The Red Line of Fate [slash] [boy x boy]

Chapter 1: Campbell Establishment, room 203

Part One

Rowan twirled a dagger while looking out of a window. Luce shifted uncomfortably. The situation? Luce was tied up to a chair and Rowan was waiting on Elizabeth. "Well...at least tell me about yourself if your going to kill me. It's not like I can spill any secrets, I'll be dead." Rowan glared at Luce. It was odd, he felt like he could tell this Luce character everything. Rowan pulled out a smoke from his pocket and went over to a candle, he lit the smoke and began to smoke. "Oh, so, you smoke?" Rowan glared at him out of the corner of his eye. "Okay, okay! Don't need to be so rude. Just a simple no would've sufficed." Rowan pulled up a chair and sat in front of him. "I'm your killer, why the hell are you trying to be friendly with me?" Rowan looked at Luce's face. He had beaten the other up all to hell, and yet he still smiled. Luce had cuts on his cheeks, bruises here and there, and blood coming from his mouth.

"Because it reminds me of something my lovely fiance, who I love very much and you should definitely release me so I can go buy her a lovely ring, always says. Fate. Gods. Stuff like that. I'm not really into it. Everyone in my family tried forcing it upon me, until the day they died. Insisting that it was important I believed in it because it involves my everyday life. Not really into being forced to do things, as you can see that's how I ended up tied to this chair. I just have a feeling that under different circumstances we might've become friends." "Are you *brown nosing me?" Luce looked away guiltily. Rowan scoffed. Rowan had a thought and frowned. This guy in front him, probably his age, has such high hopes. Hoping him and his fiance can get married and live a happy life. Hoping to see tomorrow. Thinking that his fiance loves him so dearly, and he doesn't dare want to leave her. The guy probably turned down many girls his entire life just to be with this one girl. The girl who is paying Rowan to kill him.

A/N: *Brown nosing- implies to being a suck up

"I have no idea what you think, but I think you're inclined before you die." Luce looked at Rowan and tilted his head. Rowan felt awestruck at his innocence. Poor guy. "About your fiance..." "Ah! My lovely Elizabeth Deering! Do you want to hear about her?" "Um..." "It's almost as if she represents the sun itself! Her hair is a beautiful golden blonde that reaches to the bottom of her back, it's so beautiful. She usually keeps it in a braid to make it easier to take care of, but it's such nice hair! Not to mention her eyes. Her eyes are like the large, vast sea. They shine beautifully. Yet, her beauty is not what I fell for, her personality is almost impossible to hate. Sweet, caring, and funny all at once. She'll worry about you, become jealous, and understanding all at once. One time I remember I was working late and she pouted, she was very upset that I couldn't go home early, then she was also understanding about it! My dear Elizabeth is possibly the best thing in my entire life." Rowan was overwhelmed. Inside, he wished that someone thought of him like that.

Part Two

"Luce Gillian." Luce stopped rambling about Elizabeth at the sound of his own name. "Luce Renfield Gillian." Luce had his mouth open as if to say something. How did this bounty hunter know his full name? Only Elizabeth knew his middle name. Most of his family members were dead anyway. "How do you know my middle name....?" "Listen, your lovely fiance..." Luce's throat went dry. "....has paid me...." Luce want to go deaf in hopes of not hearing the next set of words. He want to kill himself before he dared hear them. Elizabeth wouldn't. They were in love. They were to be married. Luce was supposed to be here buying a ring. "Please....don't tell me...." The door burst open and Rowan made a quick movement with his knife. Luce felt a lot of pain. Elizabeth's horrified face was the last thing he saw, and honestly, he wasn't happy she saw him killed.

His vision went black, then he saw nothing. "Do you think he's actually dead? Did you do it? I mean, he saw my face. All horrified, right?" "It was the last thing he saw. Now, pay up." Luce was confused. He could hear everything, yet see nothing. "Man, you actually slit his throat..." "You told me to kill him, now pay up." "Fine." The sound of coins in a bag was something else he could hear. Luce finally registered what was going on. He had remembered seeing that red liquid shining in a bag as Rowan had quickly brought out his knife. Blood. Not his, but blood. Rowan hadn't had killed him. He was very much alive. Seeing black? That was something covering his eyes. A black handkerchief. "Thank you for covering the sight, I really would've thrown up if you wouldn't have." "Miss, leave so I can dispose of the body already. It's been a long night waiting on you to show up. I finished the job, go. Wait for your royalty to come to you." "Thank you." Luce felt like throwing up after hearing all of this. Elizabeth had paid Rowan to kill him because of his bloodline. Luce's bloodline meant that whoever he fell in love with, was destined to lead or be royalty. He felt used.

He heard a door shut then footsteps walking away. Hands found themselves on Luce's arms. Luce's chair had fallen over as if he'd been really killed. Rowan set the chair upright and Luce opened his eyes. His expression was depressing. One would call it pathetic. He had wide eyes and tears streaking down his cheeks, his lips slightly parted as if to say something. The blood that Rowan had used to fake Luce's death was somewhat splattered on his face. Rowan cut the ropes binding Luce. Rowan put away the knife and looked at the sad look on Luce's face. "That's probably the most pathetic expression I've ever seen." No. In Rowan's mind, the most pathetic thing in the room was that he hadn't had killed Luce. He didn't care who lived or who died, and there was Luce, a crying mess at finding out his fiance didn't love him. "Why?" Luce's voice sounded raspy and he looked at Rowan. "To be honest, this all sounded a little to cruel to me when all you came here to do was buy a ring for her. Marry her. You talked so highly of her. In my opinion, someone who thinks so much of the one who paid me to kill you, shouldn't die. Let me put it like this, I respect you. Now, make a new life here in the city, that should be easy."

"I have no one left to go to, I don't even have 100 shillings. How am I supposed to make a living. You really just should've killed me..." Luce was obviously upset. He thought he was the luckiest man in the world to have Elizabeth at his side, then she ruined all of those thoughts. He wanted to die. "You don't deserve to die over some lover, you should die naturally, or heroic. Maybe. How old are you?" "17..." "Ah, you're my age. My only word of advice is that you have lots of time ahead of you. Go do something you've always wanted to do. This is Hiemdale, city of dreams. Follow your dreams. Luce Gillian." "What's your name, since you already know mine." "Rowan. That's it. You're not getting my last name." Luce nodded. "I follow your advice, Rowan." Rowan looked at Luce with a confused look for a quick second, the way Luce said Rowan. It felt like only Luce should say that exact name. "Clean up and go make a living." "Ah, you're right!" Luce grinned, but his eyes showed an immense amount of hurt. Hurt that Elizabeth didn't love him. Hurt that he was still alive. Yet he put on a smile. Luce walked over to the sink and ran water, he wet a handkerchief and cleaned up the blood, then changed his shirt, all while Rowan was still there.

"You know, when we were fighting earlier, I noticed something." Luce looked at Rowan and tilted his head. "What did you notice?" "Your quite good at holding your ground, not to mention your fairly quick. It's surprising for your build." "Ah, you're right. I'm kind of a scrawny person, always have been. I was raised in a village miles away after all." Rowan nodded. In his opinion though, Luce should be curled up in a ball crying, not telling how he was raised. Kid was strong. Probably didn't dare break down in front of others if he could stop it. Luce gathered up his things. "You should join the army." Luce laughed. "I wouldn't do too good there." "I recommend it." Luce smiled a small smile. Elizabeth had once told him to join the army so that he might get a better job instead of working for a butcher. "I'll find some type of work. After all, it's all I can do to repay you for keeping me alive." Rowan nodded and left without another word.