Shoot Your Shot

Chapter 12

"I'm not gonna lie, Boss, I think it's really nice that you found someone that makes you happy." The words cut into Arackniss' tired mind and pulled his gaze from out the window and to the man in the front seat. It took him a moment to register what exactly the man had said when the other arachnid kept going. "Especially down here in Hell. It's so hard to find nice partners whose company you actually enjoy beyond a sexual level. I mean, nobody is gonna ever compare to your mother because she was a damn Angel, that's for sure but-"

"Luca!" The Huntsman turned in his seat and looked back at him.

"But, you're mother was an angel. Is an angel?" He thought about it for a moment and Arackniss had never before wanted to stab him as much as he did in that moment. "My point is that I'm happy that you're happy."

"Who said I was happy? Huh?" He waited for a second while Luca glanced at Stefano, who was simply shaking his head in the drivers seat. "Who said I enjoyed his company? Have you ever thought about the fact that he works for us now? This could be about work." The man pursed his lips and Arackniss crossed his arms over his chest.

"But it's not about work is it? This is more like a booty call than it is about work." Luca laughed and Arackniss questioned whether or not his bodyguard had any sense of self preservation at all. He was sure the man had lost it all through years of cocaine and mob work. Sighing heavily and resisting the urge to smack the man upside his head, he shifted and looked back out the window

"It is not a booty call, Luca. Just face forward and shut your mouth. I'm tired of listenin' to ya yappin'." The Huntsman frowned and turned to face forward. He wasn't wrong, it wasn't a "booty call", because that was nothing but a call for sex. What was it when someone called you because they wanted to relax with you? Did it even have a name? Did it have to have a name? When they pulled up and the car stopped, he felt a combination of fear and ease wash over him. He had an idea of the word he wanted to use, but he didn't dare use it. Not with a lover. Not now, not ever, he swore. Stepping from the vehicle, he waved the men off and moved to the door. Of course, they didn't leave just yet, but he considered them as good as gone. Knocking on the door, he waited, feeling more awkward then ever before. After a few minutes of nothing, he started to feel ridiculous. Had the man simply gotten tired of waiting for him and gone to sleep? He knocked one more time, unwilling to suck up his pride and just leave.

Beyond the panel, he heard the creaking of a door, and then the soft sound of scales against polished wood. When the door finally opened, he was more than a little shocked at the sight. "I apologize. I was in the garage." Pentious moved aside and let him in, and while the snake closed the door, he took the opportunity to look him over fully. His hood was tied back loosely and he wasn't dressed as sharp as he always was. In fact, he was hardly dressed at all; in nothing but an oil stained under shirt. And the shirt wasn't the only thing covered in the motor oil, either, because his lover seemed to have the stuff all over him as well. In one hand he had a rag that he'd clearly used to open the door instead of touching it.

"What were you doing?" The other man finished locking the door and turned to face Arackniss. He looked down at himself and deflated a bit.

"I have a pet project that I'm working on building and it's no where near finished. It just gets a little... messy sometimes." Now he was intrigued twice as much as before. Finished or not, whatever it was had to be massive for it to make such a mess. The snake fruitlessly tried to wipe off some of the oil, but did little more than smear it more before giving up. "Let me shower at least?" Arackniss shrugged.

"It's your house. Do what you want, I can wait." Pentious gave him a grateful smile before heading up stairs to clean up. Arackniss waited for a moment, listening carefully until he heard the shower start. That's when he started searching to quell his curiosity. When he found the door to the garage, he noticed the light was still on, making it easier for him. Stepping inside, he looked around with awe. There were shelves climbing two of the walls filled with everything from tools, to books and vials. A desk to one side was neatly organized with blue prints pinned on the wall behind it, notebooks and schematics laid out to the side with a wide variety of ideas and designs. There was equipment for cutting wood and metal, water etching, a smelter, the works, and there was a mass amount of materials carefully stored against the back wall. The thing the caught his eye, though, was the car sized project itself in the center of the room. Unfinished, it was already the size of a large SUV, or possibly a tank, and it could definitely cause some trouble. Walking around the piece slowly, he took in every intricate detail, the way the bones of the design sat, the organization of it all that made it clean and not a wild mess like some contraptions seemed to be. It looked like some sort of vehicle, but searching, he couldn't find anywhere that would house any wheels, or even an axel to connect them to.