What to do with you

There was a tactical error made earlier. Sorry, it's fixed now.


Chapter 1

“Schuldig, get in here.” Sky blue eyes rolled but he untangled himself from wrestling with Farfarello and wandered into the office.

“What? We didn't break it, it was Nagi.” Well, ok, so it was them, but it COULD have been Nagi.

Brad just sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “You're going on an assignment. Three months in Austria. The plane leaves in two hours, Nagi is packing your things.”

“What? What's in Austria?” The redhead frowned and set his hands on his hips. “It's cold there.”

“Yes, I'm aware of that. You'll just have to act like a man and take it. You'll be guarding the youngest son of the current chancellor. It's an easy position, you'll enjoy it.”

“Whatever. Hey, gimme enough for a decent fur jacket, something big and fluffy and expensive!” Blank, dark eyes stared at him and his shoulders dropped a bit. “Alright, alright, don't be mean. I'll get Far and we'll leave in half an hour.”

“Farfarello is not going with you.” The statement froze the younger man in place.

“But, but he has to!” He couldn't function without the buffer between him and the world of random thoughts. “I can't go without him.” Well, he could, but he really, really didn't want to.

“You have to. If he goes, too much blood will spill and we can't afford that right now.” The telepath opened his mouth to argue more and was cut off with a sharp motion of a large hand. “No, this is not up for debate. He can not go, but you have to take this job. Calling attention to ourselves is the last thing we want right now. This job gets us a favor with an influential government, and even you aren't so ignorant as to not realize how important that is for us.”

Anger showed briefly on the sharp featured face at being called ignorant, but he stayed silent, fists clenched. “I will let you call him every other night as long as you don't get him excited.” Pale eyes were hidden under the long fall of bright hair but tension ran through the lean body. “Schuldig, everything will be fine.” Thin lips twitched in a faint smirk. “I've Seen it.”

A barely visible jerk of thick hair and the younger man was dismissed. Farfarello met him at the door, ready to keep playing. “I've got to go, to Austria of all places.” White nodded easily and the younger man went to grab his coat. “No, Farfie, you have to stay here this time.” A slow blink of pale lashes and the light head shook. “Yeah, I know. But, Brad says it'll be ok. And I'll call, so you have to come and talk a little, ok?”

“Maybe. If nothing is on t.v.” The coat was put back and slender hands tucked into large pockets. “Buy me things?”

“Not if you don't talk to me.” A soft pink tongue stuck out at him and the telepath laughed a bit. “Yeah, I'll buy you a new set of cuffs.” A pale brow rose at the cheap gift. “And the appropriate weapons to match, of course.”

“Of course.” Heavy boots scuffed at the floor. “I guess I can talk a bit.” The flush from exercise was still high in the pale cheeks and was getting darker by the second.

A pleased smile and the redhead patted him on the arm as he passed. “Come on, Nags is packing my bag, we should see what he thinks I'll need.” A snort of laughter and the blond followed closely to watch clothes and assorted accessories flying into a black suitcase. “That is ugly, where's mine?”

Thin shoulders shrugged; the nineteen year old had never filled out completely. “Where it is. This is the one Brad told me to use.”

“Hey, what about my green shirt?” The redhead held out a lime green tank with bright blue trim and his youngest team mate flinched at the atrocity. “See? You're a horrible packer. I'm taking this apar” The lid snapped closed, zippers sliding into place and a lock clicking firmly. “Hey!”

“You better get going, you'll miss your flight.” The brunet smirked and used the case to push the whining telepath out the door to the main entrance.

“Farfarello, go to your room. Schuldig, lock him in.” Crawford leaned in the door of his office, arms crossed.

“Why?” Trim hips cocked and blue glared “He's not doing anything.”

Anger tightened the corners of the American's mouth. “Just do as you're told for once!” The unexpected show of annoyance had the smaller man pulling back and he followed his blond partner quietly.

“Sorry, Far. I'll call you when I get there.” The younger man just nodded and held out his arms for the jacket, letting the straps be tightened. “Bye, see you in a few months!” No response, just a faint smile, and he backed out with a tiny wave.

Nagi was waiting in the entrance, car keys in hand. “You guys are such pricks.” An annoying shrug before the telekinetic flinched at the sharp pain in his head. “Whatever, let's go.”

The trip itself was uneventful, Schuldig barely noticed at the busy airports and he made his way to his new home by taxi. His German may be a bit rusty, but it was a simple matter to pull what he wanted from the blonde secretary's mind.

She paged through and was instructed to send the new employee straight through. A slightly vacant smile was flashed, perfect teeth shining between darkly shaded lips; her eyes roamed his body and he could see the thought that he'd make an adequate husband even without his talent. A shiver was repressed at the thought of someone actually marrying her and long hair swung along at his hips as he fled, small duffel over a shoulder.

Brad didn't say anything about not buying himself a nice bag and a neon blue one had been picked up at the second airport, his favorite things transfered during the two hour layover. The strange looks he received while rooting through his big suitcase in the middle of the waiting area had been worth it to find his best shirt and comfortable leather pants. Not to mention discovering he had no toothbrush, toothpaste, hair gel, or deodorant. Nagi was such a wonderful packer.

A loud voice came from the room and he let himself in to see a large man talking into the phone, his voice booming in the fairly small room. Personally, he would have thought having one of the most influential positions in the country would get a larger office. Regardless, he stood and waited, a bit impatiently, looking around at dull walls idly until a picture caught his attention. The large man behind the desk was sitting, a pretty young teenage girl on his lap and a pair of brunet boys standing behind them, all four smiling pleasantly, but the feeling of a forced pose overshadowed the apparent happiness.

Schuldig's attention was brought back to the chancellor, who sat, hands folded as he examined the slight form standing in his office.

A faint smile and he shrugged, placing his bag on the chair. The large man's eyes tightened but he didn't react otherwise, staring at the young man before him.

He didn't particularly care that he was being rude; it hadn't been his idea to come here. Thick lips twitched, turning up slowly before loud laughter boomed in the room.

The door opened quietly and a round twenty four year old girl with short black hair peered in, thick glasses perched precariously on her nose. Schuldig inclined his head to his temporary boss and followed her out and up two levels to a large, furnished suite.

He honed in on the phone and called home immediately. Two, three, four rings, and still no one picked up. 'What the hell?' Finally, the line clicked over and Brad's voice came through.

“Yes, Schuldig.” That snotty, knowing tone grated on already frayed nerves and the telepath snapped at him.

“Put Far on. I want to talk to him.” A long two days of traveling without his buffer and companion had lines of stress running along his forehead. “Hurry up.” The strain could be heard in his voice but he didn't care, too eager to speak with his partner.

“Not today. He's been agitated since you left. Nagi had to sedate him overnight.” There was the sound of a pen tapping the desktop and low growling filtered through from the redhead. “But, if you insist. I'm afraid he's not able to speak at the moment, but you may talk to him.”

“Whatever, put him on.” He could feel his leader's smirk and gritted his teeth. 'Just take it, Far will come and talk to me and it'll be alright.' Harsh breathing came through the line and he pressed phone closer. “Far? Far, what are you doing? I thought you were going to behave while I was gone?” He could see the blond in his mind, the annoyed set of his shoulders at being sedated, the wiggling of his toes when he got bored enough in his plain white room.

Muffled sounds and the older man grinned. That was clearly Farfarello. “S'ok, I'm not mad or anything I just wanted to hear you, it sucked by myself. You'd have enjoyed it, kids everywhere and the food was better than usual.” A few minutes of babbling about his day as he relaxed, the soft sounds calming his nerves. “Alright, I should get going, Brad's gonna lose his patience in a minute. Miss you, be good. I'll see you in a few months.” Frantic muttering greeted the announcement. “I'll call you tomorrow Everything is fine. Bye!”

He almost caught himself waving at the phone, as if talking to a child and grinned at his foolishness. Farfarello was many things, but a child wasn't one of them. “Schuldig, I've made arrangements for your return and sent tickets and the information you'll need. Use them and don't wander off on your own.”

The redhead couldn't hold back the curl of his lip at Brad's orders. “Yeah, sure. Whatever works for you.” He hung up quickly, just in case forgotten commands were remembered.

A soft knock preceded the door swinging open quietly and the younger boy from the picture in the chancellor's office edged in. Pink rushed through the round cheeks and Schuldig looked him over. About fifteen, with the leanness that most early teenage boys got when they hit their growth spurt, with short light brown hair and a still slightly rounded face; not a bad looking boy, but the tentative nature nearly guaranteed he was teased at school.

Ugh, he'd been a on and off planes for the last forty eight hours, running a series of departures and trails in case he was followed or hit a radar, and the last thing he needed was some kid wanting attention.

Nervous shifting from foot to foot, hands twisting together anxiously.

Red replaced the pink and the boy stuttered denials.

Thin shoulders hunched and the redhead had the urge to shove them straight, make him stand up properly. A bright brow rose slowly and he glided along the edges of the boy's mind. Ina was the sister, two years younger and doted on; jealousy of the attention paid to his older brother and younger sister sizzled along the brunet's thoughts.

'Interesting.' He smirked to himself; the boy may look and act like a frightened rabbit, but his rage and jealousy were sweet. Alfred lingered for a moment, trying to get the courage to ask if he could stay a bit longer but finally turned and let himself out.

The gala was a boring affair, the redhead dressed in white, again, and trailing his young charge as the quiet boy made the rounds, chatting shyly and avoiding his family. Within an hour, the pair were outside, Schuldig smoking lazily as dark eyes watched him, burning with curiosity, thin fingers itching to touch. He enjoyed the thoughts swirling, most centered around him, where he came from, what kinds of things he did, the people he met. It had been a while since anyone had shown an intense interest in the older man, mostly because few people actually saw him as himself.

The cigarette was put out against the wall and flicked over the edge of the balcony. An innocent question, a good, open ended inquiry to start. There might be hope for him yet.

A teasing tone, the faint grin making the teen smile back tentatively.

He fidgeted, bouncing on the balls of his feet. A pale hand waved for him to continue. A slim brow rose. His cheeks burned, bright red in the dim light.

Schuldig chuckled and leaned against the railing. This was remarkably fun; he didn't spend much time with anyone other than his team, who could shield well enough to not be a bother. Outsider's minds were too heavy for him to shield against constantly and he avoided them unless Farfarello was with him. He'd forgotten the unique scramble of an adolescent's mind; confusion reigned, mixed with unreasonable anger, shyness, and the feeling that whatever you were doing was wrong.

Slow steps brought the boy to stand beside him, arms loosely held over the edge, hands dangling. The blush was fading but little, curious looks were still peeked through long lashes.

The grin nearly split the redhead's face. At the confused look he flicked the top button of his pants and laughed out loud when the brunet choked and turned away. The button slid back into place as the chancellor stepped out into the cool air.

Heavy steps clomped back inside, not waiting for a response from the cringing teen.

*Want to see something fun?* The boy's head jerked up at the voice sliding into his mind; a teasing grin from his protector and his father stopped in the door, shaking his head. A large hand lifted to rub at suddenly aching eyes and the heavy head shook briefly again from the stab of pain.

Once he was gone, head still shaking, eyes tight against the pain, the brunet turned and stared.

A relaxed smirk and the redhead pushed away form the railing and opened the door. Shy lips tilted in a tentative smile, imitating the smirk hesitantly as they reentered the noisy room.

A strange relationship built, the skinny boy following his bodyguard everywhere, trailing after him like a puppy; Schuldig breathed it in, rolling in the hero worship and reveling in the frustration it caused for the chancellor. His employer didn't approve of the boy parroting opinions and imitating someone other than himself, even if he had no time for the young man.

Schuldig refrained from laughing directly in his face, but nothing more. While he practiced his aim, the brunet watched avidly, testing his arm a few times, and while the telepath jogged in the mornings, younger feet pattered after him, stubbornly following him around the grounds. Smoking, the occasional drink, sparring, everything the redhead did was imitated in the clumsy, graceless way of adolescent males.

Two months in, Schuldig caught himself patting the boy's shoulder and snatched his hand away with a frown. Was he attached? How... odd. The teen was pleasant enough, eager to please, but he was just a child, not possessing an overly bright mind nor a personality worth sparring with. Or perhaps, and more likely he thought, he missed Farfarello.

Since the first day, he hadn't spoken to him; Brad always answered and gave excuses, some plausible, some not, and no amount of yelling, whining, or threats could get the blond on the line. He called daily, left messages every single time, but there was never a returned message or note, no call back. Finally, the redhead resorted to letters, pages of written conversation, his day to day experiences, Alfred, galas, even the food he had for lunch was included, anything and everything he could think of. One every week was dutifully sent out and came back as signed for, but no return letters arrived, even when he checked the mail compulsively a dozen times a day. There hadn't even been an answer the last few times he'd called, which set him on edge; he only called the house phone, not willing to risk Brad's wrath by using the emergency numbers for what could be nothing.

Alfred noticed his behavior right away and strove to fill the void, chattering as he paced, waiting for the first mail delivery, dragging out cards to play with while they waited for the second, insisting they eat and spar between checks. To him, Schuldig was amazing, seeming a young man with his own money, life, goals and freedoms, someone who did as he pleased because he pleased and wasn't tied to a father's expectations and demands.

He was nervous about the end of the month, when the redhead would leave; the brunet intended to ask that he be allowed to go with him, wherever he was going. He had money he'd squirreled away, raiding his savings fund and the money his mother had left him, and he practiced daily to become proficient with a gun and at sparring. His hair was even growing, brushing the edges of his ears now

When the day came, Schuldig ruffled the lean young man's hair and glided into the chancellor's office to make a final report. The door was barely closed before a heavy thud and a scream had Alfred reaching for the door. A strange man, dressed in white opened the door, waved him back, and closed it again. Still, he tried to go forward, but his limbs wouldn't move, the command to go to his room forced into his head and he turned away, stalking down the hall as he fought against the order.

******************

'Yes, going home!' Schuldig stepped through the door for what would be the last time and knew something was wrong. For an instant, he was blinded to the three men standing behind the desk, only reading the nervous face of the chancellor to know.

The hit came hard and fast, a cuff wrapping around his wrist before he snapped a slender leg out and sent the man flying into the wall. He tried to get a grip on the minds but a shock ran up his arm, wrenching his head back. A scream burst from his throat at the pain vibrating through his body. 'What the fuck is that?'

*That, Schuldig is a restrainer. Designed just for troublesome little brats like you.* The tone mocked and he gritted his teeth against the intrusion. He hadn't shared his mind with anyone other than Farfarello since his first weeks in training, the first time he got a shield up right; the bracelet was fucking up his talent, disabling his shields somehow. *It works by disabling the axons and altering the synapse time. You can't use your talent or short the device out. Just be a good boy and come quietly. We'll take you home to Rosenkranz and you'll be given a new team.*

'Fuck you.' Even without his talent, he could still manipulate his thoughts and formed a basic shield around the last known address of the rest of Schwartz.

Arrogant laughter echoed in his head. *Loyal to the end. Most impressive.* The presence pulled away and he snarled silently; the talent wasn't that strong and if he could just use his... But he couldn't and the point was moot. Hard hands lifted him to his feet and directed him to the door, pushing him through and down the hall to his room. When they entered, his things were tossed around and weapons removed before a few feet of chain tied him to the bed, out of reach of anything useful. “Now stay here until we bring the car around. Won't be a minute.”

He could finally tell which was the telepath, a short brunet with beady little eyes; the other two were taller, dark hair, dark eyes, typical of Esset agents. At least the regular foot soldiers; the elite pretty much dressed and looked as they chose. They were all slim, slender builds to project the image of helplessness, but alert, on edge and he smirked; they should be. The thing with telepaths is, everyone thinks once you disable their talent, they're helpless.

Not so, especially for him who sparred and played survival games with Farf regularly and held agility contests with Nagi. As soon as the door closed, he started digging, yanking the corner of the mattress where the edges met seamlessly; why the fuck did it have to be a decent mattress? Stubborn picking loosened a thread and he forced his fingers into the tiny hole, widening it enough to start pulling stuffing out and rip a hole in the cloth covering the hard edging. Once enough fabric was freed, he bent the thin plastic rod until it broke, biting his lip to keep from making noise from the effort.

A vicious grin started as he ran the snapped edge over his arm, drawing a thin line of blood; perfect. Four inches in, he broke it again, sweating as he forced the thin piece in half. It fit in his hand, invisible except for a tiny part and he wrapped his hand in ripped pieces of pillow case to keep the sharp point from jamming into his own flesh. The cover was tossed back over the destruction zone and he flopped on his back, wrapped hand tucked in his sleeve, seconds before the door opened and the two taller men walked in.

“Get up. Let's go.” A pink tongue stuck out at them and a slender finger flipped them off. “Move!” As if yelling at him would get him going faster.

“Nope, I like it here.” Cold eyes watched him, judged him as stubborn but harmless and one suited man stalked forward to grab his arm, dragging him up and exposing the chain to the key; a soft click and he was free. 'Now's as good a time as any.'

White flashed as his hidden hand darted up and struck, burying the thin plastic in the side of the lean neck, chained hand slamming into the sternum, base of the palm first. Frothy blood burst from the slack mouth instantly, air forced from struggling lungs bringing crimson bubbles from the messy hole in the neck as the redhead stabbed quickly, ruining as much as possible before he would be dragged off.

No hands reached for him, the second agent remaining in the door, a black box in hand; electricity raced through both bodies and the telepath jerked, hands spasming as he collapsed, hovering on the edge of unconscious. “Heard you were dangerous.” Heavy steps walked the length of floor and the redhead tried to reach out, trip the fucker if nothing else; another jolt ran through his body, arching his back and dragging little whines from his lips. “Apparently so. Very impressive. And creative.” He grinned and Schuldig watched through half-lidded eyes, the first shiver of fear sneaking down his spine; maybe he'd been wrong. This man was definitely the one in charge, not just a peon like the other two.

A second pair of boots appeared, walking slowly behind the tall man as he stood, looking down at his captive, nudging him with the toe of a heavy boot. “Pick him up, he'll behave, won't you?” The newcomer didn't speak and the brunet started to turn. There was a faint pop and warm rain fell over the prostrate telepath's face and splashed on the floor; the thud of the body hitting the floor was loud in the silence. Pale blue eyes rolled up to see Alfred standing, hands shaking and eyes wide as he stared at the body crumpled on the floor; one of his father's guns was held loosely in his hands and dropped while the redhead watched.

The boy's voice quivered and his eyes stayed glued to the man he'd shot, his cheeks pale. The telepath didn't need his talent to see shock setting in and rolled slowly to his side and pushed up, jaw tight against the pain.

It was nudged over with a toe and he scooped it up to wipe down before he dug in the blood wet pockets, taking an extra gun, a knife, and the key to his cuff. Once it was off, a gentle touch drew the boy to his side and a slender hand pressed to his forehead.

Wide, slightly glazed eyes rolled back and the teen collapsed as his former protector wiped his memories from the day they'd met straight through to the last words he spoke. He knew the boy wanted to leave with him, escape from his safe life but he was a child and would never survive, not in his world.

From a distance, he felt bad for taking months of the boy's life but it was best if he didn't remember; just to make sure, the memories were shredded and distributed throughout the young mind, tucked under years old memories of birthday parties, old sibling grudges, and lectures on responsibility. A final pat and he carried the slim body to the bed and tied him with sheets, making sure he was facing away from the cooling pool of blood and the body in the center; one last ruffle of the lengthening bangs and he turned away.

A cautious open scan of the building showed another six agents, all medium to high range talents. As tempting as it was to just kill everyone, and he was reasonably certain he could, he had to get somewhere safe and send out a warning. With any luck it would arrive before Esset hit the base.

Soft steps sped down the hall to Alfred's room where he jumped from the balcony and fell a solid two stories. Impact was hard and he rolled to crouch beside the hedge, breathing heavily and hoping that harsh sting in his foot didn't signify a broken bone. Careful pressure proved it to be bruised and maybe turned, but not broken; he picked up the mental communication sending out the alert to find him and ducked lower. The less he had to use his talent, the better.

The cars were just around the corner and he found one guard pacing the area, keeping a close eye out for an escape attempt. Long hair shook at their foolishness; surely they weren't depending on their little devices to keep him down? Apparently so as the young agent turned abruptly at his approach, terror at seeing him without the cuff and in possession of a weapon.

Power swirled at him and was deflected with a smirk, blasting the area around the redhead before he took complete control, using the young talent to blow up three of the vehicles, leaving himself one. Shouting started from the house while he stared into the wide eyes, watching with pleasure as the boy, barely twenty, caught the gun he tossed and raised it to his head. Fear and tears covered the young face before the crack of the shot crashed over the compound. The engine rolled over easily and the telepath stomped his foot to the floor in a scream of tires; confusion and rage followed him and he laughed briefly before he picked up the thought of using the chancellor's vehicles and sped up.

The gun had to go and he emptied it, tossing the bullets out before the weapon to spread his psychic scent around a bit. Inventory showed him to have only his light travel shoes, his brightly colored indoor coat, the knife he'd stolen, Brad's plane tickets in his pocket in anticipation of leaving, and his talent; not much to escape with. The car was empty of useful tools, money, passports, anything he could use. While he thought about what to do, pursuit trickled into his head; his shields were mostly down, reaching as far as possible and even through the younger telepath's shields, he picked them out a few car lengths away.

Skillful manipulation of his own shields camouflaged him from immediate recognition but he had to beat them to the airport with enough leeway to vanish. His foot pressed more firmly and the car shot forward, zipping into nearly nonexistent spaces in traffic. When he arrived, he didn't bother hiding the car, just dropped it into park and let the gears grind loudly as he flung the door open and scrambled to get his footing.








I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. It wasn't really written in a chapter format, so I'm finding break points as I go along. Review, please! It makes me happy and I write faster when I'm happy. The story is almost finished and I'll be posting every other day, so watch for me!