That bad type

[Shimizu Susumu]

There were never any guarantees in Susumu's line of work. There were simply targets and deadlines and the hunt brought with it a thrill that kept him going, that made him ideal for the job. There were hunters, after all. Why not those who hunted the hunters? That was what Susumu had become and in doing so, he had learned to be able to turn off certain aspects of his emotions when it best suited him.

Alva was a curious sort of person to Susumu. Of course, he felt terribly guilty for cursing him, even if it had been on accident. Something told him, though, that Alva might have stood in his way if he knew what he was up to--on purpose. Alva had a habit of putting himself on the line for all those he loved and although the circle at first seemed small, it stretched farther than Susumu first expected.

Protection or not, Susumu's magic only seemed to cause a rift between them. Yet, Susumu could not bring himself to regret what he had done. The intentions of his magic were apparent and for a time, they did help Alva. Then the memories came surging back to the others and it broke the curse. Suddenly, all those that poisoned Alva's life were back and they were poisoning him all over again. Watching Alva suffer in silence with a smile on his face wracked Susumu with a slow burning anger--he wasn't altogether fond of those in Alva's life, no matter how much Alva loved them. Did he not see how they took and they took and they took from him? They were leaving such a beautiful soul in ruins.

Most of all--the worst offender--Reagan Ryang.

Susumu frowned when he received the message but he held his tongue--or rather, his fingers. He held back the words he wished to say in order to spare Alva his real thoughts. This was nothing new; Susumu's real personality only shown through as a tip of an iceberg. Beneath that was something far more complicated and nothing that Alva had even touched upon thus far in knowing him.

When Susumu arrived at the hospital, he walked with purpose and his gaze was sharp as he studied each and every person he met or passed on the way to Reagan's room. Was he still here? Oh, he knew that Alva was. But Josh. Was he still lurking around the hospital, lying in wait for Alva? His eyes narrowed as he reached the hallway that led to the room he was looking for. His steps were deliberate as he approached, watching, waiting.

[Alva Ren]

"Oh Rae..." Alva whispered in a low voice as he reached for Rae's hand again. He was back in the room, beside the hospital bed where Rae still slept peacefully, unaware of what had transpired. Josh was long gone by now but Alva wasn't willing to leave in case Josh was waiting for just such an opportunity. Alva just knew that if Josh ever got his hands on Rae, it was over. He would poison Rae all over again because he knew just how to target others' weaknesses and use them to his own advantage. Josh was a born manipulator. He was evil through and through.

And so Alva was back, in the dimly lit room with the curtains drawn and the lights turned way down to help Rae sleep. His cheek still smarted and he still felt the imprint of Josh's hand against his skin. He tried to rub it but it was pretty obvious that he'd been struck. It took about twenty pictures for him to take one that didn't make the mark stand out, and he sent that to Ryland to reassure him so that he wouldn't come tearing down here looking for a fight. That was the last thing Alva wanted, for someone to get hurt on his behalf.

He felt better knowing that Susumu was coming, though. Talking to him made Alva feel instantly better and reassured. He breathed more easily knowing that even if Josh did come back, it wouldn't be to useless Alva trying to stand in the way of him absconding with Rae. But still he was nervous, glancing about once in a while in case Josh jimmied open a window or... dug a tunnel through a wall or something. (Unlikely, but...)

Why did Josh even care? Was it only because he wanted to possess Rae? That was so wrong. Rae didn't belong to anyone; he wasn't a trophy for Josh to put up on his wall and forget all about as he chased a new victim. There were people who treasured Rae, who loved him with all their hearts—Alva, but also his family and friends like Aldon. To those people Rae was unique and precious and one-of-a-kind. How could Josh not see what they saw? How was it possible to be loved and not feel even a little something in return, and all the while still string them along?

Alva sighed and laid his head down against the side of the bed, beside Rae's arm. He looked up at Rae's sleeping form and his heart ached fiercely in his chest. He loved Rae so much that it formed a physical ball of pain inside but they couldn't even be together, not right now. Alva didn't think he was ready to love that way for a while yet and he was sure Rae felt the same. They needed a little separation and some time to let their fractured hearts heal. Still. It didn't mean that he loved Rae less, or even wanted to.

Suddenly the door creaked and Alva sat up abruptly, startled, frightened. "Susu?" It was too dark in the room to see properly and the light from the hallway outside half-blinded him. Alva moved forward, craning his neck, and then let out a relieved little cry and held out his arms to Susumu's familiar, tall figure. "Susu!" He cried out but this time his tone was happier and less frightened. "You made it! You're here!" Alva wheeled himself towards Susumu and clung to him... or to his body, burying his face against Susumu's midsection for a moment. He finally felt like he could take a breath. "You're here..."

[Shimizu Susumu]

Darkness enveloped Susumu as he entered the hospital room. His brows raised, surprised at the darkness. Did Alva just sit beside Rae's side in the darkness without thought to turning on a light? There were blinding overhead lights but there were also wall-mounted lamps beside the bed that he could have used. Susumu shook his head slightly, as if in gentle admonishment.

The relief in Alva was palpable as he immediately wheeled himself over and wrapped his arms around him. Susumu could hear it in his voice. He could feel it in the slight tremble of Alva's arms around him. No doubt, Alva was tired, exhausted from his ordeal with his... old friend. Susumu smiled to himself, sure that nobody could see the self-satisfaction on his face... up until his gaze lit on the figure lying asleep in the bed. Light from the hallway illuminated him and he cut a pathetic figure there, lying on his back, his head turned toward where Alva had likely been lying his head beside him. His face had seen better days; it was covered in bruises and a thick bandage where he must have been cut or scratched across the cheek and nose.

Poor, poor thing. Susumu's eyes narrowed at the sight of him, heart growing cold. Yes, poor, poor thing. Susumu knew what he had done. Fighting with others of his kind... Really? What a... show.

Susumu lifted his hand and brushed it over the back of Alva's neck and up into the fine hairs at the back of his neck. His expression became tender as it left Rae and dropped to Alva. After a long moment, he lowered himself on one knee so that they were face to face. His hand slid up to gently caress Alva's cheek, to guide some hair away from his tired eyes.

"Of course I'm here. You didn't think I'd leave you to deal with this all alone... did you?" He smiled at Alva. His other hand touched Alva's knee. "When have you last eaten? You need to remember to take care of yourself."

[Alva Ren]

Alva couldn't begin to describe how relieved he was to see Susumu. It was like his entire body relaxed, from the roots of his hair on down, and he never even knew just how tense he really was until Susumu entered, in the flesh, and Alva could hold on to him. He derived a lot of strength from Susumu these days. Although everyone around him tried to help, they weren't as knowledgeable as Susumu and they definitely weren't as powerful. That was just fact; Alva didn't appreciate them any less but realistically, they all knew that Susumu was probably the only one who could actually help Alva.

One upside was that all of Susumu's doubters were beginning to trust him more now. Ryland, Yoojin, they both saw how badly Susumu wanted to help and protect Alva and Alva was sure that counted in their books. Before, they wouldn't give him half a chance but they were wrong about him, and now they had to see that. There was nothing to worry about; Susumu didn't have any ulterior motives as far as Alva was concerned. He was exactly what Alva needed in this moment—a hero.

In the light spilling in from the hallway, Alva saw the tender, gentle look on Susumu's face. No one could have that look on their face and in their eyes—genuinely mean it, too—and be bad. Alva believed that Susumu loved him and he thought that in his heart, there could be room for Susumu too. He could love Susumu. Perhaps he couldn't love him the way that he loved Rae, because there was too much history behind them, but it didn't mean that he and Susumu didn't have history of their own now.

They had their own little jokes, their own language as lovers. No two relationships could be exactly the same and while Alva was perhaps looking for another Rae in him, he didn't want to replicate what he had with Rae. That wouldn't have felt right. The more he learned of Susumu, the more he realized that he was nothing like Rae—and that was all right. It was nice to have a change of pace again, to be with someone different so that he could experience another kind of love.

Alva smiled back at him, feeling mushy inside. A handsome man smiling that way at him? How could he not feel something? "All I want is—ice cream and fries!" He laughed softly so as not to awaken Rae and leaned forward. Both of his hands came up to cup either side of Susumu's cheek, to hold him in place so that Alva could kiss him softly. "I'm okay," he whispered, letting his forehead rest lightly against Susumu's. Breathe. He was safe now.

Susumu's phone went off, though, and Alva eased back. He was reminded of how busy Susumu was and how many other people depended on him. Yet, he dropped everything to come down here just because Alva was scared and intimidated by a... big bad wolf. "Maybe you should get that. It might be important."

[Shimizu Susumu]

"I promise, we'll have those fries and ice cream," he said, still smiling gently. He had never had occasion to try such a thing but he could try for Alva's sake. Salty and sweet... An unorthodox mixture but not altogether uncommon these days. It was a surprise he hadn't tried it before... Or not, since Susumu was accustomed to eating more... gourmet style food. Fast food was far too greasy and ended up making him feel sick, rather than nourished.

Alva said he was okay, but... Susumu gently touched Alva's arm, in the place where he knew the Mark was. It was a magic so strong that its energy was palpable to Susumu. It was a bit like touching a low voltage electrical current. He wondered if Alva felt it, too, when Susumu touched it.

"You--" he started but the phone going off interrupted him. Somewhat annoyed, he intended to ignore it, thinking it was a colleague upset with him for leaving early. But beautiful, sunlight-souled Alva insisted that he check. Of course he did. He probably worried that somebody was in need of his help. Susumu smiled briefly before leaning in to kiss Alva on the cheek.

"How can you be so sweet?" he said, almost to himself. "I suppose I'll see what this is about..."

He stood and removed his phone from his pocket to see that it was from somebody that brought a sour feeling to his stomach. While his expression remained neutral, inside, he was somewhat irritated that some feral wolf would try and entice him into helping him. What could possibly be exchanged? What could a creature like Josh offer a powerful witch like Susumu?

Still, after exchanging a few terse texts, Susumu lowered the phone.

"Alva... you should get home and get some proper rest." He gently brushed fingertips through Alva's soft hair. "I can take over from here."

[Alva Ren]

Susumu was the sweetheart, dropping everything to be here. "Stop, I'll get big-headed," Alva laughed, leaning into the kiss and then politely turning his head so that he wasn't snooping in on Susumu's texts. He might have been paranoid with Rae, back when he suspected that something was going on behind his back, but even then Alva never went and looked at Rae's phone. He couldn't bring himself to do it; it was crossing a line. Once that trust was breached, they could never go back to the way they were.

So he looked over his shoulder instead, at Rae who was sleeping with his head lolled to one side. (The side Alva had been resting on earlier, that didn't escape his notice one bit.) Absently he brushed a hand over the mark that Susumu touched earlier. Lately it wasn't twinging as much... or maybe he was getting used to it. He hadn't had another blackout and he didn't wake up covered in blood at any point, which was an enormous relief. That meant he wasn't hurting anyone.

Alva smiled softly at Rae's sleeping form and his heart ached again. If only... Well, Rae's eyes were opened to the truth now, at least. Hopefully Josh would be taken out of the picture, out of his life, and they could all move on.

Alva drew out of his thoughts once Susumu seemed finished with his business, though he didn't much like the suggestion of him going home. Not that he didn't trust Susumu with Rae, but if Rae woke up and saw him here, there might be trouble. He shook his head slightly. "I want to stay until Ry and Aldon get here. They're coming to keep an eye on Rae and to bring him some clothes. They should be here soon, and then I was hoping we could go home together." Alva latched onto Susumu's hand, pulling it closer, holding it against his chest comfortingly. "It'd be nice if we could have some time to ourselves..."

[Shimizu Susumu]

Of course it wasn't as easy as he would have liked it. It wasn't as simple as saying he could watch Reagan while Alva went home and Alva had good reason for saying what he did. Not that he mistrusted Susumu but Reagan definitely had bad blood regarding him. Smarter than he looked, that one. But still not smart enough.

Knowing full well that Alva still harbored deep feelings for Reagan, Susumu doubted he was going to be able to make him move from his side in any conventional way. Every single easy way out wasn't easy; even asking Alva to get him something to eat or drink would 1. reflect badly on Susumu and 2. why would he agree to do so--Reagan might wake up while he was gone, no matter how short the journey.

So Susumu smiled and kissed Alva's head as his hand was taken and held against Alva's beating heart. Such a sweet little thing. Such a generous heart, far too big and loving with so much room for every person he loved. Somehow, he managed to love with all of his heart and it wasn't reserved for Susumu... nor even Reagan. Family...

"We really haven't had as much time alone together as I would have liked," Susumu lamented, thinking of how his work took him away from Alva. He would have to wait until the cousin arrived. But then the cousin would be in the room with Rae. How exactly did this Josh expect him to meet with him in this room? It would have been far easier to excuse himself to the bathroom, leave, meet, and come back. But he was guessing this had more to do with getting him in the same room with Rae.

"I hate to say this but... the messages I just got, they're from the person who wants to meet us about the mark. He wants to meet now. It's so hard to squeeze in time with him..."

[Alva Ren]

How fortunate that Susumu came into Alva's life when he did. It was fate. Just when Alva felt weakest and when he needed a shoulder to lean on, Susumu came into the picture and he was like no one that Alva had ever met before. True, Susumu did curse him to begin with but that was purely accidental. What happened afterwards, the bond that they forged, was all real.

Alva only wished that they could have had more time to be together so that they could get to know each other even better. There was a lot that Alva didn't know fully about him yet and Susumu's work was urgent and took him away often, but it was necessary work and it was work that saved lives. Alva could never blame him or feel as if he had been neglected or wronged in some way. He tried to support Susumu now by being patient and understanding; that was the best thing he thought he could do.

"Oh." He drew back slightly, startled. This put him into a difficult situation of having to choose between his own well-being or staying and taking care of Rae. Alva wanted to be here until at least Ryland and Aldon arrived to take over, but the way Susumu phrased it made the meeting seem urgent. And it was urgent and serious. Alva still hesitated, conflicted between knowing more about the mark and trying to keep Rae safe from Josh's clutches.

"I suppose we should go, if that person can only meet now," he began slowly, looking worriedly over his shoulder at Rae. "Maybe we can get a nurse to keep an eye on Rae until Ry and Aldon gets here!" Alva brightened and let go of Susumu's hand. "I'll go to the nurse's station and ask if someone can check in on Rae until they get here. Wait for me, I'll be right back. Tell that person we'll meet tonight, Susu!" With a glowing look at Susumu and infinitely relieved to not leave Rae unattended, Alva started to wheel his chair out of the room. He knew there was a nurse's station on that floor and if he asked nicely, surely one of them wouldn't mind taking a peek at Rae.

[Kang Taebin]

As soon as the fox left the room and the witch gave confirmation, Josh eased himself out from around the corner. He'd been watching and waiting, knowing that where the fox was, his witch boyfriend wouldn't be far behind—especially if he thought that the fox was in danger from Josh, the big baddie. And to be fair, Josh had enjoyed slapping him earlier. It let out some of his pent-up frustrations, plus it seemed to really spook the little cripple.

What? As if Josh had any qualms about hitting a cripple. He would have killed and eaten—yes, eaten—Alva long ago if not for Rae. All this time, he'd been holding back because of Rae, and because he knew that if he was found to lay a finger on him, Rae would be lost. His new plan, however, would ensure that Rae fell straight into his waiting hands.

In passing, he swept up the tiny camera that he'd planted in the row of seats opposite Rae's room. No fancy magical shit for Josh, this was purely a convenience of technology. He tucked it into his pocket and quickly entered the room. Alva would likely return because Josh didn't see him leaving without the witch, but Josh was confident that he could relay his plan to the witch in a few sentences. The witch wasn't stupid; he more than anyone would pick up on what Josh meant.

"I'm guessing he'll be back soon, so I'll make this quick," Josh said as soon as he entered the room—but not too far in, not so far that he couldn't get himself out of this was a trap. "If you're serious about what we discussed, then listen up."

[Shimizu Susumu]

"Why wouldn't I be serious?" Susumu drawled, eyeing Josh with distaste. He never did like his type, even if he was a supernatural like himself. The rough type. The type that could be a hunter just like those Susumu hunted. Yet he also sensed a kindred spirit. Not unlike himself, this was an ambitious one. Rough, maybe. But not stupid. Not stupid like the one lying in bed at the moment. Susumu noted that Josh didn't enter the room properly, and didn't get too close to Susumu, which was fine. And interesting.

Susumu moved to the side of the bed where the sleeping Reagan still lay unconscious, dead to the world. His chest rose up and down, his face slightly flushed, possibly from vestiges of a fever. He would be fine, though. A broken arm and a concussion would hardly kill him.

"Spit it out, whatever you have to say," Susumu said, almost bored as he reached into his pocket, used two fingers to open up a pouch and then delved his fingertips into a soft concoction, a bit like warm sand compacted into a lotion-like consistency.

[Kang Taebin]

Warily, Josh watched the witch. He hovered by the door to keep an eye on the hallway outside and to give himself an avenue of escape if things went wrong. Something told him, though, that the witch wouldn't turn on him. "Good. I need you to make a potion..." Josh frowned at the small bag that the witch pulled out and dipped his fingers into, not knowing the substance contained within. He stepped back a pace, just in case.

It didn't take long to outline his idea, and how they could be mutually beneficial to one another. Josh was articulate, cunning, and determined. He had worked out all of the facets of his idea, and knew the risks. But those risks were worth the payout, as far as he was concerned, and he was fairly certain that the witch would agree. They each had their uses; the witch had magic and Josh had the power of intimidation over... certain people.

He kept his expression neutral, however, as he spoke and his eyes never left the witch, especially as he was now standing by Rae. After he had finished, he crossed his arms. The fox might return soon so he had to make sure the witch was on board now. "Do we have a deal?"

[Shimizu Susumu]

"Potions aren't quite as long lasting as a good old fashioned curse," Susumu said conversationally. But he heard Josh out, aware that time was growing shorter for them. The last thing he needed was for Alva to catch him conspiring with the enemy. After a moment, Susumu tucked away his pouch and reached over to Reagan, tilting his head away so that he had access to the back of his neck. Ruminating over the spot, he decided behind the ear would work better. He touched bare skin with the ointment.

"Curses can be tricky things but the closer the caster to the recipient, the better." A mark slowly began to develop where Susumu traced his sigil. He removed his hand and moved Reagan's head back in place. Then he slid a handkerchief out to wipe his hand before moving forward.

"We have a deal. He will wake up and Alva will be..." His smile was quite devious. "Well. Erasing memories, they seem to know their way around that one. And I do admit that it was rather weak since I didn't have access to them the way I do now. But let's just say... this curse will work much better. I think you'll like it."

[Kang Taebin]

For half a second, as Susumu reached out to flick Rae's head to the side, Josh had an instinctive reaction to lunge. It was... oh, some stupid remnant protective instinct, he supposed. Wolves were notoriously protective of their territory and of their own. Josh bit the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood, watching Susumu touching Rae and doing something to the area behind his ear.

It seemed to be finished quite quickly, though Josh's eyes bored a hole through him afterwards, scrutinizing the sly smile on his face. So this was the kind of man that the fox chose to shack up with, was it? Josh almost laughed. Rae was definitely better off with him than with an idiot who let himself fall in with a witch like this. Besides, now he could take Rae away from the influence of this man, even if he had to get Susumu to curse him in the first place.

"You work quick," was his off-hand comment, playing it off as though nothing untoward had just happened. As if Josh was accustomed to seeing witches cursing people close to him on a daily basis. He was actually quite impressed, but like hell he was going to let Susumu know that. Josh looked over his shoulder again to make sure the coast was clear, then turned back to Susumu with a smile of his own. But his was dark more than devious.

"I'd better like it, witch, or I'll be back. And not just for you." He cast another look at Rae, laying there unconscious with bandages all over him. But he would live and he would wake up hopefully with a different set of memories than he fell asleep with. Josh nodded curtly; their transaction was complete. "I'll uphold my end of the bargain, don't you worry. You just have to be there with open arms to catch him." He glanced over his shoulder again. "You have my number. We'll be in touch." He left without a good-bye but he didn't think that Susumu would be holding his breath waiting for it.

Not a moment too soon, too, because just as he turned the corner he heard Alva's voice, with a softer female one—probably a nurse, approaching Rae's room. Josh smiled again to himself, grimly this time. He had put everything into this idea. It had better work.

[Alva Ren]

"Thank you so much," Alva said warmly as he led the nurse to Rae's room, oblivious of the fact that Josh had left mere seconds ago. "Their names are Ryland and Aldon, and they'll be here in maybe ten minutes."

"It's no problem," said the nurse—Nancy. She was a middle-aged woman with a kind face and wispy gray-brown hair drawn into a bun at the base of her neck. She smiled at Alva and patted him gently on the shoulder. There was something motherly about her that Alva liked, and she had been the first to step forward to offer to help when he approached the nurse's station. "We'll take good care of your friend, don't you worry honey."

"Thank you," he said again, and then pushed open the door to Rae's room. "Susu, I found a nurse! This is Nancy, she's going to stay with Rae until Ryland and Aldon get here." Alva beamed at him, but first his gaze flew to Rae, who still seemed to be sleeping.

There was something kind of funny in the air, though. Something that felt like magic. Alva glanced around, puzzled by what he felt, yet oddly certain that it was magic. He looked to Susumu, suddenly alarmed. Had Josh been here? Was there a fight? If there was, nothing in the room was disturbed or upset; everything looked the way Alva left it. Susumu looked unharmed, too.

Quickly he eased his chair forward and took Susumu's hand. "Is everything okay here? Nothing happened while I was gone, right?" Alva asked in a low voice, unsettled by the magic he felt that was making the hairs at the base of his neck rise. He shivered unconsciously and pulled himself even closer as the mark on his arm twinged unpleasantly.

[Shimizu Susumu]

Of course he worked quickly. There were a number of curses on Susumu at any given moment. Not curses set on him, of course. Curses to use against enemies. Curses to use when it served his purposes. Cursing Reagan was easy enough; Susumu had never liked him and he had already cursed him, what... twice before? Throwing a couple more on top of that was just a mere shrug of the shoulder for him.

Besides, he did want Alva to himself and he was just so easily distracted when it came to dear Reagan Ryang. Susumu wrinkled his nose slightly at the thought; he could never quite understand that attraction nor did he want to. Love, he heard, was not always logical but it was all right. Susumu was here to set things right. To give Alva what he truly deserved, even if...

"Hm," he said in a noncommittal tone. Yes, they could reach one another now, himself and Josh. Hopefully that wouldn't be needed. He thought Josh here would like the twist he set on his curse but he would see that it worked whenever the poor bastard woke up. For the time being, however...

Susumu also did not say goodbye, he simply watched as Josh left as quickly as he had come. A wraith, really, more than a feral wolf. But like Susumu, he seemed well equipped to play a different role as it suited him.

As Alva and the nurse arrived, Susumu smiled indulgently at Alva and then at Nancy. Alva was positively lit up like the sun, so happy, so excited to finally be getting answers. Susumu actually felt a little bad for him but it was true; they would take a visit to the so-called expert. There would be answers, though he... feared they weren't going to be entirely to Alva's liking. That part actually made him pause a moment. But he ignored that little twinge of regret and he pulled Alva a little closer as his hand was taken.

"Of course. Everything is fine," he reassured Alva. "We really should go. I don't want to leave our friend waiting..."