Of Heroes and Villains

Springtime

Taking Dimitri with them, the members of Helter Skelter made their way to Novosibirsk. They only stayed there a single night, to make sure they got enough rest, with Sean watching over their captive the entire time. They got on the first available flight home, all eager to put Russia behind them.

Dimitri wasn't taken to prison right away. Instead, Sean put him in his own cuffs, and they lead him to the basement of the Helter Skelter building. The man was complacent through it all, but they still felt nervous around him - Don in particular. Taking a lethal hit will do that to someone.

"Are you sure about him?" asked Lan as Jordan poured a drink for everyone, making sure she got the biggest glass. "He can bust out anytime he wants."

Dean closed his eyes. "I think I'm sure."

"Blood isn't family," the girl pressed on. "He might just be playing 'cause he figured he couldn't beat us all, so he's preparing for a sneak attack. I could always poke around his mind a bit."

Dean winced. "Do you have to?"

"I'm with Lan on this one," said Don as he received his glass. "Look, don't get me wrong; I'm glad you've got someone else to care about, but the guy has skewered both me and the boss before. Wouldn't you rather be sure?"

"Yeah, of course I would. But what kind of relationship is that? How would you feel if someone forcefully entered your mind to learn everything about you before they trusted you?"

"I would realize how lucky I was to be getting a second chance after committing mass murder and keep a lid on it."

Dean turned from the two towards Jordan. "Two votes yes. One vote no. What'll it be from you?"

The woman gasped. "Yeah, you should totally hook up!"

Dean nearly puked. Lan facepalmed. Don spat out his drink.

Jordan laughed nervously, playing with her glass. "That wasn't what you asked, was it?"

"No, Jo. I did not ask if I should hook up with my brother."

"Don't be silly. I thought you were talking about Don."

Don looked away in that moment. He knew there would never be anything between them. The attraction was there, sure, and he was pretty sure about it being mutual, but their personalities didn't mesh well at all.

"So, your vote?" repeated Dean.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Jordan replied. "Vote on what?"

Lan facepalmed again. "Do I poke around Dimitri's head or not!?"

"Oh, fuck yeah."

Sean, who had been silent the whole time, excused himself and went to his office. Their heartbeats were too loud. As soon as he shut the door, he heard a voice.

"They smell good, don't they?" It was Erin's voice. How did she get there?

He looked around, but didn't see her in the room.

"Must you sacrifice your own happiness for them?" she repeated from behind him. "You're so much stronger than they are. You could rip them all apart in an instant. I bet it would feel good to try."

"No," Sean replied, turning around to face nothing.

"Come now, Sean. We both know that's a lie. That hunger of yours is calling you. That hunger is who you truly are. Would it no go against your equal rights agenda to suppress yourself like that?"

"No, I'm choosing to do this. No one is forcing me-"

"Of course they're forcing you," Erin interrupted, standing in the middle of the room. "They'd never forgive you for going out and eating the first person you come across, would they? I'd never treat you like that."

"How are you here?"

The woman spread her arms, smirking. "Just the effect my vapor is having on your brain. I'm not actually here, of course; It's just a projection I've inserted into your mind."

Sean frowned. "So you're just here to torture me?"

"Of course not; I'm here to liberate you." She frowned for a moment. "No, that terminology isn't quite accurate. It's more like I'm here to help you liberate yourself. You do have all the power, after all."

"Leave," he grunted, and she disappeared.

Someone knocked on the door, and Don entered a second after. "Sir? Everything alright?"

Sean didn't look alright. He was sweating, taking deep breaths. "Yeah. Did Lan confirm everything?"

Don entered the office fully. "Yeah. Dimitri's legit."

"Well, that's good."

"You mean for Dean?"

"That, too. It's also good for Dimitri. A life behind bars isn't much, but it's better than what we would've been forced to do to him otherwise."

The two shared eye contact for a few seconds.

"What did you need, Dellinger?"

Don suddenly got shy, and closed the door. "Um, actually, I have a question for you. Also, call me Don."

Sean took a seat at his desk, pretending to be doing something with the documents laying there. "What is it, Don?"

"Would you like to have dinner sometime? With me, I mean."

Sean set the papers down, and made eye contact again. "You mean like a date?"

Don straightened up, regaining some of his bravado. "Not like a date; A date."

It was one of the rare moments when one of his employees pulled one over him. Sean almost always predicted what they would do. This was the third time Don's caught him by surprise.

He could tell the younger man's confidence faded a bit more with each passing second, so he answered as quickly as he decided. "How's Friday?"

A moronic grin similar to the one Dean is always sporting crept unto Don's face. "Yeah, totally. Uh, I mean sure. That works."

Sean smiled softly at him. "You're still on bathroom duty."

"Aw, come on!"