Homey

seven: reciprocated

Killer was stargazing. The sky was speckled with glowing stars like splattered paint. It brought a smile to his pale lips.

Color had let him do whatever he pleased for the first few days before his training had begun.
Killer had wisely decided to waste that time sleeping and staring at the sky. A boring life if you asked him.

The grass was cool against his skin. The blades of grass occasionally cutting him, but he didn't care. All he cared about right now was watching the twinkling stars millions of light years away.

"Oi, Killer", Color poked his head around the door, "You should get inside. It's going to rain today".

Killer just hummed in response. The tune short and melodic.

"Alright you knucklehead. I'm giving you ten minutes before I either knock you out or drag you back inside" Color grumbled jokingly as he shut the door.

Killer sighed and returned his gaze to the sky. He held his hand out, acting as if he could grasp one of the tiny shimmers.

"I miss everyone" he mumbled.

It was true, he missed the mansion, the constant bickering and bantering of his teammates, and weirdly enough, he also missed the cold presence of their leader.
It was cold and unforgiving yet hurt and it gave off just the right vibes to make him feel at home.

Sure, the cozy cottage life was peaceful, but Killer quickly found out he wasn't cut for that life. He grew fidgety when he didn't move for more then a mere few minutes. His hearing would spike up at anything and he was always alert.

"Alright Killer. You have thirty seconds to come inside" Color demanded.

"Alright, alright" Killer sighed as he entered the cottage.

The air smelled of burnt cinnamon and sugar, a dash of floral scents and maybe some baked bread. It was nice. Too nice.

"Take a seat, we'll discuss training matters".

Killer obliged.

"Alright. We'll begin easy. You'll wake up at 6:30am sharp. If not followed you will be punished.
From there you'll have a quick snack. After, you and I will duel everyday in the yard until you can land a blow on me. Along the way I'll stop the duel to give you advice, although you seem pretty capable", Color grinned.

"Ah, alright" Killer responded. He was eager be begin his training and return to the mansion.

"We will do this everyday. Along the way I'll teach you different moves to use, mostly those used in the military. Is this satisfactory?" The colorful male asked.

"Very".

"Good, I was going to throw you out if you said no anyway" Color smiled. It was cold and sent a shiver down Killer's spine. It made him feel antsy and nervous.

"You may go upstairs, solider".

"Goodnight, Color" Killer replied monotonously.

Color checked his surroundings to make sure no one was listening, Killer especially.
"✌︎♑︎♒︎📪︎ ⧫︎♒︎♓︎⬧︎ ♐︎♋︎♍︎♋︎♎︎♏︎ ♓︎⬧︎ ⧫︎□︎□︎ ♎︎♓︎♐︎♐︎♓︎♍︎◆︎●︎⧫︎ ⧫︎□︎ ❍︎♋︎♓︎■︎⧫︎♋︎♓︎■︎✏︎", Color gasped, "✋︎ ♒︎♋︎⧫︎♏︎ ◻︎●︎♋︎⍓︎♓︎■︎♑︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎ ♌︎♋︎♎︎ ♍︎□︎◻︎✏︎ 👍︎◆︎❒︎⬧︎♏︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎✏︎".

★彡

"Rise and shine motherfucka!" Color yelled as he practically ripped the curtains off.

Killer, who was currently a sleepy little mess, groaned. He pulled the blanket over his head.

"Ah, tut-tut. You need to wake up!" Color yelled, his throat getting hoarse already.

"Yeah yeah" Killer mumbled.

"I'm being serious" Color frowned, "You don't want some shitty punishment already do you?".

Killer let out a loud, exaggerated sigh as he jumped out of bed.

"See, it wasn't that difficult! Now, I'm going easy on you for the first few days! You can have a granola bar. Freshen up and eat. Meet me outside" Color smiled.

It was the same smile that gave off the wrong vibes for every reason. The way his smile lines looked to harsh, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes weren't there. His expression looked pained and brash.

Killer pulled on a random sweater he found acceptable. He stumbled his way down the short staircase.

"Alright, you're early. Even better" Color smiled. Again.

"Okay, today I want to get to know your strategy. How you move and think. I'm sure you already know, but predicting your enemies movements is vital" Color unsheathed a dagger.

Killer stared at the colorful human before he nodded.

"Good, now let's do it!".

Color suddenly dashed towards Killer, bringing down his dagger towards his glowing soul.

Killer rolled and quickly jumped up, the environment felt much better. This, I could get used to, Killer thought.

Color teleported behind him, slashing his dagger. Killer barely managed to jump out of the way, getting himself a nice bloody cut in the process.

"Strike one!" Color yelled, "Three strikes and you're out! Don't get hit!".

"Noted".

Killer summoned two thin throwing knives and threw them at Color, missing his skull and piercing in the soft soil behind him.

"Nice throw, but you want to avoid throwing it like a dart. Throw it like a frisbee!" Color advised, "I'll let you try and hit that tree trunk over there".
Color pointed towards a tree several yards away.

Killer summoned another pair of throwing knives. Using what Color suggested, he threw them like a frisbee. To his pleasure, he found they hit the trunk, even if just barely.

"Nice! Maybe we should of covered finding the right knife and then stance before... Alright then! Summon a variety of knives for me" Color instructed.

Killer did as told, laying the selection out on the ground. Some of them had grooves and divets, sharp or rounded edges.

"Weight them all in your hand. You need to find a good match. It should fit perfectly into your palm, you'll know when you've selected a good one" Color told him.

Killer picked up each knife, weighing them in his palm. The first knife was too heavy, it was like a weight. Second knife wasn't much better, it was almost perfect minus the inconstant weight throughout it. One wrong move and it's be off balance. He felt like a murderous goldilocks.

The two spent a good half hour weighing knives until they both found one Killer was satisfied with. Mind you, these are only throwing knives.

"I think this calls for a break!" Color exclaimed. He was looking towards a nice nap and a cup of lemonade.

Killer followed the taller inside. The feeling he was he was used to, an environment that made adrenaline run through his body and blood, vaporized. He felt like lowering his guard, but his mind told him not to.

"I'm going to take a nap, you do whatever minus going on a massacre and burning my house down" Color yawned.

Killer nodded and took a seat at the dining table, playing with his kitchen knife.
He couldn't shake the feeling that someone- no, something, was watching him. His every move, expression, everything. It was very unsettling.

"Whoever you are, show yourself" Killer said. His voice, though bold, was pickled with fear. He winced at his own tone.

Killer got no response minus the deafening sound of the clock ticking.