𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘂𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗱 ⌜𝗱𝗶𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼 𝘅 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿⌟

17. 𝗖𝗟𝗢𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗜𝗡

𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 17. 𝗛𝗘'𝗦 𝗖𝗟𝗢𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗜𝗡

"𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗦 𝗨𝗣, 𝗛𝗜𝗣𝗦 𝗦𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗥𝗘𝗗, legs apart," You directed, kicking Daniel's legs apart, making him stumble and almost lose his balance. 

"This is stupid!" He yelled. "I know how to fight, dammit!"

His startled yelp filled the air as you ducked between his legs, hooking one of them around his waist before pulling him down onto the ground. His chest smacked against the blue mat, one of your legs between his, the heel of your other foot pinning his palm to the ground as you grabbed his hair. You yanked him up, simultaneously bending his leg.

"If you know how to fight, then you should have been able to stop that," You stated, ignoring his wincing.

"Okay, okay! Uncle, uncle!" He slapped his palm on the ground, making you swiftly stand onto your feet. "What the hell, Vex? How the hell are you so fucking fast?"

"Practice and skill," You said. "You're going to have to be as fast as I am if you want to survive this. Stand up."

"W-We've been doing this for hours," He panted. "L-Let's take a break. I'm tired!"

"You don't get a break in a real fight, idiot," You said. "Up."

"I don't want to do this!" He yelled, voice bouncing off the walls.

You frowned. "Do you want to save your sister?"

Daniel rolled his head over to look at you. "W-What?"

"I said," You placed your hands on your knees, bending over him. "Do you want to save your sister?"

"Of course," He frowned.

"Then get off this floor and listen to what I'm telling you. If you give up this easily, then you can count yourself out from helping your sister, period. She's going to need every hand that she can get. If you can't even take a few hours of this, then you'll be no help to her. Do you understand what I'm telling you?" You asked, quirking a brow. "You'll be dead weight, and left behind."

Daniel clenched his jaw. You stood up, offering your hand down to him. He took it, allowing you to pull him onto his feet.

"Just a while longer," He said, squaring his shoulders up, raising his hands in front of him. "I'm hungry."

"Then you better knock me off my feet pretty quickly, kid."

...

You slowly unwrapped the bandages from your sides, wincing at the pull it left. You frowned at the wounds. They weren't healing. You looked around, taking your dagger from the dresser. You sliced it across your palm, watching the cut heal over. You looked back at your side.

It was because of the Hamon. Which meant these burns were going to take a while to heal. Shit. You would have to be more careful. Just fucking around with Daniel today made them hurt like a son of a bitch.

You let your head fall back against the wall gently, closing your eyes as you tighten your jaw. Your knuckles turned white from the grip on the bandages, riding through a sharp pain in your sides.

"Vex," A sweet voice called out.

Slowly, you opened your eyes. You flicked your gaze to the side, ruby eyes meeting a set of e/c ones. She raked her eyes down your shirtless form, her eyebrows lacing together at the many scars covering your body. When she saw the open wounds on your side, she gasped softly.

"Doesn't anyone teach children manners these days?" You said, closing your eyes again. "You're supposed to knock before you walk in someone's chambers, Prissy."

"What happened to you?" She breathed, rushing into the room. "Vex, these look horrible! Have you had them cleaned any time recently?"

"If you're just gonna bitch, get out," You huffed. "You sound like Robert."

"Because we're right," She hissed. "Geez. Here, lay down, let me clean these out."

You sighed, complying with her request. As she worked to clean and bandage the wounds, you could see the questions swirling in her mind as she glanced at the deep scars tainting your body. You sighed and placed your hands behind your head.

"You were with them, weren't you?" She asked, ordering you to sit up as she wrapped fresh bandages around you. "With Jojo and Caesar. It's not a coincidence all three of you are injured at the same time."

Before you could answer, Daniel had come into the room. "Y/n," He said, making both of you look over. "Mr. Speedwagon needs Vex."

You moved the girl's hand aside, sitting up in the bed. You could feel both of their gazes on your back as you stood up, taking the shirt from the dresser.

You froze, your entire body going rigid when you felt a gentle touch on your back. The girl stood behind you, her hands tracing over the whip marks on your back. She felt you tense under her touch.

"Vex...what's really happened to you..?"

"It's none of your business," You snap from your daze, shaking your head. You step away from her, pulling the shirt over your head. "Touch me again and I'll chop your digits off."

"Vex, I didn't--"

"Keep it to yourself, Prissy," You said, walking past her and out of the door. "Or your tongue will be next."

You walked away, leaving both siblings standing there. You shook your head, raising a hand to the back of your neck. You walked down the hall, searching after Speedwagon. You found him sitting in the conference room.

"What do you want, Robert?" You asked, walking into the room.

"Ah, there you are," He said. "I've started narrowing down the locations in which Aaron Holt could be residing. I've had a few of my agents trailing him, and marking down every location he's been to. He leaves around 10 P.M and returns around 2 A.M."

"He's being cautious," You said, walking towards the map. "He's still adjusting to not being allowed in the sunlight. He wants to make sure it's dark when he leaves, and it's dark when he returns. Now, all of these locations--are they connected somehow?"

"Warehouses, apartment complexes, the law firm he worked at, abandoned buildings--"

"He's trying to find a nest," You muttered, pulling some thumbtacks into your hand before pinning them onto the board. "There's one here, here, here, and here."

"All in the middle of the perimeter he's been going," Speedwagon said. "He's closing in on them?"

"Intimidating them," You said, leaning against the table, placing a hand on your throbbing side. "Trying to get them to break under his will without actually doing any work. He's manipulating them."

"Cheating bastard," He said. "It's going to take all we've got to bring him down."

"No," You disagree. "I don't think it will. I think Prissy over there has enough rage boiling inside her to do it by herself."

Speedwagon looked to the door. He was surprised to see the girl standing there. He hadn't heard her, but of course, you did.

"I'm going back to check on Caesar," She said, exhaling as she relaxed her jaw, which she'd been clenching. "I'll see you both tomorrow."

"You know," Speedwagon said, looking down at you. "She reminds me a lot of you."

"Can it, old man."

𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 17. 𝗘𝗡𝗗
𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: 28 𝗦𝗘𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗘𝗥 2021
𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗗

[I literally created vex, I should not be simping over this nonbinary vampire icon 😩🤌]