Chapter 5: Chapter Four: Comparing Notes

It was Tuesday night and Midas was in his office, trying to catch up on some things. He was finding concentration impossible as music drifted through the back wall of his office. That wall was shared with the bedroom of Shade's apartment; I need to go ask him to turn it down. He probably just doesn't know I'm still in the office so late.

He approached Shade's door and knocked but received no answer. He checked the knob and found it unlocked so he opened it slightly and called in, "Hello?" He noticed the bedroom furniture had been moved to the main room; what the- Why? He entered the room, walked around the bed then over to the slightly ajar bedroom door. He pushed the door open a little more and discovered that the room had been filled with tables. On them sat, what appeared to be, lab equipment; there were chemicals, beakers, and machines as well as a fair amount of plants and even some caged mice.

The music seemed to have prevented Shade from noticing Midas' presence. Midas watched as Shade removed the glove from his left hand, revealing it to be a purple color. He gripped the leaf of a plant, which began to wither at his touch. He plucked the now blackened leaf then tossed it into a bowl of liquid and put his glove back on. He then reached to a table and picked up a piece of gold, tossing it in as well. Midas realized the source of the gold was the apple Shade had stolen, which sat on the table. It was incomplete, pieces having been cut off of it for experimentation.

 

Midas opened the door fully and demanded, "What is all this?"

Shade startled then turned off the music, turning to him, "Boss! How long have you been there?"

Midas stepped towards him. "Long enough to see we have something in common," He responded, pointing to Shade's gloved hand. "Was it the coin?" Midas had originally been cursed with Golden-Touch when he made a wish on a magical coin. He hadn't expected that the coin would actually do anything when he used it. He had stolen it with the intention of selling it but, once he had it, he couldn't resist giving it a shot. He had clutched the coin in his right hand and wished for wealth beyond his wildest dreams. Upon his wish, his fingertips became gold. From then on, whatever his right hand touched turned to gold. After finding out that the coin was, in fact, genuine magic, Midas kept it. He worked hard to make sure nobody knew the source of his ability. He tried to keep the coin safe, or perhaps to keep people safe from it; however, a decade prior, when he still lived on the mainland, someone had stolen the coin. They had broken into his mansion home and it was the only item taken. It meant that someone had found out about it and had come specifically for the coin.

"It was the coin," Shade admitted.

"Are you the one who stole it from me?" Midas pressed.

"No," Shade spoke calmly and firmly. "The man who stole it, or, more accurately, ordered it stolen, still has it. It was in my hand for a very short time." Shade looked at his gloved hand.

"Who has my coin then?" Midas demanded aggressively.

Shade became nervous. "Is it yours?" He asked, musing. "You originally stole it yourself, right? And it's been out of your possession for a decade... It isn't worth you pursuing any longer," Shade suggested nervously; I can't tell him the truth.

Midas was growing angrier, "You're refusing to tell me who has something that I want when you know where it is? You remember you work for me now, right?"

"I don't know exactly where it is- I'm sure it's stashed somewhere obscure and protected. The man who has it though... He is very dangerous, even more so than you. I was spared his wrath only for relinquishing the coin back to him and owing him some favors. I have no intention of putting myself in his sights again. So- No; I will not be telling you his name." Shade tensed, awaiting Midas' reaction; I can't let him find out about Oliver- Besides, I technically still belong to him... Not Midas.

Midas seethed for a moment; I hate being told no by a subordinate but there is still so much going on here and I want to know about it. "What is it that you wished for?"

"I wished- That those who had wronged me would die."

Midas nodded, knowingly; so he was cursed with a touch to cause death. "I see- What is it that you are doing here?" He gestured around the room.

"I intend to find the cure," Shade informed him.

This surprised Midas. "You think it can be cured?" He had dismissed that idea years ago.

"I think... That I have to try; I have reason to believe that if it spreads to the heart- We die."

Midas regarded him with solace. "Did it start at just your fingertips as well then?"

"Yes- And now it is above my elbow."

"You've been cursed for far less time than me, yet it has spread so much further," Midas was surprised and sympathetic. He looked at his own hand; the curse stopped at his wrist.

"Yes; Well- I have been using it a fair bit, I suppose. Also, as far as I know, killing a person is the most draining thing I can do with it. I've never touched a large animal though. Or, maybe, it has something to do with the fact that the consequences of me using it are more severe than that of Golden-Touch? Perhaps it sees fit to treat me more severally..." Shade looked back to the bowl he'd tossed the gold into for a moment, giving it a quick stir.

"Is that how you usually assassinate people?" Midas asked in a more somber tone.

"Not always, I'd be dead by now if I had used it for every kill. Sometimes it is the best way; other times, things like knives, guns, and poison are more appropriate..."

"Your calling card, the decomposed corpses... I had been assuming that there was some chemical component."

"Nope; that is the curse- Decay."

"So, the glove- That is enough to stop it from working? You shook my hand with that gloved hand." Midas wasn't sure how he felt about that.

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"Yes; I have to directly touch a living thing. For a human, skin-to-skin contact is needed; otherwise, nothing happens. I've invested in high-quality gloves that I check regularly for even the smallest of holes."

"Golden-Touch is similar, it only changes what I'm directly touching. If what I'm holding has multiple parts, only what I have direct contact with changes. Take that apple, for example, you'll find the seeds inside, unchanged."

"How do you sleep without turning things to gold?" The question had been in Shade's head for a while.

Midas chuckled. "I have a glove too, actually. It's oversized enough to be able to force my hand in or out of it but not so much that it's likely to slip off on its own." He smiled, "It is uncomfortable but much less so than a golden bed sheet." He laughed, "Guess it also stops me from turning myself to gold." He would occasionally joke about that but it had always been a fear of his that he would accidentally touch a person. Early on, he had tried to wear the glove all the time but he found it to be overly burdensome. Instead, he used it long enough to train himself not to touch things thoughtlessly.

Shade replied to his statement in an emotionless voice, "Oh, you probably can't do that." He bit his lip under his converter; shit. I probably shouldn't have mentioned that...

Midas' expression changed, "H-have you tried using your curse- On yourself!?"

Shade thought quickly, speaking evenly, hoping to be convincing. "I once accidentally touched my bare skin with my bare hand and nothing happened," He brushed off his earlier statement. "After that, I've tested it multiple times and it seems one cannot activate the effect on oneself. Not that I'm saying it's worth repeating the experiment with Golden-Touch! After all, why risk it? It's not worth testing, it's too dangerous," He put his hand to the side of his neck, rubbing it.

Midas accepted this explanation, "Wish I could know for sure. I'd like to shower with two hands again," He chuckled. "I am risk-averse when it comes to Golden-Touch though... By the way, what do you call yours?"

"Necrotic-Touch." Midas frowned slightly; I guess that's accurate. "Speaking of shower though-" The thought of Midas showering had lingered for a bit in Shade's mind but he brushed it aside. "When you touch liquid it doesn't turn to gold, correct?"

"That's right; if I submerge my hand, nothing happens. I've tried things like water, milk, juice, alcohol... Fun fact, gelatin does turn," He smiled. He'd not talked to someone about his curse in a very long time and he'd certainly never met anyone else who had been through it.

Midas seemed to enjoy talking about the lighter side of his curse; Shade hated to bring down his mood but there were still some more difficult questions he wanted to know the answers to while he had the chance. "Have you ever used Golden-Touch on something- Living? Namely a person or at least an animal, more so than a plant," Shade asked as delicately as possible.

Midas' smile faded, "No. I've been very careful regarding that. I've not so much as swatted a fly with my right hand. I have used it on the corpse of a man I shot. I had always wondered if it worked on people. His skin did turn to gold; it was very draining though. I've never wanted to touch a living person, even an enemy, not knowing what that may feel like. I prefer fast, clean kills." Shade looked away from him; it was hard to read him, because of the mask, but Midas thought he sensed shame. "That's not meant to be a jab at you," He added. "It's just what I prefer for myself... At the end of the day, killing is killing and I have killed people or ordered them killed."

Shade looked back at him and gave a small nod. "In the future, would you be willing to turn things to gold for me to test?"

"Yea, sure, depending on the thing."

"What if it were a living thing?" Shade reached into a cage, pulling out a mouse and holding it before Midas for him to consider.

He watched it clean itself in Shade's palm. "If it could help, at the end of the day, it's just a lab mouse."

"Thank you," Shade returned the mouse to its cage and then turned back to his current test. He pulled out a notebook and observed the liquid in the bowl, which had changed colors; he began writing something down. Midas watched him work; I really need him to stay here now... If this is what he's doing. I wonder if he's happy here at all? He seems to barely leave his room... I should have never docked his pay. Shade put his notebook down, apparently done for the moment.

Midas spoke to him, "Hey; by the way, I wanted to say sorry about your pay. I had no idea why you chose to keep the apple. Sorry about the other day too... I know you didn't come out on purpose but, I want you to know, it's safe for you to be yourself here. I really do know some guys I could introduce you to; I'm sure they'd be thrilled to have you around. It'd be nice to see you make some connections here, if you intend to stay. I like to keep my people happy," Midas smiled at him; maybe he's still uncertain that he could belong here. "I was wondering though, any of my guesses close? You know, just a man instead of a woman," He laughed slightly.

Shade exhaled; discussing women must be a tactic he usually uses to bond with his men but I need to put an end to this, forever... Maybe if I'm the one to make him uncomfortable he'll never bring it up again? "Actually, Midas..." Midas was a bit troubled by the casual use of his first name. "I guess, I do sort of have a type."

Midas brushed it off, smiling still, "Oh yeah; what's your type?"

Shade suddenly moved quite a bit closer to him. "Dark hair, tall, bright eyes- Wasn't that your first guess?" Shade had put on the most seductive tone he could muster.

"Uh- Yes, it was..." Midas backed up.

Shade quickly closed the gap, plus some; he was well in Midas' personal space. "I'm also attracted to power. Guess you could say." Shade leaned in now face-to-face with him, "You are my type, Midas." Midas' heart skipped a beat. Shade removed his vocal converter and leaned in as if to kiss Midas, stopping just shy of Midas' lips. He was not touching Midas anywhere; there- Hopefully I can play this off as a joke without getting in too much trouble. Then he'll never want to bring it up again. Midas' heart rate quickened and he felt a bit of panic but also something else; am I disappointed right now? Why did he stop? Midas closed the gap, kissing Shade. As Midas' lips touched his, Shade's eyes widened in shock; Midas' eyes were closed. Within moments, Shade had melted into the kiss, biting Midas' lip lightly. Their mouths opened, tongues finding each other. Midas took a step closer, putting his left hand on Shade's waist and deepening the kiss. Midas felt desire rising in him and he moaned into Shade's mouth. Shade felt a weightlessness in his stomach; I haven't felt this- In years! Midas surprised himself and the reality of the situation suddenly hit him; what the fuck am I even doing right now? He pulled away, releasing Shade. Shade put his converter back on. "Uhm..." Shade couldn't think of what to say past the sound.

Midas felt a bit of panic again. "Uh- I think I need to go," His face was flushed as he turned away from Shade.

"Wait- Um. I'm sorry, I didn't know- Didn't think..." Shade stammered; please don't go.

"No- It's fine. I just need- To think." After stumbling through his sentence, Midas quickly left Shade's apartment. Shade was left surprised and confused; what in the hell just happened? My heart feels like bursting.

 

Midas entered his apartment, heading straight for his bedroom. He sat on his bed, putting his head in his hand for a moment. He then took a golden framed photograph from his nightstand and gazed upon his late wife, Anna. He spoke aloud, "He thinks there could be a cure. I bet if you were here you could help him." Midas laid down, still looking at the photo, "Why did I do that? Why did I kiss him? And why did it feel so- Different?"

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