Chapter Text
Somehow, it always ended up like this.
“This” meant standing in a supply closet, entirely too close for comfort. Deep down, Corvo knew that it was mostly his fault, yet shifting the blame to Daud seemed a more logical choice at the moment. It was about the sixth time this year they ended up together in a space too small to fit two grown men. It started to look like a pattern.
“To the Void, Corvo, stop fidgeting.” Daud was reaching over Corvo’s head to try to open the ventilation shaft. The only way out, as the door slammed shut right after Daud had dragged him in here.
“Sorry, I just find it hard to breathe,” he said, knowing full well it was childish to complain. But what else could he do, with his cheek all but pressed against Daud’s chest?
“Oh, really?” If he was being childish, Daud was even more so for taking the bait. “Because I just love being stuck in small spaces with you.” Even though his voice was completely flat in the intonation, somehow it was still dripping with sarcasm. Or maybe Corvo got good about picking up on it.
“And yet you keep dragging me into them,” Corvo noticed.
He was being unfair; this had been the best and quickest way to save him from being seen. It was supposed to be a simple mission: extract a target and bring her to the meeting point. And perhaps because it was so easy, Corvo may have gotten a little bit, just a little bit, too reckless, eager to get it over with as quickly as possible. Which would have resulted in a close encounter with a security guard if Daud hadn’t jumped in. He should be thankful to him for saving his ass - yet being annoyed at him felt more natural.
“I’m not doing it on purpose,” Daud retorted. “You’re not that good-looking.”
“What?”
The sound of footsteps shut them both up. They froze in place, listening sharply and only relaxing when the person on the other side of the door passed them without stopping.
He heard a click and a satisfied grunt.
“It’s open,” Daud said. “Help me up.”
The next part of the mission went without a hitch. The shaft brought them just outside the doors of the dining room where Senator Esma Boyle was sitting cuffed to a chair. Daud stayed on the lookout while Corvo went to get her.
“Senator Boyle? My name is Corvo Attano, I’m sent here to get you to safety.”
Senator Boyle eyed him, suspicious at first, then her gaze shifting into something else entirely.
“Oh, thank goodness. I was afraid I’d have to spend more time with this dreadful man.”
“Are you hurt?” He asked while uncuffing her.
“No, I’m alright,” and she did sound fine if a little bit bored. “The man was delusional, thought we were in some grand romance. As if I could ever care for a man like him.”
Once uncuffed she took the glass of wine that was standing before her and downed the whole thing. Then she pushed herself up from the chair and immediately stumbled. Corvo was quick to catch her.
“Oh my, sorry, got a little dizzy. I spend quite some time in this chair.” She stabilized herself enough to stand on her own, but Corvo still offered her his arm. “Hmm, aren’t you strong,” she said holding onto his biceps. “Bet you could carry me all the way outside.”
When they left the room, Daud was nowhere to be found. Corvo was just about to curse him when the man appeared right beside him, seemingly out of nowhere.
“Got the senator? Good, let’s go.” He briefly glanced at the way she was still attached to Corvo’s arm but didn’t comment, just strode forward.
“Where were you?” Corvo hissed at him, following.
“A guard was raising an alarm, must have heard something. I stopped him and cleared the way out.”
“You could have told me,” Corvo said for the lack of a better argument. It had been the best course of action, and he trusted Daud had been able to pull it off without being seen.
“Didn’t want you to worry.”
Which was ridiculous, because Corvo had been worried, in those few seconds Daud had been out of sight. He wanted to tell him as much but then remembered the senator, still clenching his arm. Perhaps he shouldn’t argue with Daud in front of her, lest she informs the command. So he bit his tongue and moved forward without any further comments.
At the meeting point, Burrows himself was waiting for them by a helicopter, along with two blond women, who Corvo assumed were the senator’s sisters, if the striking resemblance was anything to go on.
They reported to him what they thought was essential, not mentioning any arguments or closets. He nodded at them, and with a short phrase of, “Good work,” he bid them goodbye and went towards the helicopter. He gestured for the Boyle sisters to go after him. The senator ignored him and walked to Corvo instead.
“My number,” she said, giving him a business card. “If you’d ever like to call.”
He took it from her, not knowing how to respond and she smiled at him.
“I like quiet men.” With that, she turned away and went to join Burrows and her sisters.
The helicopter was long gone and Daud was still snickering.
“Bet she would love to drag you into a supply closet,” he remarked once he was done.
“Oh, fuck off.”