[Felix watched as Harrington searched the woods nearby. He waited till the young man had wandered too far away from his peers, till he was out of sight and alone. Then he made some noise to lure the searcher just a little further.
It was probably an ill move to strike so soon without a plan, without knowing the full stakes, without having tested the waters. He had no way of knowing how Steve would react to him. The orb had been clear about how the deal worked but Felix had broken his and demanded an alternate route; it had left him with forewarned consequences and a slew of memories he had refused to relinquish as part of his new deal. Now he had to figure out whether Steve had been affected or not. Did Harrington remember anything or nothing at all of his time aboard the Ximilia with its crew. The mercenary should have proceeded with more caution. But that had never been Felix's strong point. Act first, think later or never at all. Besides this could be hella fun for him if done right.
And maybe a little part of him refused to think what it would be like to be forgotten by the one person in his new life who had grown to mean so much to him. How that would affect him.
Felix chuckled softly as he saw the spiked bat lifted and held in Steve's grip as the young man moved cautiously forward. The ex-marine knew it would give him away but he couldn't help himself. The sight was just too funny for some reason. As Steve reacted to his laughter, Felix slipped back into hiding and carefully sneaked round the man while his attention was drawn to Felix's previous position. He came up close to Steve from behind and whispered.]
What are you going to do with that, huh?
[His voice was soft, and what's more it was muffled due to the black balaclava pulled over his head and covering his mouth. It was part of the reason behind the rumors--spotting him even briefly left much to the imagination. His face covered and his lithe body encased in the undersuit of his armor like a second skin of black and gray scales, it was no wonder the rumors described him as a demon of the forest.]
( Well, at least the sound Steve hears is human. That tends to point strictly in the Not Upside Down related category, which is what Steve was hoping to find. But that still doesn't exactly ease his mind, because humans are just as capable of being horrors than legitimate monsters are.
His eyes follow to where he heard the laughter, but he can't spot him like this. It isn't until Felix is right up beside him that he realizes he's fucked. He shivers in what he tells himself is terror and not because of anything else.
He could spin around and see if he can somehow take the stranger by surprise, but there's no guarantee that Felix isn't armed. He's more likely to get himself injured in the process, and he has too many people to protect right now. )
Well, I had planned on using it to ward off anything that tried to get too close, but I guess I didn't account for, uh, well, this.
( His voice has a worried edge to it, and is made all the worse by the chattering of his teeth, considering how cold Indiana can get in the winter. )
Who are you and what are you doing in the middle of the woods?
Did I indicate in any way that we were gonna take this as a question for a question? [He leaned in marginally closer.] Because I believe I'm the one in charge here.
[For emphasis he poked Steve in the back with two fingers almost as if he were holding a gun. But if the kid fell for that he might be disappointed. On the other hand, if he didn't cooperate Felix might still be disappointed. Impressed, but disappointed. As it was currently the mercenary was faintly proud of the younger man for keeping his cool. Although the chattering teeth did ruin some of that effect. He almost wanted to laugh but that would either ruin his effect of intimidation or make him sound insane.
As Felix spoke his next words he reached around Steve to grab at the bat's grip, attempting to gently pry it from Harrington's hands while he was being compliant. Again, emphasizing that he was in charge here and felt nothing in this tricky encounter.]
Why do you want to know? What are you doing out here? Isn't it past your bedtime or something, kid?
( If there is any disappointment here from Steve, it's pointed towards himself. Maybe he really had bit off more than he could chew here, but it's not like he could rely on the police officers left in the force to evaluate this problem since they didn't know about the Upside Down. With Hopper gone, with Joyce across the country, it fell on him to keep everyone safe.
And now look at him, he's gone and probably got himself killed. He feels the fingers at his back, and shrinks in defeat, not pausing to consider if those felt like the barrel of a gun or someone faking him out. If he just thought a little bit more he might be able to compare it to the time he actually did have a gun pressed into his back. )
First of all, I'm not a kid, I'm nineteen. And what am I doing here? Making sure you're not terrorizing my kids, that's what.
( He does let Felix take the bat from him, though. He's not that stupid, even if a small part of him maybe does have a death wish. As if something is missing from his life that he can't quite put a finger on. )
So what, you gonna kill me now? They're gonna find you eventually, probably even faster if you kill me.
[You're making him feel old here, Steve. Also a bit like a cougar. Could guys be cougars? Fuck. He didn't want to think about what the male version of that might be called.
He almost laughed again at the rest of what Harrington said. He refrained again for the same reasoning though. Instead, he took the bat and hooked it under Harrington's chin, gently prodding with it as he took a step back, forcing Steve to turn with the motion of the bat or get spiked on one of the nails. His choice but Felix hoped for the smart move. So far Harrington had been quite compliant.]
Kill you? Come on, Stevie boy, don't talk like that. I'm not going to kill you. That would just be disappointing...
( Steve rolls his eyes at that. Granted, he doesn't yet realize that Felix knows who he is, has met him before. That the two had managed to become close in the face of such a strange hardship as being stuck on a space station together.
He's about to protest when he goes cold, freezing in place. Stevie boy. How the fuck? )
You know my name.
( The way he says it, it's clear there's fear behind his words. Is Felix with the Russians maybe? Or with the lab, it's possible, they managed to create a fake body to fake Will Byers's death. )
[Felix paused and tilted his head to one side as he stared at Steve in mixed interest and curiosity. His beady brown eyes were the only thing visible beneath the balaclava and the undersuit of his armor. They held an unidentifiable emotion within them that may have looked suspiciously like disappointment--smothered quickly by white hot fiery anger. That, too, faded with a hard blink and eased into amusement.
He knew it was likely. They had all known in the end that undoing a regret would bring them back to the point where the regret could be undone, and leave them without memories of their time gathering the orbs. Felix also knew that there was some sort of price to be paid for breaking his deal, and maybe even an additional one for creating a new one. The orb had probably agreed simply for all the chaos the new deal would bring.
Felix knew all this and yet it didn't make this moment any easier to swallow. He hid his anger and disappointment (and hurt) behind the light of amusement, but beneath the shine of his eyes there was a world of repressed emotions swirling in the mercenary's head. He smiled beneath the mask, pulling the edges of it up slightly with the expression.]
Oh, I know a lot about you, Steve Harrington. Things that would make you blush, things that you'd never expect someone to know about you, things a stranger couldn't possibly know.
[But he wasn't a stranger. Hadn't been, at least, while they were stuck together on that space station. The problem now lay in how to prove that--or find another way to regain Steve's trust and interest. Start all over again. Fuck.
Felix lowered the bat. His voice dropped into 'that was just a joke, duh' range.] You work at the video store and, like any good employee, you wear a name tag. And I have a thing for names and faces.
( The moment Felix started blathering about knowing things about Steve, he felt the color drain from his face. A chill passed over him and he started to curl in on himself, as much as he could from a standing position. How would that even be possible? Did he talk to his former friends or something? Does he know his parents?
But then Felix points out where he works, and Steve relaxes a little. Although he hasn't seen Felix's face, it's possible. They get a lot of customers on a daily basis, and Steve isn't as good with names and faces. He's also had a habit of being completely oblivious outside of the occasional pretty girl that comes in and flirts with him. )
So you've been by the Family Video. Cool, cool, cool.
( His eyes strain to look at the bat, his fingers itching to pick it up again, when he feels a wave of something strange hit him all at once. Like that feeling of deja vu, where he swears he must have dreamt something similar to this once because that's the only explanation for why this feels so damn familiar. )
Well if that's all, can I have my bat back? I'll let you go since you're not...anyway just be careful man, yeah? These woods can be dangerous.
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no subject
It was probably an ill move to strike so soon without a plan, without knowing the full stakes, without having tested the waters. He had no way of knowing how Steve would react to him. The orb had been clear about how the deal worked but Felix had broken his and demanded an alternate route; it had left him with forewarned consequences and a slew of memories he had refused to relinquish as part of his new deal. Now he had to figure out whether Steve had been affected or not. Did Harrington remember anything or nothing at all of his time aboard the Ximilia with its crew. The mercenary should have proceeded with more caution. But that had never been Felix's strong point. Act first, think later or never at all. Besides this could be hella fun for him if done right.
And maybe a little part of him refused to think what it would be like to be forgotten by the one person in his new life who had grown to mean so much to him. How that would affect him.
Felix chuckled softly as he saw the spiked bat lifted and held in Steve's grip as the young man moved cautiously forward. The ex-marine knew it would give him away but he couldn't help himself. The sight was just too funny for some reason. As Steve reacted to his laughter, Felix slipped back into hiding and carefully sneaked round the man while his attention was drawn to Felix's previous position. He came up close to Steve from behind and whispered.]
What are you going to do with that, huh?
[His voice was soft, and what's more it was muffled due to the black balaclava pulled over his head and covering his mouth. It was part of the reason behind the rumors--spotting him even briefly left much to the imagination. His face covered and his lithe body encased in the undersuit of his armor like a second skin of black and gray scales, it was no wonder the rumors described him as a demon of the forest.]
no subject
His eyes follow to where he heard the laughter, but he can't spot him like this. It isn't until Felix is right up beside him that he realizes he's fucked. He shivers in what he tells himself is terror and not because of anything else.
He could spin around and see if he can somehow take the stranger by surprise, but there's no guarantee that Felix isn't armed. He's more likely to get himself injured in the process, and he has too many people to protect right now. )
Well, I had planned on using it to ward off anything that tried to get too close, but I guess I didn't account for, uh, well, this.
( His voice has a worried edge to it, and is made all the worse by the chattering of his teeth, considering how cold Indiana can get in the winter. )
Who are you and what are you doing in the middle of the woods?
no subject
[For emphasis he poked Steve in the back with two fingers almost as if he were holding a gun. But if the kid fell for that he might be disappointed. On the other hand, if he didn't cooperate Felix might still be disappointed. Impressed, but disappointed. As it was currently the mercenary was faintly proud of the younger man for keeping his cool. Although the chattering teeth did ruin some of that effect. He almost wanted to laugh but that would either ruin his effect of intimidation or make him sound insane.
As Felix spoke his next words he reached around Steve to grab at the bat's grip, attempting to gently pry it from Harrington's hands while he was being compliant. Again, emphasizing that he was in charge here and felt nothing in this tricky encounter.]
Why do you want to know? What are you doing out here? Isn't it past your bedtime or something, kid?
no subject
And now look at him, he's gone and probably got himself killed. He feels the fingers at his back, and shrinks in defeat, not pausing to consider if those felt like the barrel of a gun or someone faking him out. If he just thought a little bit more he might be able to compare it to the time he actually did have a gun pressed into his back. )
First of all, I'm not a kid, I'm nineteen. And what am I doing here? Making sure you're not terrorizing my kids, that's what.
( He does let Felix take the bat from him, though. He's not that stupid, even if a small part of him maybe does have a death wish. As if something is missing from his life that he can't quite put a finger on. )
So what, you gonna kill me now? They're gonna find you eventually, probably even faster if you kill me.
no subject
[You're making him feel old here, Steve. Also a bit like a cougar. Could guys be cougars? Fuck. He didn't want to think about what the male version of that might be called.
He almost laughed again at the rest of what Harrington said. He refrained again for the same reasoning though. Instead, he took the bat and hooked it under Harrington's chin, gently prodding with it as he took a step back, forcing Steve to turn with the motion of the bat or get spiked on one of the nails. His choice but Felix hoped for the smart move. So far Harrington had been quite compliant.]
Kill you? Come on, Stevie boy, don't talk like that. I'm not going to kill you. That would just be disappointing...
no subject
He's about to protest when he goes cold, freezing in place. Stevie boy. How the fuck? )
You know my name.
( The way he says it, it's clear there's fear behind his words. Is Felix with the Russians maybe? Or with the lab, it's possible, they managed to create a fake body to fake Will Byers's death. )
How do you know my name?
no subject
He knew it was likely. They had all known in the end that undoing a regret would bring them back to the point where the regret could be undone, and leave them without memories of their time gathering the orbs. Felix also knew that there was some sort of price to be paid for breaking his deal, and maybe even an additional one for creating a new one. The orb had probably agreed simply for all the chaos the new deal would bring.
Felix knew all this and yet it didn't make this moment any easier to swallow. He hid his anger and disappointment (and hurt) behind the light of amusement, but beneath the shine of his eyes there was a world of repressed emotions swirling in the mercenary's head. He smiled beneath the mask, pulling the edges of it up slightly with the expression.]
Oh, I know a lot about you, Steve Harrington. Things that would make you blush, things that you'd never expect someone to know about you, things a stranger couldn't possibly know.
[But he wasn't a stranger. Hadn't been, at least, while they were stuck together on that space station. The problem now lay in how to prove that--or find another way to regain Steve's trust and interest. Start all over again. Fuck.
Felix lowered the bat. His voice dropped into 'that was just a joke, duh' range.] You work at the video store and, like any good employee, you wear a name tag. And I have a thing for names and faces.
no subject
But then Felix points out where he works, and Steve relaxes a little. Although he hasn't seen Felix's face, it's possible. They get a lot of customers on a daily basis, and Steve isn't as good with names and faces. He's also had a habit of being completely oblivious outside of the occasional pretty girl that comes in and flirts with him. )
So you've been by the Family Video. Cool, cool, cool.
( His eyes strain to look at the bat, his fingers itching to pick it up again, when he feels a wave of something strange hit him all at once. Like that feeling of deja vu, where he swears he must have dreamt something similar to this once because that's the only explanation for why this feels so damn familiar. )
Well if that's all, can I have my bat back? I'll let you go since you're not...anyway just be careful man, yeah? These woods can be dangerous.