BETTER TOGETHER

The night came quickly. Before anyone could comprehend it, the HQ was alive with dancing bodies and full drinks. Music pulsed from every corner of the room. The room stank of sweat and alcohol - a mundane smell. It was weird to have it filling their noses; it let them be distanced from reality for a short time.

Midnight was fast approaching. Locusta kept to the corners of the room, sipping from her cup. She was sat on the floor, a pair of glasses nearly tipping off of the edge of her nose. She was curled over her notebook, furiously writing.

Curio's eyes kept darting towards her. He knew she wasn't one for crowds, but he really wanted her to have fun. He dodged his way through the crowd, collapsing next to Locusta with a sigh. He turned to her, expecting to her giving him a small turn of the lips.

She hadn't even noticed she was there.

Curio coughed, yet still no reaction. Shaking his head, he grabbed a hold of her notebook, pulling it from her grasp. She gasped, hands pawing for it. When she saw who the thief was, she slumped. "Hey Curio."

Concern flooded him. It seemed like the only person happy today was Messalina, and he didn't think even she was truly happy. He believed that she was hiding her fears behind a bright grin. "Locusta, what's wrong?"

"Probably the same thing as everyone else." Locusta cleared her throat. "Can I have my notebook back?"

"When you tell me what's got you so antsy you can get it back."

A sigh rippled out of her. Bags dragged under her eyes, her cheeks appearing sunken. He hoped it was a trick of the light. "I think I figured out a way to reverse what happened to me."

"That's great!" A surge of happiness grew within Curio, growing by the second. She confessed to him about how much agony she was in daily, and hearing this, he knew that she must be elated for it to stop. "Why the sad face?"

He could barely make out her words over the loud music and cheering people. "It just makes me feel so uncertain. What if it doesn't work? Will my powers be worse? Will I die?"

"And what if it does?"

"What use am I to you all then? I'm one of the few people within this organisation with a power and I don't want to throw that away for my own selfish needs."

Curio's heart ached. He so desperately wanted to wrap his arms around her, hold her in a tight embrace and never let go. He knew it would make it worse - she'd bat him away furiously, not enjoying the comfort. She'd be consumed with fear of hurting him.

"Locusta, you are more than your power. You are intelligent, kind and a little bit awkward, but you're you. This organisation needs someone who can effectively work a good battle strategy, not someone who's power comes with great agony." Curio gave the girl a soft smile. "I think you should do whatever you want to do. But whatever you choose, choose it for yourself, and not for Libertas." Locusta stayed silent, the words soaking in. "I can tell you're not that happy being here. If you want, I'll come with you to the lab and you can work on this."

Her mouth, then closed shut. Curio stared at her expectantly, waiting for an answer.

He had to strain his ears to pick up on what she said, a mumble slipping past her lips. "But you're having fun here."

The lie came easily. "Parties are all the same - I can always go to another one when all this Thanos business is over."

"Are you sure?"

Curio nodded his head. He had never been so certain of something in his life. "One hundred percent."

Locusta nodded her head. She clambered to her feet, Curio having to resist to offer her a hand. She wasted no time slipping through the crowd, moving towards the door that led to the corridor where the lab was. Curio savoured the last few moments of the party, slyly swiping a cup from the side, sipping it gently as he tailed Locusta.

"Curio!" A voice screamed over the noise. Curio rolled his eyes, instantly recognising the deep gruff. He carried on walking, finally reaching Locusta and the two moving down the corridor.

His name was repeated again, this time heard more clearly in the quieter hallway. Locusta paused in her footsteps, spinning to see Octavian making his way towards them. Curio pursed his lips, turning around to face him.

Octavian stopped a few feet away from them. "How come you guys are leaving the party?"

"Locusta has something she needs to work on, I figured she'd need some company." Curio kept his words vague, uncertain if Locusta wanted her secret revealed to all.

Octavian's demeanour changed. He relaxed, grinning at the pair. "Need one more?"

Curio opened his mouth to deny him when Messalina's booming voice screeched down the hallway. Behind her, Tony was trying to take the drink from her hand, failing miserably as she dived to the side. The three of them watched amused as she drunkenly slumped against the wall, the alcohol sloshing onto the floor.

"Staph trying to take my drink Tone Tone." Messalina slurred, her eyes catching the three of them up ahead. She gasped dramatically. "Oh my god, are you guys having a party without me?"

"Messalina, please." Tony begged, reaching for the cup once more. She moved out of the way clumsily, more of the drink spilling on the floor. At this rate, none of them believed anything was left in the cup.

"We're headed to the lab, do you want to come?" Curio offered. He was eager for them to join - the more there, the less chance Octavian could anger him further. His side still ached from the morning.

Tony's shoulders relaxed. "Yes, we'd love to."

Not wasting a second, he swept his arms underneath Messalina's legs. She giggled, arms automatically wrapping around Tony's neck.

Locusta's eyes were wide. Out of the corner of his mouth, Curio reassured her. "She'll be passed out by the time we get there."

Locusta's worry visibly slid off of her face.

The five of them made their way towards the lab, their footsteps slapping against the stone. When they got there, everyone found their place easily. Locusta appeared to be at home, plonking herself down on a stool and gathering different chemicals and flasks. Curio took a seat across from her, watching with fascination as she got to work. Tony nudged his way through the door, laying a passed out Messalina on an empty table. Octavian followed them closely behind, his burning gaze fixed on Tony.

Just when Curio thought it would be peaceful, venom was spat. "How could you let my sister get into that state?"

Curio sighed heavily at Octavian's words. He seemed to be extra pissy today.

"I'm not in charge of your sister, she's a grown ass woman who can do what she wants." Tony snapped, clearly tired of Octavian's foul mood. Curio didn't blame him, Octavian seemed to be seeking fights with everyone today.

"What if she got hurt?" A vein in Octavian's head pulsed. That wasn't a good sign.

Tony snickered. "She's a god damn spy, I imagine she's suffered worse than a bad hangover."

"You know what my sister is like - she goes to extremes. Why didn't you stop her?" Ah, that same question again. Curio had a sense that maybe this wasn't about his sister entirely and more about something else.

Tony shook his head in disbelief. "If you're that worried about her, why don't you be an actual good brother and be there for her?"

"Are you serious?" Octavian scoffed. Curio exchanged a frantic look with Locusta. He mouthed an apology to her - she just wanted to escape the crowd and he'd brought the drama to her. "Just because you're fucking her doesn't mean that you know everything about us."

Tony's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "I'm not sleeping with your sister, trust me, I'd never do that to her. But I know more than you think, and you're not doing as good a job as you claim to be."

"You can never know, yet alone understand, anything about us two." Octavian raked a hand through his hair, his jaw tense. Tony opened his mouth to speak; Octavian cut him off. "Do you know what today is?"

This captured everyone's attention. Even Locusta looked up from her flask, absentmindedly swirling the contents.

"On December 31st, our mother was hunted down and slaughtered by one of Thanos' minions. I saw them cut her down before my very eyes, and you know what they said to me?" Octavian didn't wait for an answer. "'She had it coming.' Our mother never did anything wrong, and she was killed as if she was solely responsible for everything. They cut into her body over and over and over again until there was no skin left, and they just kept going." Octavian's lip wobbled. "They only stopped when they got bored. They spat on her body and left. They spat on her. They didn't even care that I was there, they just needed to kill her and get their pay. And ever since then, I have sworn to take down every fucker who inflicted pain, including Thanos himself."

Silence fell in the lab. Locusta had stopped swirling her flask, openly sympathising with Octavian. Curio stared at him with a dropped jaw. Tony only stroked Messalina's hair, looking at Octavian with sorrowful eyes. With a voice displaying his remorse, he spoke. "Messalina told me that last night. You have no idea how much she needed you today, and you just locked yourself in that training room, pummelling everything that came into your path, including Curio. When she wakes up, I want you to sit by her side and talk to her. Talk to her about the weather or the missions or your mother, I don't care. I just want you to be the brother she needs now."

At his words, Tony left the room.

Surprisingly, Locusta was the one to fill the silence. "Everyone here knows how it feels to have lost something or someone."

Curio saw Octavian's Adam's apple bob up and down. "I just... I need a minute."

He left through the door Tony had walked out of seconds before. Curio sighed deeply, sending Locusta a small smile. "I'm sorry this isn't exactly the relaxed atmosphere we were going for."

"It's okay. How can we expect everything to be okay when we're hunting down a tyrant?" She mirrored his action, nodding towards the door. "Go talk to him - he needs it."

Curio pushed himself off of the stool. He traced Octavian's steps out of the door, expecting to have to search the entire compound to find him. But he didn't need to - he was right outside the door. He was on the floor, his head buried in his hands. Forgetting how much he hurt him, Curio bent down, grabbing a hold of Octavian's knees. He looked up from his hands, his eyes red and puffy.

"Octavian..." Curio trailed off. He found no words could ease the pain he must be feeling, the guilt he must have over the death of a loved one. He didn't see the point of summoning words with hollow meaning; it wouldn't help, and it certainly wouldn't heal the cracks in his heart.

Instead, he just reached out, wrapping his arms around the boy. He melted under his touch, relaxing into the embrace. His body shook under his grip, a storm ripping his body apart. Curio simply kept his hold on Octavian tight, squeezing him reassuringly as waves of tears possessed his body.

They were sat on that floor for a long time. No words were exchanged between the pair. They simply existed in that moment, holding each other so tightly it was as if the other was the only thing keeping them grounded to the earth.

When the tears subsided and he could breathe without a hitch in his voice, Octavian moved away from Curio's touch. They were still quite close, their faces inches away from each other. A loud chorus of cheers from the party echoed down the hallways, with party poppers snapping in the air.

Softly, Curio muttered words only audible to Octavian. "Happy new year."

Both of them felt the urge to seal the new year with a kiss, to grab the other and move their lips in a beautiful synchrony. But urges were suppressed. The two pushed further away from each other, Octavian wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand.

"I should probably go be a good brother." Curio nodded, an idea hitting him out of nowhere. Excusing himself, he pushed himself to his feet, disappearing down the hallway, leaving Octavian alone sitting on the floor.

Octavian huffed a large breath, scrambling to his feet. He made his way back into the lab, eyes darting towards his sister. She was still passed out, her mouth hanging open and snores ripping out of her mouth. He chuckled at the noise, a soft expression forming on his face at the sight of her.

Unbeknown to him, the interaction caught Locusta's eye. She had only been casual friends with Octavian, bound to him through mutual friends and missions. Out of the five of them, she felt the least comfortable around him. Now, she questioned this. He was a kind soul, it was just hidden under the tough exterior.

Mustering her courage, she cleared her throat. Octavian's attention snapped towards her, regret instantly forming in her mind. She pushed past the anxiety, shooting him a flash of a smile. "You two are so sweet."

Octavian laughed awkwardly, running a hand through his hair. He was grateful she hadn't addressed his puffy eyes. "She's more of a pain in my ass."

Locusta wasn't sure how to respond to that, turning her attention back to the vial in front of her. She mixed another chemical amongst the mixture, watching with attentive eyes as the colour switched from pink to purple. "Fuck," she muttered under her breath.

Octavian shoved his hands in his pockets, head tilted towards her. "You okay?"

She pushed her elbows on the table, leaning her head in her hands. She shoved a hand through her long, black hair, letting out an aggravated growl. "No, it's not."

She was close to knocking her head against the table. Octavian caught onto this, moving closer to the girl.

"Need any help?"

"Um, I think I'm good." She shot him a quick turn of the lips. "Thank you though, for offering."

Octavian nodded. The interaction had awkwardness pulsing from it, the pair of them desperate to get out of it. Locusta was grateful for the effort though - they had to work together, and he was making a conscious choice to make connections. From their uncomfortable encounter, she could see possible glimpses of friendship.

She wouldn't mind if it happened.

Their release from the tension came in the form of Curio bursting through the door, bottles of alcohol in his arms. He was tailed by Tony, carrying a damaging amount of alcohol in his own arms.

"Lets have a party!" Curio cheered, dropping the bottles on the table. He opened the nearest bottle, pouring it into a party cup, offering it towards Octavian.

Octavian frowned, pushing it away. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Probably not, but we could all benefit from a bad idea right now." Curio shrugged, placing the cup next to Locusta. She muttered a thank you, taking a shy sip from the cup.

"How is it a party if there's no music?" Octavian challenged, with his arms folded.

"Don't need music to get drunk." Tony swiped up a bottle, not even bothering pouring himself a cup and drinking from the bottle.

As if roused from the talks of alcohol, Messalina groaned. She didn't open her eyes, moving her arm groggily across her face. "I have so many regrets."

"And that's why I'm not drinking." Octavian pointed out, taking a seat next to his sister.

No one argued with him, going about their own thing. They all split up, talking amongst their own groups. Sure, it wasn't as good a night as Christmas - in fact, it was probably one of the worst nights they all had whilst working at Libertas.

But even their worst nights would never be something they'd want to forget, as they were all together. 

-

happy new year everyone!

-thirdwheelchurchill