Bond to Happen Part 13
Part 13
Warnings: Panic attack, mentions of death and violence, fantastical racism
Word Count: 3900ish
When Billy heard you were hurt, he had broken several traffic laws as he sped back to Anvil. It had been a long time since Billy felt rage like this. An even longer time since he almost lost the tight grip he had on his power. Stevens was currently testing his control like it was a fucking sport.
“I’ll ask you one more time. What did you do?” Billy growls through a menacing smile.
“Come on, Russo, how was I supposed to know that your witch was that sensitive? I didn’t even move, she touched me. How is this my fault?” Stevens was choosing to play dumb, blissfully ignorant to the monster lurking below Billy’s skin.
Billy barks out a humorless laugh.
“I don’t have an ounce of magic in me. You know this, how could I have hurt her on purpose?”
Michaelson is standing in the back of the room, Billy trusts him to be discreet. It helps, of course, that Michaelson has sworn himself into Billy’s service. Willingly and within certain parameters, but with an unbreakable oath. Michaelson knows things about Billy’s habits, his less savory jobs, and has seen pieces of the monster. He owes Billy his life and would readily die for him. He’s loyal to a fault and knows that Stevens is just digging himself a deeper grave.
Billy slams his fist into Stevens stomach. As Stevens keels over, only restrained by the cuffs behind his back, Billy brings his knee up and hears a satisfying crunch as Steven’s nose breaks. The bound man moans in pain, struggling to catch his breath as he’s forced upright and shoved into a chair.
“Fuck, this is illegal, Russo. You have no right to detain me and I haven’t committed a crime. She got hurt because she’s a bloody fucking wi-”
Billy cut him off with a hit to the knee and Stevens screamed as bone cracked.
“Don’t be such a pussy, Stevens. I didn’t even hit you that hard,” Billy says dryly. It was true, he hadn’t used his full strength, mainly because he was trying to avoid damaging his knuckles so badly that they wouldn’t heal by the time he was back with you.
“How did you- that’s not. You’re supposed to be human!” Stevens cries.
“What a dangerous assumption to make, Max.” Billy allows his eyes to flash fully black, sclera included, for just a moment.
“I didn’t know! It wasn’t supposed to be that bad, just enough to make sure she was in her place-”
“Her place?” Billy roars and the light fixtures rattle.
“I’m sorry, I'm sorry! Please, wait, I’ll tell you. It was a challenge for initiation.”
“Initiation into what?” Billy demands.
“The Witch Hunter Association. If you can drop or kill a witch in front of witnesses, you earn membership. I took a bunch of herbs in this tea that makes auras really potent and toxic while they’re in the system. I have to take the antidote by sunrise or it’ll kill me. You gotta let me take it, Bill.” Max is pleading for his life, not that it will do any good. Billy’s already decided his fate. The monster’s hungry.
“Tell me everything you know.” Billy pulls out a chair and sits in it backwards in front of Max.
After extracting every bit of information about the Association and the herbs Max had taken to strengthen his aura, Billy leans back in his seat.
“Alright, I think that’s all I need from you. What do you think, Michaelson?” Billy asks calmly.
“I agree, Boss. He’s told us everything he knows.”
Billy nods his head and Michaelson leaves the room, closing the door behind him.
“I won’t ever do it again, Billy. I won’t ever bother her again.” Max is pleading, he still hasn’t realized his fate. He has hope for being set free.
“You won’t ever bother anyone again, Max.” Billy lets his control relax, his eyes shift fully black as his aura fills the room. It’s invisible to Max, but he can feel it. The terrifying, all consuming call of death.
“No, no please. NO! NO! DON’T-”
********
“Call the supe cleanup team, John,” Billy instructs as he exits the room, wiping a drop of blood off the corner of his mouth.
“Yes, sir. What should I tell the others?”
“The clean up crew can figure out the details and take care of the human police. The body is intact enough that a glamor should do the trick. Tell the rest of the staff about the tea he had in his system when he attacked our Seer. It’s a shame that he didn’t get the antidote in time,” Billy says dryly.
“Yes, sir.”
*********
You don’t remember dreaming, you barely remember falling asleep, before something wakes you up.
“Hey sweetheart, sorry I took longer than I meant to,” Billy is within arms reach upon you waking, the feeling of his aura surrounding you entirely. Normally that would’ve freaked you out, given your history. But after all these months, you’d begun to accept that your magic doesn’t react normally to him. Both consciously and subconsciously, you feel safe around Billy. The office is dark, only a lamp illuminating his features.
“The sun set?” You ask, mostly to yourself. He nods. You’d been asleep for at least 2 hours. “Are we gonna go home now?” You sit up slowly and notice the blanket that had been placed on you, pushing it to the side. Billy nods again, watching you closely.
“I had the car dropped off while you were asleep. Do you need me to carry you?”
You stand, slowly this time, before answering. “No, I can walk. Can I hold your arm though, just in case?”
You honestly shouldn’t be walking, but it’s only through the building. With the death grip you have on Billy’s forearm, you can make it. His knuckles are a little red and swollen, and he’s grateful you’re too tired to notice.
You’re relieved when you finally reach the car Billy helps you into the passenger seat. As he puts your seatbelt on for you, you notice a couple drops of blood on the color of his white dress shirt.
“What’s that from?” You question, fingers brushing his color.
“It’s nothing, sweetheart. Don’t worry about it.”
You frown, but are too tired to argue. When the two of you arrive in the parking garage under your building, you stumble while exiting the car. Billy seems to appear next to you in the time it takes you to blink.
“Let me carry you up, yeah? We don’t want you fallin’ and hurtin’ that beautiful head of yours.”
You nod, too dizzy to comment on his flirting. Billy scoops you up and carries you into the elevator. His breathing doesn’t even change as he holds you.
“Is it alright if we stop by my apartment first so I can change?” Billy asks and you nod again. Getting off on his floor, he carries you to the door, somehow managing to punch in the code and twist his key without dropping you. Once you enter, he gently places you on the couch and leaves with a promise to be quick. You’re half asleep when he returns.
“Hey baby, you awake?” He murmurs softly, not wanting to wake you if you’ve truly fallen asleep.
“Mmhmm,” you mumble, not opening your eyes.
“I’m not sure I believe you, seein’ as your eyes are still closed. Can you open them for me?” His voice is so gentle, his aura so soothing, you feel so safe you just want to sleep.
“Don’t wanna,” you grumble.
“You don’t wanna look at my handsome face? I’m hurt,” he teases. “Just let me get you settled and then you can sleep as long as you want.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
You open your eyes and force yourself to sit up, stifling a yawn. Billy is wearing a tight black tee and gray sweatpants. Gods, this man is going to be the death of you. Sometimes you wish he wasn’t so beautiful, maybe then you could keep a clearer head around him.
“There are those gorgeous eyes,” he smiles, before it slips into a frown. “Is your magic splitting the color like this normal?”
“What?” You aren’t sure what he means.
“One of your eyes has a blue iris, like your magic, the other has a bit of that blue shade, but the rest is normal. I’ve never seen your eyes do this before.” He sounds worried.
“Me either.” You yawn again. “I dunno what it means. ‘M sure we’ll find out eventually.”
“How are you feeling? Anything hurt?”
“I’m just tired,” you admit as you rest your face against the arm of the couch. The expression on his face relaxes and he’s thoughtful for a moment, before he reaches into his pocket.
Billy pulls out a simple silver cuff, maybe two inches wide with tiny runes engraved on the inside. “I know this isn’t the best time, but this is what I was talking about the other day. It helps a lotta psychics and telepaths and those sorts. Blocks things out, helps with magic based pain. Do you wanna put it on now?”
You shake your head. “Don’t need it, ’m with you.”
He looks surprised, but recovers quickly. You’re so sleepy you’re not really sure if this is real or not. Maybe you’re dreaming. A really nice dream where Billy is all yours and no one will ever hurt you again.
“Okay, sweetheart. You wanna go down to your apartment now?”
“Can I stay here?” Your eyes are fluttering shut.
“You aren’t sleeping on the couch,” he chides.
“Am too.” You aren’t sure why you’re arguing and you don’t really care as you fall back asleep.
*******
Fuck, Billy thinks, this woman is going to be the death of me. You’ve fallen back asleep and he isn’t sure what to do. He hadn’t expected you to reject the cuff, even in such an exhausted state. He knew how much your magic had been affecting you lately. He also had noticed how relaxed you were around him. He’d walk into a room and the tension would drain from your face. If he really was providing you with some sort of mental protection already, this would work largely in his favor. Even without the cuff, he’d have leverage over you. But Billy didn’t want to think about that now. You are sound asleep and he can’t bring himself to wake you again. He has three options.
One, he can leave you on the couch and drape a blanket over you. Billy immediately dismisses that option. He saw the security footage, saw how hard your body hit the floor, how tightly your muscles clenched. He’d watch you convulse for 15 seconds before Stevens was out of the room. You would be sore in the morning and the couch would only exacerbate your pain.
Two, he could carry you downstairs and into your apartment. He would probably wake you in the process, but it was the responsible thing to do. Billy didn’t want to damage the trust you had in him by crossing any boundaries, so taking you home was the safe choice.
Three, he could put you in his bed and let you sleep comfortably while he took the couch. Looking at your peaceful face, he knew he had already made his decision. Billy was loath to admit it, but he craved your company and would do anything to keep you close. Lifting you into his arms so very carefully, being especially gentle with your head, he carried you to his room. Awkwardly pulling back the covers, he slipped you onto the silk sheets and tucked you in. Before he could leave, your hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. Your eyes were still closed and your breathing was still slow and even. Billy wasn’t sure how to react. What was the gentlemanly thing to do here? What was the best way to maintain the way you say him?
He tried to unwrap your fingers, surprisingly strong for someone so much smaller than him.
“Don’t leave,” you sigh. Who was he to argue with your demand? Billy crawled onto the bed next to you, suppressing a smile at the way you pulled his hand close against you as soon as he settled on top of the covers.
*****
You were cold, bare feet crunching through snow as you walked through a clearing in a lightly wooded forest. Everything is unnaturally bright, though you cannot see a sum when you look at the pale blue sky. Crimson catches your eye. Only a few drops, but enough to stand out in stark contrast to the near endless white of your surroundings. You force yourself to move closer and suddenly find yourself next to animal tracks larger than your own hand. You lean down, knees hitting the ground with a thud, and press your hand to the tracks. Though the snow was still intact, they radiated heat, almost painful to touch.
A soft growl broke the eerie silence of your dreamscape. Your head snapped towards the sound just in time to see the tail end of a deeply black furred jaguar. It was familiar to you after all these months, but you had yet to see it head on. You couldn’t ever tell if it meant you any harm, so you kept a respectable distance from the creature.
Sometimes, you swore you could hear an inhuman yet masculine voice singing softly in the background. There were never any words, at least not that you could identify, but the everchanging melody was enchanting. If only you could remember the song once you woke up.
******
You are comfortable, surrounded by extravagantly soft fabric. The only noise you can hear is slow, steady breathing from somewhere next to you. The smell of sandalwood and something purely Billy is everywhere, deepening your relaxed state. You are on your right side, hands loosely grasping something radiating warmth. You sigh in contentment before you realize whatever you are holding feels suspiciously like a hand.
Your eyes crack open and you mumble in surprise, “Billy?” He’s still in the shirt and sweatpants he wore last night, sitting up on the bed next to you, one handedly typing on his phone. Your eyes are a little blurry with sleep, but you can see him clearly as he glances over at you, quickly setting down his phone.
“Hey sweetheart, how do you feel?” His voice is soft and the sound of it makes you irrationally happy, makes you feel safe. You don’t want to have to think yet, don’t want to have to talk about yesterday, but you force yourself to take stock. Your muscles are sore, the worst of it in your neck and back, and your throat is dry.
“A little sore. Nothing too bad.” The hand you are holding squeezes reassuringly and you startle. “I am so sorry. I didn’t realize-”
“You never need to apologize for holding my hand, sweetheart. Do it as often as you want, yeah?” He smiles, looking at you for confirmation of your understanding.
“You really don’t mind? I can get pretty touchy with my friends and I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” You worry at your bottom lip between your teeth. Billy’s eyes dart down to your mouth and pause there for a moment.
He meets your eye and says, “You can be as touchy with me as you like. I don’t mind.” Then he winks at you and you can’t hold back a soft giggle.
“What time is it?” You ask.
“A little after 10 in the morning. I should probably feed you before you get hangry,” he grins. He squeezes your hand one more time before sliding off the bed.
“I’m not that bad,” you scoff.
“Didn’t you come in the other day after skipping breakfast and your glare scared some of the new guys? Josie had to convince them you were just grumpy,” he teases.
“It’s not my fault, I had a migraine!” You say indignantly, forcing yourself out from under the covers and off the bed, rolling your stiff shoulders as you stand.
“Those happen often?”
“Unfortunately.” You frown.
“We can talk more over breakfast. You are welcome to take a shower and borrow some of my clothes, or I can walk you down to your apartment and we can eat there?”
“I’d like to stay here for now,” you admit without meeting his eyes.
“Fine by me, sweetheart. Let me know if you need anything.” He leaves once you nod.
He has a standing, claw foot tub, large enough to hold at least 2 people comfortably. You’d love to take an hour long soak in it, but you want to get back to Billy even more so you opt to shower instead. Keeping your hair dry as you shower, your mind begins to wander and you have to force yourself not to remember the terror of the day before. The pain isn’t the worst thing about the memory, it’s the fear, the helplessness. The fact that you should have seen that Max Stevens intended to cause you harm before it happened. Why hadn’t you seen it? Were you broken? Could you no longer keep the people you cared about safe? What use were you if you couldn’t even protect yourself? It was different to weaken and die from starvation and exhaustion, but to be harmed by someone else, that was not how you wanted to go.
You leave the shower before you can continue to follow that line of thinking, it wouldn’t help you feel better. Wearing Billy’s clothes on the other hand, that made you feel better. You pull on a sweater and sweatpants with drawstrings that you tie tightly. You look into the mirror as you try to tame your bedhead. The eyes looking back at you catch you off guard. Your normal color is mixed sporadically with magic in one eye, while the other is blue, so blue it seems to be pushing the boundaries of your iris. That was unusual and a bit concerning if you were being honest with yourself. There was nothing that could be done about it now, so you followed the scent of bacon out to the kitchen.
“Are you making pancakes?” You ask in surprise.
“It’s from the box, but I figured you’d probably be hungry after everything. Pancakes, eggs, bacon, and I have some juice and fruit in the fridge. And of course, your coffee,” he says, handing you a warm mug of coffee topped with whipped cream. You take a sip and moan at the taste.
“You are perfect, you know that?” You state with adoration.
“I’m not sure if you’re talkin’ to the coffee or me, sweetheart.” He smirks at you as you sit down across from the kitchen island, watching while he flips pancakes. You see that some have littler chocolate chips and you grin widely.
“Both, definitely both.” You drink quietly for a few minutes as he stacks a plate of food in front of you. “You know, I think you’ve really ruined your Billy Russo Reputation with me.”
“What makes you say that?”
“You make sure I eat almost everyday, you let me sleep in your bed and hold your arm captive because I was too tired to go back to my apartment, you never ignore my calls, and you’re always saying sweet things and making promises you don’t break. That’s a far cry from the scary gorgeous CEO playboy that I was warned about.”
“Maybe I’m just different around you, sweetheart.” There’s a soft smile on his full lips. You wonder what it would taste like.
“Maybe you’re just softer than you let on,” you tease lightly. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”
“I don’t think anyone would believe you, sweetheart.”
“Frank would,” you insist.
“Hmmm. Maybe.”
You grin to yourself, enjoying the pseudo-domesticity of the moment as you eat. Billy picks at his food as he remains standing across from you.
“We need to talk, sweetheart,” Billy says as you slowly clear your plate.
“Okay,” you agree quietly, avoiding his eyes.
“Yesterday, has what happened with Stevens ever happened before?”
You hesitate, not sure exactly what he’s asking and not wanting to reveal too much of your past by accident. “Could you be more specific?”
“Have you ever reacted that way to touch before?”
“No.” The truth, technically. Simple touch has caused you to faint, to freeze up in pain, to vomit or cry. But it had never been that severe solely from a touch.
“Has something similar to that happened before?” Of course he’s smart enough to rephrase.
“Yes,” you admit reluctantly.
“You wanna elaborate on that, Blue?” He seems a bit angry, you know him well enough to know the anger isn’t directed at you.
“Not particularly. What happened to him after?” You try to change the subject.
“He’s dead, he poisoned himself to make his aura stronger and died before he could take the antidote.”
“He’s dead?” you gasp.
“Yes, good fucking riddance.”
“How- why? Why would he do that?”
“Because he was a piece of shit.”
“Obviously, but why would he just risk that to attack me? His life, his reputation, his career. Was I his only intended target?”
“Yes.”
“Why would he do that? Did he know me beforehand? Was it personal? What did he say?”
“Can we just leave it, Blue. He was a bad person who wanted to hurt you. Do you really need all the details?”
“Yes! Why would he risk so much just to get to me, Billy? I don’t understand-”
“Max Stevens dosed himself with a highly toxic combination of herbs in an attempt to severely harm and hopefully kill you so he could be initiated into a society of witch hunters. He didn’t take the antidote in time and died during questioning. He was a racist piece of shit trying to join a fucking cult by hurting a random witch,” Billy snaps.
“Oh.” Your face falls as his words hit you like a strike to the chest.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart, I shoulda picked up on it before hiring him. He never shoulda got that close to you.” His tone is gentle after such harsh words.
“I never did anything to him,” you say dumbly.
“Bad people do bad things. It’s not your fault, baby.”
“I thought it was supposed to be different now. I’m good, I swear I’m good,” you whisper, tears beginning to pool in your eyes.
“Of course you’re good, none of this is on you.” You aren’t really listening to Billy’s words. They’re empty, he doesn’t know you, not really. Not what you’ve done. Not what you are. Not what you are capable of.
“But they always come anyway. I should’ve seen it.” You’re mumbling, lost somewhere between the present and the past. Emotions from painful memories creeping up. There is a soft ringing in your ears, your breathing is shallow, and your heartbeat is picking up. The rush of your blood through your body sounds suspiciously like thunder. Thunder and a warm, rainy night-
“Look at me, sweetheart. Eyes on me,” Billy orders. You didn’t notice him move, but he’s crouched to the side of your seat, concern displayed plainly on his face. Everything is blurry, nothing is in focus except for him. You aren’t sure if he’s real. Are you real? Is this real? Or are you back in that alley in the rain?
**********
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