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Chapter 16: Lies Uncovered
There were three queen-sized beds in the motel, a deep bathtub, a minibar, and a flat-screen TV. The sheets were soft, it was nice and quiet, and the bathroom was sparkling and clean. There was even a balcony with a view.
“ This is what a hundred bucks a night gets you!” said Levitan, waving their arm extravagantly. “ Magnifique! ”
Ryan wore a grin like a kid on Christmas. “I call the bed farthest from the window!” He hopped across the room and threw himself onto the queen, bouncing once before settling. He grabbed the remote from the side table and switched on the TV. “Ooh, X-Files reruns! Nice!”
Akio kicked off his shoes and sat on the bed closest to the balcony. It was a gorgeous view with all the neon lights and the desert in the distance, but it was bright even though it was about three in the morning. He yawned and pulled off his jeans and sweaty t-shir
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Monsoon Chapter 17: Broken Jaws and Butterflies
Akio had a list going in his head of “Skills of the Reeves Family that are Slightly Questionable in Origin”. So far, in Levitan’s column there was “how to use a gun”, “interrogation”, “how to get rid of a dead body”, and “how to perform knife tricks thatmay or may notbe incredibly cool (and kind of sexy) to watch”. In Ryan’s, there was “hacking into an enormous database”, “building computers”, “pickpocketing”, “torture and interrogation”, and now recently “hotwiring a hot rod”.Ryan had picked a red sports car. Discretion was key.Somehow, Akio had ended up behind the wheel as they drove out of Las Vegas. It was a hot day, and they put the convertible top down.“I like this,” said Levitan, kicking their boots up onto the dashboard. “We ought’a travel in style more oft
Monsoon Chapter 18: The Sparrow
The hostel was small and scummy. They got a room with three twin beds, but none of them had blankets or sheets. The woman at the front desk gave them a once-over, brow tilted in slight disgust at the dirt that covered them almost head to toe before handing them the room key. Akio picked at the threads of his jeans and traced the address that he’d scribbled on his thigh. He sat on the bed, leaning against the headboard. His feet ached from running. “Not a bad place, huh?” Ryan flopped down onto the bed with his gameboy and started playing. He lay on his stomach, with his jacket under his chin. Akio winced at the sound of a shrieking chord, and looked over at Levitan. They had a harmonica in their hands. “Look what I found in my pocket!” they said, grinning. “Thought I lost this ol’ thing!” “Oh, god,” said Ryan with a melodramatic sigh. “Not the harmonica.” Akio wondered if he should be worried when he saw Levitan cup their hands around
Monsoon Chapter 19: Spaghetti Dinner
Akio’s blood stained Levitan’s hands as they held him. His head lolled back. He didn’t move. He didn’t breathe.For just a moment, they panicked. Their breath was shaky in their chest. Their mouth felt parched.“Uh,” said Ryan. “What’s with the dumb look on your face?”Oh. Right.Levitan dropped him gracelessly to the ground and wiped their palms on their cargo pants, leaving brown smears down their thighs. “Nothing.” They turned to the lizard girl who had fired the harpoon gun at him and pointed a finger warningly. “You could hurt someone with that thing. Put it away.”Akio’s blood pooled on the wooden floor. Levitan’s stomach twisted unpleasantly and they quickly looked away.The redhead stepped closer, all four hands balled into fists. “He works forthem!
Monsoon Chapter 20: Silence and Laughter
“There.” It was late at night, and James was helping them set up the bed, which was a mattress on the floor with a slightly dirty sheet on it, plus two pillows and a thick, fluffy quilt. They were in a tiny room, which when Levitan investigated the walls, they realized was a walk-in closet. “Sorry we don’t have more than one.”“Where’s Akio sleeping?” asked Levitan. “Ryan and I can share this.”“He’s talking to Dana,” said James. “Said he’d sleep on the couch.”“... Oh. I guess I’ll go get Akio, then.”James’s eyes all locked unblinkingly onto Levitan. Lev stiffened under this scrutiny.“What?” they asked, defensive.James held up his hands peacefully. “Hey, I didn’t say anything.”“All of your eyes ar
Monsoon Chapter 21: Close Call
Akio had never worn a dress in his life. Right now, he was in the bathroom with Naomi, was staring at a red, form-hugging, somewhat low cut red dress that hung on the back of the door. It would be on his body in less than an hour.“I don’t like this plan,” said Akio firmly.“Well, isn’t that a shame?” Naomi handed him a can of shaving cream and a razor. “Go shave.”He held the can in one hand and the razor in the other. They were both pink. “I already shaved, today.”“Not yourface.”Akio dropped his arms to his sides. “No way.”“Yep,” said Naomi. “I can’t find my leggings, so your legs are going to be showing in this dress. Take off your pants.”“But-”“Take them off,
Monsoon Chapter 22: Frank Conversations
Akio had changed out of his dress, into a t-shirt and jeans, and had put his glasses back on his nose. He’d left the makeup on. He actually kind of liked it. Levitan had changed into a different pair of pants and had thrown the first pair out the window, never to be seen again.Five of them sat at the kitchen table, having a quick conference about what had happened, to discuss plans and debrief. Akio had attempted to sit next to Levitan, but before he could, Ryan had shoved his chair between them and plopped down, giving him a death glare as he did so.Naomi had listened patiently while they all discussed the events of the day. When it came to the part where Levitan had kissed Akio, she held out her hand and Ryan depositedanotherfive dollars with a dramatic groan.“Seriously?” asked Akio. “Have you nothing better to do?”
Monsoon Chapter 23: Time to Go
Levitan woke up warm. They rubbed their eyes with their fingers and groaned, stretching their shoulders.There was a small, sleepy sigh from next to them and they looked down. Akio was still nestled up to them, tucked protectively under their arm. He had one hand resting on their stomach under the covers, and his hair was messy and stuck up on one side.Levitan chuckled and relaxed back into the blankets. They had no idea what time it was, but they decided that for just a few minutes, they didn’t care.Akio yawned and shuffled. He opened his eyes and looked up at them. “G’morning.”“Morning,” they said. “How’d you manage to hang on like that?”“Like what?”They yawned a little and scratched an itch on their collar. “Like an octopus. I toss n’ turn all night, usually.”“I think I woke up once,” he said, shifting so he was next to them proper
Monsoon Chapter 24: They're Coming
Akio’s knees were shaking. He gripped the baseball bat in two sweaty hands as he followed behind Levitan. The four of them walked in silence through the dark alleyway. They were getting close to Monsoon.He kept his mouth shut because he was afraid that if he opened it, he would throw up. He was so close to Levitan, his face was inches from their back. This meant that he bumped right into them when they stopped abruptly.“Y’all ready?” they asked, looking back at the three of them over their shoulder.James and Hawke both nodded, and Akio made a slight whimper.Levitan turned away and the four of them stepped out of the alley and onto the sidewalk. The white letters of Monsoon glowed in the darkness. Underneath, in smaller letters, it read “For the Good of Mankind”.Akio’s heart pounded in his chest as they walked up to the building. A million things could go wrong. They weren’t w
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- Monsoon Chapter 26: Give Them Hell
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- Monsoon Chapter 24: They're Coming
- Monsoon Chapter 23: Time to Go
- Monsoon Chapter 22: Frank Conversations
- Monsoon Chapter 21: Close Call
- Monsoon Chapter 20: Silence and Laughter
- Monsoon Chapter 19: Spaghetti Dinner
- Monsoon Chapter 18: The Sparrow
