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“Tch.” That was the first thing out of Titus’ mouth when he saw the pile of sticks on the beachside, placed meticulously in a pattern that the creator knew only the Thief Lord would know. He dropped his head and ground the palm of his hands into his eyes, knowing that if he didn’t, some sort of expression would come onto his face that he wasn’t too keen on feeling. Plus, he could feel the urgency behind Messiah’s message. Don’t tell anyone.
Kicking the sticks until no sign of a message was left, he quickly turned around and walked back to the group who looked shaken, exhausted, but alive. Smiling when Ewan turned his face to him, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of affection for this ragtag group of elites, bonded together through adventures in life and death.
“You’re looking awfully pensive,” Gideon said out of nowhere, effectively startling Titus from his reverie. The man had literally just leaned his arm against a tree just a bit of ways from the group to gaze out over the lake when the public figure poked his head into his business. “What was that August said? ‘Lonesome thoughts now that your fight partner is gone?’”
“You-“ Titus gritted out, instinctively wanting to lash out, but stopping himself. His chest tightened uncomfortably, unsure whether Gideon saying that meant that he knew that Titus knew that Messiah was alive, or was just trying to lighten the situation of the detective’s possible death. Snorting once, he looked away. “That’s not funny,” he said flatly.
Rubbing his head, Gideon chuckled awkwardly. “Sorry, you know that’s not what I meant.” The man turned his gaze towards the sunken castle. “Messiah will find a way.” He said in an oddly calm and determined voice.
He has, but fair enough, Titus thought watching as water was already at the level of their tower escape path. “Dumbass detective’s not gonna let himself die before throwing me in jail at least one more time,” he said, more to himself with a half-laugh. He felt Gideon’s eyes on him.
“About that, did you know Messiah was a Saguinist? If he comes back alive, they’ll take-“
“Gideon! Titus!” Zan’s voice made them turn their heads. The singer was waving, another hand pointed out towards the distance. Squinting, Titus felt unease fill his chest when he saw the familiar black flags of the Imperial palace’s guards. Perhaps that was just because he had gone for so long running away from them that it was on instinct that he felt the need to run. Perhaps it was something else.
When Lawrence was taken away by his guard, it wasn’t too long until the white chivalric order came to them. To his sides, August was wild with joy at the sight of the carriages they were bringing and Gideon let out loud sigh of relief. Yet Titus only felt the discomfort grow.
Those carriages…I know those carriages, he thought, horror and anger bubbling inside of him. The thickness of the walls and the flashiness of their décor, the carriages being brought were not simply for public transportation.
Titus had been in a carriage very similar to them on his way to jail.
What do I do? Who do I tell? If we suddenly run away, it’ll be suspicious. But Ewan won’t want to, even if he believed me. Nails dug into his palm as he tried to think of a plan but nothing came to light. Leaving now would only mark them as committing treason for running away with the future emperor. Going with them only promised a certain kind of punishment. Telling the others would spark panic, more distrust, and Titus wasn’t sure if he wanted to deal with any more of that now that they were out of the labyrinth.
They had proven themselves to each other and now they simply had to continue to work together to make the kingdom flourish.
Which meant…Titus had to trust that no matter what would happen, they could work together again. And that included trusting Messiah, wherever he was.
The words the guards said fell on deaf ears as Titus already planned his escape. “Can I have a horse?” He had asked, hoping that maybe one of them felt kind enough to give a criminal his last wish. But after being subtly shoved into the prison carriage, he bit the inside of his cheek when he saw that Ewan was to be riding with him.
The doors closed and the sound of a lock faintly clicked, yet Ewan didn’t notice. The soon-to-be emperor turned his large and happy eyes to Titus. “Isn’t this wonderful, Titus?” The young man breathed and the thief wanted to slam his head against a wall. “We’re finally going back!”
“Yeah,” Titus agreed, eyes already seeking out the door and window, wracking his brain to try and figure out how to break out of it. “It’s great.”
“Messiah will come back.”
Titus swallowed, ignoring the sensations in his chest by moving straight to the door and fiddling with it when the carriage began to move. He knew Ewan wasn’t judging him for what probably looked like his ‘habit.’ “I’m sure,” he hummed casually.
The sound of Ewan settling back into the chair was what was left as a reply as Titus battled the fanciful lock.
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“Come with me,” Titus said when he was practically half out of the window, feeling the air rush through his hair. He was turning back to look at Ewan with what he hoped wasn’t a desperate expression. After he had picked the lock of the window, they both learned that the lock to the door was too reinforced to be messed with from the inside.
That was more than enough proof to the young Ignis that they simply weren’t going back to the palace for a celebration.
“We can disappear from here together and you won’t have to deal with any of this bullshit!” Titus stressed, his hand flinging out in the carriage. “Ewan, they’re basically bringing you straight to jail!”
“Then I’ll go,” Ewan fired back a look of determination written on his face. Titus was well familiar with its look, having been on the receiving end of it more than a few times in the labyrinth. “I won’t leave the others to deal with this alone and I can’t run from my past and blood.”
“Tch,” Titus muttered, turning his head down in frustration. He didn’t want his escape to look bad on him. He didn’t want Ewan thinking he was only running away from his fate. He-
“But you need to find Messiah for us,” Ewan suddenly said, and Titus looked up, surprised. The future emperor was on the edge of his seat, looking at Titus with a desperate expression. “You need to find Messiah and plan so that you don’t get into trouble like this with us. So go, Titus.”
Staring at the young man, Titus let out a small, short laugh. He’s more than enough to be emperor, he thought as he hauled himself completely out the window this time. Ewan watched him through the opening. “I’ll tell him you said hey,” he grinned, feeling the wind pull at his clothes.
When Ewan smiled and nodded, he asked, ‘What do I tell the others?’
Titus winked. “That I really had to go take a piss.” And with that, he let go.
--------------
His feet pounded against the ground as he ran swiftly under the coverage of the forest, specific directions ingrained in his mind. After he had escaped from the carriage he knew it wouldn’t be too long until they realized his disappearance, so he had put all of his leftover energy into sprinting towards the cabin Messiah had pointed out.
The wounds on his body still throbbed and the exhaustion he shared with everyone else tinged the edges of his vision but he refused to let it slow him down. Even if he heard no horses behind him, time for the other prisoners he had left behind was limited – something he couldn’t simply waste.
Northeast…cabin… Titus panted as he weaved his way through trees and shrubbery, backtracking all the way to the labyrinth’s site before turning immediately northeast and running that way. It wasn’t until he saw the cabin in the distance did he assume that the soldiers were too far away to know where he was. He let out a loud whoop! in happiness.
Messiah was in that cabin. Messiah, Amadaeus, his dumb detective that put everyone else’s lives above his own, yet still managed to survive by the skin of his teeth.
He didn’t know what had changed between them during their time in the labyrinth, but he knew something definitely did. Of course, Titus still wanted to plant his fist into the damn guy’s face, but he felt that despite the brutal action, he wouldn’t have actually meant it. Oddly enough, he knew that Messiah would feel the same way.
Slowing down once he got closer, he crept towards the cabin, narrow eyes taking in the structure. There was a small window next to the door and from within, Titus couldn’t make out any movement or light.
Mumbling a quiet ‘fuck it’ under his breath and decided that if this was a trap, he’d just fight his way out of it, the thief grabbed the handle and immediately flung open the door, stepping inside.
“Messi-“ he called out, before his voice left him. The confidence and brave expression he had wanted to display when he finally faced the other man completely disappeared when he actually rested his gaze on Messiah’s face, seated by the hearth wrapped in a blanket as he nursed his wounds.
At his name, the detective’s head snapped up and he stared at Titus in surprise. Immediately, he got up from the floor, rushing towards the thief with an expression of god knew what on his face.
Well, Titus knew what. And he wanted to reciprocate, he really did. His body had a very, very strong urge to be close to the detective, to feel that familiar heat against his relatively-bare chest and to know that of all the people in their group, Messiah would be the one body he could recognize in an instant.
So, trusting his body and its urges, he let his fist fly.
“YOU BASTARD!” He yelled as the punch collided with the detective’s face, effectively causing him to stagger. Messiah choked, but the stunned expression on his face morphed into closed eyes, an idiotic smile and relief on his face. Titus was breathing heavily.
“It’s good to see you again too, Titus. I’m glad you all made it out alive.”
“Stop with the bullshit!” Titus snarled, reaching forward and grabbing Messiah’s front lapels, dragging him forward. Warmth, his mind supplied. “Do you know how angry I am with you?” There was blood on the edge of Messiah’s lip and Titus squashed the urge to wipe it away. “How reckless it was for you to do shit like that? Leaving yourself with that psychopath in the middle of a sinking castle?”
Messiah’s eyes were sharp as usual, despite the obvious tiredness beneath. He kept his head raised, looking at Titus evenly. “Are you sure I’m the one who should be lectured on recklessness? If you didn’t stupidly open that door, we might’ve been able to hold off Othelo’s entrance for a bit longer.”
A growl left him at the sharp jab but the thief knew that it was his own fault that what had happened, happened. His fingers tightened in Messiah’s clothes momentarily before he shoved him away, crossing his arms. “So? How did you get out?”
“Isn’t this a change in scenery? The greatest thief in the world, asking the detective how to escape.”
“It’s different from escaping jail! Don’t turn this on me!”
“Ah? Are you curious so you can tuck this little piece of information away for future references? If I get my cuffs on you once again, you’ll simply find your way out of the imperial palace’s jail?”
“Messiah!”
There was a pause, long enough for Titus and Messiah to stare at each other, heat in their eyes and scorn in their voices. But it was short enough that after a few seconds, they both let out a breath, turning away.
Messiah dropped his head, rubbing his face as he mumbled something that suspiciously sounded like ‘damn you, Titus,’ while the thief simply chuckled, tipping his head to stare at the ceiling of the old cabin in amusement. “You’re a piece of work, detective,” he muttered, turning a glinting eye to his old comrade.
“Why? Interested in stealing me?”
Wind blew and a few fallen leaves scattered across the open door.
Now, Titus was not a stranger to flirts, pick-up lines, innuendos and the like. In fact, he was the instigator for most of them. But when Messiah said something that sounded alarmingly like a tease, he couldn’t help but stand there and blink in utter surprise.
In fact, even the detective looked a bit shocked at himself for having those words fall from his lips. While Titus stared at him, Messiah immediately dragged his eyes away, brows furrowed as if he was confused as to why he said it.
Titus realized he had missed a golden opportunity to play with the detective out of shock once Messiah cleared his throat. “Come on, I have a plan for what to do to save the others.”
“Wait, you knew that they were coming to capture us?” Titus asked incredulously, following Messiah to the table where chairs were already set up. He threw himself down on one, relishing in the feeling of hard wood underneath him rather than the overly-cushiony chairs that were in the carriage.
Messiah sat himself down carefully to his side and Titus could immediately pick out which areas were wounded. “Yes, it wasn’t hard to assume. There is a mole within the feudal lords and it’s entirely within his power to claim that there are the emperor’s murderers within the candidates and have the court believe him. Plus, Ewan’s heritage cannot be hidden for long.” He pulled out papers while looking at Titus. “As an Ignis, he is immediately subject for prosecution against the king.”
He’s thought everything out before we even had time to breathe in relief, Titus realized in amazement as Messiah continued to speak, holding up sheet after sheet of explanations and charts that he had drawn up, probably while waiting for Titus to come find him. They were detailed with how to work around the guard, where the prisoners would probably be put, and how Messiah himself would bring proof forward to the court.
The man spoke confidently, as if this were a plan he had been hatching from the beginning of time with years and years of fixing and tweaking. He sounded like a definite leader, someone that Titus had no qualms about recognizing as a strong person. He sounded like an old friend, someone that Titus might’ve hated once before but now savored being around, just for his presence alone. He sounded like…like…
“You sound like a thief,” Titus suddenly said, interrupting the detective’s long and lengthy explanation.
Startled, Messiah looked at him, confusion written openly on his face. Titus’ statement was so out of the blue that it had effectively dragged the other man completely away from the stressful topic at hand. The thief simply grinned.
“I- what?”
“A thief,” Titus said, hugging one of his knees and tugging at a strand of hair lazily. “With all this plotting and escaping and lying and fighting~ You sound like me.”
A faint pink tinge appeared under incredulous eyes and Titus straightened up. Bingo.
“Don’t be idiotic,” Messiah muttered, turning his eyes away to glower a bit at the papers under his hands. “I don’t like doing things that are beneath me, but for the sake of Ewan and the others I will do what I can.”
“Is that what you said when trying to capture me too, detective?” Titus teased, a playful smirk on his face.
The other man rolled his eyes. “You’re aware that the work of a detective isn’t necessarily all just and righteous?” He glanced at Titus. “To solve cases, sometimes we must go to where the crime was committed. We must step into the shoes of the perpetrators. I’m not a saint when I follow a path of blood, you know.”
Leaning forward to prop his elbow on the table and rest his chin on his palm, he gazed at Messiah with what he hoped was an intense expression. He knew it worked when the detective frowned and turned his head away. “Never said you were an angel.”
“You sure seem to act like detectives are under the work of God or some sort.”
“If you were, then you would’ve put yourself in jail a long time ago, Mess,” Titus snickered and Messiah rolled his eyes at the nickname. “But don’t worry. I would’ve come and rescued you, no problem.”
At that, the detective finally turned his eyes to the thief, amusement flickering in his eyes. “Oh, really? You think I’d let myself run away from the law in the arms of another criminal? And one that I worked so hard on capturing in the first place?”
Titus’ grin widened. “Who said anything about being in my arms, Detective?” The flush appeared once more and Titus could see the fingers visibly tighten a fraction around the papers. “If anything, I’d treat you like the criminal you are and carry you away in a bag.”
“So much for a painless rescue,” Messiah muttered, obviously trying to regain control of the situation. He was continuously giving Titus openings and the thief was lapping them up like a dog, thoroughly enjoying the embarrassment that he was inflicting on the other man.
Titus tapped the paper with a finger, having mercy for a moment as Messiah squirmed. “I’d make it up to you. Keep going about this plan of yours.”
----------
“So why ‘Messiah?’” Titus asked, sitting in a slouched position with one shoulder leaning against the rough stones of the hearth. A miniscule fire flickered within, enough to provide warmth but small enough to not illuminate the room through the window.
After Messiah had explained the plan involving the rescue of Lawrence, Ewan and possibly the others, Titus had all but man handled the detective back onto the floor, checking his wounds and forcing him to rest.
Now, the thief sat staring at the other man who looked worse for wear, laying swaddled in a ratty blanket in front of the fire. Messiah always tried to hold himself up in a dignified manner but now, only in the presence of a measly thief, he looked closer to the brink of death than he probably was.
Pale faced and haggard, Messiah breathed deeply in an imitation of sleep, though his eyes stayed half lidded as he gazed at the small flame. Titus had already exhausted looking at everything else in the cabin so he kept his eyes on the other man. Messiah felt distant yet at the same time, closer than ever before, and Titus had to stop himself from reaching forward to check his temperature or brush hair from his face.
I’m not his mother, damnit, the thief thought, a frown on his face. He knows how to heal.
“Why do you think?” Messiah answered with what was arguably a snort. “I solved people’s problems; I made life easy. I was their ‘risen saviour.’”
Titus quirked a brow at that. “They were one step away from calling you God, huh?”
The detective’s eyes slid towards him. “You’re no different, aren’t you? The things you steal aren’t just for flaunting purposes.” Titus narrowed his eyes. “You give them to the poverty-stricken people in your town. You also solve their problems.”
“Is Messiah Reed claiming my life’s work is actually not a cri-“
“It’s still a crime,” Messiah snapped, before sighing and relaxing more onto the floor. Titus doubted it was comfortable. “I’m just saying that I’m no different from you, despite varying perspectives.”
Gnawing on his bottom lip absently, Titus twirled a strand of hair around his fingers as he studied the other man. “Yeah, I get you. You ever steal before, Mess?”
“Why do you ask?”
Because I wanna know if you’ve experienced the joy of giving some homeless kid a meal. Because I wanna know if you know the expressions of family who finally get tools to help their livelihood.
“Because if you’re any good, I wanna recruit you for my guild,” Titus teased, watching the detective’s gaze flick towards him with exasperated eyes.
“Didn’t you try and pull Ewan into your no good-“
“Hey now, hey. My men are plenty good. They’re damn good at what they do, for sure. They’d steal your living from right under your feet,” he defended.
Expecting a comeback of sorts, he was surprised when the light in Messiah’s eyes darkened as he turned away. “That living no longer exists,” he said, and Titus thought he looked even smaller on the floor. “Once I go back to give my proof of the traitor, I’ll be thrown into jail. I suspect that the people will now see their ‘Messiah’ as a ‘Judas.’”
Furrowing his brows at the religious reference that he didn’t really get, Titus simply tsked, slumping more against the wall. “You know we’re not gonna actually leave you in that prison, right?”
“It’s necessary. I refuse to cheat my way out of something that I know I deserve-“
“You don’t deserve it,” Titus immediately fired back, glaring at the man who simply looked tired. “What you deserve is a straight up beating from me and maybe August to shove you in one of his dresses for a day out in public. You don’t deserve to rot in jail, Messiah.”
The man shook his head minutely. “It wouldn’t be right. I did aid in the institution’s plan for the throne, even if I myself didn’t pledge allegiance to them. Othelo is still connected to me. It’s not a crime I can run away from.”
“But you killed him!” Titus argued. “You killed him and you didn’t pledge to the saguinists! You basically said it yourself, you’re not in the wrong here! Just say you were…you were taken advantage of or something-“
Messiah let out a scornful laugh that paused the thief in his sentence. “Taken advantage of? (“Compromised, I meant!”) Your choice of words is really befitting that of a womanizer,” he said, causing Titus to scowl. “Regardless of the reason, I was part of a terrorist group that the country despises. I won’t get off so easily by saying I was taken advantage of.”
“So you’re going to willingly sit in that jail cell?” Titus asked flatly.
Closing his eyes, Messiah nodded once. “That is my fate.”
“What if I were to rescue you out of there?”
“I already told you, Titus. There’s no point. It wouldn’t be right and you shouldn’t feel obligated to save my life-“
“What if I want to?”
Messiah paused and the sound of the fire was the only thing that filled the air. Finally, after a few seconds, the detective sighed. He opened his eyes to peer curiously at the thief who was looking back at him with his jaw set in determination. “You don’t really have to,” he said lamely, as if unsure how to take Titus’ intensity.
“Never said I felt like I had to.”
“If it’s for Ewan’s happiness or some notion of keeping the marquis and Lawrence together-“
“Damn, Messiah, I’m all for Ewan’s happiness and all that shit but can’t a guy do things he wants to do too?” Titus answered testily. It was strange. Usually he could speak his mind bluntly, tell someone what he wanted to say easily. But looking at Messiah, Titus felt at a loss of words.
The detective was insanely intelligent but in his own way, or maybe in Titus’ way, he was still a few steps behind.
It took a second or two before understanding slowly dawned on Messiah’s face. It was there for a moment before it turned into slight confusion. “You…” he started off, hesitant. “You’d be satisfied knowing the man who captured you once before was out on the streets again?”
“Would he be hunting my ass down to throw me in jail again?” Titus questioned.
“Well, you certainly seem to be okay with the possibility of me coming after you again, if you’re helping me escape,” Messiah said with a small frown.
The thief tried to suppress a small smirk. “I’d be okay with you coming after me for any reason, Reed.” Was that obvious enough? Christ, Messiah, get a clue.
Once again, that startled look came upon Messiah’s face as he registered Titus’ meaning. He seemed to be struggling to decide whether or not the thief’s words were his typical teases or had actual meaning behind them.
Sighing dramatically, Titus waved his hand dismissively, trying to wave the air of the imminent awkward tension as well as to stop Messiah from thinking too hard. “Forget about it. Just know that Ewan wouldn’t want you to fester in prison for too long. You’d have to deal with his stubbornness to get you out as well.”
Messiah bit his lip thoughtfully. “Ewan has an uncanny way of getting what he wants. I doubt I could do much to persuade him otherwise.”
“What, do you really want to go to jail that bad?”
“If I don’t at least go through with this, then I cannot prove to be someone that the people will follow, if Ewan insists that I continue to be dubbed as a marquis.”
Shoving his fingers into his hair and threatening to rip chunks out, Titus groaned, dropping his head back against the hard stone. The detective simply watched him, resolve obvious in his eyes. “You’re so full of justice and righteousness it makes me want to vomit,” he muttered, crossing his arms.
“And you’re so full of deceit and arrogance that I wonder why I even bother talking to you.”
“I am a delight, thank you very much.”
“Ah yes, to the mice in the cells I’m sure you’re outstanding company.”
“Are you putting me on the same levels as rats?!”
“If you put it that way, then yes.”
Seconds away from pouncing on the other man and letting another swing meet his face, Titus only stopped when he saw the easy grin on Messiah’s mouth. All the fight immediately deflated from him and the fist that was clenched instantly relaxed. The detective was still laying on the ground comfortably, their banter not riling him up whatsoever. He looked more amused, in fact, that Titus seemed ready to fight.
Grumbling and a bit embarrassed at his easy temper, the thief lord looked away. “You’re an asshole. I don’t know why I put up with you.”
“Then why do you?” An innocent question. An innocent voice.
“What?” Titus narrowed his eyes, looking back at him.
Messiah shrugged. “Titus, I’m not blind to your abilities whatsoever. It took me several men to subdue just you by yourself. I’m fully aware you’re much stronger than me on a physical level.”
Titus stared at him.
“During all our fights, I know that you’re holding back,” Messiah went on, speaking casually as if explaining to him the weather. “Though I was quite convinced you truly despised me, I wondered why you didn’t just do me in in that castle.”
“Well… I mean… Ewan-“
“The fake Amadeus’ body was practically an open invitation to us, like a sign that killing was an option on the table had we decided to go that route. I was the one who took away your freedom so I wasn’t going to be surprised if you’d turn your bloodlust onto me.”
Titus felt the urge to stop him from talking because Messiah’s words felt wrong, in a way. Sure, the guy was an absolute pain in the ass to deal with and hell yeah he’d probably feel a sense of joy if he saw Messiah in trouble.
But the odd thing was that Titus knew deep down that he didn’t mind the way the detective popped up out of nowhere, providing his two cents that no one really asked for. He knew that if Messiah was in trouble, he’d do his best to be the first one to help him out of it, at least after laughing a bit. Why didn’t he just kick Messiah completely out of his life anyway? The answer felt so absurdly simple he wanted to laugh.
“You make it sound like we’re practically enemies,” Titus snorted, though he turned his gaze onto the flickering flame.
“You don’t think we are?”
“Do you?”
Silence was the answer to his question.
“You’re not a bad guy, Messiah,” he admitted, although a bit reluctantly. He heard the detective shuffle a bit and when he turned around, he saw that the other man was sitting up. “Now me, on the other hand-“
“Are not bad either,” Messiah finished with a faint smile as he shrugged the blanket around his shoulder closer.
Titus snorted. “I’m really, truly amazed at how much of a turnaround you’ve made since the labyrinth. What am I now, like, a god in your eyes or something?”
“You have exemplary moments, I will admit.”
Mouth open with the intent to continue, it immediately clicked shut when Messiah spoke those words. Titus stared at him with the same intensity as the other was staring back and he felt his pulse in his ears. While I go with the roundabout way to do things, he just knocks the door down and barges right in, doesn’t he?
Cracking a wary smile, he let out a hesitant chuckle. “You’re kinda fast with those compliments there, huh Mess? Unless you find a lady who likes the ones that don’t tease-“
“I don’t like it when you tease,” Messiah responded immediately, one brow raising just enough to make Titus feel like he missed something big. “It makes me feel like I’m simply one of those girls on the street you try and sweet talk.”
Titus gaped, unsure of how to respond. He felt his pulse quicken when Messiah began sliding over to him, determination written on his face.
“You didn’t answer my question before though, Titus,” he said and the thief felt his mouth stop working. He couldn’t even move as Messiah made his way closer, stopping just in front of him. Dark eyes bore into his, the intensity of a man wanting to knowing the truth just behind his irises. Was this how all Messiah’s targets felt when he questioned them within an inch of their life? Ripped open and bare, with nothing to hide? “Why do you put up with me?”
Forcing his throat to move and produce sounds, the thief spluttered indignantly. “W-Why-! I could ask you the same thing!”
“Your company is more rewarding than other criminals I’ve dealt with,” Messiah said and Titus stared as he watched as the man grimace as if it hurt to admit that. “It’s…lively.”
“I’m lively.” Titus repeated in a flat, unbelieving tone.
Messiah tilted his head side to side in an ‘I suppose so’ gesture. “What, you don’t think so?”
“I think you’re going insane,” he replied, frowning a bit. “You can’t actually think that about me.”
A frown. “Who are you to tell me what I can and cannot think?” He said disdainfully. “Is it such a crime to admit that I enjoy your company? …On select instances, of course.”
“I, well yeah,” Titus said obviously.
“Then why do you put up with me?”
Shit, that question again.
“B-Because…” Titus felt his face heat up, far more than normal than if he’d stuck it inches away from the tiny flame itself. “Because-“
Messiah moved in closer, the small flickers of light dancing in his eyes. Titus wanted to back away but his back was pressed against the hearth’s walls. He felt caged in more ways than one.
“I think that you’re simply full of bravado,” Messiah said, his voice dropping low to where Titus had to restrain himself from accidentally shuddering. “Isn’t it a thief’s way to take what they want without waiting too long? Or maybe you don’t know what you want.”
“Mess- what the hell do you know about what I want?” Titus hissed, struggling to maintain control of the situation. Messiah was too close, too hot, and his voice was doing things to the thief that he didn’t know what to deal with.
Or, well, he did. He knew fully well how to deal with it. The only difference was that this was Messiah Reed and what he thought was clearly teasing before, was apparently very, very real now.
Fingers brushed over his and he suddenly had the intense urge to both crush them in his strong grip and lace their fingers together without letting to. Still torn between two options, he didn’t react when Messiah’s hand rested on top of his without any intention of moving.
“Well, I know what I want, and I for one, always try and get what I want,” Messiah muttered, eyes flickering all over Titus’ face.
What happened to the blushing, flustered detective? What happened to the man who looked downright confused when I dropped him a pick up line?! Where is that Messiah Reed!?
Apparently that Messiah Reed was buried deep underneath where it could not be found because on the surface was now only bravery. Enough bravery for him to reach out and ghost his lips across Titus’ cheek, warm enough to make his ear tingle.
“How about you, thief?” came the husky whisper. “Do you always succeed in your endeavors?”
The insinuation was more than enough invitation. Throwing all caution to the wind, Titus suddenly wrapped his arm around the other’s waist and yanked him closer, feeling the detective practically fall into his lap. He grinned, feeling tension shoot up Messiah’s body before it relaxed. “You would know, wouldn’t you detective?” He teased, feeling lips already on his neck, smiling in amusement. “You practically know all about me and my work.” Hot hands slid under his short half-shirt.
“That’s true,” Messiah’s voice rumbled against his skin and Titus openly shivered. “ Then show me what you’re good for.”