A Twist of Fate

Chapter One

      A short sigh escaped Artemis's plump lips. He held Rufus's hand, their fingers intertwined as he and Candy chatted happily. The entire morning Artemis had felt like shit, his head hurt and his eyelids felt heavy. His hair was disheveled and messy, everywhere. He yawned and squeezed his lover's hand with a whine.

"Rufus, it's so early! It's our day off why are we out so early?" he asked. Rufus chuckled and pulled Artemis close.

"It's 11 in the morning, Artie," he replied. "Just because you're not a morning person doesn't mean we're going to let you waste your day off sleeping." Artemis huffed and snuggled closer to his lover.

"You could have let me sleep until at least noon," he grumbled. "I'm tired."

Candy giggled and skipped in front of the boys, walking backward with her usual grin. "Why would we do that?" she asked, poking Artemis's nose with a little 'boop!' The boy hissed and leaned back.

"It's called respect, ma'am" he replied. Rufus snorted and slipped his hand from their intertwined fingers.

"Oh yes, it's respectful to let my boyfriend sleep himself to death." he purred, holding Artemis by the small of his back and leaning in. Artemis stuttered when his lips were mere millimeters apart. Without a second thought, he left a quick peck on Rufus's lips. Rufus grinned and pulled back, intertwining their fingers again and walking on.

The group soon reached the coffee shop, ClayBucks. Artemis grinned and pulled the other two in chanting "Caffeine" over and over again. Rufus and Candy shared a look, their lips pulled into a wide grin.

"Want your usual, boys?" asked Candy. Artemis nodded as a happy puppy and Rufus replied with a "yes please." Candy winked and skipped off towards the counter. Rufus and Artemis watched, amused at the fact that Candy had started to flirt with the barista. She batted her eyelashes at him and flirtatiously giggled.

Rufus rolled his eyes with a chuckle and led his lover over to a more secluded booth. He plopped himself down beside Artemis, wrapping his arms around the boy's shoulder. With a relieved sigh that they were more hidden, Artemis relaxed in Rufus's hold, allowing the boy to kiss the top of his head.

"This is nice..." Artemis whispered, nuzzling his face within the crook of Rufus's neck.

Rufus laughed through his nose and pulled the boy closer, nodding.

Candy soon returned with their drinks, giggling. "I got his number," she bragged. She set down the drinks, passing the iced chocolate macchiato to Artemis and the caramel macchiato to Rufus.

"So, lovebirds," Candy started. "When's the wedding?"

Artemis turned all-new shades of red and pushed himself away from Rufus. Rufus snorted and pulled him into his side again. He lifted the boy's chin and pressed their lips together into a passionate kiss. Artemis could only whine and kiss Rufus back. His eyes shut and he purred, his hands weaving their way into Rufus's disheveled hair. Rufus pulled Artemis closer and nipped at his lip.

"Okay Okay, enough," Candy groaned, waving a hand at them. "I don't want to watch you make out."

Rufus chuckled and pulled away from Artemis, slightly out of breath. "Tell us about that barista then, Can," he smirked.

Candy giggled and began explaining. Artemis tuned them out, gripping onto Rufus's hand. He squeezed and sighed, taking a sip of his drink. Their voices became blurred as Artemis's vision grew slightly spotted, black blotches taking over. His mind traveled to other things.

He sat beside Candy and Rufus, sipping at his iced coffee plainly as the other two conversed. Everything had been normal; the mafia had been thriving, Artemis hadn't been having any problems with Loki, and the group had been getting so much better. A sharp pain suddenly shot into the boy's chest and he lurched over with a short cry of pain. Candy and Rufus jumped out of their conversation and rushed forward to help their smaller companion. "Artemis?!" Candy yelped, lightly pushing her friend up to look at his pained face. After an ominous moment of silence, Artemis muttered out gravely, "He's back."

Candy gasped in horror, her hand slapping over her mouth. Rufus had a fearful look gleaming in his apple green eyes. He pulled Artemis to his chest, slipping his hands under his knees and holding his shoulders, princess style. Tears blurred Candy's vision as she and Rufus shared a look. They rushed out of ClayBucks and jogged their way back to the house.

Candy slammed into the front door with an "OOF!" falling backward. Rufus gave her a glare and nodded for her to open the door. The girl got up and shook her head free of dust. She opened the door, shoving Rufus in before herself. Rufus rushed upstairs, frantically searching for his boss. Cole, the underboss had a dark look in his golden yellow eyes as he stared down at Rufus. Rufus glared back, pushing his way past the man and into Naoru's office.

"Boss! Boss!" Rufus called, panting.

Nauru turned around from the window he was facing. His golden skin glistened, the sun beating down and lighting the tattoos that covered his toned body. His sky blue eyes trailed up and down his soldier's form before they landed on Artemis. His blood-red lips curled into a snarl as he stepped towards Rufus and Candy. "What did you do," he demanded in a low, threatening voice. His voice was laced with a slight Italian accent, low and evil.

Rufus gulped and kept his eyes trained low. Instead of looking into the man's eyes, Rufus stared at the snake tattoo that wrapped around the man's wrist all the way up to his forearm. Candy cleared her throat and stepped forwards, flinching at Naoru's dark glare.

"I-It's Loki, Boss," she stated. "He's back."

The two could see Nauru tense as he took Artemis out of Rufus's arms. He carefully placed the boy on the couch a few steps away from him and rested his head on the pillow. With hands like feathery pillows, Nauru carefully pushed Artemis's shirt up. All three of them gasped in horror at the deep cuts, Loki's marks, carved into Artemis's chest. There was no blood, just three deep cuts all pushed together into one horrifying mark. Nauru pulled Artemis's shirt down and stood up, turning to Rufus and Candy with a stern look. "The moment he wakes up I want you three packing. You need to track him down before anything happens. If Loki is back, he is obviously planning something not good." he demanded.

Candy and Rufus nodded obediently. They cast a glance down at Artemis, their eyes filling with pain and sympathy. Nauru clicked his tongue, flicking their foreheads. "He wouldn't want you feeling like what Loki does is your fault. Take him to your guys' room, Rufus. Make sure he doesn't start to seize like the last time this happened,"

Rufus nodded and walked out of the room after picking his lover up into his arms. Candy went to follow, but Naoru's voice stopped her. She turned around, "Yes, sir?" she asked.

"Candy," he started with a low sigh, "If we know Loki, we know he's planning something terrible. During your search, I want you to keep a close eye on Artemis. If Loki is commencing in his usual plans, he's going to try glitching Artemis out; If he succeeds, I want you to knock him out. We both know that Rufus isn't capable of hurting him."

Candy nodded solemnly. That was true. Rufus loved Artemis too much to ever try hurting him. He could never even yell at the boy. "Yes, Sir." she sighed.

Nauru nodded and dismissed her. Once the door clicked shut Nauru rested his head on his desk with a shaky sigh. Never had the mob boss been so worried for one of his workers. But if Loki did have a truly sinister plan, the man would sacrifice anything to keep his empire alive.