Meadowlark

Chapter 2

Pascal let out a giggle as Zeal slammed him into the soft bedsheets. He'd really have to lay off the alcohol sometimes, but he couldn't help it. It relaxed him in ways that were almost mildly concerning, but considering the mental toll of his job, it was merely compensation. And, of course, he was becoming closer and closer to Zeal to the point where they were married in spirit because they couldn't be otherwise. At least, not yet. The two had been thinking about how to take Bellamy out and start a new life without her, especially since Lemoine wasn't even there to fawn over her and persuade him otherwise. In fact, he knew his lover had an entire dream board full of different ways to kill someone, and was narrowing it down to their all time favourites.

Zeal slammed their lips to his, making his eyes flutter. The feeling brought him back to their very first kiss, right after Zeal got tattooed in the alleyway of the bar they met in. They'd changed so much since then. The way their mouths fused was rougher, just like their lives. Pascal's hand drifted to their silky, now white hair to pull them closer. 

"You think all our hits are gonna end up like this?" They murmured against his mouth, breath mingling with his. 

"They better," Pascal's face was flushed, a rosy colour creeping up his cheeks and spreading to his forehead. Zeal scoffed. How could the leader of hired killers be so adorable sometimes? "The rush of my blood makes up for the amount the corpses spill."

"That's gotta be a lot then, especially if it's in the jugular. Ah, that one's effective. Can't say it's as fun to see the life drain out of them in only fifteen seconds, but..."

Murder was such a casual thing between them, and the two liked to talk about techniques and weapons of choice often so they could improve. Pascal was raised like this, but Zeal caught on quick. Anything for power. Zeal smirked, and tugged Pascal's collar lower, exposing the smooth skin of his neck. It was warm, just like the rest of him, which suited him nicely. Right now, all they wanted to do was throw him over their back and around their shoulders. There was a little bit of scarring towards his scalp, and Zeal ran their fingers along it almost lazily before pressing a kiss to the area. 

They were about to do more, but they heard some whispers of an unplanned audience that they needed to take care of. They thought it was obvious that when the two of them slipped into their quarters early, that meant they weren't open for visitors. But then again, this group, which was supposed to be mature, had the sense of humour of feral toddlers, so privacy was a rarity.

"I'll be back," They grumbled, rolling off of him and adjusting their clothing. They didn't want to, but hopefully, if this was brief, they could get back to their well-earned celebration. Pascal rolled his eyes in annoyance, and quickly snapped his fingers so that Zeal would return to their normal state. They ran a hand through their messy hair as it changed back to its dark blue. What a disappointment. They could feel the authority they had, slipping through their fingers like sand in an hourglass.

Zeal opened the door to a scene they didn't quite expect. Umbriel, the obvious ringleader, had pressed a glass to the door to amplify sound, and recoiled as soon as it swung open, although his smug smile lingered. Bishop was standing behind him, arms crossed with dark circles under his eyes to signify he was a reluctant chaperone. Wolfgang was playing a peppy, wedding-like tune on his trumpet with his head facing away, Kit had her face buried in a book with only the top of her hair not obscured by the cover, and Valla was recording the entire thing. 

 Umbriel grabbed a stick that was buried in the wool of his jacket and used it as a makeshift microphone. His voice easily slipped into the one he used while on the air, deep, yet fake. 

"Earlier I forecasted some light snowing around the northwest area at around 9:30, but what I didn't expect is that we've got some here too, although it's peculiar. It falls in spurts and the smell is like bleach! But hey, we're open for learning new things, eh?" Umbriel elbowed them, clearly trying to get a rise out of them.