everyonelives | its a city of strangers

( William hops, lowering himself to lie down beside the man who's risked his life for William's cause. )

City lights might put a damper on the romantic gesture.

( He lays back, shoulder to shoulder, turning his head. It's been a few days since they've seen each other in person. He can't help himself when he leans in to give Cooper an in-person kiss, something he's been thinking about for a while. )

[Coop sighs into the kiss but doesn't pull back. He can't say that he hasn't been thinking about it too. His fingers trail up, sliding into the other man's hair as he pulls him closer.

It's been a long couple days. They could use a little bit of time to relax.]

( He lingers for a little longer, but breaks the kiss to cuddle in close. )

How long do we have?

They're trying to browbeat the morgue into passing over the bodies, but I've been dismissed for the night. No one's expecting me until breakfast.

[So they have time. How they spend that time is entirely up to William.]

What to expect, when they're expecting.

( He sighs. )

I'm sorry about the hunters inside.

[He shakes his head.]

I didn't really know any of them.

[Not that he wanted them dead, either, but it wasn't personal.]

It doesn't look like they suffered.

No, they went down just like that. One of the teenagers thinks it was meant to be a sacrifice.

( He doesn't know what to think. )

What is it like back at the barracks? How's morale? And how are you doing?

Everyone's pissed. Apparently there was a witch who was supposed to be working with us. They think that witch was responsible for the hunters who died and they want her head on a pike.

[But the higher ups don't seem that bothered. There's something about that that doesn't sit right with him, but he doesn't have more than a gut feeling.]

And I'm good. For now, anyway. We'll see how things settle once we've finished burning the bodies.

[A beat.]

The already dead ones. It's a hunter thing.

And a Viking thing.

( Bizarre. But, William has his own... rituals. )

I lost my mom young. A crazed supervillain kidnapped us in order to make my dad suffer. Funny, not funny but the island exploded, if that counts.

[He shouldn't be amused when William is telling him how his mom died. Though he's a little amused.]

Close, but not exactly. You salt and burn the remains, it reduces the odds of them coming back as a vengeful spirit.

I'm pretty sure exploded greatly reduces those odds, but that isn't my area of expertise.

( But. )

I don't know what I'd do if my mom appeared to me. Vengeful or not. I'd hope I made her proud. I know I've made my first stepmother proud.

( And second. But, his life. Seriously. It's convoluted. )

I thought I'd lost Mia, my sister. She up and vanished. Ran out on her fiancé and friends. And then stumbled onto Isaac. And you. All that the same time.

( It's possible he too is still working through some things. )

It's dangerous, what you're doing for us.

It's dangerous what I do anyway.

[He is aware that this is a different layer of danger though. It's one thing to be out there as himself, dealing with monsters in a situation that's kill or be killed. This is different, and he does know that.

He just can't think of it as being different.]

But ... I can't help but feel like if I do nothing, I'm on the wrong side of things.

I want to bring you in. It's not getting better, or more clear, and they're not telling any of you what's actually going on. Isn't that even more dangerous? How many hunters died because of misinformation. Or, dogged patriotism.

( It's stick. )

At what point do we try from the outside. You weren't always with them. ( He tilts his head upward from where it had been resting on his chest. ) How long have you been with these outfits?

A couple years? My dad got roped in first, and then he pulled the rest of us with him. But we weren't doing big things like this back then.

[But he shakes his head.]

But I'm not ready to come in yet. Not until I can try and make some more connections. I think ... this thing with the witch really threw some of them. I think I can get them on our side.

If it's just one. Those hunters weren't innocent, but they didn't deserve that.

( Nobody knows the true circumstances, but it looks bad from the outside. )

There was one that was specifically mentioned. And I need to find out who they are.

[That's the new goal. Hopefully he'll be able to ask around without getting caught.]

Someone of note? Think I could help?

( Make with the hackery, depending how on the grid 'one' is. )

Once I have more details maybe. Right now, I don't even have a gender. I'll have to do some digging.

[He smiles.]

But I'll let you know if something does.

One day I'll stop telling the people I love to be careful.

( He drops that, letting it linger between them, not wanting to contribute or walk it back. He means his family, his former team and the integration that came from the two realities. He's not going to unsay it, nor is he going to draw any attention to it. )

[Coop tips his head up towards him. He runs a hand through his hair gently.]

I wouldn't have made it as far as I have if I wasn't careful.

[But he knows that's not the reassuring thing.]

And if you give me one of your little earwig things, you can just be in my ear all the time.

[No worrying about phone calls, or sending cryptic text messages.]

Careful. I talk a lot. You'd think I'd have been my first stepmother's biological rambler.

( But. )

It would be safer. You'd really be okay? It wouldn't just be me, it's be a few of us in your ear at a time. Think you could compartmentalize and pay attention to all the hot hunter goss?

I can handle it. And if it's really too much I'll log off for a little while. But I'll let you know when I do.

[Because he can accept that it's a lifeline, but he also acknowledges that he might have to disconnect when William doesn't like what he has to do. But he can handle voices in his ear.]

Then I will be your squip.

( He always has them on him. )

Let's just lay here for a little while longer. Let this be real.

Sure.

[And he'll settle next to him, not pushing things and turning his attention back to the stars with a sigh.]

We might not be able to do this for a while.

You know, with my life, surprising I've never done long distance.

( But, his eyes say he wants to. )

its a city of strangers

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