『Chapter Twenty-Three』
『the hunting worries』

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Adrian set his course onto the Benatar. Yondu allowed Adrian to see exactly where Jace was, and it was then that he noticed that the ship was on the move. He had managed to easily hack into the system used and copy it for his own ship, which hadn't taken him long. It was something that satisfied him more than he thought about it. There was something about all of it which amused him, to watch the dot of the Benatar move to wherever it was going.

He knew that it was best for him to wait till they land in order to then strike them down and hopefully grab Jace. Adrian wanted the money which he would get for this job, he knew that he would be getting a lot, at least then he could at least live in some form of peace for a while. Adrian had been trying to get into contact with Odin, yet he could never find a way to. There was a part of him which thought that maybe he forgot to ask about it or the fact that maybe they didn't have advanced technology yet.

He shrugged to himself, either way Adrian would find a way to contact Odin to inform him on his progress with the half-breed. He knew that he wanted to keep Odin in the loop of everything, he was sure that Odin would've wanted such a thing, but he shook his head, knowing that there were other things for him to worry about.

There was a part of Adrian that was a little confused with what kind of trouble this half-breed could cause for Odin and his people. Clearly, if there was a large problem with him, then wouldn't Odin made sure to have this half-breed with him? Adrian thought that considering that Jace stopped Ronin from destroying Xandar, then wouldn't that be clear that Jace was to be trusted without being under watch of Odin?

He shook his head; he was thinking way too much into all of this. Adrian had tried to remind himself that he was in this for the money and nothing else. Yet the ongoing thought of what Yondu had said about Jace went through his head.

"Jace is a good kid," Yondu had said. "He has the biggest heart for those he cares about. It won't be easy for you to separate him from his friends—he'll think that you're going for them and will attack you when it comes to it."

It had been Yondu who had told him about Jace's advantages of which he has against his crew and Quill. How Jace had more strength and advancements from his mother's heritage than Terra. Yondu had even told Adrian that Jace was smart enough to trick him—which Adrian scoffed at. Yondu told Adrian that out of both Jace and Peter, Jace was the one who was far more bloodthirsty in a fight, that if Adrian was to ever fight Jace, there was a chance that he'd overthrow Adrian no matter what. It was something that Adrian didn't want to believe if it was true, knowing that it was something that he'd rather see himself.

Adrian was glad to have gotten the information from Yondu, given that it allowed him to get a better understanding of Jace than anything else. With that he was told about Jace, he felt as if there was a chance that maybe he could plan out exactly what he was going to do. There was something comforting in knowing who he was going up against, to know that Peter was a weakness that Adrian could exploit if needed to be. There was something about how easy all of this felt to him, he wanted to panic but the thought of knowing who Jace was and what to expect was something he found joy in.

He wanted to continue his plan of attack in order to get Jace with him, though he felt tired. For Adrian It was a busy day or two for him where all he wanted to do was sleep. As much as he wanted to continue to plan for all of this, he knew that it was best if he slept in preparation for what was to come. He kept his ship on auto pilot, following the Benatar wherever they were going. Adrian hoped that maybe he would catch Jace and his friends whenever he woke up.

There was a part of Adrian that wondered just how much of a fight Jace's friends would give him. from Yondu he'd gotten the information that one of Thanos' children was part of the Guardian's which was something that Adrian knew he'd enjoy more than anything if they were to fight one another. He'd wondered just how that fight would happen between them and who would win.

Adrian shook his head, making an attempt to sleep. And yet sleep didn't seem like an option at all, his mind had kept going to what would happen if he found Jace. On every other mission he was assigned, it would be the case of murdering them and bring back the body—it was a rare occasion which he would have to locate and return a person when needed. Yet even so, those kind of jobs had never prevented Adrian from sleeping.

He knew that he needed to keep his head straight throughout all of this. He couldn't risk having his mind overrun by thoughts which he couldn't control. Adrian knew that he had to snap out of all of this, these thoughts were a distraction one of which always clouded the task at hand. He knew the risks of his mind being overrun with thoughts that he couldn't control, he knew that it was something that he needed to snap out of as quick as he could.

And yet, what if all of this failed? Adrian's first ever job from the king of Asgard—a job involving Asgard—and he didn't want to screw it up. He never screwed up a job at all, yet even if he did muck up this job in particular, he felt as if he failed. This was a job that Adrian longed for, it was something that he'd wanted more than anything, he'd always wanted a job based around Asgard—whether it be hunting someone on the planet or getting a job there—he always wanted to be on that planet.

Asgard had always interested Adrian which is why he wanted the job. He'd heard stories from other people that crossed paths with those from Asgard whether they were good or bad, he'd heard chatter on what Asgard looked like, and it was something that always captivated Adrian. Though he knew what Asgard looked like now, it was something that still captivated him. It was like a dream come true for Adrian to be given this job, and yet to know that he actually been set a job, he felt that if he fucked it up then that was it for him. Not in the sense of potentially being killed, but if he didn't complete this job then he feared that he would not get another job there again.

He wanted nothing more than to please Odin so that there might be a chance that he'd get another little job. All Adrian wanted to do was please the king and hope that he does well. Even if Odin wasn't pleased with his work, then there was a small part of Adrian which hoped that someone else on Asgard would try and hire him for whatever reason. He just hoped that he can do good or as good as he can get.

Yet what made him think otherwise was how difficult this job might be. Yes, Adrian knew what kind of person Jace was, yet what he is not sure on was the type of skill set Jace was on. He understood that obviously he would have the fighting skills of a thief, yet the strength and such of which Jace might hold was something Adrian wasn't sure on. He knew that there was a chance that Jace could be gifted in more ways than one, which was what made Adrian think that this could be hard for him.

As much as Adrian knew that he could probably take Jace in a fight, he knew that he had the strength to go against a half-Asgardian, but it didn't stop him from doubting himself. Adrian took in a small breath. He was a trained assassin, he fought against beings that were harder for him to kill. He'd fought against an Eternal once, that was hard, though he managed to take one down. He tried to remind himself that no matter what, he'd be able to take Jace even if it does prove difficult.

Adrian's eyes felt heavy, yet his mind went everywhere, wanting to stay awake. He knew that he had to sleep yet the continued thoughts of everything took hold of him. Adrian let out a sigh, forcing himself to sleep, maybe that would stop the ongoing thoughts turning over in his mind. He'll make a plan when he wakes up, he'll think all of this through when the time comes. Right now, all that he needed was rest.

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Peter and Gamora were sat in both of the pilot seats, watching as the stars and planets moved slowly past them. Gamora told Rocket and Drax, even Groot to all get some rest. Peter found himself worrying too much about what Yondu warned them about, it was like the conversation was repeating though his head over and over again, making him almost sick with worry. As much as Peter joked over the fact that there was someone out there who was bound to get Jace killed, he hadn't expected it to be taken literally.

As much as Peter knew that Jace could protect himself and had the ability to do as such, there was still a large part of Peter which felt protective still. Sometimes, when Peter looks at Jace, he can't help but see that small terrified eight-year-old that used to wake up from nightmares that Peter couldn't grasp. He couldn't help but see Jace as this terrified child who wondered whether some King was going to kill him in the same way that his mother was killed.

That was who Peter wanted to protect so desperately, even now. Even while knowing that Jace was more than capable to protect himself from any danger that might come at him, there was still a large part of Peter that wanted to protect him. All that Peter wanted to do was to protect Jace from anything that came at him, he wanted to make sure that nothing could hurt Jace.

As much as he tried to joke and push aside his fear that the King that killed Jace's mother would come back to find Jace, there was still a small part of Peter that feared that the king would. He remembered when Jace came to him after his breakup with Kain, he remembered how Jace mentioned that Kain was a prince, it was enough to send Peter into that small panic that Kain's father was the king that might've killed Jace's mother, though he knew that it didn't make sense.

Peter found himself wondering whether or not this king is the one to have sent an assassin after Jace, he worried that there was a chance that this assassin would kill Jace. Ever since Jace offhandedly mentioned that the Emperor—Kain's father—was sending assassins after him, that was something else that made Peter afraid for Jace's safety.

It was like the world was against Jace and that was something that Peter was afraid of. All that he wanted to do was to protect Jace and he felt like it was something that he might not be able to do. He was afraid that he might not be able to protect the man that he sees as his brother. He wanted to protect Jace as much as he could, wanted nothing more than to make sure that nothing and no one could hurt Jace, though Peter knew that it would be something hard enough for him to do.

"What are we going to do?" Gamora asked. It was enough to snap Peter out of his thoughts and his worries that he had about his need to protect Jace. "We have to tell him that someone out there is trying to kill him."

Peter shook his head. "We can't. Yondu didn't want him to know which could mean that it's bad," he let out a sigh. As much as Peter wanted to tell Jace about all of it, he knew how Jace would act when he realises that an assassin is after him specifically, that even Yondu didn't want him to know. "Jace would overthink all of this, he'd probably try and do some stupid self-sacrificing shit which would be more dangerous than anything."

That and the fact that he knew that Jace would assume the worst and would act out because of it. The last thing that Peter wanted was for Jace to act out, he wouldn't be able to handle what Jace might do. It was worse now that Kain was here, now that the person who broke Jace's heart was here once more. Having Kain here on top of knowing that an assassin was now after Jace was doing to be the death of him.

"Well, we can't simply keep it from him Peter!" Gamora snapped. There was this look on Gamora's face, something inside of him when Gamora spoke like that to him, as much as he knew that now wasn't the time for him to feel something, he couldn't help but feel something for Gamora. He had since he met her.

Peter gave her a longing look. "Gamora, trust me. I know Jace, I know that if we tell him that an assassin is after him, he'll run—it's the one thing of which he's good at. But running away doesn't last long and if we allow him to do that then he'd probably die alone without the people he cares about around him. He'll separate from all of us if we tell him which will leave him unprotected, therefore he'd die. It's either that or he'll run towards the assassin, knowing that bloodshed is something that he'd crave."

He didn't want to think about what Jace would do, as much as he knew that there was more of a chance that Jace would run if it meant protecting Kain—because realistically, he'd drag Kain with him—and that was something that Peter didn't want. No matter how selfish it sounded, he wanted Jace to stay with him, to stay beside him where Peter could keep an eye on his younger brother in order to protect him as much as he could.

Gamora narrowed her eyes at Peter. "I do trust you, Peter. But how do we know that we can keep it? How Drax and Rocket will keep it? This is important not only to Jace but to all of us. If this assassin gets to Jace, will you be able to move on?"

"I don't want to think about what ifs. He'll survive if we stay by his side, all of us," Peter told with a weak smile. Gamora hadn't said anything in response, she just nodded.

In all honesty, he didn't want to think about what life would be like without Jace in his life. He knew that Jace was gone, he wouldn't know what to do, he'd feel lost. Although he'd been in space a lot longer than Jace had been, it felt as if Jace was always by his side since the beginning, Jace was his brother—is his brother—the one thing that he was always worried about was no longer having Jace to rely on.

Both Peter and Gamora shared a small look as if they came to the understanding that they needed to protect Jace from whoever the assassin was. If there was one thing that Peter knew, it was the fact that he knew that Gamora liked Jace, he was the kindest person that Peter had met, sometimes—most of the time—can be the most annoying bastard to walk but still kind. Peter was sure that when it came down to it, the pair of them would do their best in order to protect Jace.

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Both Kain and Jace was in his room, the pair of them were trying to catch up as best that they could. The one thing that Jace wasn't sure he was picking up on properly was how awkward all of this felt, he wasn't sure if it was just because of him or whether it was the pair of them. As much as he knew that he still feels everything for Kain, there's still a massive pit of guilt that resided in Jace's heart when he looked at Kain.

There was something about seeing Kain here which Jace hated, not because he didn't want Kain here, more in the sense that he hated that Kain was here because of him. That if it wasn't for Jace interfering in Kain's life then there was a chance that Kain would've been able to live his life comfortably. That was what Jace hated more than anything.

To hear everything that Kain had to do in order to survive was something that hurt Jace more than anything. He knew that it wasn't something that he lived, there was still a large part of Jace that felt as if he should've known that this was something that was going to happen. If he'd have known, he would've either taken Kain with him or wouldn't have gotten involved.

Kain looked at Jace and for a moment Jace felt as if his heart stopped beating. Every time that Jace looked at Kain, he was reminded on how beautiful Kain was. Kain's skin was a deep purple, his eyes blue though looked silver in the minimal light, there were these small star-like shapes beside Kain's left eye which were silver. The stars beside Kain's eye was something that made Jace believe that they could be birthmarks or tattoos, but he never wanted to ask. Kain always looked beautiful, always, and it made Jace hate how much time was between them since the last time they saw one another.

"Your staring." Kain commented. Even the sound of Kain's voice made Jace's heart beat that little faster. And yet, the pain of knowing just how badly Jace fucked up Kain's life hit him more than anything.

"Sorry." Jace muttered, looking away.

Kain was sat on Jace's bed, Jace was on the chair he'd fallen asleep on beforehand. As much as Jace knew Kain made him feel everything that he did, there was still a part of him that was worried about what he'd do if he was closer to Kain.

When Jace looked back to Kain, he'd noticed the way that Kain played with the medallion that Jace got him when they were dating. The sight of it gave Jace this twisted hope that there was a chance that they could date once again, though it was a twisted thought, he knew that Kain probably wouldn't want to date him again after everything that he'd done.

Jace remembered that on the medallion there was an engravement written on the back which read; 'I love you till the day I die,'. It had been one of the things of which they had said continually that Jace had to get it engraved onto it. He remembered that he'd got the medallion made on Kain's planet, Xopheila had amazing jewellers who originally thought that it was for a girlfriend who they thought Jace was proposing to. Though when he now looked at it, Jace couldn't help but smile, a part of him which hadn't expected Kain to still have it.

Jace found himself shifting, moving closer, he reached out and lightly touched the medallion. There was a part of Jace that wondered whether it was just a fragment of his imagination, though to feel the cool metal of the necklace it brought back a new pulse of both pain and love for Kain.

"Jace." Kain whispered. Jace looked up to Kain, to see the way that Kain looked at him. "Stop pushing me away."

Jace stared at him for a moment. "I'm scared that I'll hurt you again." He couldn't help the small sound of pain which came out of his mouth at the thought of hurting Kain again. He'd rather hurt himself than allow such a thing to happen.

"You won't." Kain spoke. "You won't hurt me like that, I have you here with me, and we're safe here. You said that we'll be safe together on this ship."

Jace found himself shutting his eyes for a moment. He had promised Kain that he'd be safe with them, and that was something that Jace intended to keep as long as he lived. He'd always try and make sure that Kain lived, especially now more than ever. He needed Kain to live. "You are safe here."

"Then stop pushing me away." Kain whispered. "Let me in."

Without thinking, Jace found himself kissing Kain's lips, unable to stop himself. He knew that it was something that he shouldn't do, but he couldn't help himself, something about the way that Kain was staring at him drove him insane. He felt the way that Kain's fingers tangled in his hair, the way that Kain touched him in response of Jace kissing him. Jace could feel the way that he pushed Kain down on his back, the way that Kain's lips felt on his own, it was driving him insane.

His thoughts were all about the way that Kain responded to him, the way that Kain tugged on his hair, the way that Kain's body curved into his own, the way that Kain touched him. It was intoxicating, like this was all that Jace craved ever since he laid eyes on Kain, ever since he remembered everything that he'd ever felt about Kain.

Jace found himself kissing Kain's neck, biting ever so slightly at where Kain was sensitive there. He could feel the way that Kain wrapped his legs around Jace's waist, tugging gently at his hair. And yet, Jace found himself biting at Kain's neck as if he was starved of such an action. Kain felt warm under his touch that it was making Jace's mind spiral more than anything. His thoughts consisted of Kain and how he felt under his touch. Jace's own hands were under Kain's shirt, touching lightly, feeling how warm his skin was and how fast Kain's heartbeat was. His hand made it under Kain's trousers, groping Kain's dick underneath the thin fabric that covered it.

He felt the way that Kain jerked slightly, as if being touched there was something that he didn't expect. Jace kissed Kain once more, only harder, like he was starving for such a thing, his hand played with Kain's dick as if it was the one thing that Jace wanted more than anything else. He could feel the way that Kain gasped against his lips, it felt intoxicating to get some form of reaction out of Kain.

What snapped Jace out of his thoughts was hearing the way that Kain moaned. It was enough to get Jace out of the thoughts he'd created for himself when it came to Kain's touch. He found himself pulling away sharply, looking down at Kain with wide eyes, his removed his hand from Kain's trousers. The feeling of Kain's hand in his hair, left, making Jace almost miss it.

"I'm sorry." Jace said. "I shouldn't have done that."

Kain sat up, his hair was somewhat a mess, and he was panting almost as hard as Jace was. "It's okay, I wanted it."

"I—I..." Jace broke off, he found himself almost running out of the room, wishing that he wasn't such an idiot.