Archive of Our Own ^beta

“You’re asking if you can join the group?” Romeo, the leader of Crimson, questioned, his eyebrow raising. 

The rabbit shook his head. “No, I’m asking for a truce. I think we can help each other out.” 

The cat blinked. “Really?” An amused grin appeared on his face. “And why should I believe you, little bunny?” 

The rabbit’s eyebrows twitched. “Because I know this city better than you and any of your amateur gangsters.” 

Romeo’s eyebrows raised slightly, but he said nothing. He flicked his long tail, signaling for the speaker to continue. 

“I’ve lived in this part of town all my life. I know how to navigate and get my way around here. I can tell you’re new - you’re from the cleaner parts, I can see that by the way you dress. Put frankly, you have no idea what the hell you’re doing.” 

It was quiet for a moment, and the rabbit briefly wondered if he’d overstepped, before Romeo chuckled. 

“I admire your forwardness. It isn’t like you’re incorrect.” He smirked. “And what do I have to give to you?” 

The rabbit’s red eyes stared into the cat’s amber ones. “Money and protection.” He spoke simply. “You have numbers, both in cash and people. All I have is myself and a hundred bucks in my wallet. I’ll give you the guidance you need, and in return, all I ask is that you help me out so I don’t starve or freeze.” 

Romeo considered the guest sitting across from him, his eyes scanning him up and down. The rabbit was clearly fit and experienced, judging by the old scars on his ear and the muscles under his shirt, and if he was correct about knowing the streets Romeo saw more pros than cons in this situation. And he had plenty of spare rooms in the hideout, it would barely put a dent in his budget to make room for one rabbit. 

He held out his paw, smiling. “Let’s make ourselves a deal, boy.” The rabbit stared at Romeo’s outstretched hand as he spoke. “You prove to me, somehow, that you’re worth keeping around, and I’ll let you stay. You’ll have your own room that you can stay in whenever you like. I’ll even give you a regular pay. As long as you keep up your end of the bargain, I’ll keep up mine. Do we have a deal?” 

After a heartbeat of hesitance, the rabbit took the cat’s paw, shaking it. 

“Deal.” 

“I never did ask your name..?” 

“..Veil.” The rabbit grinned. “I look forward to our partnership.” 

“I thought you said you knew what you were doing!!?” Romeo ducked behind a wooden crate as bullets whizzed past them. Veil crouched beside him, arrows in his mouth, focused on loading his crossbow.

“I DO! This shit happens sometimes!” He glanced over the top of the crate, eyes narrowing at the silhouette standing at the end of the street. “Fuck, it’s her.” 

“It’s who?? Do you know her?” Romeo looked over the crate, and another bullet exploded next to his ear, making him hiss. 

Veil shoved the cat down and out of sight. “Not personally. Her name’s Jinx, and she’s pretty infamous in this area. She’s the founder of Indigo, a gang that gets off on making my life hell, apparently.” He scowled, scanning the area. Romeo dared to glance over the crate, and saw a dozen more shadowed figures appear, flanking Jinx. The aforementioned foe seemed to be a hare, but her long cat-like tail led him to assume she was a hybrid. He saw the moon’s light glint off of her unusual violet eyes. 

Veil nudged Romeo, and he looked over at him. The rabbit pulled Romeo’s gun out of his jack pocket and shoved it into his black paws. “Stop panicking. If we work efficiently we can take out all thirteen of them.” 

“Thirteen!? There’s only two of us! How are we-” 

“Shut up! I’ve taken out a gang of thirty foxes before, all on my own.” His torn ear twitched. “Just listen to me, and we can get the hell out of here.” 

Romeo took a deep breath, and decided to trust Veil. It wasn’t like he had any other choice, anyway. He nodded once. 

“We have to rely on pure force and speed for this.” He held up his crossbow. “Shoot as many as you can. Try not to kill them, but aim for their knees or shoulders and make it harder for them to move.” 

“Okay.” 

As Jinx stepped closer, Romeo could see more of her features. She had wiry brown fur, and two horrible scars in between her dark purple eyes. Her face wore a sick grin, her tail flicking side to side. She held up her gun with one of her toned arms. 

“It isn’t like you to cower in a corner, Veil!” She called out, her voice rough and degrading. “It’s no secret that you’ve teamed up with Crimson. And that makes you an even bigger thorn in my side.” 

“If you stopped being an asshole all the time, I would leave you alone!” Veil snarled. 

Romeo blinked, and Jinx was in front of them. She ripped the crate away with one muscular hand. At six feet something, she towered over the both of them. 

“Time’s up, Veil!” She aimed the gun right at his face, bearing her fangs in a wide smile. 

“Romeo, run !” Veil snapped, and Romeo didn’t hesitate. He swerved, and sprinted away from Jinx. The hare-cat turned her head towards him, and Veil used the opportunity to pull his clenched fist back. He clocked Jinx in the face, rocketing her back a few feet and landing her right on her back. 

“FUCK!” She growled, blood dripping from her nose. 

As Veil faced off with her, Romeo was busy with his own gun. Gunshots filled the night as he fired over and over, filling Jinx’s gang with lead. A bear wearing a leather jacket attempted to punch him, but he pulled the trigger at just the right second. The bear’s hand exploded in a mess of red, and it roared. Romeo slammed the heel of the gun down on the bear’s face, blood spurting from its nose. It stumbled back, and turned to run. 

Romeo smirked, relishing a small moment of victory, before cocking his gun once more and aiming at the knee of an approaching tiger. 

A gunshot that did not belong to Romeo rang out through the cold air, and he turned for just a moment to see Veil’s bright white fur dripping red. The rabbit clutched his wounded arm close to him, glaring up at Jinx, who held her gun like a trophy. Feeling his veins pulse with a fiery rage, Romeo turned and sprinted towards her. 

He yanked sharply at her tail, and she hissed, turning her attention to him. Before she could act, Romeo unsheathed his claws, and swiped across her nose. She moved back, clutching her face with the hand that wasn’t holding her gun. There was a loud click, and Jinx’s eyes flashed open, looking at Veil as he hoisted his crossbow. 

“Fuck you, Jinx.” He fired. The arrow sliced through Jinx’s shoulder, tearing through her flesh cleanly. Blood sprayed from the gash, and she screamed. She slapped down on the fresh wound, hissing through her teeth as the blood turned her white top dark. 

“Boss!” One of the few remaining uninjured Indigo members rushed forward. They held their hands out to help her, but she slapped them away. 

“Just- Stop! Let’s go.” She turned away from Veil and Romeo and let her members lead her away. She glared fiercely over her shoulder at them. “This isn’t over. I’ll be back.” 

“That’s what they all say.” Veil said coolly, giving no indication that he was in pain. 

After Jinx and her gang had disappeared, Romeo’s heart had finally slowed down enough for him to speak. “That looks bad.” He glanced at Veil’s arm. 

“I’ll be fine. She just grazed the skin..” He winced, observing the damage. He looked up at Romeo, a look in his eyes that Romeo couldn’t identify. “Does that count as proving myself..?” He commented with a sudden smile. 

Romeo barked a laugh, smirking. “I’d say so.” He held out his hand, which Veil gratefully accepted. “Come on. Let’s get you patched up.” 

He sped down the road. The street lights blurred over him like the thoughts racing through his head. There was only one thing on his mind; rage. His foot stomped down on the gas pedal, and his car roared. 

Romeo knew that he was being chased, but in this state of mind, he might as well turn around and chase him right back. Clutching the steering wheel, he spared a moment to glance in his mirror. His heart froze as the car that was previously on his tail was no longer in sight. 

For a second, he guessed that his pursuer had given up. But he should know better than that. 

There was a thump on the roof of his car. He hissed, and leaned out of his opened window. He looked up, and he stared straight into a pair of red eyes that he’d grown to despise.  

“Veil..!” Romeo growled, and pulled out his gun. Veil moved back right as Romeo fired, the bullet flashing into the sky. The vehicle swerved sharply, and the cat ducked his head back inside to attempt to regain control. But at that point it was too late; the car smashed sideways into a guardrail, and flipped over. In the corner of his eye, Romeo saw a flash of black and white jump away before everything went dark. 

He couldn’t have been out for more than a few seconds. He spit a shard of broken glass out of his mouth, ignoring the salty tang of blood, and shot his leg out towards what remained of the window. He felt his boot break through the glass, and he squirmed out of the opening. 

Back on his feet now, he didn’t bother brushing himself free of glass shards and dirt. His adrenaline screamed, and his body burned; he’d definitely broken something, but it didn’t matter. 

Romeo climbed up the hill, and his sharp eyes scanned the area. His gaze landed on Veil, who was leaning casually against a tree, just a few meters away. 

“You took quite the tumble there, didn’t you?” The rabbit sneered with a grin. “Ah, I haven’t seen that scar of yours in a long time.” 

Romeo felt the cold night’s breeze fresh on his exposed face, and his paw instinctively shot up to cover the scarred flesh. My mask! My fucking mask! He had a moment of panic, - followed by a brief feeling of discouraged realization as he knew he must have lost it when his car crashed - but it was quickly chased away by burning anger.  

“I’ll fucking KILL YOU!” Romeo snarled, and pounced after Veil as the rabbit darted away. His long legs pumped, his lungs throbbing, his arms shaking as he raised his gun. Bullets whizzed past Veil, narrowly avoiding contact with his body as he raced away.

Veil zigged as he ran up a hill, and Romeo nearly stumbled as he tried to keep up. The two were approaching an old, half burnt-down warehouse. Romeo felt his blood run cold. 

Unwillingly, his mind remembered. He remembered the brightness of the flames, remembered the smell of the smoke, remembered the agony of his face peeling apart. He remembered Veil’s eyes, the way he looked at him, the way he left him to die. He remembered Veil’s betrayal.  

He thinks I won’t follow him inside. Romeo thought coldly. He’s always thought I was weak. His pace quickened, somehow, and his legs felt like they were about to turn to ash. He won’t think I’m weak anymore, not after tonight. I’ll make SURE of it.  

Veil disappeared inside the building, slamming the metal door shut right before Romeo could reach it. He grabbed the cold handle and swung it open with almost enough force to rip it off its hinges. He saw Veil’s white tail vanish between aisles of unrecognizable debris, and wasted no time giving chase. 

“You haven’t changed a bit!” Romeo called after him. “Always running!” 

“You haven’t changed either! You’re still a fucking dick!” Veil shouted back. 

The rabbit climbed up onto a shelf, and looked down at Romeo. Except, he wasn’t looking at Romeo ; he was looking at Romeo’s scar. 

“I almost feel bad for giving you that scar. I totally ruined your good looks, didn’t I~?” Veil chuckled darkly. Romeo huffed, feeling more pissed off that he’d ever been in his life. Before either of them could blink, Romeo raised his gun, and snapped the trigger back. The bullet pierced Veil’s shoulder, knocking him back, making him yowl in pain as he fell to the concrete floor. 

Blazing with fury, Romeo made a decision he would regret in the last minutes of his life. He took out his box of matches, and in one swift motion, he lit one. 

He started another fire in the warehouse. 

The scent of burning touched his nose, and he felt his throat tighten. 

“You fucking dumbass!” Veil groaned as he shakily got to his feet. “What the hell did you do!?” 

“It’s called payback!” Romeo cackled as he hoisted his gun, spurring Veil to sprint away from the firing line. 

As the flames rose, Romeo continued to pursue Veil. Finally, he cornered him. For the first time, Romeo saw panic flash in the rabbit’s eyes. Veil unclipped his crossbow from his back, and loaded in an arrow. 

“You know I won’t hold back, Romeo.” He warned. 

“I would hope not.” Romeo aimed his gun at his enemy’s head. Veil raised his crossbow, narrowing his eyes into angry slits. 

Suddenly, Romeo heard creaking from above them. He looked up, and saw one of the few wooden beams breaking into splinters, and his heart stopped beating. In his mind’s eye, he saw Veil’s body crushed beneath the flaming beam, blood dripping from his lifeless mouth, and fear coursed through Romeo’s body like a drug. 

He sprinted forward, suddenly desperate to save his foe from his fate, when a pain greater than anything pierced through him. He stopped in his tracks, and slowly looked down. Sticking out of his abdomen was an arrow. Blood spurted, dripping down his legs, pooling on the floor. He choked on the blood bubbling in his throat. 

Veil and Romeo stared at each other. In the rabbit’s ruby red eyes, tears began to well and break free, rolling down his cheeks with solemn, poetic feeling. With a horrendous crack, the beam fell, and Romeo couldn’t look away as the crossbow was knocked from Veil’s hands and his body crashed to meet the floor. An awful snap filled the cold air. 

“NO!” Romeo screamed, blood dripping from his mouth, the thick smell filling his nose. 

Veil’s claws dug at the floor as he tried to pull himself away, pitiful cries pouring from his mouth. “Ghh- Ro.. Romeo- hgh- hahh..” He sobbed, his body finally falling limp as he succumbed to his demise. 

Romeo stumbled forward, his legs giving out. He fell to his knees, feeling like his body was being torn apart from the inside, and he wanted to scream. Like a limp kitten, he curled up on his side, his face just inches away from Veil’s. 

He didn’t think he’d ever cried in front of Veil before. 

Somehow, it felt freeing. 

God, it was so hot. Even as his vision darkened, the building was so bright . 

“Veil…” Romeo whispered, his voice unable to speak any louder. 

Veil sobbed. “I don’t- I don’t wanna die, Ro.” His voice was small, and instead of seeing the enemy Romeo had dedicated his entire life to defeating, he saw his friend. He saw the helpless rabbit that arrived at his door that fateful night. He saw his loyal ally showing him the streets. He saw the drunk, teary mess Veil had transformed into in his lap so many times. 

He saw the man he knew he’d fallen in love with. 

“I know.” Romeo hushed him, a shaky paw raising to touch the rabbit’s cheek. “It’s okay, Veil, it’s okay. I’m so sorry- I’m so-” He choked, coughing up another mouthful of red. “...I’ve- I’ve never understood you, Veil.” 

“I know.” Veil repeated, and Romeo swore he saw him smiling. 

“I love you.” He whispered.

“I know..” Veil said again, like a broken record. “..I.. I love you too. I know I shouldn’t. I know.. Ghh… I know I should have never loved a man like you…” 

But Romeo hadn’t heard him. 

As the pain faded, Veil let his eyes close.