13 | sagitta

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"A HOTEL?"

"Yes," Axel nods as nonchalantly as he can, wrapping an arm around Stella's waist.

Kyrell narrows his eyes. "I thought the Italian Mafia had a base at the outskirts of the city?"

Interesting.

Axel shrugs, neither confirming nor denying it. "My woman and I need alone time."

"I see," Kyrell says, the suspicion still etched across his features, even as another man in uniform rushes forward. 

Fortunately, for the second time, he still doesn't notice who it is.

"Your keys, sir," Corban says, in the same snobbish accent, briefly lifting his eyes to meet Axel's.

Kyrell's gaze remains unwaveringly fixed on the couple, even as he takes the keys from his grasp, tilting his head to one side.

"Tomorrow then, Mr. Bernardi," he says finally, "I'm looking forward to seeing you and your fiancée for lunch."

"We'll be there, Mr. Blackwood," Axel says in reply, raising a hand to give him a two-fingered wave in farewell, "Goodnight."

He turns around before Kyrell can respond, gently pulling Stella along, as her heels clicked against the pavement. When they were about a hundred meters away from the club, Axel brought a hand to his ear.

"Back on comms," he murmurs discreetly, as Stella leans into him, "What's the status?"

Corban's voice comes first.

"The bug is in place," he says, "in his car keys. Bea?"

"Yeah, I'm heading towards Gale's van outside," Bea's voice says, and after some indiscreet scuffling from her end, her voice is heard again, "There you are, how's it going G?"

"Both the tracker and the audio signals are working perfectly," Gale says, and they can hear the discreet tapping of keys from his end. "And uh—"

"Well, shit," they hear Bea say, "he's sending men on your tail."

"Crap," Axel hisses, making Stella look up at him, with raised eyebrows.

"What?" she whispers curiously, leaning further into him.

"We," Axel controls the urge to turn behind and draw out his gun, "have people following us. Right now."

Stella only frowns for a second, before shrugging.

"I know," she says in a voice that implied it was obvious, "I counted three."

Incredulous silence follows.

"Um-" Gale sounds baffled, "Yeah, she's-she's right—there are three men following you."

"How far behind?" Axel shakes off his own surprise, discreetly looking over his shoulders. Even in the darkness, for a second he thought he saw a few shadows move.

"They can't be that far behind," Gale says, his voice drowning out the sound of computer keys tapping. "I can try accessing the cameras on the street— I need a few more seconds-"

"Boss?" Axel murmurs, nuzzling his nose into Stella's hair so that no one can see his mouth move. "We can't return to HQ with people tailing us."

"I know," he hears Corban say, past some muffled rustling on his end, "Carry on with the plan. There's a hotel exactly five hundred meters away from the club, and there's a room for two booked under Matteo Bernardi. I had someone fill the room with whatever you need, just in case."

Axel's eyebrows shoot up. So, Corban had anticipated all that, then?

"Erm thanks," he says, clearing his throat.

"Cut the comms for now," Corban continues, "We'll reconnect tomorrow two hours before you leave, alright?"

"Yeah, alright," Axel says, though he can't shake the confusion away. If Corban knew that this was a possibility, how come he never brought that up while they were planning the operation?

Before he can ask anything about it, however, there's a small buzz in his earpiece, and the sound goes out.

"Is that the hotel we're supposed to be staying at?" Stella asks, making him follow her line of vision to the tall, fancy-looking building they were nearing.

"Yes," Axel turns his confused frown to her, "you knew about it too?"

"I didn't," Stella shakes her head, eyes of emerald peering up at the tall building, "I just heard what Corban said to you."

Through my earpiece? How on earth? Axel pulls a face but doesn't question it, even as they make their way inside, with his arm still around her.

A few gazes linger, both men and women alike, but a single glare from both Axel and Stella has them instantly averting their gazes. When they finally stand in front of the reception desk, he clears his throat.

Yes?" the woman at the reception says, without looking up from her computer.

"I have a reservation under Matteo Bernardi," he says, switching back to the deep Italian drawl, and it instantly makes her look up at him.

Her jaw drops.

It takes another minute of evident gawking, and Axel pointedly clearing his throat- until she finally snaps out of it.

"Of course, sir," she says sweetly with a giggle, making him raise an eyebrow. "Have you been liking our hotel so far?"

"Yes," he says curtly, "My fiancée and I think it's lovely."

"Fiancée?" he was sure he had never seen someone's smile drop that quick, as the woman's eyes finally find Stella's. For an odd reason, that he wasn't sure of himself, he wanted to smirk at that.

"Oh," she says, unsuccessfully hiding the distaste in her voice, as her eyes give Stella a once over. "Didn't see you there."

Stella only narrows her eyes at the woman.

For a few seconds, he was almost worried because he could feel the heat of her glare, and just as he's about to intervene, she speaks.

"You should check your nose."

"My wh- Excuse me?" the woman looks appalled, jerking her head back as her eyes widen comically.

"You should check your nose," Stella repeats stoically, narrowing her eyes more in challenge, as she crosses her arms across her chest, involuntarily leaning further into him.

Fuck. That was not hot- push it away-

The woman opens her mouth, her eyes still wide with offense- but the trickle of blood that abruptly runs down her nose, making her pause instantly.

"Oh," she stutters, scrambling for a tissue, "I- sorry, I'm not sure how that happened, here-here's your card, sir-"

She tries to smile at Axel, but he only returns an awkward, confused frown of his own as he takes it and tugs a very satisfied-looking Stella away.

"I-I'd love to see you again, sir!" the woman calls out, almost desperately in the last second.

Stella stifles a laugh, "I'm sure."

When she sees the look he's giving her, she widens her eyes innocently. "What?"

"Sheesh," he mutters, as he tugs her into the elevator, pressing on their floor number, "you glared at her hard enough to make her nose bleed."

She only gives him a smile that suddenly has him rethinking the truth of what he just said.

"I did no such thing," she says sweetly, patting his chest.

Axel only raises an eyebrow at her, bringing a hand up to flick her nose gently. "You did look like you wanted to hit her."

"That, I did," she admits begrudgingly with a sigh, leaning her head onto his chest as it vibrates with a deep chuckle. "You think I should have?"

"Maybe another time," he says, with another chuckle, and as silence settles between them, and the hum of the elevator music plays overhead, suddenly-

-He's very, very aware of the space- or lack of, rather, between them.

It's a thought that had drifted into his mind more often than he'd have preferred. He didn't know why he was so comfortable with holding her and pretending like she was with him- but she didn't seem to mind either, because she was just as comfortable, if not more.

He, for one, certainly wasn't complaining.

The only problem was that it brought around the unwarranted thoughts that he desperately wanted to avoid. For both her sake and his.

The universe, on the other hand, seemed to think the exact opposite.

Because as they stepped into the hotel room that they were supposed to spend the night at after Stella very excitedly swiped the key card- another issue that would undoubtedly bring back the feelings he was trying so hard to evade, became very apparent.

There was only one bed.

Constellations were something very human.

The stars didn't name themselves, neither did they align in the skies to tell the tales of the earth.

But the earthlings decided that they'd look at those bright specks in their night sky and give them names just like their own. They decided that they'd tell their stories, using those very stars whose dust they were birthed from.

So, Stella found herself outside on the balcony of their hotel room, squinting at the night sky, trying to decipher their patterns. Even as the angel of the stars, she had never been one to try and learn the constellations, because she knew the stars of the universe- and their alignment was relative everywhere.

But now? She found herself thinking about them. Maybe it was because of Axel, maybe it wasn't, but she was more curious than ever.

Even as the door slides open behind her, she doesn't turn around.

"What were you doing?" she asks, still looking up at the sky.

"Oh I-" he hesitates, "I was just setting some blankets and pillows on the ground. You can sleep on the bed, tonight."

"What?" she turns to him incredulously, to see him awkwardly scratching his neck, "Why?"

He shrugs, still awkward. "I-I didn't want to make you uncomfortable or something-"

"You wouldn't ever make me uncomfortable," she says, giving him an incredulous look, "Why would you think that?"

He tilts his head, giving her an odd look before he looks away.

And then the realization hits her.

Sleeping in the same bed was something intimate when it came to humans. Most humans only shared beds with their significant other, and as weirdly warm as it made her feel to be his pretend fiancée, she wasn't his significant other.

Oh.

"I can sleep on one side, and you can sleep on the other," she reassures him, giving him the best smile she can muster as her cheeks heat up, "That way we'd both be comfortable."

He nods, as he comes to stand beside her, his fingers curling around the railing with a clink- as the metal of his rings makes contact with it.

"Were you looking at the stars?"

"I was," she admits, looking back up at the sky. It wasn't as dark as she'd have preferred it to be, but the brightest stars were still visible.

"You see those three stars there?" he murmurs suddenly, extending a hand over her shoulder, bending closer to her. "They form the belt of the constellation Orion."

"Orion?" she finds herself leaning into his warmth almost unconsciously, her eyes wide as they find those stars.

"The hunter," he tells her, "the one Artemis fell in love with. Her brother, Apollo, tricked her into killing him. See, that star on top? That's called Betelguese, and that's the brightest star in the constellation-"

"Beetle-juice?" Stella wrinkles her nose at him, "Why would you call a star Beetle-juice?"

Axel chuckles, biting his lip. "It isn't called Beetle-juice, it's just pronounced that way. And it's a very cool star because scientists think it's going to explode somewhere in the next hundred thousand years in a supernova, and from the records of the few supernovae that have been documented, they last in the sky for weeks-"

And suddenly, Stella understands something about earthlings.

She understands why humans name the stars and tell the tales of Andromeda, Orion, and Gemini, she understands why only rare earthlings find something as seemingly simple as a vast universe so enchanting, she understands why those who believe strive to venture light years away from their home, and she for the first time, she truly understands what it is to love the stars.

Maybe it's him, maybe it isn't- but Stella can't stop staring.

Because there are stars, constellations, and galaxies in his eyes alone- a whole universe of his own- and suddenly the night sky seems all but mundane.

"-and that's why," he turns to her with that same excited grin, "if someone asked me where I'd go on an adventure, you know what I'd say?"

She tilts her head in question.

He turns back to the sky, with the same care-free smile.

"Ad Astra."

To the stars.

To her.

A whole planet, an entire solar system- and here stood a man who wanted to venture to the stars. Her heart skips a beat.

"To the stars," he translates, mistaking her silence for confusion, "There's a whole universe out there, who am I to restrict myself to Earth?"

And there's another thing she realizes, as she continues to look at him. Something that wove together all the stars, and galaxies in his eyes- like dark matter. Invisible, but there.

A part of Axel already loved her, even if he didn't know it himself.

But she knew that she'd break his heart, and a part of her own when she left him after this was over.

"Thank you," is all she can manage, but even to her own ears, it sounds weak.

Axel turns to her, and for a man so adept at killing, his eyes were remarkably soft.

"For what?" he questions softly.

"For telling me about them," she smiles softly, reaching forward to interlace their fingers, "You'll tell me about the stars, again, won't you?"

He squeezes her hand gently, rubbing the back of her palm with the pad of his thumb.

"Next time," he tells her softly, "I'll tell the stars about you."

And she can only force herself to smile, even as he squeezes her hand once more, and tells her that it's time they get some rest because the next day was an important one.

As he tugs her into the confines of their room, however, she catches sight of her reflection once more.

In the pools of green in her eyes, the tiny fleck of grey was now a streak.

There was a hand running through her hair.

A large, rough- but warm hand, was gently stroking her curls, even as she snuggled further into the hard warmth that surrounded her.

"Stella," a deep voice rumbles tiredly, as the warmth underneath her vibrates. "Stella, wake up."

"No."

The warmth beneath her vibrated again. This time however, it sounded a lot like a laugh.

She mumbles a weak, sluggish protest, tightening her hold on the warmth- and the hand that was in her hair moved to gently rub her back.

"It's half past ten in the morning," the deep, hoarse voice says, "We've got a mission today, remember?"

While half her brain was still asleep, the half that was starting to wake had begun to realize that the warmth that surrounded her certainly wasn't the blanket.

Blankets didn't feel like a pair of muscular arms wrapped around her, neither did they feel like a pair of long legs tangled with hers. And blankets didn't have a long, hard, distinct lump near their-

To say that she had shot straight out of his hold, mortified, was an understatement. Uncontrollable heat had risen to her cheeks, while he had done nothing but chuckle in response, his laugh deeper than usual- still thick with sleep, as he stretched, muscles rippling.

Even if it was hours ago, the self-satisfied smirk on Axel's face hadn't died down, and the uncontrollable blush on Stella's face hadn't learned to stay hidden either.

"Quit it," she grumbled to him, as he helped her out of the car, placing a hand on the small of her back.

"I'm not doing anything," he shoots back teasingly, as his hold on Stella tightens. For a moment, however, he turns to her- and the playful expression morphs into a somber one as he leans closer.

"You've got everything you need, haven't you?" he murmurs against her jaw.

"I have," Stella can feel the cool metal of her daggers strapped to her thigh, along with the odd assortment of weapons her dress concealed. "You?"

"Yes," Axel inconspicuously feels for his gun one more, "Comms?"

"Here," comes Bea's voice, "I'm in van one, I'm tracking you and Stella."

"In van two," says Gale, the distinct sound of computer keys from his end, "I'm still tracking the bug signals. I'm sending everyone access to this house's security in a bit-"

"At HQ," Corban confirms. "Move in, Axe, and be careful."

"Aight," Axel murmurs back, "See you on the other side."

It had all been going according to plan.

Lunch had gone perfectly well, without Kyrell Blackwood suspecting a thing.

Evidently, there was a certain amount of skepticism that his features held ever since he welcomed them into his abode, but he did nothing to show it, instead conversing with them like they were old friends.

"It's been lovely, really," Kyrell comments, twirling a toothpick between his teeth, "The chefs whipped up something great, and you came on time. Someone once came an hour late, and I nearly shot them in the head."

"I would've done it," Axel nods very seriously, to which Kyrell snorts. 

"The next time I choose to invite you over, you could shoot any guest that comes late," he says, "I give you full permission."

"I believe there won't be a next time, Mr. Blackwood," Axel leans back, twirling the drink in his glass, but being careful not to sip it, "As wonderful as it has been so far, we did come here for business, si?"

Kyrell raises an eyebrow, with a shrug. "Fair enough. Seth, bring the files

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