The Submissive Assassin (BxB)

Chapter 91 - Chaos

The moment Nate heard that name, he pulled himself away from Blue, just enough to be able to peek over his shoulder. He was unsure who was the first guy standing in the middle with his pistol still aimed at Reno. However, the second one was definitely Raphael.

"Did I just hear Ralphy?" They heard a growl from the bathroom door, proceeding with pounding on the metallic frame. "Open this door!"

For Bronsted and Reno, it was a miracle that he was alive without any strenuous injuries on him. Matter of fact, it seemed as if he had gotten better than before he was forced to leave with Wolf. His face had sharpened, his integument was more pigmented and his eyes had darkened, appearing much colder than before.

Raphael instantly reached his friend with the pistol and shoved his hand down, removing the aim from Reno. "We were told not to harm them."

"Ralphy..." Raphael's eyes turned to Reno who had said his name, and he was unable to glance away. Reno swallowed hard, definitely attempting to stop his voice from coiling from the sadness he felt. He remembered the day Raphael had been taken, cursing at himself under his breath for being too weak. He remember the sorrow he felt when he tried to stop Lucius, wanting to scratch off his own skin as he watched Lucius leave the base without knowing if he'd return alive. Ever since, the thought of Raphael and Lucius had never left his mind; the emotions he felt seeing Raphael alive and well couldn't be contained enough. "I thought...I thought you were dead," his voice coiled, his eyes started to glisten from the appearance of tears.

Dante, still stuck in the bathroom, had his ear squeezing the door from the other side to hear the best he could. The voices were muffled, but the one earlier was definitely Raphael. It felt as if his stomach had dropped, his entire body freezing as his mind began replaying moments with Raphael he had never been able to say sorry. He remembered when Raphael had been upset about being overly mocked and quit being assigned to Dante. Even when he begged to be heard, Dante still acted as if he never meant anything and only treated him worst; that was one of the many things he wished to apologize for. The latest one was that he was too weak to protect Raphael when Wolf decided to take him.

With all these emotions rushing through his body, he squeezed his ear against the door a little harder.

Raphael's face stayed stone cold when Reno said that. Not a flicker of emotion that even Bronsted noticed something was definitely off. Before, Raphael used to comfort them as if they were his younger brothers. As Reno began to step forward, Bronsted reached for his shoulder and tried pulling him back, but Reno shoved him backwards and leaped towards Raphael, his arms widened.

"I'm so glad to see that you're alr—"

One second, he was leaping in the air towards Raphael. The next, his head was slammed against the floorboards. He growled in pain, holding his forehead, his vision having gone blurry for a couple seconds. He wasn't even sure what had happened, until he glanced upwards and realized the presence of someone that hadn't been there a second ago. Even Bronsted pulled back the minute he saw him as well; this was not a fight that they could win.

"L-L...Lucius..."

Raphael narrowed his eyes at Lucius who stood between him and the stunned Reno on the floor, his hands in his front pockets. "You didn't have to do that."

Lucius scoffed, raising his eyebrows as he examined his younger brother on the floor, feeling his wrist having tightened from that hit. "He was going to touch you."

Lucius hadn't changed as much as Raphael had, but his presence was still intimidating. From the looks of it, his fighting had only improved ever since he left to find Raphael. He still had his burgundy hair in the same style as before, and the nonchalant appearance of not caring about anything other than himself. They hadn't heard anything from him for the past nine months; it was definitely a surprise to see that not only had he found Raphael, but they were all on the same side.