[AV] Taggin' and Baggin' [Graft]

The Step Back Inn was not the most glamorous of motels. As a matter of fact, on the spectrum of good hotels versus bad hotels, it was a few notches below those Motel 5’s and Marriott’s that could be found in every dive corner from the California to Vermont. It had an average of a one-half to two star ratings, Yelp reviews containing some of the seediest and downright awful pictures and experiences that were imaginable. And yet, for as many health code violations as it had, for as many times as people threatened to burn it down for the brown water that poured out of the faucets, the Step Back Inn managed to survive another day.

This particular evening, in one of the cleanlier rooms, a night of bliss and animalistic lust had occurred. Evidence of this could be seen thanks to the strewn about clothing and the open beer bottles that sat upon the side tables and the dresser. Tangled in sheets upon the bed, were two figures, one happily sleeping with shaved head and covered in tattoos, the other laid upon his back, staring up at the ceiling, his expression not as relaxed.

Though relaxation should have flooded through his body, the caramel skinned man with the shaggy black hair, mustache and goatee, his mind was anywhere but restful. His hand resting upon his firm, bare chest, he idly ran his fingers across his skin, his eyes sunken and cast over the smallest sense of what could only be identified as shame. His sleeping partner, the tattooed man, grumbled in his sleep as he nudged closer to the nearest warm body – Akshay scooted further away, careful to not wake up.

A deep breath and Akshay mumbled wordlessly to himself before he finally decided to remove himself from the bed. Carefully he pulled off the sheets that covered him from his waist down, turned and sat up at the edge of the bed. His bedmate was a light sleeper, it would seem, as he grumbled and opened on slit of an eye to stare at Akshay’s back.

“Daniel?” he whispered softly. He reached out, his hand touched Akshay’s back briefly before plopping back down onto the soft bed; he was already snoring again.

Akshay didn’t bother to glance back over his shoulder as he muttered, ”Go back to sleep.” Though it was uncertain if he was talking to his bedmate for the evening or himself.

With a shake of his head, Akshay reached over to the bedside table, passed the empty bottles of alcohol, and plucked up his phone. Holding it up, he tapped the screen until he came across the last message he had received before his evening began.



Another deep breath. He had every right to feel like absolute crap. Akshay really was supposed to be on assignment but this here, this had just been a side journey, a need for some stress relief. But damned if he didn’t want to rake himself through the coals for this behavior. But he would still beat himself down while getting dressed, couldn’t he?

The rest blurred as Akshay picked himself up out of bed, retrieved his clothing, and wandered into the shower. The water was jot upon his skin but he didn’t wince or bother with turning it down, instead using it to scour his recent time off of his flesh. By the time he was done, he had sufficiently fogged up the mirrors so only gave himself the quickest of combs with his fingers, and dressed one more in his suit and shoes. It would be fortuitous because no sooner had he finished than his phone vibrated in his hand.

Quietly he closed the bathroom door and held the phone up to his ear. ”Malik.”

He listened…his assigned partner for the day was waiting for him outside. Buttoning up his suit of the deepest black, Akshay stepped out and noticed two things: 1.) his bedmate was starting to sit up groggily in bed, and 2.) he could see a beacon on the street just outside of his hotel room. It burned, bright, and signaled that a mutant was nearby – that could only be his co-worker. Feeling that familiar burn of a migraine, Akshay pulled a jingling bottle of pills from his coat, removed a painkiller, and popped it between his lips. Grabbing an open container of beer, he knocked back the room temperature contents and swallowed his medication.

A sigh and a turn of his neck, Akshay set the bottle down and looked up just as his bedmate gained enough understanding to know Akshay was in the room and fully dressed. The agent said nothing to him as he took a step to the left, his eyes flaring a neon red and his body enveloped by mist. Moments later, Akshay would be on the street in the cool, night air of New York City. There he could already see the form of his comrade waiting for him. He nodded as he walked up, leaving a trail of mist behind him as it dissipated in the open air.

”Graft,” he greeted with a nod of his head.