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The room was dull and cold. Dust flew around the room, creating a foggy atmosphere in the moonlight. In the dim light stood two men, their hands around two respective pistols, and standing on two stairs. Two of the greatest spies to ever live. The one on the higher step, Owen Carvour, had his pistol focused on the other's forehead, staring bitterly down at him. The other was Curt Mega, who's pistol hung limp at his side, finger barely resting on the trigger. He'd come here in hopes that he could change Owen's mind; if anyone even had a chance of doing so, it was him. Though through painful trial, all that resulted was error.
"The future is happening, Curt." Owen spoke more calmly than Curt ever could've in this moment. "And it's not going to wait for you. What use will one man be, when a box in a room can do his job in seconds?"
"...Sounds boring." Curt responded softly. His voice broke halfway through, and Owen found himself almost wanting to smile.
"You're a caveman." He huffed. "And I've invented fire."
"I'll stop you." Curt's reply was quicker this time. So was Owen's.
"You'll do your best."
Both of them stopped for several moments, their eyes not drifting away from each other's, barely blinking. Curt swallowed the growing lump in his throat as the pistol suddenly felt as heavy as his heart, causing him to drop it onto the ground beside him. Only then did Owen break eye contact, watching the weapon slide down the stairs and onto the ground beneath them. He raised an eyebrow. Was this Curt's way of surrendering?
"I can't stop you." Curt said hoarsely, trying to meet Owen's eyes again through the blur of tears. He hesitated again, and Owen cocked his head.
"I know." He scoffed. "So why are you trying?"
The silence was deafening and the room somehow felt colder and darker than it was. Curt took a step up the stairs, lessening the distance between them.
"I'm not." He said after several moments, looking towards the ground. Owen blinked, eyes narrowing suspiciously. His pistol finally lowered to his side.
"...I'm sorry?" Owen didn't understand. He's not trying? Clearly he is, if he came all this way just to talk him out of it. "What do you mean?"
"I don't wanna fight you. You know I don't."
"Clearly." Owen motioned to the gun laying vacant at the bottom of the stairs.
"But I want to be where you are. All of the time." Curt took another step up; they were almost eye level at this time. "I want to help you."
There was silence again...and then Owen laughed. Curt frowned.
"You're joking."
When Curt didn't reply, Owen's smile practically melted off his face. Dear god, he was serious. Owen took a step backwards up the stairs, just to create distance between them. He gripped his pistol tighter, his breath catching in his throat.
"If you can't beat them, join them...right? Please, Owen…Listen to me." Curt's voice had since stopped shaking. He paused, giving Owen a moment to think. Owen's eyes drifted away from his, looking over the edge of the stairwell.
Like all decisions, it was wise to weigh the pros and cons.
The cons. Curt could be lying. It wasn't unlike him to play along with one of Owen's schemes to further his own. If Curt left here with Owen, his disappearance would be blamed on Chimera, considering the ones working with Curt knew about them. Not that it would really matter.
The pros...Well, he couldn't help but imagine how badass it would be to waltz into one of Chimera's headquarters with one of the greatest spies to ever live under his arm. Sure, Mega would require a bit of extra training, but he'd know how to take down Chimera's enemies better than anyone else. Not to mention, well...they'd finally be together again. Two of the greatest spies alive...No.
The deadliest men alive.
Owen was smiling again. Curt smiled too, all too familiarized with the contemplative sparkle in his eyes. He already knew what Owen was going to choose. And so he outstretched his arm. Owen's eyes locked onto his again, only drifting down to his arm for a split second before gripping it tightly. It felt just like old times; linking their arms felt just as natural as if they'd done it every day for years. Maybe that's why Owen was so quick to use the leverage to pull Curt forward, wrapping his free arm around him. Curt buried his face into Owen's shoulder, hugging him back just as tightly. The gun slipped from Owens hand, landing conveniently just beside Curt's at the bottom of the stairs.
It felt like they stayed that way for years, making up for all the wasted time they spent apart. They'd both been so confident they'd never feel this way again. And when they did pull away, staring into each others eyes once again, it felt like the last time they'd seen each other was just yesterday, rather than years. Owen had been so sure he hated Curt. But now…
He knew he loved that look in his eyes.
"Mega…" Owen began smoothly. "Welcome to Chimera."