Archive of Our Own

The plan was working perfectly. Owen's reveal of his identity had been met with the desired reaction, the others so shocked that they had yet to even try to attack him. Currently, he was in the middle of detailing exactly why his victory was inevitable.

"We call ourselves-" Owen turned to the side, pausing for emphasis. "Chimera."

From the corner of his eye, Owen could see Curt putting his gun away. Good. The speech was working. Curt had seen that trying to fight back was pointless; Owen had already won.

The other two began explaining the features of a chimera while Curt stared ahead. In confusion, Owen assumed. Neither of the former lovers seemed to be truly listening to the others, much more focused on each other.

At least Curt's new partners seemed to know what they were talking about. That man had a gift for finding people smarter than him to work with.

Owen turned back to the trio, clapping his hands and holding them out for an extra flare. "We've got a little bit of everything!"

Owen was about to say more, but cut himself off as Curt began to advance on him. He didn't even try to dodge. If Curt was trying to tackle him, Owen could easily defend himself. Curt had been out of spy work for years; Owen was prepared for any attack he might attempt.

What Owen wasn't prepared for, however, was for Curt to wrap him in an embrace. He stood frozen in place, trying to decipher what was happening. Curt's touch was much too gentle to be malicious, but what else could this be? Nothing suggested that there was any other reason for them to be this close.

Were those tears in Owen's eyes? No, that wasn't it. He had no room for emotion, he didn't cry.

"You're alive," Curt breathed.

"Part of me is," Owen corrected, although with much less conviction this time.

"I'm so sorry."

The apology shook Owen to his core. He had expected a lot of things to happen during this encounter and had the perfect response lined up for every scenario. But something about the sincerity in Curt's voice made Owen forget the entire script.

The tension flooded from his body, and his head sank until it was resting on Curt's shoulder. He hadn't even noticed that his hands had come to rest on Curt's back. Something about the contact had awoken a piece of Owen that had been lying dormant for years.

"No, this is all wrong!" Owen tore himself from Curt's grasp. This was supposed to be the final confrontation, where they clashed until one came out on top. Now wasn't the time to make up.

Curt gave him a look of genuine hurt. "Can we at least talk?" He pulled out two of the chairs at the table and sat in one, gesturing to the other.

Tatiana and whoever the other man was had left the room at some point. They were alone.

Well, he didn't have any other plans.

Owen sat on the edge of the seat and poured himself a shot. "Fine. What do you have to say?"

Curt chuckled drily. "There are a lot of things I told myself I would say to you if only I had the chance. I realize now that almost none of it is appropriate." He leaned back. "One thing I can never say enough is that I'm sorry. I was reckless, and arrogant, and stupid. I should have listened to you." His breath was loud enough for Owen to hear how shaky it was. "This is all my fault, and I'm sorry."

Owen downed the shot, slamming the glass on the table. "None of that changes what happened."

"I know it doesn't. I don't expect it to. You might never forgive me, but I have to say it anyway."

The man sitting next to Owen was so much different from the image he had painted in his head. This was no selfish brute, no matter how twisted his perception was. He sighed. "What now?"

"Come with me."

Owen turned, giving Curt an incredulous look. "You can't be serious."

"Why not? You shouldn't stay with this group. The Deadliest Man Alive? That isn't you, Owen."

Owen's eyes narrowed. "You have no idea who I am anymore."

"I'd like to," Curt murmured.

"You don't know what you're dealing with here," Owen warned, glancing away. "I can't just leave. Chimera is more powerful than you can imagine."

"Then we'll face them together. The agencies-"

"You just don't get it, Curt! The agencies are useless. They know nothing of what they're up against."

"Then you can help them. You know things they don't." Curt leaned forward, grabbing Owen's hand. "Just come with me. We'll figure it out together. Please. "

Owen locked eyes with Curt. His mind raced through his memories, weighing the decision.

The pain that had led him down this path was still fresh even years later. He had been abandoned, discarded, alone. When the world casted him aside, Chimera had been there to pick him back up.

He had been in the perfect position to be turned against everything he once believed.

The world was a terrible place, and he was trying to make it better. Everyone had dirty secrets that they didn't deserve to keep. It was only reasonable that he tried to scrub these clean.

But he hadn't always been this cynical. His thoughts turned to Curt, to what their relationship had been before. Constant banter, shared looks, stolen moments. When they were together, nothing else mattered. They would always have each other's backs; that was the one thing they could count on. Even now, that still felt true.

Owen was beginning to realize that maybe he didn't hurt as much anymore.

Working for Chimera had its perks, but it had its drawbacks as well. One wrong move could mark the end of his life, no matter how high in the ranks he had managed to climb. That had never bothered him before. He didn't have much to live for, considering he was already dead.

But perhaps he could find a new purpose. One that didn't involve facing the entire world on his own.

Owen dipped his head. "Okay."