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Virtually everyone in the world was born with an Aptitude; a gift special and unique to the kind of person they would one day become but for some it was little more than a curse that hindered them.
No one knew the origin of the Aptitudes but some gifts were passed down through families while others appeared seemingly out of the blue, rarer still were those that never manifested an Aptitude; they were called the Effete- powerless.
The Effete tended to be bitter and twisted, overcome with a sense of inadequacy at being born without an Aptitude, which usually made them the most vindictive of all; lashing out at those with gifts over the perceived injustice of being born with no powers of their own.
~
This was going to be a new start, a new life… a better life. Lance could feel it in his bones.
Lance had picked up his life, his belongings, his cat and had left everything else behind him. He’d thrown everything he could grab into his trunk and had driven west and didn’t stop until New York was only a distant pinprick in his rearview mirror.
He truly had had half a mind to stop and peg his engagement ring off the Manhattan Bridge but that thought dissipated when he traded it in for a thick wad of cash instead that had paid for his move from New York to the sunny coast of San Francisco.
The clock had ticked over to half past one in the afternoon when Lance rolled to a stop outside the Juniberry Hotel, slinging his bag over his shoulder and pulling Blue, his ragdoll, who was sleeping soundly in her carry case, out of the front seat.
Lance crossed the parking lot into the lavish hotel lobby and within fifteen minutes he was settling into the place he’d call home until he found an apartment.
Flipping on the light switch, Lance shuffled into the room, kicking the door shut behind him and tossing his keycards atop the mini-fridge. Dropping his bags atop the mattress, Lance unlatched Blue’s cage and let her out, watching amusedly as she stretched and trotted over to take a nap on atop the back of the plush lounge.
The complimentary bottle of cheap champagne his room came with was calling Lance’s name as he plucked it from the silver bucket of ice and unscrewed the cap, plonking himself down on the couch to channel surf as he drank from the bottle.
Tomorrow he would start the hunt for a new place to call home.
Eight Months Later ~
The last box… it’s finally empty Lance cheered joyously, startling Blue out of her hiding place inside her cathouse. It had only taken eight whole months to unpack all of the things he’d bought during his first month in San Francisco, well seven if you exclude the first month where Lance couldn’t find an apartment and lived in a hotel room, started his new job, ate everything off of paper plates and wore the same three outfits on repeat but that’s not important.
How one person could possibly own so much shit, especially after such a short time, Lance honestly couldn’t fathom as he put the last of his kitchenware and crockery away, folding up the cardboard next and sitting it beside the recycling bin to be taken out at the end of the week.
He ordered a pizza online to celebrate and plonked down on the couch, cycling through Netflix until deciding on some B-Grade RomCom to watch with his dinner. Tugging on a well-worn hoodie and his joggers, Lance gave Blue an affectionate scratch between the ears before locking the door behind him, jogging down the six flights of stairs from his apartment to the lobby and out into the street.
Gyrgan’s Pizzeria was located only a few blocks down from his apartment and Lance swore he could smell the heavenly scent of freshly baked bread wafting down the street.
Lance’s fingers brushed the door handle when a hand was clapped across his mouth and sharp talons dug into his nape. He was dragged into the pitch black alleyway besides the pizzeria.
“So we finally found you. Lotor wants you back pretty boy, says you shouldn’t have run off the way you did” a deep voice growled into his ear. Warm blood dripped down his back and soaked into his hoodie as the talons of one of his other assailant’s sliced deep into his skin.
Lance struggled against the harsh grip on his arms and neck, crying out in pain as a fist collided with his stomach. They shunted him back against the wall and Lance lashed out, kicking out at one of the assailants, sending them stumbling back with a pained groan.
“Get off me you assholes” Lance spat, bucking against the guys pinning him down, “You can tell Lotor to go fuck himself. He shouldn’t have cheated on me in the fucking first place”.
A hand slapped hard across the side of Lance’s face, slamming his cheek into his teeth and sending him stumbling towards the ground. Lance braced himself for collision but someone grabbed a fistful of his hair before he could, slamming him into the wall again instead.
Hands clenched into the lapel of Lance’s shirt, dragging him forward only to slam him into the wall of the alley, his head colliding with the bricks until his vision began to blur.
Lance spat out a mouthful of blood, head lolling forward and his vision blurring when a familiar voice rang from the alley’s entry.
“Now now boys, take it easy. I want him in one piece after all”
“Lotor”, Lance spat out more blood. “To what do I owe this terrific surprise?”
Lotor stepped into the moonlight filtering into the dark alley, his long, white hair shining in a dramatic way that would have looked incredible in a black and white film but only served to make Lance more annoyed than he was before.
“You shouldn’t have run away, love” Lotor brushed his fingertips across Lance’s cheek before settling beneath his chin. He lifted Lance’s head up, eyes widening in shock as he stumbled back.
Lance grinned, teeth bloodied as his eyes began to glow bright blue; illuminating the alleyway as he activated his Aptitude.
It had been so long since he’d used his gift; over five years at least due to Lotor’s bitter resentment over Lance’s abilities, to the point of having had the ring he’d used to propose imbued with a combination of metals that were toxic to Aptitudes and hindered their ability to use their gift.
Barely a year into their relationship, Lotor proposed, spouting sonnets of how Lance was the love of his life but he felt inadequate in comparison as an Effete, that he was holding Lance back from a partner who was also gifted. In his naivety, Lance had agreed to stop using his gift and for five years he had gone without once using his power.
And after five years of being powerless in the name of ‘love’, Lance had shown up to surprise his beloved two nights before the day of their wedding, only to walk in on Lotor playing hide the salami with their wedding planner.
Lance was gone by the time Lotor had finished up and come looking for him.
The blue glow of Lance’s eyes began to spread across his skin, the old pipes hidden behind the brickwork began to rattle against their brackets, the fire hydrant on the sidewalk shook and the concrete beneath their feet began to crack.
Water. This was Lance’s gift.
Water burst from the walls, the cracks in the concrete beneath their feet and the hydrant, flooding into the alley like a raging tsunami. Storm clouds gathered overhead as his power grew and grew, skin glowing blindingly bright as rain began to pour from the heavens to join the torrent.
Lance rose above the water, hair flowing like he was beneath the surface of a raging sea as he swept up his assailants and threw them against the wall, hoping to only knock them unconscious so he could escape.
Lightning split across the sky, striking devastatingly close to the mouth of the alley with a vicious crack and the sound of beating wings make Lance look up in confusion. Must be the world’s biggest fuckin pigeon he thinks dully, at least, until the thud of a solid pair of boots hit the ground.
One of Lotor’s goons tackled Lance while he was distracted, the water stopping its tirade when Lance lost concentration, allowing Lotor to clamber to his feet, perfect hair now a drenched, tangled mess.
“What do you think you’re doing? Unhand him now” a new voice demands, but Lance is too preoccupied to find the new speaker.
Lance’s assailants laugh, “And what’re you gonna do about it? Better fuck off, boy, before you get yourself hurt”.
Lotor shoved one of his goons out of his way, making a mad dash for the alley mouth until the owner of the new voice stopped him, bolt after bolt of lightning striking the ground, singing the toes of Lotor’s shoes and sending him down onto his ass.
The blue glow of Lance’s skin receded, as did the water, the dark storm clouds clearing overhead allowing the moon and stars to shine back into the view with perfect clarity.
Every drop of energy left Lance’s body as he fell to the ground, body weakened from the exertion after so long without using his gift. His vision swam as he sunk to the ground, falling to his kneesmuffled shouts coming from every direction.
All he could hear was frantic footfalls and shouts for what felt like an eternity. When the men finally fell silent, all Lance could hear was the frantic beating of his own heart thudding in his chest.
“Are you alright?” A gentle voice asks and Lance loses it, letting out a choked sob, his head throbbing and body too tired to resist as strong arms scooped him up with ease.
Whoever this man was, he was incredibly strong, carrying Lance with ease out into the main street, sitting him down with his back to the streetlight and sinking down to sit beside Lance until he had calmed down enough to speak.
“I don’t want you to be alone tonight in case those idiots come back. I insist you stay with me”.
Lance blanched, sitting upright as he turned to look at his, rather handsome, saviour, momentarily stunned as he took in the kind eyes that had thunderstorms swirling within them and chiselled features that made his heart skip a beat. His hair was black, cropped short on the sides save for the white forelock that brushed across his eyes and his muscular arms, not that Lance was looking, strained against the taut leather of his jacket.
“Uh-“ Lance shook his head to clear it, “Look, it’s not that I don’t appreciate the offer but you’ve done more than enough for me today and I just want to get my pizza and go home to my cat and maybe collect the pieces of my pride that I have left”.
“I insist I come with you and walk you home at the very least. Those men may know your address already and I think it’d be rather counterproductive if you were kidnapped again”. He offered Lance a boyish smile, white fringe falling across his eyes.
“There’s no talking you out of this is there?” Lance turned with an expectant raise to his eyebrow, waiting for a response and receiving a telling silence in return, leaving Lance to nod and sigh in resignation as his rescuer helps him upright.
Something bats the side of Lance’s head and Lance stumbles when he turns to look, his feet tangling beneath him as the sight of two vast black wings. The feathers were softer than silk and so dark they were almost invisible against the darkness of the night sky but were flecked with white like a series of constellations.
“Oh” Lance breathes, taken aback by the beautiful sight before him, “You have wings”.
His saviour grimaces, “Yeah, I was born with them. They’re kind of a pain” he folds them in against his back and turns to Lance, as if to hide them from view.
“Can I... touch them?”
His saviour looks dumbfounded at Lance’s request, “I don’t- uh, I suppose so... When we’re back at your place” he turns his back to Lance, flaring one of his wings at the last minute so the very tips of his longest feathers brush across Lance’s cheek with a grin that made Lance’s heart race.
“I’m Lance by the way and I uh- I live that way” Lance pointed the opposite direction, a smile creeping across his face as his saviour stops dead in his tracks and turns on a dime, heading the direction Lance was pointing with his ears flushing red with embarrassment.
“So, what do I call you?”
He freezes and turns, walking the direction Lance was pointing with red ears. “Call me Shiro”.
“Hey Shiro?”
“Yeah?”
“How do you feel about pizza?”