked the caller ID. She smirked and held the phone up to me. “It’s for you.” Adri said, her grin curving into a teasing smile.

It was Victor.

I sighed and took the phone, being sure to keep my bike steady with the other. "Now, before you say anything," I said immediately after answering the call, "Technically it wasn't the bike that hurt me."

(Next)

#hehehehehheheh #take that you dEMON #now you dont have a hostage oR a car #take THATTTTT #stay tuned for fluff!#:D #mr love #mr love a queens choice #mlqc #mlqc fanfiction #mr love fanfic #fanfiction #ikenbarproductions #ike n bar productions #mr love ikes choice #action writing #action #the long awaited

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ikenbar · 3 years

Text

Mr. Love: Ike’s Choice CH5 PT 4

Warnings: Spoilers for Chapter 8 of the game!! Words have been taken directly from Stage 8-14 and 8-21 of the game as well! If you’re interested in which ones, message me and I can tell you! (I don’t want to spoil anything in the chapter :P)

Also! There are some harsh themes! Such as ptsd, amnesia, feelings of being trapped, actually being trapped!

Along with all that though, we have adventure! Fluffy time with Kiro! Some angsty time with Kiro! (only like a line of it tho. You’ll get wAY more of that next week ;P) Plot uncovering! and more! Including cliffhangers galore!... ok there is only one but still!! :D

(Chapter Five (Kiro and Youran) Prologue and part one, two, and three can be found here~)

((Please read the author’s note (and the beginning of the story) on chapter one part one if you’re new here :D))

Chapter Five:

Part four:

As Kiro and I continued down the hall, I kept my defenses up high. Kiro almost got killed because of me. I wasn’t going to let it happen again. Especially if it was me that Montu was after, I couldn’t let Kiro get mixed up in it. Although, as I walked down that hall, I couldn’t help but admire the work that Montu had put into destroying me. From the lights to the dark metallic sheen of the walls, everything looked particularly upscale. If we were under any other circumstance, I would feel honored to have so much money spent on me.

We had walked for a good amount of time before either of us spoke up. “So!” Kiro snapped and clapped his hand on his fist, “When are you taking off the helmet?”

“Never.” I deadpanned.

“Oh come on! Please?”

“Nope.”

“Well what if I guess who you are? Would you take it off then?”

I felt my palms start sweating. “How could you guess? I came to the studio when you were on stage. You haven’t met me yet.”

“Hm, I guess you’re right.” Kiro paused for a moment, “... Then how about we play 20 questions! Ya, know, so I can get to know you better?”

“Um…” I bit my lip. I guess there was no way I could keep stuff from my Song Bird now.

I sighed, “Sure. Why not?”

“Awesome!” I heard Kiro excitedly clap from next to me, “Ok, uh,... What do you like to do for fun?”

“... Joyride on my bike.” Even though Victor took that from me...

“Makes sense! Do you have any siblings?”

“Two brothers and two sisters.”

“Names?”

“Nope. Too personal.”

“Ah, dang.” Kiro laughed, “I thought I had you there. Uh, what do you do for a living?”

I paused, “...I help the police with consulting investigations.”

“Really??” Kiro giddily asked, “What kind of investigations??”

“I’m afraid that’s classified.”

“Ah, I see... So, what is your job at Ike ‘n Bar Productions?”

“... I assist Bart.”

“Like his personal assistant, assistant?”

“Sure.”

“I can’t imagine you being a personal assistant.” Kiro scoffed.

I stopped and turned to look at Kiro with a raised eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

Kiro waved his hands defensively, “I mean-” The floor underneath us lit up. The same blue light that outlined Kiro's hand, outlined a square around my feet. The ground underneath me started shaking, making the both of us lose our balance. The light got brighter and brighter as the ground became more and more unstable. I closed my eyes and threw my hands in front of my face.

“What the hell?!” I yelled, still struggling to find my feet.

“Ike!” Kiro’s voice was coming from above me. I looked up and saw that the ground Kiro was on had started rising while I was descending. He reached his hand out to mine, “Give me your hand!” I stood on my tippy toes and reached for his hand, but I couldn’t quite close the distance. The gap between us slowly grew.

“Almost…” Kiro muttered, “Just a bit more.” He leaned forward as much as he could. Eyes brimming with concern and urgency. (Stage 8-14) I looked below me.

“Ah, screw it.” I stepped back, “Brace yourself!” I called to Kiro. The ground stopped shaking. I took a step and leaped into the air. Kiro’s hand wrapped around my forearm and held tight as I slammed right into the side of the wall, breaking the strap to the helmet on my head and causing it to fly off of me. I looked down to see the helmet plummet down the endless chasm below me. I quickly turned to look up at Kiro.

“Don’t. Let. Go.” I spoke through my teeth as I tightened my grip on his forearm.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Kiro grinned through a pained expression. Kiro and I worked with each other to pull myself out of the hole. I took a step onto the rising wall, then a strong force pulled me upwards. I landed onto the ground and right into Kiro’s chest, where I could hear Kiro’s rapid breathing in my ear. “Are you all right?” he asked urgently, “Are you hurt?” I looked up and into Kiro’s starry eyes. The eyes that were such a beautiful ocean blue, I could almost swim in them from how close I was to him.

“Kiro.” I breathed, leaning closer to his face.

“Yeah?” Kiro said just as softly, a blush starting to form on his cheeks. I leaned in closer, further increasing the blush on Kiro’s cheeks. We were mere inches apart when I punched his arm.

“Ow!” He scoffed, rubbing his arm, “Why did you-”

“You jerk!” I hit him again, “You knew it was me the whole time?!”

“Wh-”

“You called me ‘Ike’ just then! Don’t you dare try to get out of this!”

Kiro paused, then he laughed, “Of course I knew it was you Super Stranger! I knew it the moment you yelled at that poor director!”

“And yet you still asked me that stupid question?!” Each syllable ended with a hit to his chest, “You made me think you hated me!” Kiro grabbed my hands.

“Would you quit it?!” He laughed. I glared at him. His smile gradually fell. “I thought we were still playing our little game… which I guess wouldn’t have been so fun from how bad of a mood you were in.” Kiro looked me sincerely in the eyes, “Ike, I’m really sorry if I hurt your feelings. I really didn’t mean it. Please don’t be mad at me.” I huffed, struggling to find an excuse to keep my anger towards him. Then I sighed. I backed away from Kiro and sat on the ground. Kiro sat up, the worried expression he wore further deepening. He opened his mouth.

“I’m not angry at you.” I interrupted, holding up a hand, “We’re cool.”

“Thank goodness.” Kiro sighed heavily, “I don’t know what I’d do if The Super Stranger hated me.”

“Haven’t I already said no one can hate Kiro?” I arched my eyebrow, “Besides, you’re my sidekick. What was I going to do? Wait for your redemption arch?” Kiro laughed heartily, bringing a warm feeling to my heart. I looked down and the warm feeling vanished. Blood dripped down his forearm. Kiro followed my eyes and looked down.

“Oops!” He held his arm up to reveal a cut running down his forearm, “I must have cut it when I caught you.” Kiro smiled at me, “We need to find a better way of saving each other. One of us keeps getting hurt!” I glared at Kiro and took his arm.

“Yeah, but I don’t have anything to patch you up with.” I mumbled, looking around the small room.

“Wait! You do!” Kiro reached inside his pocket and pulled out a small white handkerchief. He handed it to me, “The one you had given me the day we had met was stained. So I got you another one! Too bad this one will be stained too.” I took the handkerchief and dressed Kiro’s wound.

“I don’t care about a handkerchief.” I said, “Just as long as you’re healthy.” I could feel Kiro’s stare bore a hole in my eyes but I didn’t dare meet them, keeping my focus on the handkerchief.

“Thank you, Ike.” His voice was so soft that I nearly missed his words. I looked up at him.

The floor we had been riding passed through a dark room then to an opening to a new room. This one was much bigger than the last, looking to be about the size of a basketball court. It was windowless and had the same dark metallic panelling and blue lighting as the previous hallway.

Kiro and I stood up and looked around the room. The room was seemingly empty except for a long, dark, metallic door standing on the far wall. I nudged Kiro and walked over to it. There was another keypad beside the door but this time it had a QWERTY keyboard.

“What do you think it could be?” Asked Kiro. I hummed and drummed my fingers on my arm.

“Well, with the last one, I put in a random code to see how many numbers were needed for the code. Maybe we could start there?” I bent down and started typing in random letters. The keyboard stopped typing after four letters then flashed red. A grinding noise came from behind us. Kiro and I turned and saw a panel from the floor slowly opening. The sound of metallic buzzing filled the air as drones flew out one by one from the hole. They formed a line in the air and flashed red lasers right towards us. Their laser zeroed in, pointing directly at my forehead.

“Watch out!” Kiro lunged at me just in time for the drones to start shooting. The bullets whizzed over us to the control panel for the room, completely destroying it. A loud click came from the door as it swung open. The drones stopped shooting as their lasers came back on to look for their target.

“Go!” I shoved Kiro off of me and to the door, “I’ll distract them!”

“Are you nuts?” Kiro scoffed, “You’ll be-”

“They are after me, not you!” I looked up just in time for the drones to spot me with their lights again, “Go! I’ll follow!” I pushed off of the ground just as the drones started firing again. But, instead of stopping this time, the drones followed my movements. Keeping close to my tail as I ran around the room to lose them. I looked back and caught a glimpse of Kiro running into the room. Satisfied with the fact that he was safe, I started looking around the room for a way out of the predicament I was in. I spotted the opening on the floor.

An idea in mind, I made my way to it. The bullets rained relentlessly around me as I slid to the flooring. I grabbed an edge from the paneling and pulled it up. From the force of my Evol, I was able to peel it away easily, holding it in front of my face and blocking the bullets as they pelted the paneling. The bullets stopped and red lights lit up the ground around me. Taking advantage of the pause. I quickly bent the panel in my hand into an arch and threw it at the drones. The panel flew in a curve, crashing into the drones in their perfect line.

More drones came from the flooring. With no time to waste, I booked it to the door. Kiro stood there with an outstretched hand. I took it and, with help from his pull, I flew into the room. Kiro raced to the door and shut it. I ran over to it as well, offering extra support.

We waited for what seemed like forever for any sign that the drones would come back. Eventually, Kiro sighed. “I think… we’re good.” He said, a hint of uncertainty playing at his tongue. I let go of the breath I was unaware that I was holding and panted heavily, falling to my knees and resting my head on the door. Kiro slid down next to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Are you alright?” He asked urgently, “Are you hurt?” I shook my head, answering both of the questions honestly. Kiro sighed and removed his hand. “Man.” He laughed, “They’ve got some weak defenses if that flimsy flooring could take them down.”

“Right.” I sighed, turning to sit next to Kiro. I looked around the dark room. It was nothing like the others. It was an average size, the walls and floor a dark grey, making the room seem dreary and uninviting. The carpet under us was hard, likely flattened after years of being walked on. At the back of the room was a metal desk with a keyboard and mouse. Six flat screen monitors hung from the wall and pointed to the singular wheely chair that sat in front of them. A computer sat under the desk, buzzing slightly.

I groaned as I slowly stood up. Kiro grabbed my arm quickly. “I don’t have a good feeling about this.” He whispered to me. I looked over to the computer.

“I’m sure we could take it.” I winked at Kiro. He smiled slightly but still kept a firm hold of my arm. I motioned for him to stand up. He did so, sliding his hand down into mine, stopping my heart in the process. I looked up at Kiro.

His focus was locked on the computer. He had a strange look in his eyes. As if he had some idea what the computer might hold. But that would be impossible. Unless Kiro knew Montu in some way…

I shook my head. No. He couldn't. Kiro's life was just as at risk here as mine.

Kiro’s eyes finally fell from the computer and onto me, catching my eyes in his. “Everything ok?” He asked, tightening his grip around my hand. I slowly nodded, turning from him and looking at the computer.

“Let’s get a closer look.” I walked to the computer, releasing my hand from Kiro's to take the lead. Kiro stalled a moment but eventually joined my side.

I inspected the monitors. Nothing seems off about them. I looked down at the desk. A keyboard and mouse sat in the middle of it. I tapped the enter key. The screen in the middle of the six turned on. Another password needed to be typed in. “Ok, we get it.” I groaned, “You’re hiding something. Can we just get on with this stupid gambit?” I moved the keyboard to me. Kiro moved the keyboard back before I could start typing.

“I don’t think we should just type something willy nilly into the computer.” He said seriously, “This isn’t the same as the others. If we don’t do this carefully, we’ll get kicked out.”

“That’s very inquisitive of you, Kiro, but what other choice do we have?” I reached my hand out to him, “Do you see a sign or a post-it note in here that tells us the password?”

“But-”

“Kiro, the only other way out of here is through the killer drones behind that door. If you’d rather deal with them then be my guest.” Without wasting any more time, I moved the keyboard back to me and typed in random letters. The screen went black again. I braced myself… but nothing happened.

“Did I really guess it right the first-” My words were cut off by a loud siren. The screen glowed red as bright red text flashed on the screen.

“System Wipe commencing in 3:00”

The time started counting down from three minutes. I cursed and tried hitting the escape button. Then, when that didn’t work, every other button on the keyboard. In a flash, Kiro whipped the keyboard from me and took a seat in the chair. He pulled something from his vest pocket and bent down to the computer. When he sat back up he was holding a phone with a wire connecting it to the computer. I froze. He had a phone all along? Why didn’t he tell me? Why didn’t he use it? Why was he using it now…?

Kiro’s phone suddenly filled with small, green text, appearing and disappearing quickly. Kiro tapped at his screen quickly, eyes skimming the screen quickly as he did so. I looked back up at the time on the monitors.

1:30

and counting.

I clenched my teeth and looked down at Kiro, helpless. With nothing else I could do, I placed my hand on Kiro’s shoulder, clenching it tightly, hoping for it to be comforting in some way.

Soon the time had gotten to 10...

9...

8...

7...

6...

5...

4...

3...

With one theatrical flourish, Kiro tapped a sting of letters into the keyboard in front of him. Everything went black. Then text appeared across the six monitors.

“Welcome, Key.”

I whipped my head to Kiro. He met my eyes. A look of worry and surprise splayed across his face.

“You’re Key?!” My voice became loud and uneven.

“I can explain.” He said, holding his hands up. I grabbed a bundle of his shirt and lifted him up and off of the chair. I held him close to my face.

“Then you’d better start talking.” I said through my teeth.

Before he had the chance to talk, the chair under Kiro spun in place. One of the hand rests caught Kiro in the side and pulled him from my grasp. Kiro roughly fell back into the chair as it turned and pointed away from me. The chair extended forward, launching Kiro out of it. He fell to the floor harshly and with a grunt. The chair spun back around. The hand rest hit my knee, making it buckle just enough for it to scoop me into the seat. The chair pushed itself into the desk, locking me in place. I moved to push away but bars shot up from the sides of the handrests, locking my arms down onto it.

I was stuck.

I cursed and struggled against the straps. “Ike!” Kiro called from beside me. I turned to look just as Kiro reached out to me. The floor rumbled from underneath us. With no warning, walls shot up from each side of me, cutting me completely off from Kiro and the rest of the room. I pulled at the arm rests. The chair seemed so dainty! It was just a casual chair a moment ago! With my evol, I should be able to just bust out of-

The monitors went completely black.

They were soon replaced by more text:

The Black Swan Collective.

I stopped struggling.

We come from the future, with the sole purpose to accelerate Human evolution. We possess Evol. We create all.

I hitched my breath. A group of Evolvers? Here? What were they planning? What did it have to do with me?

No one can stop us, for we hold the world in our hands. The Queen will soon awake. As will her Rook.

A strange feeling overcame my chest. What does that mean? I didn’t know a queen or a black swan collective… then why did I feel so strangely at that statement? Why did it almost seem… familiar?

Together, they will reform this world into one that will be worthy of our existence.

We look forward to marching together into a new world.

Pictures began to flash on the screen, one after another, the scenes depicted all not quite clear. A sealed room with no light, an empty experiment table with several beakers of chemical compounds next to it. A wall full of cabinets. People in white gathering under a surgical lamp.

I heard blood rushing to my temples. I struggled to find composure, something to pull me back into reality, But I couldn’t. My mind was focused solely on the pictures on the screens as more pictures overwhelmed my senses. One picture made my breath hitch.

There, on an experiment table, lying peacefully, was a familiar looking brown haired girl.

The next picture came on the screen. The girl was lying next to a boy. One with bright blonde hair and a dazzling aura. Another picture came. This time that small brown haired girl was in a room, sitting on a bed next to another girl. The other girl’s hair was also brown but her hair was different. It was bushy and a mess of rats and tangles. And her eyes were a bright blue. They shone as she spoke to the little girl next to her. They were holding hands.

My own hands started shaking.

The next picture showed a lab but things had gone awry. Tables were flipped and broken glass scattered the floor. Strange substances laced through the floor tiles and coated the bushy haired little girl as she stood in the corner of the room. She was protectively standing over the first girl, who was curled in a ball against the corner. The bushy haired girl’s eyes showed no fear as she protected the girl. Not only that,

but they were now crimson red.

My hands shook even harder as hidden memories came crashing to my senses. Sounds of glass smashing, people yelling, sirens going off, and screaming.

The next picture made all of the sounds disappear. Men in lab coats were separating the girls. The little brown haired girl was protectively blocked by the men while several men struggled to hold down the bushy brown haired girl. Her mouth was open as if she was screaming as tears streamed down her face.

My hands stopped shaking.

Don’t take her away, I found myself thinking, She’s hurting. Leave her alone! She doesn’t want to be hurt any more! I told her I would protect her! I promised I would! Get away from-

Unable to take the noise in my head any longer, I screamed. A power like I had felt only once before flooded my body. I closed my eyes, finally regaining my composure and remembering the state I was in.

I was trapped.

I needed to move.

Now!

With my new found power, I ripped my arms from the restraints. Bands snapped at my strength, clanking to the floor loudly. I stood up and threw the chair aside. Avoiding any more eye contact with the pictures, I raised my fist and threw it into the monitors. Electricity sparked from them with every hit I threw. I didn’t stop until the only thing that was left was rubble. I panted heavily, looking down at the mess I had just made. My eyes skimmed over the computer under the table. I picked it up. Without hesitation. I crushed it between my hands, letting sparks fly and enjoying the screams it gave off. They can’t hurt her anymore. They won’t hurt her again.

I won't let them.

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