Collection TSV - One Shots

Red Carnation Part 5 (NSFW)

Crosspost from Ao3

Chapter 5 Act 4

It was now six months after he retrained Eddy and so far, the hitman was doing wonderfully. He was almost perfect now, not only in the work field but also in the more private aspect of their relationship.

Brett was in his office when Eddy came strolling in, perfectly clean and composed after a job.

The man looked up from his laptop and smiled at Eddy.

"How did it go, Edward?"

Eddy was only for their private time now, Edward was the killer. Brett made sure to integrate that in his retraining thoroughly. Now was work time, so no "Eddy"-time.

He had a killer in front of him, a trained, loyal killer.

"Was the hunt successful?"

"Better than successful." Edward managed a crooked smile as he took his seat in front of Brett; his hands were still quivering with adrenaline. "What's next? Is there anyone lined up for me?"

There was a glimmer in his eyes, a falsified one that had been missing prior to retraining: perhaps it could have been seen as some form of determination. But had his past self seen Eddy today, the look in his eyes would have scared younger Eddy away at its unrecognizability.

"You know very well that after a mission you will give me your report and relax for a day, as always. You need to calm down and regroup your thoughts. So, tell me; how did you finish him off? He was my assistant, so he was very capable. It was so sad to learn he misused his position. Also he was a friend of yours, wasn't he? How do you feel? Do you need to talk about it?"

Jordon was at Brett's side for three years. But that changed yesterday. Brett's heart bled when he noticed some strange things going on around him. Killers were becoming more and more a mark, with most of them not having justified reasons. Brett started digging at that point until he reached the bottom of the problem. The mastermind was one who smiled in his face every day. So he had to be eliminated. He was hesitant to let Edward do the job at first, because what if the man couldn't handle it? But between the sheets, Eddy convinced Brett to give him a chance and Brett did.

He should really not allow Eddy to take advantage of him in business decisions. Now, what was done was done, and Edward was in his chair - alive and well. So maybe that was not the worst decision he has made so far.

"Slow, as usual. It's always a pleasure to tear them apart, one piece at a time." Edward shrugged. He swiped at his nails, turning his attention on them - had he forgotten to trim them? - while ignoring the slight twist in his stomach. "Friends in the field are always temporary, aren't they? You sever ties with them the second they're your mark; it's just how it is."

Eddy knew the mark decently well; he had occasional conversations with him. They have even prodded each other around as they cracked jokes around the café once. But knowing someone for a few months was nothing compared to Brett's previous partnership with Jordon for three years: it unsettled Edward to take on the mission initially, until he spiraled back into his movements and symphonies and indulged himself in the kill as his own little distraction. "How do you feel about it? A friendship of over three years isn't easy to toss away, Brett."

"It's been going on for longer, Edward. He was my friend for years. He came out to me three years ago, which coincidentally, was also around the same time when he became my right hand. But seeing who he really was and seeing what he had done severed any tie I had with him. Also, you fill the gap he left perfectly. Now come here, Eddy. Let me help you get rid of that adrenaline, yeah?"