BACKGROUND NOISE

Curio rested his head against the metal bars, the cold metal cooling his hot skin. He looked at the woman guarding the door to his cell, her back stock straight and spear held firmly in her grasp. He couldn't see her face; he knew there was no expression on it. She wasn't someone he wanted to anger - he also wanted answers. 

"Excuse me," he called out. The only thing telling him that he'd caught her attention was the slight movement of her head towards him. "Can you tell me why I'm in here? I didn't do anything wrong."

Silence. 

Curio sighed heavily, lifting his arm so he was leaning on the bars. "Look, if it's because I interrupted the king, I am really sorry. I'm new around here, cut a guy some slack." 

Still no response. 

His jaw tightened. All he wanted was answers. They all seemed very friendly towards him when he was talking to them, and when he was telling them his story and the mission he was on they all appeared to be supportive. The last thing he could remember was eating some strangely sweet fruit. 

"I didn't do anything wrong. The only criminal thing I've ever done is watch a movie illegally online, and maybe stole something from the dollar store. But in my defence, I only had a dollar on me and they were charging two dollars. That's some misleading shit right there. If anything, they were in the wrong." Curio continued to ramble on, not fully processing what he was saying. At this point, he was willing to say anything to get answers from the warrior woman. 

The spear spun around, the tip landing harshly on his Adams apple. The woman's face was stony, a fierce fury lighting up his eyes. Curio resisted the urge to gulp, fearing the spear would slice his throat open if he did. "Will you be quiet for one damn minute?" 

Curio couldn't help it - a small smirk slid onto his face. "Your wish is my command." The woman's grasp on the spear loosened, relief flashing across her face. "On one condition." 

He swore that he heard the woman growl. He had to catch himself from falling at the sheer force of her hiss. "And what's that?" 

"Answer my questions."

Instantly the woman scoffed. "You really are crazy."

"So you all think I'm crazy?" Curio released his hands from the bars, taking a step back, the woman's eyes following him like a hawk. He hummed under his breath. "Guess being blunt with the whole I'm from a different reality thing wasn't the best way to go about it."

The woman didn't make a comment, her only reaction to be to place her spear back on the ground and to put her back towards him. This time, Curio didn't mind. He liked the privacy - he didn't want the woman to see his pulled down features. This was meant to be the easy part,if he can't do this... He shook his head, trying to dislodge the thoughts from his head. Thinking thoughts like that wouldn't help him get out. 

Curio sat down against the back wall, bowing his head and resting his arms on his knees. Under his breath, he whispered. "Man, I wish you guys were here." 

Messalina could charm her way out the cell. Locusta wouldn't even be in the cell in the first place - she was much smarter than he, and would've approached the topic with more caution. She possibly wouldn't even tell the truth until she had some form of evidence. Octavian would be in the cell right beside him, coming up with ways to escape. 

Curio nearly smacked himself. He wasn't a part of Libertas because he was useless - he had something special. He was an asset. He shouldn't be perceiving himself as weak. He can pave the path to victory with suggestions, can bend someone's will to match his own. 

He was a master manipulator, and he was not weak.

"You want to release me." Curio spoke loudly, his command taking over. The woman remained stock still. Breathing in deeply, he rose his voice, letting the rumble take over. "You want to release me now." 

He stalked towards the bars, gripping them tightly. He repeated himself again, praying that it would work. 

All she did was glare at him from the side of her eyes, spitting. "I'd suggest you be quiet before I make you." 

Just like that, all the hopes he had were dashed. Still, he forced a smile to his face, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Can't blame a guy for trying." 

Useless. His power was meant to make him superior, meant to make him powerful. All it did was kill the last speck of hope he had. The last time he'd felt this deflated was when Libertas had sent him, Locusta, Messalina and Octavian on a reconnaissance mission to get information on some heroes in hiding. Messalina was meant to seduce the target, try to get them to spill the details and then Curio was to command them to tell him the location. 

It failed miserably. 

*

Curio kept his gaze focused on the ground, his legs dangling from the edge of the medical bed. He was trying to keep his mind off of the fact that the first major mission he'd gone on, he'd failed. It wasn't that it was his fault that the person wasn't considering telling them the location of the heroes; he couldn't help feel like it was. The worst part of it happened when they got attacked, with Curio having to be carried away by Octavian and Messalina, and Locusta providing covering fire from the van. 

He felt so ashamed.

"I can patch myself up just fine, you know..." Curio mumbled, watching his feet swing back and forth. Octavian scoffed, rooting through the medical supplies to get some disinfectant. He picked up some cloth, moving towards Curio.

"I know you can, I'm just trying to be friendly." Octavian poured some of the disinfectant on the cloth, placing the bottle down and getting closer to Curio. He moved between Curio's open legs, unaware of how his heart rate skyrocketed. "You don't need to beat yourself up about this, okay? It wasn't your fault. No one's first mission goes smoothly."

He tried not to pay attention to how close Octavian was, his body nestled between Curio's open legs. He gulped heavily. He prayed that he wasn't as red as he felt.

"I know that, still feel shitty." Curio admitted, his head still turned downwards. 

A calloused hand cupped his jaw. Curio suddenly became very conscious of how fast his heart was racing. His hands felt slick. All he could think of was how close they were, how all it would take would be to move a few centimetres and all the space would be gone.  He hated how this man made him feel this way - this infuriating, aggressive, selfless, beautiful man. 

Octavian's grip on his jaw tightened. He tilted Curio's face up, his dark eyes meeting Curio's own. He couldn't deny the shiver that travelled down his spine. The intensity of Octavian's gaze... god, he wanted to be the only thing he looked at for eternity. 

"I need to actually see your face to patch you up, dumb ass." Despite how brutal the words seemed, the slight curve of Octavian's lips revealed all. Curio nearly melted on the spot. 

"I can smell the garlic bread on your breath," Curio whispered. He didn't know why he said that, but he couldn't take it back once the words slipped past his lips. 

Octavian frowned at the comment, placing the damp cloth to one of Curio's cuts. Curio hissed, a small chuckle shaking his body. "I deserved that." 

The signature smirk on Octavian's face dissolved, his face full of concentration. His tongue was slightly peeking through the corner of his mouth, eyes focused on the cuts. Octavian halted his actions for a millisecond to say something that had Curio reeling. "You deserve so much more than you get, Curio." 

The way he said his name in his soft Texan twang spoke volumes. It sent shivers down his spines, his new goal in life to be to hear Octavian utter his name as often as he could. 

Curio felt the blush on his cheeks deepen."I'm sorry for being an ass." Curio found Octavian's gaze, holding it. "Thank you, for patching me up. I really appreciate it."  

Octavian didn't say anything, his hand frozen by Curio's cheek, the cloth coming close to falling out of his hand. The damp cloth stung his cheek; he didn't care. The ghost of Octavian's fingers sent him into a bliss, better than any drug. 

Curio leaned unconsciously into his hand, body acting without his brain's consent. His heart was overjoyed - Octavian's touch was no longer faint; it was something solid enough that he could feel the scratch of worn callouses against his torn skin. 

Octavian cleared his throat, pulling his hand away and shaking his head. "It's a shock to see how frail you are." 

Instantly, Curio was pulled out of his dazed state. He buried his disappointment. His jaw dropped in a dramatic fashion, and he playfully pushed Octavian away, the latter barely moving an inch. The pair chuckled, Octavian returning to the task as soon as he could, this time his touch more distant, as though he didn't want to touch Curio. He pretended that he didn't notice. 

"I'm sorry we all aren't as strong as you," Curio remarked, holding his breath momentarily as the cloth touched a tender spot, stabbing pain through him. 

"You wish." Octavian smirked, taking the cloth away from his face and tossing it to the side. "Can I trust you to not cry like a baby as I'm stitching you up?" 

Curio snorted. "Trust me, I feel more pain every day than you know." 

Octavian halted, gaze dropping from Curio's face to the deeply scarred skin of his arm. Curio shifted slightly, hiding it from sight. Octavian opened his mouth to speak, to say words Curio didn't particular want to hear when the door behind them slammed open. The pair barely flinched, familiar with what followed. 

"Hello boys!" Messalina announced her presence loudly, pouting slightly when the two just looked at her with exasperated expressions. "Damn, you didn't even jump a little?" 

Octavian huffed a laugh, turning away from Curio to grab the threat and the needle. "If you're trying to scare us, just show us your face. That works every time."

"You bastard!" Messalina's smile betrayed her sour words. She moved her focus to Curio, catching sight of his slight quakes. "In case you were wondering, I was here to rescue Curio. He gets enough pain from putting up with your sorry ass, he shouldn't have to put up with your botched stitching." 

"Excuse me, but my stitching is just fine." Octavian weakly defended, looking twice at the needle in his hand. "It's not like yours is much better." 

Messalina nodded in agreement, walking towards Curio. She playfully squeezed his cheek, cackling at his frown. "Look at the poor boy, he's terrified!" 

"Fuck off," Curio muttered, squirming away from her touch, the corners of his lips turning upwards. She let go immediately, acting as if nothing happened. 

"Locusta will be here in a minute, she was just grabbing her good gloves. Figured you'd want more of a woman's touch to fix you up." She paused. "You might need more help than we can give you, there's a lot we need to work on." 

"Oi," Curio swatted Messalina, her witch-like cackle gracing his ears. As much as she pissed him off, she knew how to distract him when he needed it. He would never tell her it, but he appreciated that. 

At this moment, Locusta strolled through the door, hands clad in thick black gloves. Curio would've been concerned if she could move in them if he hadn't seen her in them before when she was drawing. Her fingers were winding between the other, shoulders hunched. She scrunched her nose up, her glasses moving with the action. 

"Speak of the devil." Messalina stepped aside, allowing more room for Locusta to work. She stumbled into the wall, a small curse under her breath. Curio couldn't help the smile that built up on his face. Octavian matched his expression, a faint fondness on his face as he watched her. "We should go, Strange wanted us anyway and Locusta works best when it's not this crowded. Hope it doesn't hurt too much Curio."

Just like that, Messalina and Octavian left the room. He waited a beat, then Messalina's head popped around the corner. "Oh, by the way, good work today. For a first mission, you kicked major ass."

She disappeared again, and this time Curio knew she wouldn't be back for a while. Warmth bloomed in his chest at what she said. He did well. Sometimes she was more tolerable than others, and he loved those times. This thought kept him distracted as Locusta delved the needle into his skin.

Locusta worked quickly, ignoring Curio's hisses of pain and carrying on. To some, it would seem heartless - Curio knew she wasn't like that. She was logical, and if anything she carried on so it could be over sooner. 

He had to listen intently to hear what she was saying. "I'm glad you're okay."

Curio's smile grew. "So am I, Lo."

She didn't look up but he knew that she'd heard him. Locusta continued to weave the thread through the skin on his cheek, her words so quiet even mice had to strain their ears to hear. "How's the pain?" 

The smile dropped. Another hiss of pain, fire spreading across his cheek. He knew what pain she was referring to, and it wasn't one he liked to think about. "Like background noise - noticeable but I've adapted. It's a dull throb now." 

That was a lie. He often felt more than a dull throb, most often in the night it would rage at him. He noticed it more then, with nothing to occupy his mind. "What about yours?" 

"Constant." Every time he asked her this was the reply she gave. It broke his heart. He wanted to say something, something prominent that would put that smile on her face. He knew it would be fruitless - as someone who shared a similar experience, he understood how little it would help. "It's done." 

Locusta stepped away as soon as it was done, rapidly cleaning the wound again and going to wash her hands. In a lightning fast reaction, he reached out for her arm. She slapped his hand away equally as fast. "Don't be an idiot. You've already been wounded, we don't want you to be killed too."

"Okay... Just, hit me up when it gets too bad, alright? Even if it's the middle of the night. You've been there for me, and I want to be there for you too."

Locusta stared at him. "Why would you do that?" 

"Because we're family."

Curio hated thinking about that. It reminded him of the good times, and he didn't need to be reminded of those. It acted like a slap in the face, reality hitting him fast. All he needed was for someone else to drown away the pain that his family were once again taken away from him. 

He wished for a distraction, anything to take his mind off of the lingering memory. That distraction came in the form of T'Challa standing in front of his cell, hands behind his back. "We're terribly sorry to have judged you too soon. Right now, aliens are attacking New York. It appears you were telling the truth after all." 

The key was being turned for his cell door. The sound didn't make him as happy as it would've done before he reminisced on those he loved. 

-

hey guys! i hope you enjoed the little insight into the relationship that he has with everyone!

a little heads up, i'm heading to bulgaria next wednesday so i'm not sure if i'll be able to post the next chapter until i get back, but i might be able to. who knows, the wi-fi might be decent. 

as of now i'm no longer in college! after i come back from holiday i'll have a lot more free time, but most of that time will be taken up by work i imagine. i'm hoping that i'll be able to write more for this in the 2 months i have off, and if i'm really efficient i can finish part one (which is set in infinity war) by the end. my next year of college is really important - it's my last one, so i won't be writing as much as i could. hopefully by that point the first part of this book is mostly done so i don't need to worry about this. 

have any of you got any plans for the summer? 

see you!

-thirdwheelchurchill