Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was snowing, he had just finished up a blackmail mission with his partner Vodka who was trailing behind him as they returned to his Porsche. He noticed footprints near his car. If anyone had touched his Porsche, he was furious just thinking about it.
“Clearly someone’s been nearby.” He commented aloud, he ran his hand through his hair.

“We should check inside, just in case.” Vodka whispered. That was odd, he knew Vodka and knew that he wasn’t that cautious. He decided to check anyway, it was a good idea. He opened the door to the Porsche and sat in the passenger’s seat while Vodka sat in the driver’s seat. Suddenly Vodka started driving, he thought they were going to check first. He tapped the side of the door in irritation, a clear message that he wanted to know what the hell Vodka was doing.

They stopped a few miles later, after Vodka had driven in practically every direction known to man, as if he was being tailed. He promptly started searching around until he picked up a medium length brown hair- that was Sherry’s hair, without a doubt- He then picked up some kind of bug wrapped in gum.

“Found it.” Vodka said as he put the bug in Gin’s gloved hand. Gin smirked, who knew Vodka of all people could have that in him. He destroyed the bug and threw it into the lake nearby. Even though someone had managed to put a bug in his Porsche, he was thrilled. Sherry decided to keep tabs on them and failed miserably, he would have loved to see the expression on her face as Vodka found the bug she planted.

He called Pisco to check on the status of the assassination, this target was particularly important, and he wasn’t sure if Pisco would do it without screwing up.

“We should go to the hotel, to make sure it all goes well.” Vodka said, he thought about it for a moment, he knew that Pisco would most certainly make a mistake, he had zero faith in the man to do this mission correctly, especially after the incident with the last guy. Vermouth had been assigned as his minder, if anyone would be able to salvage this mission, it would be her.

“I think, we should give it a miss Vodka. Vermouth’s already there, it’ll be fine.” He glanced over at Vodka who still looked incredibly unsure, he had no idea what was going on with him. He was acting differently; he felt a ping of irritation.

“What if Sherry already knows where we’re going G – aniki” he replied, almost calling him by his codename instead. Gin sighed; he might as well go. Hopefully it would give him answers to why Vodka was acting this way.

“Okay then, we’ll go. But I want to know what you’re playing at once this is done. Got it.” Vodka nodded in response. It was a long drive to the hotel, they managed to sneak in through the back. Vodka quickly walked over to the storage room; Gin followed behind wondering what exactly he was planning. He looked right at him and pointed to the hordes of paparazzi and news crews with their cameras and microphones.

That was going to pose a problem and clearly Vodka was warning him, usually it would be the other way round, he felt a little bit of pride, at least he was actually listening to his advice to observe his surroundings for once. Unlike Pisco who never felt the need to consider the opinions of those he considered inferior, Gin included.

“I was thinking… we could set off a smoke alarm or tamper with a SIM card or something, just to cause a distraction before the presentation.” Vodka spoke. The first idea he immediately discarded, that would just get the target to evacuate. The second idea had slightly more merit. He was surprised that Vodka had actually gone back to asking him, at least he understood that he hated when he wasn’t in the know of other people’s plans.

“I like your second idea, but how would we get those vultures away from their precious cameras.” That was the greatest obstacle to that plan so far. Gin put his hands in his pockets out of frustration. Vermouth walked over to him; from the corner of his eye, he could see Vodka tilt his head disapprovingly at her before leaving. He didn’t think Vodka had a problem with Vermouth, where was all of this coming from?

“I thought I was Pisco’s babysitter; do you not trust me Gin?” Vermouth teased him, he scowled at her. If Vodka hadn’t been so insistent, he wouldn’t even be here.

“Sherry planted a bug in my car, we’re just here to see if she figured out where we were. After all, you have Pisco to take care of.” He replied, Vermouth frowned. She hated Sherry, almost more than he did.
Vodka came back fifteen minutes later. Shortly after Vermouth had left to continue her part of this mission. “What was all that about?” he asked.

“So, I have good news and bad news. Good news, I managed to put laxatives in a few of the cameramen’s drinks. Bad news, Pisco apparently does not understand that I spiked the drink of someone with a blue handkerchief specifically so he could take the damn thing.” Vodka was tapping at his watch nervously.

“There certainly are less of those vultures now, I’ll give you that. That was an interesting move with the handkerchief, is the colour important?” And clearly Vodka had returned to scheming behind his back, however, that part was left unsaid.

“Yeah, every guest was assigned one of the colours of the rainbow. Pisco included, if he had a different colour, that would make it harder to narrow it down.” Vodka gave him a little grin, clearly Pisco’s refusal of the handkerchief hadn’t darkened his spirits. Quickly the lights coming from the ballroom had darkened, it was go time.

Vodka managed to drag him in there without getting either of them caught by the press. Perhaps Vodka wanted to see how his hard work had paid off, he couldn’t blame him for that. As the slideshow continued on, the room was dark enough that he couldn’t see much other than a figure lifting their arm into the air, holding a gun and aiming it at the chandelier. Cameras were flashing,

“You see that dumbass over there, with the gun, bet they’ll get caught out by the vultures.” He tapped Vodka’s shoulder and whispered.

“Aniki… that’s Pisco.” Vodka whispered back. He fell into a stunned silence. He expected this from a new member, this was an all-time low for Pisco. Whatever Vodka was saying about handkerchiefs wasn’t going to save that idiot now. Could Vermouth see him too or was she preoccupied in a conversation.
As the chandelier fell, the lights were turned on, the target was dead. Pisco certainly would be after that stunt. “That dumbass had one job.” Vodka probably didn’t mean to say that out loud, but he completely agreed.

As soon as Pisco left the room, Gin hurried after him. He was seeing red, how could he do something so ridiculous, he ruined everything. He called the boss to inform him of the situation, he couldn’t just kill Pisco on a whim after all.

“Gin, what are you doing here?” Pisco said while scratching his head. He backed up into the fireplace.

“Killing you.” He curtly replied. The boss had just replied, giving Gin the orders.

“W-What?! I’ve been in this organisation for longer than you’ve been born, there will be consequences!” All Gin could do was smirk, he was glad to see that bastard meet his end. Pisco didn’t deserve the prestige and respect that his position entitled.

“Well, you were caught by the cameras Pisco, the boss was not happy when I gave him the news. He’s given me the orders himself. Goodbye Pisco.” He shot the older man in the side of the head with a silenced pistol before promptly putting the pistol in his hands. An open and shut suicide. He left the storage room and saw Vodka waiting for him by the door.

“It was worth a try, wasn’t it?” Vodka sighed, he looked quite resigned, all the energy that he had previously was gone.

“If it wasn’t this mission Vodka, it would have been his next one.” Gin grabbed Vodka’s arm and took him back to the Porsche. He got into the driver’s seat and Gin got into the passenger’s seat. Vermouth caught up with them both and climbed into the back seats.

“How unfortunate that you had to put him out to pasture.” Vermouth gave a dramatic sigh. He started to understand why even Vodka seemingly disliked her.

Chapter Text

His ears were ringing, he had started a new loop. Antagonising a man who’s willing to take everyone in the vicinity of the building down with him was a terrible idea, he still felt some burns from the explosion. He found himself outside in the snow, with Gin’s Porsche across the street. He saw two small children approach the vehicle and he decided to hide in the shadows. He recognised the little girl as Sherry but he didn’t know who the boy was. Maybe he’d figure that out this time, provided everything went well. The boy took the lead, using some kind of improvised device to break into the Porsche, climbing into the car and doing something, he couldn’t quite see from where he was hiding but it was likely that he was putting in some kind of bug. The kids scurried off quickly, clearly deciding not to test their luck further.

Gin came outside shortly after and signaled for Vodka to follow him, clearly, he had finished fabricating evidence. As far as the police would know, a tragic accident involving a drunk man and the edge of a desk had occurred. They walked across the road together towards the Porsche. Gin ran his hand through his hair, he’s definitely noticed something.

“Clearly, someone’s been nearby.” He said, looking down at the footprints near the Porsche. Vodka had to act now. If Sherry wasn’t at the hotel with her little friend, they wouldn’t have to worry about the police breathing down Pisco’s neck.

“We should check inside, just in case.” He whispered, hoping that the bug couldn’t pick up what he was saying. Hopefully Gin would understand what he was implying. He nodded and got into the passenger’s seat. Vodka joined him and got into the driver’s seat. He saw the Volkswagen Beetle the kids had approached. That was how Sherry and the other kid tracked him down, he just knew it. He needed to lose that car. He decided to drive away, he knew he told Gin he’d check but there was no point in letting himself be followed. He went in all sorts of directions, making sure that he couldn’t see the Beetle tailing him anymore. Gin tapped the side of the car; he clearly didn’t like whatever was going on here. He stopped the car after a while and looked for the bug. He promptly found it, along with a strand of medium brown hair, not the boy’s hair, the kid had been a little too careless, once again.

“Found it.” He gave the bug to Gin who promptly crushed it between his fingers and threw the pieces into the nearby lake. No kill like overkill after all. Gin then got on the phone with Pisco and called him about the mission. He couldn’t deny how nervous he was, he had been very close to saving Pisco several times but had never quite managed to avoid him getting caught by the dozens of cameras. He’d do it this time, after all, the bug wasn’t a problem and Sherry wouldn’t follow them to the location. He just needed to be there, just to make sure everything goes smoothly. There wasn’t much that could possibly go wrong now, he just needed Gin to agree with him.

“We should go to the hotel, to make sure it all goes well.” He settled on saying, he hoped Gin would agree.

“I think, we should give it a miss Vodka. Vermouth’s already there, it’ll be fine.” Gin replied. He wanted so badly to say ‘No, it wouldn’t.’ but decided against it. Gin was in a bad mood and he didn’t want to irritate him further.

Instead, he decided to reply with “What if Sherry already knows where we’re going G – aniki.” Damn, he can’t be calling him that anymore. He wasn’t that close with Gin this loop, their relationship was boss and subordinate this time, nothing more, nothing less.

“Okay then, we’ll go. But I want to know what you’re playing at once this is done. Got it.” He nodded, not wanting to dig his grave further. He started driving towards the hotel, he didn’t have his usual supplies on him, but he could try to improvise. As soon as they arrived, he headed to the storage room, Gin followed after him, trying to keep an eye on him probably. He quickly saw the horde of news reporters with their cameras and microphones, interviewing their target, desperate for answers. He turned around and signaled to Gin that they had a major problem if those cameras remained by the time the lights went out. He thought aloud.

“I was thinking…We could set off a smoke alarm, or tamper with the SIM cards, just something to cause a distraction before the presentation…” His last attempts to save Pisco from the news had included causing a pre-emptive blackout which had done the complete opposite of what he wanted. Then there was that time where he killed the target himself, Pisco had shot him for that one. He was running out of ideas, and he knew it.

“I like your second idea, but how would we get those vultures away from their precious cameras.” Gin put his hands in his pockets, clearly, he didn’t quite have a plan either. That was alright, everything was fine, he balled up his right hand into a fist, he couldn’t panic now. He needed a plan, Pisco’s life depended on it.

Vermouth approached and he decided this was his chance, he looked disapprovingly at her, she was a frequent reason for his many deaths. Being around her just made him more stressed. He decided to leave the hotel, he needed some air. He saw a pharmacy not far from the hotel, he had an idea, and he didn’t mind resetting if it went wrong. After all, this loop had just started. He went outside and cut the power to the building and snuck inside, thankfully the cameras in the shop were also connected to this system. He managed to steal a bottle of laxatives before leaving. He went back into the hotel and looked at his watch, he had 17 minutes.

He found the part of the hotel that had been allocated to the media. Where they could work on their equipment and have a few drinks. He managed to tamper with a few glasses before leaving and entering the main hall, acting like he belonged. He was one of a few dozen men in suits, nobody would ask questions.
He found a woman with a blue handkerchief, her drink was unattended, and no one was watching, it was the perfect time to strike. He put some of the laxative in her glass before leaving, he didn’t care how much, he just needed Pisco to retrieve the handkerchief.

As expected, she drank her glass and ran off a couple minutes later. Pisco was staring right at him. He decided to gesture to the unattended handkerchief. He had been caught due to his purple one most times, he needed to widen the suspect pool. Pisco looked at him with thinly veiled contempt before looking away, as if to say that someone as low ranked as him shouldn’t interfere.

He decided to check on Gin and inform him of the situation. He was probably even angrier with him for such blatant scheming. He hated secrets after all. Gin glared at him.

"What was all that about?" He might as well tell him.

“So, we have good news and bad news. Good news, I managed to put laxatives in a few of the cameramen’s drinks. Bad news, Pisco apparently does not understand that I spiked the drink of someone with a blue handkerchief specifically so he could take the damn thing.” He tapped at his watch nervously, he just had two minutes to spare.

“There certainly are less of those vultures now, I’ll give you that. That was an interesting move with the handkerchief, is the colour important?” Gin asked him, he clearly wanted to say something else. It didn’t matter now, he needed this to work.

“Yeah, every guest was assigned one of the colours of the rainbow. Pisco included, if he had a different colour, that would make it harder to narrow it down.” He grinned, hoping to reassure Gin that coming to the hotel wasn’t a waste, that his efforts wouldn’t be in vain. The lights dimmed as he explained. It was time, he grabbed Gin’s hand and dragged him into the main hall, making sure that they weren’t spotted. He was anxious, this was the moment, this was it. His heart was racing, hoping that everything would go well, that he drugged the right people, that Pisco had taken the handkerchief anyway, that Vermouth would really have this handled. He was so done with watching Pisco die, he was done with Irish trying to screw him over as a result. He felt lightheaded. He decided to focus on the slideshow, hoping that would lessen his anxiety.

He felt someone tap his shoulder. “You see that dumbass over there, with the gun, bet they’ll get caught out by the vultures.” That was Gin’s voice, he turned to look at what Gin was looking at. It was Pisco, oh no it was Pisco. His hands were shaking, he couldn’t believe this was happening again.

“Aniki… that’s Pisco.” He whispered back. Saying the words had made him more angry than nervous. Gin didn’t reply, as Pisco fired his gun and as the chandelier fell, as the lights turned on, as the target was found crushed under the weight of it- He had to keep a calm face, he couldn’t break down, nor show weakness, not here, not ever. “That dumbass had one job.” He accidentally said aloud. Gin glanced at him and immediately left the room. Clearly wanting Pisco’s head. He took a couple deep breaths before following Gin and waiting outside the storage room, he couldn’t go in, it’d only make facing the twentieth or so time that he had failed to save the man even harder.

After Gin had finished all he could do was sigh. “It was worth a try, wasn’t it?” He felt more defeated than anxious, he’d just have to focus on something else this loop.

“If it wasn’t this mission Vodka, it would have been his next one.” Gin grabbed his arm and led him back to the Porsche. They had to leave. He got into the driver’s seat and Gin went into the passenger’s seat. A few minutes later Vermouth had come out of the hotel and climbed into the back seats. There was a short silence that filled the air.

Vermouth broke the silence with a dramatic sigh. “How unfortunate that you had put him out to pasture.” He couldn’t let her see him angry, he just nodded and started driving away. Hoping that he can have some time alone. Considering a senior member was just killed, that likely wouldn’t be the case.