I'll Protect You (Original Version)

Introducing Flynn Darkwood: the boy who ran away

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"Alright, where do we go from here?" Zen asked as we stepped onto the solid ground of Dublin International Airport.
"What do you guys mean?" Sophia asked, sounding very confused. "Isn't....um, Flynn O'Connell, I think, going to pick us up?"

"Like Flynn would actually be so nice," I scoffed. Zen nodded in solemn agreement as we called the full capacity of Flynn's rude nature.

"So he's not picking us up from here? I thought Archer said Flynn would be waiting for us at the airport," Sophia said, her voice beginning to rise. "Guys, it's raining out there!"

It was indeed showering heavily. I'd been hoping for a sunshiny weekend, filled with clear skies and a radiant sun because there was a strong chance that we would end up hiking. And as much as I love dark skies and rain, I just didn't love it as much when I had to walk through it.

I had half a mind to go find Flynn myself--I hated waiting for people. But my sense of adventure started to die as I saw how windy it was out there. "Let's just wait," I said, pointing my hand towards rows and rows of chairs by the windows. "Maybe he's just late because Zeus and Poseidon are having a little row."

Then again, punctuality was a trait grilled into the Order of the Dragons, something I didn't mention to my friends as we took our seats.

Four hours later: four cups of coffee had been down by Zen and me. Sophia almost had half a cup--bless her adorably uncaffienated soul. The two of them had fallen asleep twice. Now we were awake, our grim expressions facing the dark night outside.
In other news, the storm showed no signs of relenting, several flights had been delayed, some cancelled. And Flynn freaking Darkwood still wasn't here.

"That's it!" I declared, standing up. My legs ached horribly from sitting all that time. But honestly, I wasn't going to wait around any longer. "We're going to Flynn's."

We pulled our backpacks over our shoulders, zipped up our jackets and threw up our hoods before we took our journey to the outside world.
Already the wind was splashing raindrops into my face. onto my face. Swiftly, I wiped all traces of water from my eyes and saw lines and lines of taxis lined up as people ducked inside them.

I beckoned for my friends to follow me as we marched down wet pavements to find a taxi that wasn't already taken with someone hauling their suitcases into the back. It took, oh, five minutes in this storm, but finally, a taxi pulled up and we scrambled in.

"Where to?" asked a very familiar voice. I froze in my spot, eyes wide while water dripped from my eyelashes down my cheeks. He had an Irish accent, but in there was the lilt of a Cimerian. He could charm poisonous snakes with his accent.

"Flynn, you jerk!" I snapped angrily, lunging from the backseat towards the front so I could properly strangle him. Flynn, however, hadn't lost his skills nor his tardiness issue. His wrist caught mine instantly, holding it tight while he barely flexed a muscle, all at the same time as he was driving out of the airport.

"Little Sparrow, don't you know better than to distract the driver?" he asked, clicking his tongue in disapproval. "I'd hate to tell your brother that you all died in a car accident."

"Why weren't you there?" I asked as I wrenched my hand out of his iron-like grip and sat back down. "We waited for four hours."

"I was being followed," Flynn sighed as he took a turn. "They came out of a tea shop and started following me. So then I decided to have some fun and--"

"Please don't tell me you tricked them into following you somewhere else where you beat them up and hid them," I said.
"Oh, please," Flynn scoffed. "I beat them right on the bloody sidewalk and left them there."

"You beat people up right on the streets?" Sophia gasped.
"Of course I did," Flynn confirmed. "Actually, I did it in an alleyway as to avoid getting arrested for public assault."

The ride stayed a bit more silent as we passed wet blurs of city lights blended together. I was shivering--Zen and Sophia as well--and we didn't feel like talking. Neither did Flynn.
After a while, he pulled up to the curb and unlocked the door. Surprise overtook me when I realized he was dropping us off in front of a bookstore. I checked the address and instantly, I was confused.

"You don't live here," I remarked, pulling out my phone where Archer had stowed Flynn's address.
"Yes, I do. Bookstores are a great place for napping, you know," Flynn joked, sounding serious enough that Sophia looked like she believed him.
"I'm not going to be an idiot and drop you off in front of my apartment. There's probably more guys staking out in a car, waiting for me to come back," he scoffed.

"Wait, wait, wait," Zen cut in. "You're telling us to walk in this--this thing? No way in hell, amigo!"
"I'm going to have to agree with Zen," Sophia spoke, her voice trembling. "I get sick really easily."

"Well, you either get sick or get shot and die--which one would you rather have? Because I can guarantee you that the guys following me don't know you're Six's little sister. They will shoot you, Sophia Missers, and I'm pretty sure we need you alive for this mission," Flynn said simply, shrugging. "And, if it was me having to decide, I'd rather get sick."

"You know, I think your pessimistic attitude was a bad influence on my brother because he is a lot like you," I snapped, shooting him a dark glare.
"We'll walk, alright? But just...can the whole I'm-a-Darkwood-so-I-must-have-witty-yet-dark-remarks-about-everything-in-life act and...go dye your hair or something."

Flynn laughed at me, and while he choked on his hysterics, we all hustled out of the car. Flynn was still holding his stomach when I knocked on his window. The glass rolled down, and my eyes rolled up when I saw that he was wearing sunglasses at night.

"You still haven't paid the taxi fare, lovely," he remarked.
"If you think I'm going to pay a thief wearing sunglasses in the night, think again," I grinned.
"I didn't steal," he pouted childishly. "I just yanked the guy out of his seat when I arrived at the airport and found you guys."

I stuck my tongue out at him, and Flynn grinned. He waved his fingers before driving away, leaving us to be drenched in the rain once more.
My black jacket was stuck to my skin. The hood was useless, so I just let the brown strands of my hair turn even darker from the water pressure. I could barely see for my contacts were blurred with droplets.

"Let's go before you catch pneumonia and end up on your death bed before we get Logan back," I said to her. The address of Flynn's apartment that Archer had given to me was fixed into my mind; I just didn't know how to get there.
I was hesitant to ask for direct attentions. All I could ask was the landmarks around it, buildings that I had seen on Google Maps that were very close to his street--I couldn't risk someone being on her side and figuring out where we were staying.

It took a very long time. By the time we stopped under the street sign, we all looked as though we drifted out from a lake. I blinked furiously and concentrated through the watery view. My eyes made out a classic Georgian brick red building with a blue door. There! Capel Streets Apartment.

"Oh, thank the gods," I muttered. I quickly lead my friends into the entrance. As soon as we entered, people at the counter, or those seated on chairs swiveled their heads to look at us, taking in our appearance with a poorly disguised look of disgust.

"Oh, my gods, that took you guys forever," someone groaned from beside us. We turned to see an also drenched Flynn with his hood and sunglasses still on, also attracting frightened stares from others around him.

"I'm sorry, but it appeared we didn't have access to another car," I drawled. "Just shut up and take us to your room before we all die in the lobby."
Flynn was probably rolling his eyes but he beckoned with his head to follow him. The four of us marched up the stairs, growing more fatigued with every step. Oh, gods, I couldn't believe I was already this tired.

Flynn stopped climbing after we hit the third floor. He pulled out a key and unlocked the white door, allowing us to enter a very nice looking apartment. After he turned the light on, that is.
It was very spacious, with a moderately kitchen pushed to the side , with everything stuck inside the walls. The lights were golden, making the apartment look very bright and cheerful, which I thought clashed horribly with Flynn's dark and crude personality.

"Let me get this straight," Zen said. "This is like a hotel?"
"It looks like you can just live here!" Sophia said excitedly. Well, Sophia, that's the point of every hotel and apartment. It's supposed to look liveable. Though I'm pretty sure she meant a very long-term several years sort of stay.

Flynn just shrugged. "I paid for long term. I'll probably relocate to another place. Maybe move to the states for a few years to lay low." He exhaled deeply and stretched his torso, reaching his arms high up. Then, he removed his shady get-up.

Flynn was still lanky and slim, like all the members of the Dragons were. They seemed skinny and ordinary until you saw them fight ten agents at once. The only difference was that Flynn had grown taller, which made me feel a bit bitter inside.
                 I also remembered Elder Darkwood here being a black-haired lad, like his younger brother. Now, his hair was an entrancing shade of burgundy red. Flynn hated attracting attention, so I didn't quite understand how he could live with this shade.