Bad Things

Luke had taken several bullets to the shoulder and arm. His armor had helped to reduce the damage to a point where he wouldn't be permanently injured, but it still hurt like hell. Blood gushed from the wounds, and the young man heaved in pain. It was nearly unbearable, but lucky for Lukas, he had a doctor right there. Skyler immediately got to work on is wounds, but Drifter only had one thing on his mind.

Hannibal.

A quick death was too good for the man. Bleeding out was too good. Drifter had a plan for him, and every second that passed reduced the chances he would put it into action. Lukas batted Skyler away once the wounds were manageable, making his way to the downed CEO.

"He.....he can't die yet....." Lukas said, withdrawing a syringe from his satchel. Hannibal groaned on the floor, apparently wounded beyond speech. As much pain as Lukas was going through, both physically and mentally, he was determined to kill this man in the most heinous way possible.

"You don't deserve death. You don't deserve the sweet silence it will give you. But, I'm merciful. I'm only going to make you feel a fraction of the miserly you've forced on others, then I'll let you go..... You should thank me, really." Luke said, grunting a bit from his wounds as he knelt down. The vigilante then stuck the needle in Hannibal's neck, slowly injecting the blueish fluid into it's creator's neck. Lukas smirked a moment once it was down.

"You feel it? The pressure in your head? The aching in your bones? The fire behind your eyes? It's only going to get worse. This is what you did to hundreds of people, only you did it to them over months. And for what? Money? You make me sick...... But not as sick as you're feeling now, i bet." Lukas said, watching as Hannibal swelled. It would only take a minute, and then the man would die, but not before experiencing agony on a level not many would ever feel.

After it was done, Lukas fell back. He was hurt quite badly, and Skyler still needed to work on him if he was going to make it out alive.

Drifter struggled to his feet, using Skyler to pull himself up. His vision was blurry, and his body was aching. He guessed it was the pain, but it could have also been blood loss—he wasn't so sure. Regardless, even with all the pain he could still take pleasure in the fact Blake was dead. Not just dead in fact, fucking dead. Like, that drug killed the living shit out of him in spectacular fashion. Quite the accomplishment, if you asked Drifter.

"Good residence you....... Fucking piece of garbage. " Drifter said, limping along with Skyler to hold him. As time went on, he let more and more weight shift to his own body. In a few minutes he was able to stagger along by himself, but he stayed close to Skyler regardless. If he fell again, he would rather do it on her then on the concrete.

The pair got to the elevator, and within moments it was descending at an enhanced speed thanks to Skyler. It was a bit of a rough ride with all the floor skipping, but it was the price to pay for getting out of here quickly.

"Yeah.... I don't really care. A Walmart parking lot is safer then here." Lukas said, still breathing heavy. He leaned on the elevator wall, saving his strength. He could hear the sirens outside, and was pretty sure Hannibal had took his time away from them to call the police. Still, Drifter had a feeling the men in blue weren't the only thing they would have to worry about.

"Hannibal was a man that covered his bases, I'll give him that...... So I'm willing to bet you aren't the only one he hired. After all, whatever assassin black market you have access to I'm sure serves others just as well....." Lukas said. He was pretty much thinking out loud now, doing his 'think the worst' thing. Unfortunately for the couple, his paranoia actually had some merit this time around.

As soon as the doors opened, a familiar site would be seen. A woman decked out in a combination of punk clothing and military gear—her hair as pink as the gum she chewed. She had a mischievous smile on her face, and two hyper advanced guns in her hands.

"Nice to see you again, baby doll." Lilia said as she looked toward Lukas. The woman pointed her guns at Skyler, and then fired. Two fireballs with metal spheres in their centers would shoot out at blinding speed. If Skyler didn't move, her head would be taken off. In fact, even if she did it she was probably getting burnt at least a little.

"Don't want her spoiling our fun, do we, Lukas?"

The guns were loud. Like really loud. The mixture of anxiety, anger, pain, and the usual high he got after a job did not mix well with what was basically shotgun fire a few feet from his ears. Drifter tried to help Skyler, attempting to move off the wall he was leaning on, but his injuries combined with this extreme shell shock were too much. He nearly fell, only to swing himself back toward the side of the elevator—practically his life line at this point.

"Fuck!" He said, putting pressure on his worst wound. Pain pulsed through it, and blood pulsed from it...... Lukas knew that, despite Skyler's quick work on him, if he didn't get proper treatment this would only get worse. Such a great time for his more whorish Catwoman stand-in to show up.

The chick fight was too intense for him to try to effect in this state. He was already at a disadvantage in such a close up confrontation. Off plan, no more prep, no powers, and the wounds only added to that. He had to resort to his default strategy: get the fuck out of dodge. Thankfully, Avia gave him the perfect opportunity, leading him away while the girls settled their differences. He limped as best as he could, trying not to draw attention to himself as he cleared the distance between the elevator and the vehicle he would eventually drive.

Scrambling to get the door open, but having no luck, Luke took his uniform's hoodie off, rolled it up around his hand, then punched the glass out. After that, getting in the driver's seat was a breeze. Getting Skyler in the passenger seat, however, would be far more tricky.

Avia, apparently being a rather morbid child AI, suggested in only gestures that Drifter run the pair of women over. Now, Luke knew Skyler could heal, but he also knew this wouldn't take Lilia out of the game. He'd seen this woman get shot off a motorcycle at 80 miles per hour, only to get back up. But, it could perhaps buy time if nothing else, so Drifter went for it.

He slammed his foot on to gas pedal, propelling the expensive Audi sports car forward at rapid speeds. it only took a second to impact with both Skyler and Lilia, cracking the windshield and most likely throwing them both into the concrete walls of the parking garage.

"Sky! I know you hate her but let's not play around. Kinda, sorta gonna bleed out here." Drifter yelled out the window. He didn't get a response at first, but judging by the groaning, both women probably heard his words.

"......I don't care anymore," Drifter said, his voice low. Skyler was now in the driver seat, and they had made it out of the parking garage. Away from the cops, away from Lilia, and away from the world. For the first time since this episode started, hell, for the first time since Skyler left, Lukas had time to think. He put more pressure on his wound when asked, but it didn't seem like it was that urgent to him now. They were headed off to this safe house, but Drifter only wanted to be in his head. He wanted to tell Skyler that everything was terrible, but that it was normal, and that it was okay.

"When i was younger, i came to the conclusion that none of this matters. No, i wasn't a nihilist, i was a stoic," Luke said as they rounded a corner. His sentences were spaced with a long pause. He was never one to put everything out on the table so quickly, and this was no exception.

"See, before that i had all this anxiety. I tried to control everything, and if anything deviated from my plans i would punish myself for it. I was so focused on what society thought of me, and what my role in this world was going to be....." Lukas took his hand off his wound, staring at the blood. In turn, he started to bleed a bit more, but it's pace had slowed to a not so critical level.

"But then i realized, the only thing i can actually control is my thoughts, and by extension my actions. I can't stop all evil, i can't halt external forces, and i can't change people, so why strangle myself trying? This, Skyler, is natural. Blood, death, despair, and anxiety. Contrary to popular belief, this is not an optimist's world. Bad Things happen, and the only thing you can change about them is your reaction." Luke said, He realized he was probably worrying Skyler by taking his hand away, so he used it to put pressure on his wound once more. He didn't acknowledge that though. In fact, all he did was stare out the window and speak.

"When i say i don't care, that doesn't mean I'm mad. That means I've moved back to that mentality, because it gave me peace. I've learned to accept that terrible acts will be committed, people will hurt me, friends will leave me, and i will probably die unfulfilled. But, that's OK. I'm OK. I'll get through all of those things. There's no need to worry or argue about things we can't wholly control, because we're just suffering twice if we do." Most likely, the pair were probably close to the safe house by now, but even still Luke didn't move. He seemed simultaneously distressed, calm, and in deep thought.

"Why cry about parts of life? The whole of it calls for tears."

"Ugh. That was super sappy, Sky." Drifter said with smile as he got out of the car. Skyler hadn't given him a chance to say it before getting out, but it's not like his mouth was taped shut. He simply waited until they were both outside. As heartfelt as Skyler's words were, Lukas couldn't help but make this a bit more lighthearted.

"Right. You're like, an actual Doctor yeah? I mean, not a Doctor of Music or Doctor of Philosophy or some shit. No disrepect to those professions but........... Not useful here." Lukas said. He was quite sure Skyler was a medical Doctor judging by what he had seen, but he never really asked. After all, it wasn't really her active profession. She was more into shooting people with guns instead of syringes these days. Besides, Drifter just wanted to mess with her some more.

They would walk up the path to the safehouse, slowly but surely. Luke limped from not just his chest wound, but the several other minor injuries he sustained during the encounter. He almost fell a couple times, but luckily Skyler was always there to prop him up—to catch him.

"First things first, I need a drink. No saving my life until I'm half drunk," Lukas said with a laugh. He was only partially joking. Whether Skyler would actually accommodate that request wasn't clear, but regardless, they would both be safe and sound in mere moments. As if on que, the sun seemed to finally disappear under the horizon, leaving them in the dark.

The day came and went, and although bad things happened to them both, they were still standing, and they were....

"Tis a wonderful safehouse," Lukas said as he limped into the building, holding onto Skyler for dear life. The AI's enthusiasm was jarring to say the least, but not really unwelcome. Luke had done enough brooding for the day, and a little cheerfulness was probably what was needed to cut through it all. Drifter just smiled at the digital girl as he was brought into the house, and then he eventually managed to fall into a leather chair with his girl's assistance.

Something had been said about not being able to take painkillers with alcohol. Luke scoffed to himself, but played along. When Skyler left the room, he took a bottle out of his pocket. He popped two pills from it and swallowed them down. Now he just needed that drink......

"Never been a fan of scotch, even if it is aged more," Drifter said in response. Skyler then handed him the his bourbon, and then got to work setting up her medical stuff. Luke himself never really got into reading about the field. It was true he absorbed just about anything when it came to knowledge and information, but medicine never piqued his interest. He would have regretted not studying it, but he had a girlfriend for that now.

Luke took a long swig from his bottle, and Skyler came back from retrieving a few items she apparently needed. She asked if he was still with her, and he smiled in return, cold grey eyes locking onto her.

"I wouldn't leave you in such a stale manner. I'm a bit more dramatic then that," He said, his speech punctuated with a laugh. He was mostly trying to get in a halfway decent mood before the painful part started. Sure, the alcohol and pills would help, but it would still suck if he wasn't mentally prepared. He gave himself a few moments to prepare, thinking of positive things, and then gave the go ahead.

"You can start."

Luke was a heavy drinker, and he wouldn't deny it. He wasn't a frequent drinker, no, but when he did go for the bottle, he got hammered. This instance was no exception. He set about chugging half the fifth before finally setting it down. See, he had a super high tolerance at this point, and anything less than an Irishman's dose wouldn't do much to numb what was basically surgery. Despite the fact it seemed masochistic to repeatedly go out at night to get his ass kicked for vague reasons, Lukas was no fan of pain. Unfortunately, he was about to get a lot of it.

Lukas' eyes were glazed over, his face was flushed, and his vision was blurred. He was in a haze, briefly blacking out every ten seconds or so. Each time he snapped out of it, a surge of pain went through his shoulder, and than he went back to sleep. It was a surreal few minutes, that's for sure. Skyler's voice echoed in his head occasionally, whether it was a dream or not, and he sincerely felt he might just fade away right there. He was confused, disoriented, and in an agony, but it would all soon end. No more pain, no more haze, and no more emotion. Well, maybe there was still emotion, but when the wave washed over him, he no doubt calmed down.

Rapidly, the alcohol was purged from his body. The anger, resentment, sadness, and anxiety was curbed, and the fogginess in his mind was gone. He looked to Skyler, the glaze gone. For the first time tonight, his gaze didn't have anything obscuring it. He was on point, not muddled with emotion or substances. Luke, the real Luke, could be seen at last. He smiled when Skyler apologized, bringing his hand to her cheek.

"I don't know what you're saying sorry about. I feel great," Lukas said, pulling in close to Karma. He stopped sort of kissing her, though. Instead, he simply looked at her. He brushed his fingers through her hair, still only slightly longer than his own. He framed her face with his hands, directing her to make eye contact. He wondered why this had been denied. Why had she left him? If she still felt the same way, why did she want to get away? Had he not been good enough?

"No more apologizing—not for anything. People are always so caught up in keeping a ledger of forgiveness, but I'm done. You could never inflict a wound on me that couldn't be healed by the sight of you. And yeah, I know  It's sappy, but goddammit, Skyler, I-......" Luke said, choking a bit on his words. He lowered his head a moment, finally breaking eye contact. His voice, previously at a conversational level, was low.

"I..... I think I love you. I never thought I'd love anyone, yet here I am, falling into the trap. I thought I was better than this. I felt like I saw past all that heartfelt, romantic bullshit," Drifter said, making sure he was speaking levelly. He didn't want to sound like an dumbass. Any other time, sure, he didn't mind coming off like that, but this moment was important.

"Fuck it. I'm tired of lying to myself," Lukas was done playing cat and mouse. He was done living his life on the edge of getting what he wanted. For so long he didn't want to commit to anything out of fear of losing out, but that fear was gone tonight. The vigilante moved forward further, and further still, until their lips met.

There are a great many beautiful things in this world: The sound of rain as it hits the pavement, the smell of roses filling your lungs, the grandeur of a starry night sky, and the sense of complete freedom. Recognition when you achieve, gratitude for your efforts, and a helping hand when you fail. These feelings, chemicals or not, are a big part of what gives my life meaning, but they aren't enough.

When Skyler pulled away, Lukas pulled her closer. She didn't need to worry about him anymore. All he wanted to do was hold her. He didn't want this reunion to be spoiled by any more injury, death, or bloodshed.

No amount of music, crispy fall leaves, or eloquent literature can drown out the bad things in our existence. No sunset, ocean breeze, or spring forest could ever be so beautiful as to make me forget about the suffering we all endure. Nothing has ever filled the hole inside me, and I believed for a long time that it would stay that way.

Maybe this wasn't good for either of them. Maybe they would both die in some horrific battle like the one tonight, but until that time, Drifter would stay next to Skyler. If he could have just stood there all night and admired her, he would have. If this moment never ended, in fact, he would be content. This was all that mattered right now

Then, I met her. When I look at her, all my fears go away. The constant anxiety goes silent, and everything comes into focus. This chaotic world finally makes sense when I look into those eyes. On her face is clarity, sorrow, and care. Now, you could say It's all meaningless. You could say our mortality makes it pointless, and that this is all just our brain's little illusion, but you'd be wrong. If this is all there is, and there is nothing higher, then what other purpose is there? What other thing could be more important, or more meaningful, then loving her as I do?

Drifter kissed Skyler, from her lips to her neck. He finally pulled away, gently pulling her by the arm to follow. He tugged on the tube that was still infusing his body with blood, wanting it to be done. Being the Doctor, Skyler would have to be the one to do that safely, but the point is Drifter insisted she stop it.

I'll never fall to despair again. My being may be insignificant compared to the universe, but it's the most significant thing I'll ever experience. So long as I have her, and I have my brothers, I will have a purpose. There isn't anything more transcendent, fulfilling, and beautiful than fighting for what you love.

After the surgery was officially over, they could enjoy their night. Lukas hadn't seen Skyler in months, and he was tired of half the time spent with her being in treatment of his afflictions. He was fine. More than fine, actually. The only thing that would make him better would be if Skyler followed him.

"Nothing is ever for nothing. Let's get some rest, Doctor. Spending a beautiful night with you is the best treatment you could ever give me."