To Love a Hunter (Reader x Caveira)

In the Wolf's Den

-3rd Person POV-

Y/N wished he hadn't woken up feeling like he was hit by a truck.  Everything ached, his head, his shoulders...his heart.  He knew Caveira and the others made it out okay.  He saw the chopper leave the field before he was knocked out.  Another round from the Maus would've surely woken him up.

He looked around and found himself in a dark room, lined by stone bricks, medieval period if he had to guess.  The front of the small room had an iron gate in front of it, acting as a prison cell.  He tried shaking the gate, hoping it was loose, but to no avail.  Sighing, he sat back down, and let his mind wander.

He mainly thought about Caveira.  Tears filled his eyes as he thought about how she must be feeling right now.  Definitely upset, and partially at him for such a rash decision.  But he knew she was mainly worried and a bit scared.  A loud clunk derailed his train of thought, and he looked up to see a White Mask troop with a bowl of food.

"Meal"  he spoke, sullenly.  Y/N took note that he wasn't armed.  As far as he could see, at least.  Y/N took the bowl and the Mask left.  Looking at the food, he realized it was a bowl of straight Clam Chowder.  Why the masks have given him something like this was beyond him.  Not that he was complaining, however.  He ate it, enjoying it.  He wondered if this was the last good meal he'd get in wherever the hell he was.

That question was answered a bit later when two Masks, this time armed with 332s, took him out of the cell and escorted him up some floors, and to a metal door.  One of the soldiers did some kind of secret knock on the door, and it opened up, revealing a man in his 50s, wearing a rickety military general's uniform.  The soldiers pushed Y/N into the room and roughly sat him down in front of the general's makeshift desk.  The general waved at them, and they promptly left.

"I apologize if that escort was a bit rough"  the General began.

"Yeah"  Y/N smirked.  "I LOVED getting cuffed by an AK stock"

"Good!  That was my idea"  he chuckled, but it quickly ceased.  "Now then Y/N-"

"How do you know my name?"  Y/N asked quickly.  The General held up a hand.

"I have my sources.  Anyway, Y/N, what do you know about Heracles?"

"Heracles?"  Y/N asked.  "Well...Greek demigod, Roman form: Hercules, achieved divine power after completing twelve trials of-"

"Not the deity, smartass!"  The General scolded.  "The chemical"

"Oh, you mean the stuff that switches bodies?"  Y/N asked.  "Yeah, I actually wanted to know about that."  The General's face held a look of confusion.

"What do you mean 'switches bodies'?"  he asked, leaning forward.  Y/N proceeded to stretch the truth about the incident he and Caveira went through, exaggerating the details and glossing over, or not even mentioning, anything of any relative importance.  He watched as the General held a face of displeasure as he explained what had happened.  Silence loomed over the two as the General stroked his beard, clearly in a state of contemplation.  After a minute, he spoke into the comm system.  "Salvador, to my office please"  he ordered.  Soon after, the door opened, and a short, scruffy guy walked in, bearing a strong resemblance to Danny Divitto.

"Yes boss?"  Salvador asked.  The General looked over at Y/N.

"Y/N, this is Salvador.  He is our head chief and chemist working on Project Heracles.  Please inform him of what you told me.  And explain EXACTLY what you did to me."  he ordered, looking Y/N dead in the eye.  Y/N nodded and explained everything he had to the General, while Salvador took notes.  When he finished, Salvador frowned, reading his notes.

"Well, I do know how to fix this"  he summarized, flipping through an old notebook.

"Time?"  the General asked.  Salvador scratched his head.

"Given if we have what we need, few hours?  Maybe less?"  the General nodded.

"This was your fault, Salvador.  See to it that the fix corrects the problem...or it won't be pretty"  he scolded, staring harshly into the doctor's eyes.  Salvador gulped and nodded, promptly making his exit.  The General turned back to Y/N, an almost friendly smile on his face.  "I do want to thank you, my good boy"  he spoke.  Y/N snarled.

"I'm not a dog.  And thank me for what?"  The General chuckled.

"Of course not, my apologies.  And I thank you for pointing out this flaw to us.  I am terribly sorry for what you and your colleague went through...do note that was not our intention"

"Oh no"  Y/N retorted.  "You intended to kill us"  The General chuckled.

"In that given time?  Not exactly.  More of a last ditch use.  What I have planned for Heracles is a lot more in depth than killing off two Rainbow operatives"  he spoke, folding his arms behind his back and approaching the wall opposite of his desk, which hung an almost full-wall size map of the world, done up in a 1700s art style.

"I take it that I won't know what this plan of yours is because, oh, you're gonna kill me?"  Y/N smirked, leaning back in the chair.  The General chuckled a bit, opening a cupboard.

"Kill you?  No, no, dear boy.  White Mask only kill if necessary"  he spoke.  Y/N heard the crack of a seal breaking, and turned to see the General pouring out some Champagne.  Upon noticing Y/N looking, he smiled.  "Would you like some?"  he asked, motioning at him with the bottle.  "Very good stuff, aged well"

"I'm not the most trusting person at the moment"  Y/N responded flatly.

"Oh I assure you, it has not been tampered with in any way, unless you count aging as tampering.  I like my drinks as they are, gets the best taste out of them"  he chuckled, pouring another glass and bringing both back over to his desk.

"...why are you like this?"  Y/N asked cautiously.  The General raised an eyebrow.

"Like what exactly?"  he asked, sitting down, placing both glasses on his desk.

"Humane"  Y/N spoke flatly, looking into the man's eyes.  The General looked up.

"Because:  yes, ruling with fear is efficient, but when was the last time ruling with fear worked out in the end?"  he asked, handing Y/N a glass.  Y/N hesitated for a bit before accepting the offering being handed to him.

"I also don't see rulers who are pure, good and respectable being around for long, either"  he responded.  The General nodded, taking a sip of Champagne.

"Which is why I lead with neither"  he spoke, setting his glass down.

"I'm confused,"  Y/N admitted, taking a small sip of the Champagne, surprised at the taste.

"Tastes good, doesn't it?"  the General chuckled.  "What I mean is, I command out of respect, but take the necessary actions to ensure structure and order.  You see what I'm getting at?"  Y/N set his glass down.

"That...actually makes sense,"  he nodded.  "But then why commit acts of terrorism?  Why promote your cause in a way that is almost tyrannical?"  The General smirked.

"That, I'm afraid, is on a need to know basis only, and-"  the General was interrupted by a White Mask soldier entering his office.  The General sighed.

"Knock much?"  he spoke, clearly disturbed.

"Sorry sir, but we have a situation"  the General nodded.

"Very well.  Y/N I'm sorry to cut this short, but, gotta do what's needed as a leader"  he turned to his soldier. "Escort him to the main cell block, and give him a hearty meal"  he ordered.  The Mask stood there, confused.

"Sir?"  he asked.  The General raised an eyebrow.

"You questioning my authority?"  he asked.  The Mask quickly shook his head out of fear.  "Very good.  Do as I command"