Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Joshua’s first kill had been an accident. It was during a walk home from work in the dark of late November when he had been attacked by a man with a knife who demanded his money. Nothing like this had ever happened to him before, and the sheer surprise of it had caused him to act without thinking. Phoenix fire had burst out from within him, engulfing the entire alleyway in flames along with the man who had attempted to rob him.

He should have fled the scene the moment it had happened, but he found himself unable to look away as the man howled in agony, the fire slowly blistering and charring his flesh until nothing but ash remained. It was horrific, and Joshua was sure the image would be burned onto his retinas, and that he would see it every time he closed his eyes until the day he died. He had never known such fear.

Or such pleasure.

Maybe that was the wrong word for it at this point. Catharsis was perhaps more accurate. Despite the more rational part of his conscience thinking only of how terrible the consequences for this might be if he was caught, a small part of him felt a glorious kind of relief that had come from releasing so much power and from taking revenge against the man who had wronged him. It was a slim and twisted sort of silver lining, but it was there none the less and not too small a feeling that Joshua didn’t notice it.

He went home and tried his best to forget about the whole thing, but the incident was quickly reported on by the local news network the next day and Joshua realised that this was never going to be something he could put behind him.

Man found dead last night in scorched alleyway. Arson resulting in manslaughter suspected. Read the bulletin which scrolled across the screen while a reporter stood outside the area, which was now blocked off by yellow police tape, and discussed what little the police had uncovered so far from the scene.

“Gods…That area isn’t too far from here,” Clive murmured as the two of them were watching the TV together over breakfast that morning.

Joshua stayed silent.

His second kill was less of an accident. A few weeks had passed since the first, and life since then had somehow continued on as normal for a while. The police had seemingly decided that the man killed in the alley was an arsonist who had ended up paying for his crimes with a mistake of his own doing. It was a neat little story which would satisfy the questions of the public, and had Joshua been fully sane, he could have gone on to live life without ever facing the consequences of this.

But he wasn’t. He knew deep in his mind that something was wrong with him as he began to change his route home from work every evening, taking different and darker paths in the secret hope that something similar might happen again. It wasn’t because he wanted to kill anyone again, he told himself. It was just that he needed to practice controlling his flames so that if he were ever to get jumped again, he would be able to do just enough damage to escape without actually causing anyone any long-term harm.

It was a long time before he ever found himself in any danger though. Working as an assistant in a research library which stayed open until late at night meant that by the time he walked home on weekdays, the streets were mostly abandoned. Still, he imagined that there would be at least a few shady characters out and about at this time of night, maybe a drug dealer or a violent drunk or two, but it seemed that such people were hard to come across when deliberately looking for them.

After several weeks of taking ridiculously convoluted and detour-filled routes home, he did eventually run into someone, but it was too dark in the unlit underpass to see their face. Whoever they were, Joshua never found out. They had been the first sign of human life he’d seen in days on his walks home and as if he might never get another chance, he reacted too fast before he was even able to get a good look at them.

Flames engulfed the area, scorching all but Joshua himself. Posters which had been pasted up onto the walls peeled and burned away. Littered cigarette ends and soda cans on the ground practically vaporized in an instant. Anything which dared to exist there was destroyed, including the person who had just been walking by – Joshua’s second victim.

He hadn’t meant to kill again, he told himself over and over in his head. This was another accident. Yes, he had gone out of his way to find someone to test his strength on, but he had never meant for this to happen. He was a good person. He was sure he was a good person!

So then why did it feel so good letting another human being burn to death? Where had this strange sense of relief and power and freedom come from, and why was he feeling this way after having done something which should have resulted in nothing but shame and guilt?

To say that Joshua struggled with himself for a while after this was an understatement. He cried himself to sleep several nights in a row while also fantasising about doing it all again. He began watching true crime shows in attempt to convince himself that he was different from those criminals on TV, but he ended up spending far too much time sympathising with how the killers had felt in the moment compared to the victims.

He thought about killing himself. One last murder to put an end to the monster he had become.

But he couldn’t do it. Even when the news started reporting on the second incident, he knew he couldn’t just take the easy way out. He had Clive to live for. He loved his brother more than anyone else in the world, and he couldn’t leave him alone to fend for himself when the two of them were already struggling to pay rent on their shared apartment with both of their humble salaries combined.

So instead he began searching for answers. It was a good thing he worked in a library, he supposed, since it allowed him to easily spend his lunch breaks looking at all the various books and articles relating to criminal psychology. He made sure to cover his tracks though just to be sure that nobody wondered why he was suddenly so interested in such topics and became suspicious. He would sneak books in the pockets of his jacket to take into the bathroom to read where no one would see, and when looking through the library’s article database, he would make sure to log in using a guest account so that his searches wouldn’t be traced back to him.

He spent days pouring over every recourse he could find, but nothing was providing him with any clues about why he had suddenly become this way. He found various cases of murderers who had seemed like ordinary people to those around them, but had actually been showing warning signs long before committing their crimes. Joshua tried to think of anything he had ever done in his past which could have been a red flag, but nothing came to mind. Unlike those he read about, he had always been extremely empathetic and cared a great deal for those around him, and that was still the case, so he found himself lost for a real explanation.

All of this self-hatred and the feeling that he had no one to confide in had put him in what was perhaps the worst mental state he had ever experienced, save for when his father had passed. But if there was one small blessing to come from all if this, it was that he began to realise that walking in the dark no longer scared him. He always used to feel a little on edge on his journey home, always checking behind him every now and then to ensure he wasn’t being followed, but by now he knew that it was everybody else who ought to be afraid of him. He took what little comfort he could from that.

As more time passed, he decided to change the direction of his search for answers and moved instead to researching the Phoenix. He had thought he knew everything there was to know about it, having been aware since birth that he was its dominant, but perhaps there was something he’d missed when learning about it as a child.

Children were tested by blood when they were born to see if they bore any kind of deity-given power. Clive’s test had shown feint signs of something unrecognizable by the doctors at the time, but was ultimately written off as powerless, while Joshua’s test on the other hand had of course revealed him to be the dominant of the Phoenix, which pleased his mother greatly as a member of the Church of Eikons. She had constantly fed him the stories of the phoenix from the scriptures as he grew up and put a lot of pressure on him to act in a way that was befitting of the sacred creature.

He thought he was done with all that religious literature once he’d moved out with Clive, but apparently not. The library held many books about all of the Eikons and it was in one such volume that Joshua finally found something which, at least to him, gave some semblance of an explanation.

The Phoenix is the ruler over life and death and sees to it that the balance of both is maintained. The good shall find themselves rewarded in its healing flame, while the bad who disrupt life’s balance by spreading death shall face the fires of punishment.

Had the Phoenix been acting through Joshua to punish those it considered evil? Was this the reason why killing felt so good, because it was the Phoenix’s own satisfaction that he was feeling? He chose to believe that this was the case, and for the first time in the past couple of months, he found himself finally able to relax a little. This wasn’t his fault. It was the will of nature. Everything was fine.

Joshua’s third kill was entirely premeditated. He had tried to stop thinking about it now that he had settled on his excuse for his previous crimes, but the more he tried to ignore it, the stronger the urge to kill once more became. It kept him awake at night to the point where he was certain that giving in would be the only way he could ever get a good night’s sleep again.

So he chose a victim: a librarian by the name of Cyril who had been a little too interested in Joshua’s lunch break research sessions. Despite his best attempts to keep his reading secret, Cyril had noticed and asked questions. Innocent questions which Joshua had been able to brush off easily, but since he was planning to kill someone anyway, he decided he might as well choose the one person who could have been suspicious of him.

Killing him almost felt too easy. Once the library had closed for the day, Joshua followed Cyril from a distance as he made his way home. He knew the librarian’s route from a time when he had once gone out of his way to help him carry a large number of books from his home to the library, and in between those places was a small park which Cyril used as a shortcut. It was there that Joshua planned to strike.

The park was closed this late at night but getting inside was a simple task. Joshua watched from the other side of the street as Cyril squeezed through a narrow opening in the fence and then waited a few minutes before following him inside.

There were no streetlights here, and from this short distance Cyril appeared as little more than a shadow in the inky darkness of his surroundings. Insignificant kindling. He reached the centre of the park and Joshua prepared his attack, summoning fire in the palm of his hand.

The sudden sound of the crackling flames seemed to catch Cyril’s attention, and he spun around to look behind him.

“Who’s there?” The nervousness in his voice ought to have made Joshua feel bad for what he was about to do, but instead it sent an excited shiver down his spine.

“The Phoenix,” he replied, and then set the park ablaze.

It was euphoric. That was the only word Joshua could think of to describe it. He watched with twisted delight as the flames licked at Cyril’s skin. Every howl of pain was like music to his ears. The sulphurous scent of burning flesh which filled the air did nothing to deter him and he soon found himself having to cover his own mouth with one hand to stop himself from laughing too loud.

Any fear he had once felt while causing such destruction was long gone now, replaced only by intoxicating gratification. He felt as though he would be happy to sit and watch the man burn for eternity, but this moment was short lived as he began to notice lights turning on in the windows of the houses which surrounded the park. People were clearly being woken up by Cyril’s screams and someone was bound to call the fire brigade and the police once they looked outside and saw the flames.

So reluctantly he ran. He dashed for the hole in the fence and slipped through it as quickly as he could before absconding from the scene all together. He barely took notice of his surroundings on his sprint home, instead focusing on the image of Cyril burning on repeat in his mind. How he wished he could have stayed longer to witness the end of it. Had he used a different method, something much less noticeable than a wildfire, he might have been able to take his time. As he finally got home and locked the front door behind him, the thoughts of potentially getting caught for this were greatly overshadowed by ponderings of other ways he would love to try killing.

Superintendent Barnabas Tharmr took a long drag from his cigar as he appraised the scene; a once green park now reduced to black ashes with a scorched skeleton in its centre. This was not the work of a mere arsonist, that much was certain. The detectives reasonable for investigating the last two scenes of this nature had been fools to think that was the case.

“Harbard, have your men collect the bones and send them off for DNA testing. Then get back to the station and check the database for any known individuals in the city who have been blessed by an Eikon of fire,” he said, motioning for his second in command to hold out his hand.

“Right away, sir,” Chief Inspector Harbard replied, allowing Barnabas to put out his cigar in his palm before leaving to do as he had been ordered.

The next morning Joshua and Clive sat down to watch the local news over breakfast just as they always did. It was no surprise that the events of last night were the first thing to be discussed, and Joshua had to try very hard to keep his expression neutral as the damage he had caused was shown on screen. He crossed his legs and ate another spoonful of cereal.

He should have been feeling nervous since it was surely only a matter of time before the rest of the library staff noticed that Cyril was absent from work with no explanation and would report him as missing, and then he would definitely be questioned by the police as one of the last people who had seen him. Somehow despite this, he felt strangely calm. It was as though nobody could touch him now that he had fully embraced his powers and his murderous nature.

Clive turned to him, eyes full of concern. “You know, Joshua, you ought to be careful when you come back from work at night. These cases keep happening closer and closer to home and I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Joshua blinked. He was always so used to being the anxious one between them that it hadn’t occurred to him that Clive would be worried about his safety. Would it put his mind at ease to know that he had nothing to fear, to be told that neither of them were going to be hurt because it was Joshua who had been responsible for these attacks all along?

It wouldn’t be an easy pill to swallow, to learn that his brother was a murderer, that was for sure. Joshua knew that his brother loved him though, and would no doubt help provide him with an alibi when the police inevitably came knocking. Clive had always been a terrible liar, but as long as Joshua made sure to tell him what to say before hand, then that wouldn’t be a problem. Not to mention the fact that he was sick of keeping quiet. He needed to tell someone before he went crazy from the pressure of keeping it a secret and who better than the one person to whom he could tell everything?

So he made up his mind.

“Clive,” he said, gently placing his hands over his brother’s reassuringly. “You don’t have to worry. The one who’s been doing all of this, burning people to death – it’s me.”

Chapter Text

Clive blinked as he processed Joshua’s confession. His brow furrowed and he moved his hands away from his brother’s. “…That’s not funny, Joshua. People have died.”

“I know,” Joshua replied calmly, “and I was the one who killed them. I’m not joking.”

Clive just stared at him in silence for a moment as if trying to figure out just what kind of game he was playing at. Surely this wasn’t true.

“If you don’t believe me, just wait. The police will almost certainly come here asking questions soon, and when that happens, I need you to tell them that I was home from work at the same time as usual.”

“But you weren’t…” Clive murmured, putting the pieces together in his mind. “You’ve been late home several times recently. Gods, please tell me this is all just some kind of elaborate prank.”

Joshua almost laughed at the thought that anyone would go this far for a prank. “Do you really think I’m the sort of person who would do that?”

“Well more so than the sort of person who commits literal murder,” Clive argued.

There was a knock at the door before Joshua could reply.

“Get the door and tell them that I’ve already left for work. I’ll leave via the fire escape,” he told Clive before he picked up his work bag off of the floor and ran.

“Joshua, wait!” Clive called after him, but his brother was already climbing out of the window and onto the iron stairs which ran down the backside of the building.

There was another more impatient sounding knock at the door. This couldn’t be happening.

Clive went to go answer it, telling himself that this was just a coincidence and that he was more likely to see a door to door salesman or something on the other side than any kind of law enforcement.

But no. He felt his heart drop with dread as he opened the door to see a policewoman on the other side.

“Inspector Benedikta Harman,” she said, introducing herself and holding up her police badge to prove that this was a legitimate inquiry. “I’ve been sent here by Superintendent Barnabas Tharmr to gather some information regarding the disappearance and potential murder of Cyril McQuillan.”

“…I’m sorry, are you sure you have the right address?” Clive asked. “I don’t know of anyone with that name.” That much was true at least. Though it sounded familiar, he had no idea who the name belonged to.

Benedikta narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “This is the residence of Clive and Joshua Rosfield, yes?”

Clive tried to remain clam. “…That’s right.”

“Then I am in the right place.” Benedikta replied, pushing past him and letting herself into the apartment. “I suppose you are Clive then or else you would have known of McQuillan. He was one of Joshua’s co-workers, and since your brother was reportedly the last person to see him before he went missing, we’ll definitely need to speak with him.”

Clive watched with increasing anxiety as Benedikta looked around the room, seemingly untrusting of every single ordinary detail. “Sorry but you just missed him. He’s on his way to work right now,” he said, checking out of the window which Joshua had left through while the policewoman’s back was turned. Luckily it seemed that he’d managed to get away in time.

“And what about last night?” Benedikta asked, turning back to him. “At what time did he get home from work? Did anything seem suspicious about him when he returned?”

Gods, they really did suspect Joshua, and with good reason too it seemed. What was Clive supposed to do? Lying to the police would go against every natural instinct within him, but luckily for Joshua, his desire to protect his brother was always stronger than anything else.

“I think he got back around the same time as usual; around ten in the evening. He seemed pretty normal to me. I really doubt he’s got anything to do with this.”

“That’s for me to decide,” Benedikta replied.

“I understand that. I just mean it’s not in his nature. He wouldn’t do something like that.”

“Like what?”

Clive paused. “…You said you were investigating a murder?”

“A potential murder,” Benedikta corrected him. “We’re still in the process of testing the DNA of the remains found at the crime scene but we’re almost certain that the missing McQuillan is the victim based on the fact that he was killed on what we’ve been told by his other colleagues was his usual route home.”

“I see…”

“You know, your jumping to defend your brother for murder when I hadn’t specified that he was even accused of it doesn’t exactly bode well.”

Clive mentally punched himself in the face. He had never been a good liar.

“Well to be fair, you weren’t entirely clear on the matter,” he replied, trying his best to keep his tone casual.

Benedikta’s expression darkened. “To be fair, you seem like you’re hiding something. I don’t have a warrant to officially search this place or confiscate any electronic devices yet, but you’d best believe that I’m not done with you or your brother yet. I’ll be back.” And with that she headed for the door.

“Right well…I guess we’ll be seeing you then,” Clive replied. He closed the door once she had left the apartment and waited until the sound of her footsteps had faded from the hallway outside before he finally took a deep sigh and slid down onto the floor.

He sat there for a long while with his head in his hands as he tried to come to terms with the harsh reality he had found himself in. A man had been killed. Three people all together, and Joshua was supposedly responsible for it. This couldn’t be right. There had to have been some kind of misunderstanding. Perhaps Joshua had somehow been part of several accidents and blamed himself for them due to his anxious nature? It seemed unlikely that he could have coincidently ended up at the scene of three murders, but surely that was more likely than him being an active killer. All Clive knew was that he had a lot of questions for his brother once he returned home.

“Superintendent, we’ve got the results back from the lab,” Sleipnir Harbard said as he entered Barnabas’s office several hours later with Benedikta in tow. “DNA found in the bones from the crime scene match that of saliva traces found in the bathroom sink at Cyril McQuillan’s home. He lived alone, so we can safely conclude that he is indeed our victim.”

“Good,” Was all the Superintendent said in reply, not even looking up from his computer.

Sleipnir was used to this but Benedikta, still relatively new to the force, found it irritatingly rude that he refused to even look at them properly in conversation.

“Sir, I am curtain that I know who was responsible for this. Joshua Rosfield, the dominant of the Phoenix, was a co-worker of the victim and wields the element of fire which is what killed him. Surely that is enough to arrest him?” she asked, refusing to be ignored.

Barnabas sighed and looked to Sleipnir. It seemed as though a moment of non-verbal communication happened between them and then Sleipnir turned to Benedikta.

“While it is most likely the Rosfield boy, we do not yet have enough definitive evidence to make an arrest,” he explained. “The most we can do at this time is call him in for questioning, which we will do soon enough.”

“I see, and with all due respect, couldn’t the Superintendent have told me that himself?”

“As you can see, he is busy on his computer. I suggest you get back to work instead of bothering him further.”

Benedikta scowled. “Fine, I’ll go, and I’ll find some usable evidence against Rosfield, then perhaps you’ll both be so kind as to address me properly.”

Sleipnir watched her go and then closed the office door. “Alone at last,” he said with a sly smile.

Barnabas said nothing and simply pointed downwards at his desk. Sleipnir knew all too well what that meant and was happy to oblige. He kneeled down beneath the desk and began to unbuckle his superior’s belt.

“Did they question you while you were at work?” was the first thing Clive asked Joshua once he returned to their apartment at the usual time.

“Yes, they questioned all of the library staff as well as a few of our regulars. I told them that the last time I saw Cyril was when I was helping him close up for the night and then we went our separate ways,” Joshua replied as he unlaced his winter boots. How could he be so calm about this?

“And is that true?” Clive asked despite being scared to hear the answer.

Joshua almost laughed. “Obviously not. I told you, I was the one that killed him. I followed him home and then scorched him with the power of the Phoenix.”

Clive looked at his brother incredulously. “Oh ok. And may I ask why the ever-loving fuck you did that?!”

Joshua had been expecting Clive to be angry. If anything, he was surprised that this reaction from him hadn’t come sooner. “The Phoenix demanded it,” he replied, keeping his tone even and refraining from raising his voice as Clive had done. “…and I can’t pretend I didn’t enjoy it.”

This was insane. Joshua was insane and Clive could hardly believe what he was hearing. “…What makes you think I shouldn’t just head straight down to the police station and turn you in?” he asked, words trembling with anger and confusion.

“You would honestly do that to me?” Joshua asked, his expression suddenly hurt. “Clive, if they catch me, I’ll be jailed for life.”

Clive went quiet at that. If Joshua really had committed these crimes, then life in prison was surely the least he deserved. Yet the image of him behind bars, never able to see the light of day again, felt wholly wrong to him. He couldn’t bring himself to admit that though.

“And look at me,” Joshua continued. “I’m not exactly tough…you know what they would do to someone like me in prison…not to mention I’d never be able to spend time with you again. I don’t know how I could live without you, brother.”

“Stop, stop. Don’t say that,” Clive said. He sat down and took a deep breath in attempt to calm himself and tried to dispel the thought of prison thugs daring to touch his brother out of his mind. Until this morning he had never seen Joshua as anything but a good person, perhaps even the best. Never in his life had he ever met someone so gentle and empathetic and pure of heart. For whatever reason Joshua was now behaving this way, Clive was sure that it wasn’t his true self.

So he made up his mind. “Listen Joshua, I don’t know what the fuck is wrong with you right now, and if you have really done the things you said you have, don’t think for a single second that I’m condoning it but…I’m not giving up on you. I know that deep down, you're still my baby brother and I care about you. So I’m going to try my best to protect you from the police while we figure this out together, alright?”

Joshua smiled. He knew his brother would stay by his side. He had always been so loyal. Even if it was under the assumption that he was going to change his ways, that was fine. He would help Clive to see things from his perspective soon enough.

“Thank you, Clive,” he said, moving to sit next to his brother on the couch and pulling him into a hug. “I love you.”

Though tentatively at first, Clive returned the hug. “…I love you too.”

Chapter Text

The next morning was a Saturday and the two of them watched the local news together once again. Clive had barely gotten any sleep last night, but he chugged down a cup of coffee and paid extra close attention to the segment about the most recent of Joshua’s attacks.

“Police say that they have officially identified the remains of the victim as Cyril McQuillan, but that they are still looking for suspects. Word has it they believe the scorching may have been caused by an Eikon of fire” said the reporter standing in front of the charred park.

“They’re onto you, Joshua…I really hope you have a plan,” Clive murmured.

Joshua noticed the dark circles around his brother’s eyes, and despite the fact that he felt no remorse for his crimes anymore, he did feel bad for causing Clive this much stress. “Don’t worry. They can suspect me all they like but they don’t have enough evidence to prove that I did it. Anyway, they’ll have something else to keep them busy soon enough; a stabbing that’ll look like it was done by a completely different killer.”

This did little to quell Clive’s concerns. “You’re planning to kill again?!”

“I am. Tonight. Trust me, this man I’ve got my eye on deserves it. He’s a drug dealer who makes most of his money selling Rohypnol to men outside clubs. You know what that’s used for, right?”

Clive nodded and furrowed his brow. If Joshua had to kill someone, then he supposed that a person who was facilitating spiking wasn’t the worst choice of victim. Even so, he would prefer that this didn’t lead to murder. “But if you knew about this man, why didn’t you just report him to the police before?” he asked. “Wouldn’t it be better to let law enforcement deal with him instead of risking getting caught?”

“Apparently lots of people have already reported him and the police have done nothing. I saw it being discussed on our city’s subreddit,” Joshua explained. “I suspect some of the police buy from him and so they’re deliberately turning a blind eye. If I don’t do something about him, no one will, and the Phoenix demands it.”

“You keep saying that about the Phoenix. Don’t tell me mum convinced you that the Eikons are real. You know they’re just metaphors used to explain the powers some people have, right?”

Joshua wasn’t entirely sure. He had gone through different phases of belief and disbelief during his life. Growing up when he didn’t know any better, he took everything his mother had told him about the Phoenix at face value, then later grew cynical when her devotion to the Church of Eikons became so fanatical that his father divorced her because of it. Now though, the existence of the Phoenix was the only explanation he had for his actions, and so he clung onto it.

“…It feels like it’s real,” he replied, placing one hand over his chest as if the Phoenix was something so easily detected as a heartbeat. “Regardless, I’ve already made up my mind that I’m going to kill again tonight, so don’t bother trying to talk me out of it, ok?”

Clive sighed. He knew that he could never relate to how it felt, powerless as he was, to have magic in one’s veins. If it really was the Eikon compelling Joshua to kill, then this probably wasn’t the kind of thing which could be helped by visiting a physiatrist. All he could think to do was to help his brother get away with this to keep him from getting into even more trouble.

“…So you’re planning a stabbing? What knife are you going to use? None of our kitchen knives have been sharpened in a long time.” Even as he spoke, Clive could hardly believe he was really helping his brother plan a murder. Never in his darkest dreams had he imagined this would happen.

“Actually I wanted to use dad’s antique hunting knife,” Joshua replied. “Do you know where it is?”

“…Joshua, that blade is a family heirloom.”

“I know. Doesn’t it seem fitting for the Phoenix to use a weapon passed down through a family of dominants?”

Clive knew that their father wouldn’t have wanted the knife used for something like this. Then again, he wouldn’t have wanted his son to become a murderer either and it was too late for that, so he supposed there was no point in arguing about it.

“I suppose so... It’s in a box in my room, I’ll go get it for you,” he replied reluctantly before leaving to retrieve it.

He brought the box back into the living room and opened it up. The knife sat inside on a bed of red velvet covered in a layer of dust. It was a beautiful weapon; its dark wooden handle inlaid with bands of ruby and gold, and its blade a sharp curve of solid silver.

Joshua picked it up and blew the dust away before testing to see how it felt to hold. It had a good weight to it, heavy enough to feel durable but not so much so that it was unwieldy. He slashed and stabbed at the air with it a few times and tried to hide his grin from Clive as he did so. He knew it would disturb his brother to see him getting too excited about this, but he could hardly help it. It was like every nerve in his body was alight with elated anticipation.

“This the perfect knife for me, I can already tell,” he said, pressing the pointer finger of his left hand to the tip of the blade to check its sharpness.

Clive winced as he watched the small drop of blood pooled up from Joshua’s skin. He was not a squeamish person in general, but he had never been able to handle seeing his brother hurt in any way. “Please be careful when you go out tonight. I really couldn’t stand it if something happened to you.”

“I’ll be fine,” Joshua assured him with a gentle smile. “It’s everyone else out there who should be worried.”

“For your sake, I hope you’re right,” Clive replied.

The rest of the day crawled on achingly slow for Joshua as he waited impatiently for nightfall. He didn’t work weekends, and he couldn’t leave the apartment during the day while he was trying to lay low, so he found himself struggling to find ways to keep entertained in the meantime. He tried reading the latest book in a series of fantasy novels he enjoyed but found himself unable to focus on the words as his thoughts kept reverting back to murder. He played video games with Clive for a while, but that didn’t hold his attention for much longer either. Eventually he slinked back to his bedroom and made sure to lock the door behind him so that Clive wouldn’t accidently walk in on him as he touched himself. It granted him the much-needed stimulation that he had been looking for all day, though it was only when he imagined slitting a man’s throat during sex that he was able to make himself come.

After that, he took a nap, and when he woke up it was dark outside. He checked his phone and saw that it was almost 10pm. The club which his target usually hung out by would be opening soon and Joshua decided that he couldn’t wait any longer so he collected everything he would need and left the apartment before Clive could make a last-ditch attempt at convincing him not to do this.

Joshua walked through the streets towards the club, his knife hidden inside the large front pocket of Clive’s oversized hooded sweater which he had borrowed from him. He raised the hood over his head to help obscure his face and noticed the way that his brother’s natural scent clung to the material. It was a lovely scent; heady and masculine. It made him smile as it reminded him how wonderful it felt to have such a loyal brother who would go so far as to support him even as he committed murder.

It didn’t take long to find his target. He was standing by a wall around the back of the club in exactly the same place as he had been in the secretly taken photo which Joshua had seen on the Reddit thread discussing this man. He knew he couldn’t do the deed right here, not with all the people coming in and out from the club to take smoke breaks or phone calls. He needed to find a way to get the drug dealer into one of the nearby back alleys, away from prying eyes and CCTV.

He watched as another man approached the dealer and handed over some cash without a word. It seemed like the two knew each other or that they had at least pre-arranged this particular deal judging by how quick and smooth the transaction seemed to happen. The dealer must have kept all his goods in the backpack he wore as Joshua noticed the way he had stood with it pressed against the wall on his back as if to ensure that nobody could attempt to steal from him. Right now though, the bag was on the ground while he counted up the money that had been handed to him.

Joshua had an idea but he would have to be quick. He rushed in and grabbed the bag before sprinting away into the darker streets unlit by streetlights or neon club signs.

“OI, GET THE FUCK BACK HERE!” the dealer yelled as he gave chase just like Joshua had hoped.

He led him into a dead-end alley where there was nothing other than a few large dumpsters surrounded by trash bags and broken glass.

“I swear to gods, boy, you give me that bag back or I will fucking kill you!”

Bold of the man to assume he would be the one doing the killing here.

Joshua held up the backpack in the air and waved it teasingly in front of its owner. “You want this bag back? Come and take it from me then!”

“You little-!” the dealer growled as he closed in and attempted to grab it, falling stupidly into Joshua’s trap.

The moment he came close enough, Joshua pulled out his knife from his pocket and stabbed the man hard in the stomach. He roared out in pain and dropped to his knees. This wouldn’t be enough to kill him though. Not yet.

Joshua kicked him, causing him to fall over with his back against the ground, and then straddled him to ensure that he would not try to turn over and crawl to safety. With him incapacitated like this, Joshua knew that he could take his time and really draw this one out to savor every second of it.

The man’s eyes were wide with fear, though they seemed to be losing focus from the sheer pain. “Please, just take the bloody bag and let me go!” he begged through heavy breaths.

Oh this was too good.

Until now, Joshua hadn’t managed to let anyone live long enough to beg him for mercy, a mistake he certainly wouldn’t be making again now that he knew how it felt to hear those pleas.

“I was never here for your drugs,” he replied, pulling up the man’s shirt so he could see the wound he had made more clearly. It was a smaller puncture than Joshua had expected to see, but it bled beautifully and there would soon be more to accompany it.

“W-what? Then why take it?!”

“Isn’t it obvious? I just needed to lure you down here.”

Joshua cut a long shallow line all the way up from his victim’s stomach to his throat, moving the blade teasingly slow. He then held it still against the quivering bump of his Adam’s apple as if considering whether or not to stab there. It felt like being a cat playing with its prey as he watched the man tremble beneath him.

“Don’t do it…please,” the he said, his voice barely louder than a whisper now, afraid to even speak.

Gods, the fear in his voice was almost enough to make Joshua hard. For a horrible moment he considered doing something else to this man before finally killing him, but as if murder wasn’t worse, he decided that this new urge wasn’t a line he was prepared to cross.

Not wanting to be tempted by the vibrations of his victim’s heavy breathing, he changed his position, moving to stand above the man rather than sitting on him. He figured that he wouldn’t try to move now that he had already been stabbed once, but apparently he was wrong.

With a surprising show of strength for someone who currently had a bleeding hole in his stomach, the man took this opportunity to try and make his escape. He grabbed hold of one of Joshua’s legs and pulled on it, making him lose his balance and fall to the ground. Then he ran.

Joshua mentally berated himself for letting this happen. He stood up as fast as he could and gave chase towards the open end of the alley where he quickly caught up with his victim and stabbed him in the back, sending him to the ground once more.

He wouldn’t escape again. Joshua turned the man over onto his back and began stabbing him repeatedly all over the torso, taking his time be damned. The man let out horrible strained cries with every strike and Joshua let those sounds feed his frenzy. It felt like he was moving automatically, almost as if possessed as he pierced flesh again and again and again.

It was only once the man’s screams stopped and he could no longer even twitch in movement did Joshua finally feel satisfied. He sat there for a moment, breathing heavily as he admired his work. It hadn’t gone exactly as planned, and he still felt embarrassed at himself for having let his arousal get in the way, but it had still been wonderfully gratifying. He was sure that the Phoenix was pleased with this.

Suddenly he went still as he heard footsteps approaching from behind him, and then a voice.

“Well…that was bloody gruesome. What did the poor sod ever do to you?”

Chapter Text

Joshua summoned flames into the palm of his free hand and quickly turned to see who had approached him; a roguishly handsome man wearing a leather jacket. He didn’t seem phased to see the fire, or to have walked in on the scene of a murder.

“Those flames won’t do out to me, lad,” he said as he lifted his own palm and conjured sparks of lighting. “You’re not the only dominant around these parts.”

Joshua tightened his grip around the handle of his blade. This man had caught him red-handed so he couldn’t let him get away alive. Attacking now while he had magic at the ready though would of course be a foolish move, so he decided to try stalling him until he let his guard down. “Who are you?” he asked.

“The name’s Cid, bounty hunter and part-time criminal,” the man replied.

“A bounty hunter? Did the police send you after me?”

“Nope, not yet. The police don’t call on me until they’re certain they’ve got the right guy, and it seems like they still don’t have enough evidence on you yet. I just heard the screams of someone getting killed and headed over here to see if it was another one of your little wildfires, but it looks like you’ve switched to stabbing for a change. Did you think changing your method would keep the law off of your back for a while?”

“…Is it that obvious?” Joshua asked.

Cid nodded. “Aye, at least to me. The police might not connect this to your previous killings though. I ought to go tell them, but I doubt you’d let me leave without a fight. Not saying I couldn’t take you down, but a fight between two dominants is never worth the destruction it causes.”

“So you’re expecting me to let you go if you promise not to tell anyone I did this?”

“No, I’m not daft enough to believe you’d take my word for it. I suggest we make a deal instead. Do you know of the Hideaway Hotel across town?”

“I’ve heard of it.”

“Well I just so happen to be the proprietor – it’s one of my little underground business ventures. Now, you’re gonna need a place to hide out once the feds finally get enough evidence to bring you in, and believe me they will. So how’s about I offer you a room free of charge? Head there whenever you need and tell Otto at the front desk that Cid sent you, and as long as I’m still alive to answer the phone when he calls me to confirm, you’ll have yourself the perfect place to lay low.”

It sounded too good to be true. “And I’m supposed to believe this isn’t a trap?”

“I’m not going to tell the police you’re there if that’s what you’re worried about. The Hideaway is home to lots of people who have reasons to avoid the law, and I wouldn’t risk letting them get caught while they’re under my protection.”

Joshua considered his options. If he tried to kill Cid, there was no guarantee he would win that fight. He had never taken on a fellow dominant after all, and the man certainly seemed more confident in his abilities. Regardless of whether or not he chose to believe him about the hotel, it seemed that letting Cid live was the safest way to ensure his own escape from this immediate situation.

“…Alright,” he said at last. “Perhaps I will take you up on that offer if I am in need of a place to hide. For now though, wait here until I’m long gone, then they’ll be no need for us to fight.”

“Seems reasonable,” Cid agreed. “Be off with you then, lad.”

Joshua didn’t wait any longer before taking off into the night.

Later the very same evening, Benedikta entered the fancy restaurant where her date was waiting for her. She was wearing a gorgeous long black dress with a slit up the side and an amber pendant necklace which brought out the colour of her eyes, all in the hope that looking her best might get her what she wanted tonight.

She had thought that she would never have to speak with Hugo Kupka again after he was fired from the police a couple of years ago when it was revealed that he had ties to organized crime. It was obvious to everyone back then that he had eyes for her, but she had never been interested, though she was happy to pretend otherwise for now.

“Benedikta, it’s been too long,” Hugo said, standing up to pull the chair out for her as she approached his table. “You’re looking just as lovely as the day I met you.”

“Thank you. You’re not looking half bad yourself.” Benedikta replied, though internally all she could think about when it came to Kupka’s appearance was how ridiculous his too-tight button up shirt looked on him. He had obviously chosen to wear a size too small on purpose to show off his bulging muscles, but in Benedikta’s opinion, it just made him look like a man who didn’t know how to dress himself correctly.

She did her best to make polite small talk with him for a while before bringing up the topic which she had come here to discuss, not wanting him to realize that she was just using him. Somewhere between their drinks having been served and waiting for their meals did Hugo ask her how work was going, and it was then that Benedikta was able to naturally slip it into the conversation.

“Well, I’ve been assigned to the case of those wildfire murders. You’ve heard about them I assume?”

Hugo nodded. “I have, and the killer is thought to be an Eikon of fire?”

“Yes, the dominant of the Phoenix to be exact, a man named Joshua Rosfield. I know in my heart that he is the one responsible, but we don’t have enough evidence against him to make an arrest. Just because he can wield fire doesn’t prove that he was the one who caused the fires which killed the victims, and that lack of proof is driving me insane…I don’t suppose you’ve heard anything about him through your connections?”

“Nothing yet. This is the first time I’ve heard of him, but I’ll tell my men to report to me if they learn anything useful.”

“Thank you, that will be most helpful.”

“But you know if I were you, I wouldn’t sit around waiting for evidence to come up.”

“Then what do you suggest?”

“Put him in a situation where he’ll have no choice but to use those flames and be sure to catch it on camera. Then you’ll have undeniable proof that he is capable of causing those wildfires.”

Benedikta smiled inwardly. She had been thinking the same thing and hoped that Hugo would mention it. “But if the police were found to have set him up like that, then Rosfield could claim entrapment and unlawful conduct in court…”

“Which is why you’re lucky to have me on your side,” Hugo replied. “Leave everything to me and my men. You’ll have all the evidence you need soon enough.”

When Monday rolled around again, Joshua went back to work as normal. As he had expected, the police showed up once more to question him and the rest of the library’s staff for any additional information they could possibly get their hands on, but he gave them the same story as before and did a decent job at acting as though he was still saddened and shaken up by the news of Cyril’s passing. Cid must have kept good on his word and not told the police about his most recent murder as they didn’t question him about that.

All of Joshua’s coworkers seemed to believe in his innocence. They didn’t know that he was the dominant of fire since he had never had any reason to tell any of them, and his name was still yet to be mentioned on the news, so they had no idea that he was also the prime suspect. As far as they were concerned, the fact that he had been the last person to see Cyril alive had nothing to do with his murder, which meant that once the police took their leave, his work life was relatively normal for a while.

He did his best to act as helpful as he had always been and offered to take on some of the responsibilities which had originally belonged to Cyril such as locking up the library at night and managing the acquisition of new texts. The additional work helped to occupy his mind. While it wasn’t the most interesting of tasks, researching which volumes the library was lacking kept him distracted enough that he didn’t get too bored during the day, and kept his thoughts of murder at a minimum. The week continued on in much the same way, and the sheer normalcy almost made Joshua feel like the police were never going to catch him for his crimes.

But that was soon to change. On Thursday night as Joshua headed home, he could have sworn he felt like someone was following him. He had been taking his normal route, sticking to the lighter streets as he had done before he ever committed murder just in case the police were still keeping an eye on him. It would of course look like he was deliberately trying to avoid being seen if he took the darker alleys that he had grown so fond of.

He kept walking but checked behind him every now and then as he did so. It had been a long time since he had last felt even slightly nervous at night, and by now the feeling was more strange than it was familiar. He soon reached an area of town which ought to have been safe. It was well-lit and there were lots of cars speeding past on the nearby road. Surely nobody would dare try anything here where they would be so easily spotted, and yet Joshua still couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was after him.

And he was right. He heard the cocking of a gun from directly behind him and turned to see a man holding the weapon to his head. At first he thought this was a police officer, but the balaclava over his head suggested otherwise.

“Any last words, Phoenix?” the man asked.

Joshua knew he didn’t have time to think. He had a gun to his head and if he was about to be shot, then he had no choice but to react quicker than a bullet.

The street went up in flames.

He heard the sound of the gun clatter to the ground followed by the body of attacker who screamed out as he quickly turned to ash.

What else could he have done? Anything less than a wildfire would have been too little and too late to stop him from ending up with a hole in his head. As his flames began to dissipate, he looked around him in case the gunman hadn’t come alone. If there had been others, they ought to have burnt up in the blaze too, but he wanted to be sure there was nobody else around who had somehow survived. It was then that he noticed a number of newly installed CCTV cameras surrounding the area, and when he heard the sound of fast approaching sirens, he began to realize that this had to have been a trap.
All he could think to do was run.

He had never moved so fast in all his life. He had never primed before, but at this speed it felt almost like he was flying with the wings of the Phoenix. It took him an inhumanly short amount of time to reach the parking lot outside his apartment building, and he planned to go in using the fire escape, hoping that Clive would be able to open the window for him from the inside.

But as he approached the iron stairway, was stopped in his tracks by someone who he thought was a firefighter at first based on their clothing, but he quickly realized that this was a police officer in fire-proof gear, making his flames useless against them.

“Joshua Rosfield, you are under arrest on suspicion of three counts of murder and one count of manslaughter,” Benedikta said, approaching him with handcuffs. “You have the right to remain silent and anything you say can and will be held against you.”

Even if he could claim that his wildfire just now was done in self defense, it had still proven that he was the one capable of causing such destruction and comparing it to the scenes of his other crimes would certainly prove his guilt. If he let this policewoman arrest him now, it would be over for him. He wasn’t going to let this happen.

His flames may not have been enough to cause her any damage here while she was wearing the protective gear, but Joshua hoped he could use them to create enough of a distraction to allow himself time to escape. He summoned a fireball in the palm of his hand but before he could cast it, Benedikta tasered him at such a high voltage that he momentarily lost consciousness and fell to the ground face first.

When he came to, Joshua found himself with his face in the dirt. He could feel that his hands were now cuffed, and he knew he was about to get dragged into the police car. No, this couldn’t be happening. He tried once more to summon flames but found it impossible now with his head dizzy and his hands tied. He couldn’t spend life in jail. He just couldn’t. A life in jail would mean a life without Clive, and that wasn’t a life worth living.

Clive.

Perhaps, if his brother was able to hear him, there was a small chance that he might still be able to get out of this. He yelled out into the night as loud as his voice would allow.

“CLIVE! HELP ME!”

Chapter Text

Clive worked from home as a health and fitness advisor who contacted his clients via video call. It wasn’t exactly his dream job, nor did it pay particularly well, but at least it was steady work which kept him afloat. It wasn’t often that he had work calls this late into the evening, but he had agreed to make time for his newest client since she was in a different time zone and was apparently struggling to find anyone reliable to work with in her own area.

Clive asked her about her bodybuilding and diet goals and took notes on the answers she gave so that he could begin formulating her workout and meal prep plans. Everything felt normal. He never would have expected to suddenly hear his brother crying out for help from the parking lot of their apartment.

His blood ran cold with dread as he heard it. No sound had ever felt so terribly wrong to him in all this life. There was no time to explain to his client. He hung up the call and raced to the window where he could just about see Joshua through the darkness, handcuffed and lying face down on the street below.

Pure instinct took over. He barely even had a coherent thought as he jumped from the window onto the fire escape stairway and rushed down to where officer Benedikta Harman was trying to wrestle Joshua into the car. All Clive knew was that no matter what happened, he wouldn’t let her take his brother away.

With the brief element of surprise on his side, he ran at Benedikta and tackled her to the ground, making her drop her hold on Joshua. She let out a frustrated grunt as her back hit the concrete, but she clearly wasn’t going to let the pain stop her. Quickly, she pulled her taser from its holster and delivered a high voltage shock to Clive’s arm. He fell limp onto her, and she used this moment to roll herself out from beneath him and get back onto her feet.

Even with his wrists bound by cuffs, Joshua was already trying to use the time that Clive had just bought him to get away. He managed to move to standing and tried to make a run for the stairs but Benedikta caught up with him before he could even begin to climb them. She got him in a choke hold and tried to pull him back towards the car. Joshua tried to fight back, but there was little he could do in this position with only his legs free to move, and it was hard to kick her while she was behind him like this. The blocking of his airways didn’t make things easier either. He could feel himself slowly becoming lightheaded with every second that Benedikta maintained her surprisingly strong hold. Knowing it would be futile, he tried to call out to Clive once more, but no sound escaped his mouth.

And yet, whether by coincidence or by fate, Clive then regained consciousness. He looked up groggily as he tried to remember what had just happened and then his body and mind entered panic mode yet again as he saw Benedikta practically throw Joshua into the back seat of the car and then slam the door shut. She then opened the door to the driver’s seat and Clive knew that if he didn’t act now then she would drive off with him.

He wouldn’t let her do this. He couldn’t.

It felt like something was overtaking him as he ran at Benedikta for a second time. A strength he had never felt before born out of rage and desperation surged through his veins. He charged at her like a bull seeing red, his mind devoid of all reason. Fire surrounded his body as he threw a punch that sent her immediately into the ground with such force that the concrete shattered beneath her.

It should have been enough to kill her. Any normal person would have never survived, but as strands of neon green light surrounded her, it was clear that Benedikta was no ordinary woman.

“I didn’t think it possible for there to be another dominant of fire…” she murmured as she rose to her feet. The wind picked up around her, scattering fallen leaves and dust particles in every direction. “But no matter. There’s no way you can outmatch the power of Garuda!”

Clive was suddenly blown back by a gust of wind so strong that it sent him flying into a nearby car. Just as his damage to Benedikta should have killed her, Clive would have surely died from this too, but in his newly awakened state, he found that he scarlessly felt anything at all. It was like he was possessed. His mind was a blur and his actions didn’t feel like his own as he quickly recovered and began casting giant flaming projectiles in Benedikta’s direction.

Seemingly even swifter now that she was semi primed, she dodged them all with relative ease and returned the gesture with a powerful concentrated storm. It sent Clive tumbling to the ground once more along with a telephone mast. Benedikta knew the collateral damage from this fight would be expensive, but that hardly mattered. It was clear to her that this was a fight to the death now, and she didn’t intend to lose.

She didn’t give Clive a chance to get up, and harnessed the wind to throw anything and everything she could at him. She uprooted the trees which surrounded the parking lot and smashed them down onto him. A solid metal skip from the side of the road dropped from a great height soon followed, along with several cars after that.

Somewhere deep inside his mind, Clive began to feel the pain of what was happening to him. It was distant and numb, but he was somehow aware that if he had not been in his current state, it would have been absolutely soul destroying – the kind of pain that would make a person beg for death if it hadn’t killed them already.

He had to fight it, but there was little he could do while trapped here beneath the weight of everything that Benedikta had thrown at him. He tried to struggle free, to crawl out from the wreckage, but even with the additional strength that came with this form, he found himself unable to move.

The sound of the wind seemed to die down and then a few seconds later Clive heard the hum of an engine. The police car. Joshua was still in there.

No.

Clive felt everything and then nothing in an instant. His anger and panic left his body and became flames which engulfed the parking lot. Everything that had been piled on top of him vaporized to ash.

He stood up, and through the fire and smoke, he saw Joshua, still bound but safe, lying in the charred remains of the car. The flames of course couldn’t hurt him, but that was not the case for Benedikta. She did not burn to bones the same way that Joshua’s victims had. Perhaps the sanctity of a dominant’s body kept her unmarred, but that was all she was now; a body. A corpse.

Clive felt himself return to his ordinary state of being and almost passed out again. Ignoring the way his head was swimming, he ran to Joshua and set him free from his handcuffs. “Are you alright?” he asked, his own words sounding distant and dazed in his head through the shock of everything that had just happened.

“I’m fine,” Joshua replied, and somehow managed a smile. “Who would have guessed that you’re also a dominant of fire? I think you might even be more powerful than myself!”

“I hope not...” Clive murmured. He didn’t want to think of himself as being capable of such destruction.

Joshua was so used to feeling good after doing something like this that it took him a moment to realize that Clive probably wouldn’t share in his enthusiasm. “Well…in any case, we can’t stay here. I expect multiple people in our building have already reported the blaze by now and the police will no doubt connect it to me when they arrive here with the fire department.”

“And then they’ll see it was actually me who did this when they check the CCTV footage from the cameras that overlook this parking lot…”

“Right… I can’t tell you how sorry I am to get you involved in this, Clive. I know somewhere we can stay though. Come on, let’s head inside and grab just the essentials and then get out of here.”

Though still shaken up and full of unprocessed emotions, Clive agreed.

The two of them made it to the Hideaway Hotel at around midnight. It had been a long walk since it was on the other side of the city. They had kept their hoods up the whole way to avoid being spotted by anyone on the way there, and was only once they got inside that they dared to show their faces.

They waited at the front desk while Otto called Cid to confirm that they had been invited here. Well, Joshua had been invited, but Cid didn’t seem to mind when Otto told him that he’d brought along a friend. Joshua was given his room key and then he and Clive headed upstairs to lay low for the rest of the night.

Neither of them seemed to feel tired yet. Clive especially found himself unable to sleep as every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was the image of Benedikta’s dead body. He had killed her. He was a murderer, and that was something he could never change.

“Are you alright, Clive?” Joshua asked, gently placing a hand on his brother’s arm as they both lay awake on the one bed in their room.

“What do you think?” Clive snapped. “I’ve just committed murder and now we’re both on the run from the police. So no, I’m not alright.”

“I…I’m sorry…” was all Joshua could think to say.

Clive didn’t reply and instead rolled onto his side, facing away from him.

It was understandable that he was angry, Joshua supposed. He had never meant to get Clive in trouble like this, but he felt guilty about it all the same. Clive had always been such a good person, and now he was not only an accomplice to murder but a killer in his own right.

They couldn’t sit here in their misery all night. They needed a distraction. Joshua got up and walked across the room to the mini fridge where he took out a bottle of vodka and opened it with his teeth. He didn’t usually drink alcohol, having never developed a taste for it, but Clive sometimes did, and right now he definitely needed it.

“Here,” Joshua said, offering the bottle to his brother. “I know it won’t change things, but it might at least take your mind of everything for a while.”

Clive, still scowling, looked at Joshua and then raised an eyebrow. “You’re suggesting I should just drink that stuff straight?”

Joshua looked back towards the fridge, wondering if there was anything they could use as a mixer, but Clive took the bottle from him regardless and took a long swig despite the astringency.

They both sat there in silence for a while, passing the vodka between them. Joshua couldn’t stand the taste but took small sips every now and then just to elevate the pain of his bruises which he had gotten while trying to escape Benedikta.

“…Things are never going to be the same again, are they?” Clive murmured after a while once the alcohol had done enough to dampen his anger down into melancholy.

“I guess not…” Joshua replied. “I should thank you though. If you hadn’t done what you did, I’d be in a holding cell right now.”

“Yeah, well I wasn’t going to let that happen to you. I feel fucking terrible for having killed that policewoman, but I can’t say I regret saving you.”

Joshua smiled. “I’ll never forget it. You really swooped in like a knight in shining armour.”

In spite of everything, Clive smiled too at that. “I’ll always be your shield, your highness,” he said, quoting a movie they both liked.

Joshua thought those words sounded better coming from Clive’s lips than from a movie. He liked the idea that his brother would be his shield, always there to protect him. Clive had looked so incredibly strong and handsome and powerful while saving him and looking back on the events of earlier this evening now, Joshua couldn’t help but feel a little turned on by the fact that his brother had gone so far as to commit murder just for him.

Joshua had always thought of Clive as handsome, but it was only since having come to terms with his murderous desires had he also admitted to himself that he found his brother sexually attractive, and now, with both of them tipsy and with little left to lose, Joshua decided that now was as good a time as any to finally make a move.

“You know…while I know can’t make up for all the trouble I’ve caused, there is something else I could do to at least make tonight a little better for you,” he said.

Clive looked at once apprehensive and curious. “Oh yeah? What’s that?”

“This…” Joshua moved himself down the bed a little, unbuttoned Clive’s jeans and then pulled down the zipper.

Clive’s eyes widened as he realized what his brother was doing. “Joshua, you can’t be serious,” he gasped, though he made no move to stop him from continuing to disrobe his lower half.

“I am,” Joshua replied. “To be honest, I’ve wanted to do this with you for ages, but I was never sure how to bring it up.”

“You…you shouldn’t.”

“I shouldn’t have committed murders either, but I did, and unless you tell me to stop, I’m doing this for you.”

Clive tried to ignore the fact that he could feel his cock already beginning to harden as he watched Joshua pull down his underwear. He couldn’t deny that he’d thought about this before, and maybe even guiltily touched himself to those thoughts, but he never imagined his fantasy would ever come into fruition.

“Fuck it, we’re already criminals,” he murmured before taking one last long swig of vodka as if it might ease the guilt of what he was allowing to happen.

Joshua took Clive’s cock into his hand. It was bigger and girthier than his own and had a good weight to it. It reminded him of how it had felt to hold the hunting knife for the first time – like it was meant for him.

He began pumping it gently, twisting his hand slightly with each stroke in the same way that he would do to himself, and noticed how quickly Clive seemed to relax into it despite his uncertainty. Perhaps it was because the alcohol had helped him let go of his inhibitions. It certainly made this easier either way.

Easier enough that Clive didn’t tell Joshua to slow down when he leaned forward and experimentally swirled his tongue around the head of his cock. It tasted just as he had imagined; salty, musky, and so very like Clive. Gods, he’d only just begun, but Joshua could already tell that he could get drunker on this than he ever would from any alcohol, and it tasted a hell of a lot better too.

He was determined to swallow his brother whole, to claim him entirely, lack of experience be damned. He didn’t bother trying to do this by increments, and instead plunged straight down, taking as much of Clive’s cock into his mouth as he possibly could. Clive let out a loud whine in surprise.

“Fuck, Joshua!” he cried, staring down at his brother in disbelief. He was at least halfway down and still straining to go deeper.

Joshua liked the burn it caused in his throat. It was proof that Clive was really inside him, that this wasn’t a dream. Somehow managing not to choke, he forced himself lower until he reached Clive’s balls and his nose was buried amongst wiry black pubic hair. He stilled there for but a moment, relishing in the achievement of having been able to take so much cock on his first try before finally pulling back up again to take a deep breath.

Clive looked like he was about to say something, maybe to tell him to take care and not strain himself, but whatever he was thinking disappeared from his mind as Joshua dived down again and started sucking him off properly. It was too good. Clive hadn’t touched himself in the last couple of weeks, having been too concerned about the murders to pay attention to his own libido, so now he was incredibly sensitive. Joshua’s mouth was like warm velvet around his cock, and that combined with the fact that he was currently experiencing his deepest darkest fantasy made him wonder if this was even real. It seemed too good to be true.

He reached down and curled his fingers into Joshua’s hair, gripping on for dear life as if this might ground him to reality. Gods, his brother looked so fucking beautiful like this; cheeks flushed pink, lips wet and swollen around him, and those piercing blue eyes staring back at him full of a determined and almost possessive kind of lust which made Clive’s heart skip a beat.

After having gone untouched for so long, he didn’t last long. With a long and low moan, he came within a minute and spilled his hot seed down his brother’s throat. Joshua swallowed it as easily as he might a cup of tea before pulling back up. He kissed the tip of Clive’s cock sweetly and Clive could hardly believe that someone so damn cute was a literal serial killer.

Before any kind of post-nut clarity could kick in to make Clive question this, Joshua moved to capture his lips in a deep and filthy kiss. Clive had never imagined that his first proper kiss would be anything like this, his own brother’s lips against his own carrying the taste of vodka and cum, yet he couldn’t honestly say he disliked it. They stayed like this for a while, a mess of lips, teeth and tongues, both afraid to pull away as if they would never have a chance to do this again.

At last though, they were running out of room to breathe. Clive pulled away and wrapped his brother in a tight embrace. “I love you, Joshua. I love you so fucking much.”

Joshua smiled and let himself rest in his brother’s arms. “I love you too.”

Chapter Text

“Sir, it’s as we feared: Benedikta Harman is dead,” Sleipnir informed Superintendent Tharmr at around 2am that night. The two of them rarely slept and instead spent their nights working, so they had both been awake to hear the news of the most recent wildfire in the parking lot.

“Is that so…?” Barnabas murmured. He kept his eyes fixed on the screen of his computer. “Stupid girl…She let her impatience to capture the Phoenix get the better of her.”

“…It wasn’t the Phoenix who killed her. We checked the CCTV footage from the area, and it seems that Joshua Rosfield’s brother is also a dominant of fire. It appears that he was no match for Garuda.”

Barnabas finally looked up and met his subordinate’s gaze. “A second dominant of fire? That shouldn’t be possible. Have the investigators at the scene send me the footage immediately so I can see it for myself.”

“Right away, sir.”

“I’m heading downstairs to ask Otto for the Wi-Fi password,” Joshua said in the morning as Clive woke up.

Clive rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands, trying to get rid of the groggy vestiges of sleep. He could feel a hangover headache coming on, but he ignored it for the moment. “No, let me go instead. We can’t risk anyone recognizing you.”

“Alright. I can’t stay in this room forever but maybe it would be best if you go for now.” Joshua agreed.

Clive got out of bed and moved quickly to dress his lower half which had been left naked since the night before. Sobriety should have caused him to begin feeling guilty about having received a blowjob from his own brother, but even now he couldn’t honestly say he regretted it. Besides, a crime like that paled in comparison to the fact that he had also killed a woman that very same night.

He tried not to think too hard about either of those things as he went downstairs, wanting to appear like an ordinary person without a guilty conscience. The lobby room was mostly empty right now, but someone was busy checking out at the front desk, so Clive had to wait before he could speak to Otto. He sat down on one of the brown leather sofas in front of the TV on the wall which was playing the local news. He should have been expecting it, but his heart started racing as soon as they began talking about the wildfires.

“CCTV evidence suggests that the first of last night’s attacks was carried out by the dominant of the Phoenix, who the police have now informed us to be a man by the name of Joshua Rosfield. While this particular attack was done in self-defense against an unknown gunman, it has now been confirmed that Rosfield was also responsible for all previous premeditated attacks of this nature.”

Clive put his head in his hands. Even with the worst of the footage having been blurred out, it was too painful to look at. It still didn’t feel real that he and his brother had caused this much death and destruction.

“However, police say that the dominant of the Phoenix was not in fact the perpetrator of the most recent blaze. At around 11pm last night, a wildfire was created outside the apartment building where Joshua Rosfield is known to be living with his brother Clive. The victim, police inspector Benedikta Harman, was found dead in the remains of her car and was reportedly attempting to arrest Joshua at the time of her death. From CCTV footage gathered from around the area, it has been determined that it was Clive Rosfield who killed inspector Harman, presumably to stop her from making the arrest. Both Clive and Joshua Rosfield were last seen on camera leaving their apartment building, and police urge anyone who has seen either of them since to come forward.”

Images of the two of them appeared on the screen, clearly to show the public exactly who to be looking out for. Clive reluctantly looked up at his picture. It was an almost decade old photo taken at his university graduation ceremony which was probably the most recent image the media had been able to find since he rarely ever shared anything on social media outside of work-related posts.

Joshua’s picture was far nicer in Clive’s opinion. It was a screenshot taken from a TikTok made by the library where he worked in which each library assistant had been asked to discuss their favourite books. He looked so sweet and innocent in his burgundy button up shirt with a pile of fantasy novels in hand and enthusiasm in his eyes.

They would both need to keep their guard up more than ever now that their names and faces had been made known to the world, but at least it seemed as though nobody here in the lobby had been paying much attention to the screen. A slight sense of relief washed over Clive once the news reporter finally moved on to discussing a different topic.

The revolving door at the main entrance spun around and a young woman Clive was sure he had seen before walked inside carrying what looked to be a box of medical supplies. She caught his eye and gasped quietly as recognition filled her features.

“Is that you, Clive?” she asked, her voice calm despite her surprise.

So much for laying low. Clive should have pretended that she had mistaken him for someone else, but his surprise in seeing her here of all places caused him to speak without thinking “Jill? Gods, I haven’t seen you in years!”

“I know, it’s been too long! When did we last see each other? Final year of university? What brings you here?”

If Jill didn’t know why he was here, then Clive figured she couldn’t have heard any news of his involvement in the events of last night. She would no doubt find out soon enough, but he decided to take this chance to have one last conversation with her after all this time. “I’m just…here for work. I’m a health and fitness advisor now and I’m meeting a client from out of town.”

Jill chuckled at that. “You always were a terrible liar, Clive. Nobody comes to the Hideaway Hotel unless they need to hide – clue’s in the name.”

Clive looked bashfully to the side. “Alright you got me. I’m not exactly in a position to talk about my situation though…”

“Fair enough. You’re not the only one here who has reason to be cagy.”

“…What about you? Are you able to say why you’re here?”

“I live and work here,” Jill said with a smile. “This place has its own medical bay for those who can’t leave to go get professional treatment for one reason or another, and my girlfriend Tarja is the main physician there. I work as her assistant.”

Clive mentally berated himself for feeling a little disappointed that Jill wasn’t single. He had developed a bit of a crush on her in university, but it wasn’t like he had a chance with her now even if she hadn’t already been taken. “That’s incredible honestly…I never knew this hotel was so well equipped. Sounds like you’re doing great work here.”

“I like to think so. You should come visit us and see if we can do anything to help patch up those bruises.”

“Are they really so obvious?” Clive asked, placing one hand gently to one of the large patches of swollen purple skin on his neck. He wished it could have been a hickey from Joshua instead of an injury from his fight with Benedikta.

“About as obvious as a neon chocobo,” Jill replied teasingly. “I should be getting these supplies back to Tarja now, but you’re welcome to visit any time you like. We’re in the first room of the basement floor.”

“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind,” Clive replied. “See you later.”

“See you later.”

Once Clive had finally received the Wi-Fi password from Otto, he headed back upstairs to see Joshua watching TV and looking bored.

“Mother tried to call my phone just now,” he said. “I guess she saw us on the news and wants answers. Did she call you as well?”

Clive shook his head. “I don’t think she even has my number anymore.”

“Well…in the unlikely event that she does call you, don’t pick up, alright? We can’t risk her figuring out where we are.”

“Of course. It’s not like I have anything to say to her anyway.”

Joshua couldn’t think of anything to say to that. It would only feel shallow coming from him, having been their mother’s favourite child. He would never know how awful it felt to be neglected in the way that Clive was.

“Did you get the Wi-Fi password?” he asked instead, knowing that changing the subject here would be better for both of them.

“I did,” Clive replied and handed over the scrap piece of paper on which Otto had jotted it down.

Joshua entered the password into the hotel’s login page on his phone and was glad to see that it was correct. “Thanks.”

“So…how long do you think we’ll be staying here?” Clive asked. He knew they couldn’t go back to their apartment anytime soon, if ever again. It scared him to think that they might be on the run forever now.

“I don’t know. Indefinitely?” Joshua replied far too calmly.

“And you’re ok with that? Won’t it begin to feel stifling being stuck here for so long?”

“Perhaps, but I plan to sleep during the day and go out killing at night so I shouldn’t feel too cooped up.”

Just when Clive thought he was used to being shocked by his brother’s words. “Are you insane?! You’re going to take more lives and risk going out even now that the world knows you’re a wanted criminal?”

“What, did you think I’d stop now just because the police are onto me? I’m not giving up my greatest pleasure in life, and I’ve already planned a disguise, so no need to worry that I’ll get caught, alright?”

“Even then, how can you be sure you won’t be spotted? And how can you possibly enjoy doing this shit?”

“It’s worth the risk. I wish you could realize how good it feels, then you’d understand.”

Clive didn’t want to understand. He hoped he never would. Joshua wasn’t even trying to pretend that this was about the will of the Phoenix anymore, and it hurt to see how twisted his brother had become. “I can’t sit here and listen to you say shit like this, Joshua,” he said, making a beeline for the door. “I met an old friend downstairs just now. I’m going to go chat with her while I still can before she finds out what I’ve done and why I’m here.”

“Fine,” Joshua replied, seemingly unbothered.

Clive didn’t say another word before leaving the room.

It was nighttime now and Clive still hadn’t returned from visiting his friend, so Joshua had taken this opportunity to don his disguise and head out into the city before his brother could try to stop him.

He had bought these clothes weeks ago, knowing that he would surely need some kind of disguise eventually, and had packed them into his bag just before he and Clive fled the apartment. With the help of some light makeup, this outfit made him convincingly feminine. He wandered the streets in docs, fishnets, black jean shorts and a red sleeveless top, along with his knife which he had hidden away in a little black purse. He had always secretly wanted to try dressing like this, and he could finally do so now that he had the confidence and power to kill anyone who would shame him for it.

Though he looked and felt like an absolute girlboss, deep down, he was worried. Not about getting caught – he was still confident that he wouldn’t be, at least not while he was dressed like this. What worried him was that if he continued to kill, then Clive might begin to see him only as a monster then stop loving him. It was obvious that he disapproved of all of this, and Joshua knew that he would need to find a way to make his brother see murder in a different light so that he wouldn’t lose him. After all, it would surely be only a matter of time before Clive decided that he couldn’t continue to live cooped up in the hotel forever, and that the thought of life in prison sounded better than a life spent with the anxiety and paranoia of being constantly on the run.

A car slowly pulled up and Joshua quickly put his worries aside for the moment. He couldn’t let them distract him here. The man in the car rolled down his window and looked him up and down with a greedy glint in his eyes.

“How much for the pleasure of your company, baby?” he asked, his tone of voice just as slimy as Joshua had expected it to be.

He tried to make his own voice sound as naturally feminine as he could as he replied, “I’ll do anything for just 50G.”

The man chuckled. “Really? With that face and nice skinny frame, you’re underselling yourself! I won’t complain though. It ain’t easy finding girls who aren’t overpriced around here.”

“I guess this is your lucky day then.”

“I guess so! Get that sweet little ass in here and I’ll drive us somewhere a bit more private, yeah?”

Had Joshua really been intending to do anything for this man, he might have demanded to be given the cash before getting into his car to avoid being scammed, but of course it wasn’t money that he cared about right now.

The man drove them to the basement floor of a multi-level parking lot which was entirely empty at this time of night. “Now, what shall I do with you? With lips like those, I bet you give good head, and I wanna see all that lipstick smudged by my cock.”

Joshua tried not to visibly cringe. If only those words could have been coming from Clive instead. Still, he needed to keep up the act so he pretended that this was something he was glad to do. “Alright honey. Make yourself comfortable in the back seat for me, alright? It’ll give me a little more room to work.”

The man agreed and stepped out of the car to go lie down on across the back seats. Joshua followed him, slipping one hand into his purse to grip his knife’s handle as he did so. He needed to have his blade at the ready so that he could pull it out quickly once he chose his moment to strike. The man didn’t seem to notice this. He was too busy pulling his already hard cock out from his trousers.

“What do you think? Pretty nice pecker, eh?”

It was a decent size, but it wasn’t Clive’s, so Joshua wasn’t impressed. Had he intended to put his mouth anywhere near it, he would have been tempted to bite down as hard as he could and relish in the man’s scream of pain. Either way, screams would certainly be heard soon enough.

“Oh sure, it’s nice,” Joshua replied with a sly smile. “Mine’s bigger though,”

Thinking it a joke, the man forced a laugh. “Alright cheeky slut, why don’t you put that smart mouth of yours to work already?”

“Believe me, I intend to,” Joshua replied. “But let me tease you a little longer first. It always feels so much better if you let the anticipation build…”

Before the man could say anything in argument, Joshua leaned down and began kissing at his neck. He found a good spot where a vein was prominently visible even in the darkness and sank his teeth hard and deep into the skin there. He would have drawn blood had he possessed the sharp fangs of a vampire, but the man’s yelp of surprise and pain was good enough.

“Gods, are you always this aggressive with your clients?!”

“Aw, is a little bite too much for you to handle?” Joshua teased. “You’d better brace yourself then. I’m only just getting started.”

He didn’t give the man time to even wonder what that meant before biting down once again, even harder this time. The wail of pain that he got in response was pure music to his ears. It was almost amusing how easy it was to hurt this poor fool.

“I’m not paying for you to gnaw my fucking neck off, bitch!” he growled. “Do what I brought you here to do, or I’m kicking you out of this car and leaving you here!”

If this man had the gall to speak like this, then he clearly hadn’t realized the danger of the situation yet. Joshua wanted to see fear in his eyes. He pulled out his knife and held it to the man’s throat. “You’re not leaving. You’re trapped in here with me and I’m not letting you go anywhere.”

There it was. That delicious expression of terror which suddenly washed over the man’s features. “W-what is this? What are you doing?” he asked, voice trembling.

“Oh, just having some fun before I finally end you,” Joshua replied.

“What?! Why?! Please, if it’s my money you’re after, just take it and leave!”

Joshua almost laughed at that. As if he couldn’t just take his money afterwards. “No amount of money you could offer would be worth more to me than your pain.”

The man tried to protest further, begging and making more pointless offers for his life which only served to turn Joshua on as he moved his knife down to his torso and began cutting random patterns into his flesh.

Those screams were like a symphony. The blood poured out from each cut like some sort of glorious ichor and Joshua couldn’t not stop himself from leaning down to lick at it. It was bitter and metallic on his tongue. Intoxicating.

An unknown amount of time passed. It could have been hours that Joshua spent torturing his victim, cutting him up all over until there was barely a part of him left untouched, and yet still the man somehow had the strength within him to continue to wail and plead. As much as Joshua enjoyed those sounds, he also wanted to shut him up, to entirely remove what little ability he had left to resist this. He thought about forcing the man to suck his cock. That would definitely keep him quiet and would serve him right for expecting Joshua to do such a thing for him. Then again, would he be cheating on Clive if he did anything sexual with this guy?

He wasn’t sure, but that didn’t matter as a better idea struck him. He cut off the man’s cock and stuffed it into his howling maw. There was no way he would survive the blood loss from this. His eyes rolled back, and he looked like he was about to pass out. Joshua slapped him in the face, making sure that he would remain conscious for his last agonizing moments as he slowly, slowly bled out.

It was no longer a man that Joshua saw beneath him, but instead a gorgeously bloody work of art; a figure cut up and distorted beyond recognition, clinging pathetically to the fading vestiges of life in such a humiliating position.

All that was left to do now was to wait for him to die. There was no way Joshua would leave without first witnessing the moment when the life finally left his victim’s eyes. In the meantime, he kept himself occupied by taking care of his hard on which he had tried to ignore up until now.

Even in his dazed and dying state, it seemed from the change in the man’s expression that he was still conscious enough to recognize that Joshua wasn’t the woman he had thought him to be as he pulled his cock out and began caressing himself.

“Surprised?” he asked the man mockingly, knowing full well that he couldn’t respond.

Gods, this felt far too good. Joshua knew that getting off right in front of his victim like this was a new low, but it was a depth to which he was more than willing to sink if it meant he could indulge in this ultimate pleasure. The only thing that could have made this better was if Clive was here too.

He closed his eyes and thought of Clive joining him in these killings, of getting to see his dear brother commit this kind of slaughter and defilement. It was unrealistic of course to think that Clive would ever agree to do such things, but picturing it made Joshua come.

Pleasure washed over him followed by a sudden sharp pain in his side. He looked down and saw that the man had taken the knife while he had been distracted and stabbed him in revenge with his final breath.

The pain was dizzying. Joshua didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t go to the hospital like this, covered in blood which mostly wasn’t his own, and there was also a chance he might be recognized and arrested. It felt like his only option would be to head back to the hotel in the hope that Clive might be able to help him. Quickly, he tucked himself back into his shorts before putting the knife into his purse and holding it against his wound, hoping it would help stop the bleeding if only temporarily. He then moved to the driver’s seat and was relieved to see that the keys were still in the ignition.

Despite not owning a car himself, Joshua did know how to drive. He had acquired his license years ago but had never needed his own vehicle while living in the city where it was easier to walk everywhere or use the subway. It was hardly sensible to drive around with his victim lying dead in the back, but in his panicked haze, he didn’t even consider what might happen if a cop happened to pull him over as he sped back to the Hideaway as fast as he possibly could without causing a collision.

The hotel lobby was empty apart from Cid who was chatting with Otto at the front desk. Both men paused their conversation as they saw Joshua stagger in through the door, blood dripping from the gash in his side even as he tried to cover it.

“…Well, well, well, if it isn’t the Phoenix,” Cid said. “Got into a fight you couldn’t handle, eh? We best get you to Tarja before you bleed out all over the carpet.”

Chapter Text

“Why are you helping me?” Joshua asked suspiciously as he followed Cid through the hotel’s hallways, still clutching his purse against his wound to try and prevent the bleeding. “You know what kind of person I am. Wouldn’t it be safer for you to just leave me to die?”

Cid laughed. “That wound won’t kill you, lad. It probably hurts like hell, but it looks like it hasn’t hit anything vital so you’ll be fine. Besides, I have my reasons to keep you around. We help each other out here at the Hideaway. Favours are worth more than money in this place and I’m hoping that if I continue to show you my hospitality, then you might be willing to take on some work for me.”

“…What kind of work?”

“We can discuss it at a later date. Tarja’s medical office is just through his door right here.”

Cid knocked on the door and a woman with long red hair and sharp features answered it.

“Sorry to disappoint you, Cid but I’m out of cigars right now,” she said.

“I’m not here for your wares this time, Tarja. I need you to fix up our little Phoenix here.”

Tarja looked at Joshua and her eyes widened. “You’re the Phoenix?! Cid, what do you think you’re doing letting him in? He could burn the place to the ground!”

“Don’t worry, I’m not about to hurt anyone here. You’ve all been good to me,” Joshua assured her. While he usually enjoyed the feeling of being feared, he didn’t want to cause any distress to this innocent woman who was hopefully about to heal him.

“Not one to bite the hand that feeds you, eh? Well I suppose that’s somewhat reassuring,” she replied.

“And I’ll stick around to keep an eye on him if that’ll help set your mind at ease,” Cid added.

“Alright, I guess you both better come in then.”

The office was simple, but it appeared to be decently equipped. Tarja had Joshua sit down on a futon couch and pulled up his top just enough to uncover the wound so that she could take a closer look at it. Just as Cid has suspected, the cut wasn’t too deep and had luckily missed anything vital. Tarja fetched some antiseptic fluid from a supplies cupboard and began the disinfection process.

“Dare I ask how you ended up with this injury?” she asked as she gently dabbed the antiseptic onto the wound with a cotton ball.

Joshua averted his gaze sheepishly. “I was…distracted. Let my guard down…”

Cid raised an eyebrow. “I assumed it was because whichever poor sod you decided to kill tried to fight back. How the hell do you get distracted while committing a murder?”

“Doesn’t matter…” Joshua murmured, his cheeks turning red slightly as he tried not to think about it.

“Karma perhaps?” Tarja suggested teasingly.

It baffled Joshua how both she and Cid seemed so comfortable making conversation with a killer. “Perhaps…”

“So why’d you do it? Did you have a vendetta against the guy or something?”

“No I…” it felt wrong to admit to the people who were trying to help him that he was essentially just doing this for fun, so he didn’t. “It’s the Phoenix who decides who I go after. It’s like it speaks to me.”

“Most people would call that schizophrenia,” Cid said dryly. “I think I understand what you mean though. I’ve felt emotions that weren’t my own, like they were coming from my Eikon, Ramuh.”

Tarja looked at Cid briefly before turning back to tend to the wound. “And does Ramuh ever feel like committing murder?”

“Can’t say he does. But the Phoenix is a different beast all together so who’s to say what it feels?”

“How are you both so calm about this?” Joshua asked.

Cid shrugged. “We get a lot of dangerous types here, we’re used to it. As long as they’re not a threat to any of our people it’s not too much of our concern.”

“And it’s good for business,” Tarja added. “I’m able to keep this little infirmary open with the money that I make from dealing pharmaceuticals to those folks on the side.”

“A healer dealing drugs? I’m obviously not in any position to judge, but that seems counter intuitive,” Joshua said.

“Not at all. I sell clean drugs that haven’t been laced with shit. There are people here who will do whatever it takes to get their fix, so better that they get it here in controlled doses than from some dodgy guy in an alley who might hurt them.”

“Speaking of, are you certain you’re out of cigars?” Cid asked.

“Yep. I have nicotine patches though if you want something to help tide you over in the meantime.”

“Alright I suppose those’ll have to do.”

An idea struck Joshua. A horrible one. “Could I buy some from you as well?” he asked.

Cid looked surprised by this. “Strange, you don’t seem like the smoking type.”

“I’m in the process of quitting,” Joshua lied. He had never touched any kind of drug in his life. He barely even drank alcohol.

“Sure, I’ll get those for you both in just a moment once I’ve bandaged up this wound,” Tarja said.

It didn’t take long for her to finish the job, and after giving her the proper thanks she deserved, Joshua and Cid both left the room each armed with a box of nicotine patches. Joshua had paid for his using some of the money he took from tonight’s victim, while Tarja handed over Cid’s for free, seemingly in return for some kind of favor which Joshua was not privy to.

Cid took one of the patches out of the pack straight away and stuck it to his arm. Joshua followed suit to keep up the act, figuring that an addict would want their fix straight away, though he put his patch to the back of his neck instead where Clive wouldn’t see it.

“You ought to rest for a while and give that injury time to heal before you go out again,” Cid said as they returned to the lobby.

Joshua wasn’t sure he could honestly agree to that. Although the wound still stung, he felt like he would be fine to head out again tomorrow night, and he didn’t want to be stuck inside for too long. Still, he didn’t want to argue. “Of course,” he replied, making a beeline for the elevator. “Thanks again for everything.”

“No problem, lad. See you later.”

When Joshua returned to his room, he expected Clive to be asleep at this late hour, but when he opened the door, he saw his brother pacing around the room with dark sleepless circles under his eyes.

“Clive, you’re still awake?”

“Well knowing my own brother was probably out committing murder didn’t exactly make it easy to sleep,” Clive replied, his brows furrowed. He then stopped pacing and his cheeks reddened as he took notice of the way Joshua was dressed. “…What are you wearing?”

Joshua smiled proudly and did a little twirl to show off his outfit properly. “It’s my disguise. Do you like it?”

Clive looked his brother up and down. He couldn’t deny that he looked decidedly sexy, but he knew he shouldn’t act encouraging towards this murder costume. “…I’d like it better without the blood all over you,” he replied.

“I should have known you’d say something like that,” Joshua sighed. “Listen, I’m sorry I caused you so much stress. I had no idea you’d be up all night worrying. Can I make it up to you?”

“…How?”

Joshua gave Clive a look.

Clive tried to find the strength within himself to refuse. He should have been furious with Joshua right now for having killed again and for having the audacity to suggest that a quick shag would be enough to earn his forgiveness. No matter how much he tried to reason with himself though, his cock stirred at the thought of being able to fuck his pretty little dolled up brother.

He caved in far too quickly. “…Fine, but only because you’re getting me worked up. I’m not going to forget about what you’ve done though, and I’m not condoning it.”

“Understood,” Joshua replied with a smile, entirely unconcerned by those words.

It wasn’t long before Clive was straddling Joshua on the bed and kissing him with the kind of desperation that could only come from being cooped up in a hotel with nothing much to do for days. He wanted to get those slutty clothes off of his brother as soon as possible, but he paused as he began to remove Joshua’s top and looked down to see the bandaged wound beneath it.

“Joshua, what is this? Did you get hurt?!”

“Don’t worry, it was just a small cut and Tarja from the medical office downstairs took care of it.”

Clive was not assured. “You have to stop doing this.”

“Fuck me well and I’ll consider it,” Joshua replied. He had no intention of stopping but pulled Clive in closer to him for another kiss before he could begin to argue.

Joshua had never been fucked like this before. He was so glad that he’d waited in the secret hope that one day Clive might be his first. His brother felt so big and so deep inside him and seemed to know by instinct exactly how to move to make shivers of pleasure run through his body with every thrust. It felt so good that he almost forgot about the nicotine patch. Almost.

When it was clear from his movements that he was just about to come, Joshua pulled the patch off of himself and stuck it onto Clive’s back while he was too distracted by his orgasm to notice. Clive let out a low moan as he spilled his hot seed deep inside his dear brother and Joshua came soon after.

“We’ve received a missing person report, sir,” an officer said to Sleipnir two days later. “A man hasn’t turned up to work twice now with no explanation and his colleagues are getting worried.”

Sleipnir sighed. He was still busy trying to figure out where the Rosfield brothers might have gone, and he really didn’t need any extra work on his plate right now. “Has anyone been to his home to see if he is there?” he asked.

“Yes. A friend of his who had a spare key to his house looked inside and couldn’t find him, and his car was missing from the driveway so it is unlikely that he was home.”

“And when was he last seen?”

“Two days ago. A fellow employee from the office where he works saw him leaving the building late in the evening and getting into his car which was parked in a lot nearby. It was assumed that he then drove home, but considering his car was not at his house, it seems he went elsewhere.”

“Then obviously you must look up his license plate and run a search through the city’s traffic cameras to find out where he went. Do you need me to tell you how to do that, or are you going to stop being incompetent and interrupting while I have more pressing matters to attend to?”

“N-no, sir. I can do it myself. Sorry to have bothered you!”

It took about a week for Clive to properly notice his change in mood. He told himself that he still vehemently disagreed with these murders, and yet he was beginning to feel excited rather than nervous for Joshua to return to him each night after having killed once again. He still wished that he would put a stop to it, but he couldn’t ignore the strange elation he experienced from the smell of blood on Joshua’s clothes and from the small details which he told him about his crimes. At first, he came to the conclusion that this was all just because the two of them had been having sex every night, so of course he would associate those things with the pleasure that always followed.

But no, that wasn’t it. Clive quickly began to realize that it didn’t feel quite the same when they occasionally fucked during the daytime, but he refused to believe that it was the idea of murder which was making him feel like this.

Every time he went downstairs to chat with Jill, he was tempted to ask her if she knew what could be causing this. With her medical knowledge, she might have been able to provide him with an answer, but his own embarrassment always stopped him from bringing it up. He thought about asking Tarja instead. After all, if she had been willing to heal Joshua despite knowing that he was the Phoenix, then perhaps she would be less judgmental about his situation. Tarja worked the night shift though and was asleep for most of the day, so Clive didn’t want to bother her. He could have visited her in the evenings, but he always wanted to stay in his room once it got dark so that he could be there in case Joshua came back early.

It was all so strange. He’d find himself irritated and moody without Joshua around as though he’d missed out on his morning coffee. Seeing him again would make him feel not just better, but actively good, and it got to the point where he began wishing he could accompany his brother on his nightly excursions if only to remain by his side.

Joshua did feel a small amount of guilt for drugging Clive like this, but he told himself that it was for his own good. After all, Clive’s mental health would definitely improve once he learned to embrace this bloody life, and getting addicted to Joshua’s presence was the first step on the path towards the bliss and freedom that came with living outside of society’s standards.

Another week of subtle manipulation and secret nicotine doses passed, and Joshua’s plan finally began to bear fruit when Clive asked to come out with him tonight.

“I still don’t approve of what you’re doing, but let me tag along so that I can help protect you, alright? I keep thinking about how you got hurt a few days ago and I can’t let that happen to you again,” he said as he watched Joshua carefully applying his makeup.

“You worry too much about me, Clive,” Joshua replied, glancing away from his compact mirror and giving his brother a fond smile. “I’ll be fine, but you’re welcome to come along with me if you want…so long as you don’t try to stop me from killing, that is.”

Clive knew he shouldn’t agree to this. If he had the opportunity to stop a murder, it would go against any concept of basic human decency to just stand and do nothing, yet he found himself promising not to get in Joshua’s way. Anything to stay by this brother’s side.

So together they headed out into the night.

“Don’t try to deny it, Cid. We know you are harboring Joshua Rosfield in that hotel of yours,” Sleipnir said that same night as he paced slowly around the table in the interrogation room where the bounty hunter was seated.

Cid didn’t look intimidated. “Y’know, when you called me here, I thought it was because you needed me to track someone down for you. I don’t appreciate you wasting my time with baseless accusations.”

“Do you really think we would have confronted you about this had we lacked evidence?”

“Well I should hope not. Are you going to show me this evidence or are you expecting me to believe your bluff?”

“It is no bluff. Look here,” Sleipnir said, placing an iPad on the table in front of Cid.

On the screen, video footage from a security camera showed Joshua and another man moving from the front to the back of a car which looked like it was parked in a multi-level parking lot. Their distance from the camera made it hard to get a clear view of their faces, but Cid recognized the outfit that Joshua had been wearing that night, and the time and date on the recording confirmed to him that this must have happened not long before he’d brought Joshua to Tarja to get him healed. This wouldn’t be enough to get him to admit the truth to Sleipnir though.

“Are you suggesting that blonde is Rosfield?” he asked instead. “Looks like a woman to me.”

Sleipnir rolled his eyes. “Please, Telamon, don’t play dumb with me. You know that this is Rosfield, and our facial recognition software has confirmed as much. However affective as that outfit he is wearing might be at making him appear feminine, enhancing the footage and scanning his face told us all we needed to know.”

“…Fine. Let’s say for the sake of argument that this is in fact the Phoenix. So what? I don’t see what this has to do with my hotel.”

“Still insistent on playing coy, hm? Honestly, I never understood why Superintendent Tharmr ever puts up with you. Such insolence makes you more trouble than you’re worth.”

“At least I’m not his sycophantic lap dog.”

Such shade would have angered most people, but Sleipnir took pride in his obedience to his master. “His horse,” he corrected Cid.

Cid raised a confused eyebrow. “What?”

“I’m not his lap dog, I’m his horse.”

“…Is that what he calls you?”

“…You could never understand the complexities of our relationship. But back on topic, we were able to use traffic cameras to follow where the car went after leaving the parking lot, and while there is no CCTV directly outside of your hotel, the last place the car was seen is rather close by and we are certain that if we searched the place we would find Rosfield and likely his brother as well.”

“You’d need a warrant. Hotel rooms are considered private residences when in use.”

“I am aware. We will be able to secure a warrant easily with the evidence we have here.”

“…So then why call me in if you already have all the information you need?”

“Because even with a warrant, it will take days if we have to conduct a proper search of every room, and our detectives simply don’t have the time to spare. Not to mention the fact that the Phoenix may attempt to escape should he overhear that an investigation is going on. So what we want from you is your cooperation. We’ve turned a blind eye to the illicit activities that are known to go on in that hotel of yours so far in return for your work as a bounty hunter, but if you fail to hand Rosfield over to us, we will have to choice but to conduct a full raid on the place and have it shut down.”

Sleipnir looked far too pleased about the idea of putting an end to his business and the gloating look in his eyes pissed Cid off.

There was a long silence as he considered his options. There was no way in hell that he would sacrifice his hotel. Almost everyone he cared about lived within its walls and he had a responsibility to protect those who relied on the place to hide from those who would wish them harm.

He didn’t wish to hand over the Phoenix, especially not while he could still be useful to him, but he saw no other choice. He sighed. “…I can give you his room number and entry to it, is that enough?”

Sleipnir smiled triumphantly. “That will do nicely.”

Clive kept his hood up as he kept watch by the entrance to the alleyway in which Joshua had found his target. Though his back was turned to the scene, the metallic squelching sounds of the knife penetrating an innocent man’s body again and again told him all he needed to know about what was happening behind him. He tried to focus on his own guilt for having allowed Joshua to kill the man since it was the more acceptable of the emotions he was feeling currently. The other was arousal, and he refused to admit it to himself.

Part of Clive longed to turn around and watch while the rest of him was too afraid. He still couldn’t erase the image of Benedikta Harman’s corpse from his mind, the last thing he needed was to bear witness to another. On the other hand, maybe it was what he deserved. He had let a man die; the least he could do was face the reality of his actions instead of hiding from it.

Joshua seemed to be able to sense these conflicting thoughts in his brother and made the decision for him. “I know you want to look, Clive. He’s dead now so he can’t hurt you.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about,” Clive replied, tuning around with far too little reluctance.

He looked to the ground. Never before had he been so close to throwing up and getting an erection at the same time. The corpse was mutilated to an extent that he hadn’t even thought possible. There was more blood on show than skin, and the expression of terror which remained on his death-stiffened face was horrific. But straddled on top of the mangled flesh was Joshua in that whorish outfit, blood stained and beautiful with a small fire burning in his palm to illuminate the scene and give Clive a better view. It was all so surreal that it almost felt like a dream, or a nightmare.

Joshua handed him the knife. “Come sit down here in front of me. I want you to understand how good it feels to cut someone up like this.”

“…No, Joshua. I came out here to protect you, not to get involved in the killing.”

“You’re not killing him, he’s already dead, and I’m certain you’ll feel better about all of this once you get used to it. Please, Clive, do this for me just this once?”

Clive always melted whenever Joshua looked at him like this. He knew he should have refused, but once again he found himself giving in to his brother’s desires. Tentatively, he took the knife and lowered himself so that he was straddling the corpse, his back flush against Joshua’s chest.

“So…you want me to stab him?” he asked.

“Stab, cut, whatever you want. Whatever feels good to you.”

“It won’t feel good to me.”

“It will,” Joshua said with zealous conviction. “I’ll make sure it will.”

A shiver ran down Clive’s spine. He could no longer find it within himself to hold back any longer. So, with a deep breath, he raised the knife in both hands and plunged it deep into the body beneath him.

Chapter Text

This was awful, terrible, completely wrong, and yet Clive couldn’t stop. Each time he stabbed the fresh corpse, warm blood oozed out in a way which was more satisfying than it had any right to be, and the strong, metallic smell made him intoxicatingly lightheaded. It didn’t help that Joshua was still right there behind him, kissing at his neck and whispering words of praise and encouragement into his ear. He hadn’t wanted to enjoy this, but he did, and he was going to have to confront himself about it sooner or later. For now though, he figured the situation would be easier to bear if he simply let his instincts take over and tried not to think too hard.

“I knew you’d learn to like this,” Joshua said, moving one hand to rub at the growing hard on through Clive’s jeans. His voice was full of both lust and pride for his brother in equal measure and Clive drank in every word. “You handle that knife so well…”

Clive couldn’t quite believe Joshua was touching him like this in public. Well, not exactly in public since there wasn’t anyone around to see – and thank gods for that – but even so, this wasn’t the sort of thing most people would do outside. He looked back down at the body beneath him. Stabbing a corpse wasn’t something most people would do either, but he supposed that he would just have to accept that he and Joshua were no longer ‘most people’.

He didn’t try to stop Joshua from unbuttoning his jeans and pulling his cock out. They’d already gone this far, and it was difficult for him to want to stop now that he was hard in his brother’s hand. Joshua scooped up blood from the corpse into his palm and used it to slicken Clive’s cock before he began to caress him properly, and even then, Clive couldn’t bring himself to complain. Not when it felt this good.

He closed his eyes as if not looking at the crime he was currently participating in would make it go away so that he could focus solely on the pleasure brought by his brother’s soft and skillful fingers wrapped tight around him. That pleasure was momentarily taken away from him though as soon as Joshua noticed him clearly trying to look away.

“Open your eyes, Clive. I want you to get used to this,” Joshua said, pausing his movements.

His voice somehow held such an undeniable tone of authority that Clive felt compelled to obey. He forced himself to look at the body and at the blood and gore which spilled from it. It should have been more disturbing and less arousing. The sheer depravity of this whole thing was beginning to turn Clive on by itself. It made him ache for his brother’s touch again.

He let out a contented moan when Joshua finally took him in hand once more and whispered, “Good boy.”

Those words made him come.

Later that night, the two of them headed back to their hotel room and Joshua wasn’t done with Clive. Watching his brother cut up the corpse had turned him on far too much and now he was determined to fuck him senseless. It was just when he had Clive on the bed with his ass in the air and was about to penetrate him for the first time when Cid walked in.

Joshua’s demeanor changed quite instantly. He let out a practically adorable squeak of embarrassment and ran straight into the en suite bathroom to hide himself while Clive buried himself under the covers.

“…Well…I guess that was my fault for not knocking,” Cid said, surprisingly calm in spite of what he had just witnessed between the two brothers.

“Why didn’t you?!” Clive demanded, flushing red beneath the sheets. “How were you even able to get in? We locked the door!”

“Don’t act so surprised. As the owner of this building, I have a keycard which opens every room,” Cid replied, “and there was no time for knocking. I’ve just had a chat with Chief Inspector Harbard. He knows you’re here. You two need to get out of here before the morning or you’ll likely get caught when the police arrive.”

Upon overhearing this, Joshua poked his head out from behind the bathroom door. “What? How did they find us?”

Cid looked at Joshua and then to Clive. “Both of you put some clothes on and I’ll explain everything.”

Feeling incredibly awkward, the brothers quickly got dressed while Cid left the room and they met him downstairs in the lobby once they were presentable. He told them everything that Sleipnir had told him earlier this evening and advised that they both leave as soon as possible.

“But where are we supposed to go?” Clive asked, frustrated now in more ways than one. He still hated the fact that they were on the run because of Joshua’s actions, and while he had begun to understand the allure of his crimes, it was hard to ignore how much of their ordinary lives they had lost as a result of them.

Cid paused for a while as if considering whether or not to say what was on his mind. He took a long drag from his cigar and watched the smoke rise into the air as it passed his lips.

“…There is one place I have in mind,” he said at last. “Remember that job I said I’d have for you, Phoenix? Well maybe now would be a good time to do it. There’s someone I want dead and if you can take him out, I reckon you could stay in his home for a short while at least until the police realize he’s missing.”

“Who is he?” Joshua asked, immediately willing.

“A man by the name of Imreann Martyn. He works the night shift at a nearby 24 hour convenience store so I recommend that you break into his home tonight while he’s still working and then you’ll be there to get the jump on him when he gets back.”

Clive was not so enthusiastic about this. “And why exactly do you want this random innocent store worker dead?”

Cid practically laughed at that, though without humor. “Innocent? That man lost any innocence he may have once had the day he decided to stalk and assault Jill.”

“What?” Clive gasped in disbelief. He felt the flames of fury run through his veins in the same way they had when he saw Benedikta trying to take Joshua away. “When did this happen?!”

“So she never told you? I suppose that figures. She’s always been so determined to act like it never happened, like it doesn’t bother her anymore, but Tarja tells me that she still has nightmares about it … It was about three years ago. Imreann used to be a professor at the university where Jill was studying for her degree in medicine and he developed an unhealthy obsession with her which quickly got out of hand. He followed her home one night and once he caught her…well, she was on the brink of death by the time I found her and brought her back here to get healed. The bastard got a stupidly short sentence thanks to his connections in law enforcement, and I’ve been wanting to take him out myself ever since he was released. Needless to say, I was never able to get round to it though. The police have always kept too close of an eye on me so that’s why I’m asking the two of you,” Cid explained.

“Alright,” Clive said, his resolve now absolute. “Let’s get him, Joshua.”

Joshua tried very hard not to smile. At last, he would get to see his brother partake in murder by his own volition. The mere thought of it excited him far too much.

Cid gave them the address of Imreann’s home along with directions and then Joshua and Clive headed back upstairs to quickly pack up their belongings ready to leave.

“Take just the essentials. The sun will be up in about two hours and we need to be out of here and into that guy’s house by morning,” Joshua said, stuffing what few clothes he had brought with him into his bag.

“I know. Though It’s not like we brought more than the bare essentials here with us in the first place,” Clive murmured.

“You brought your camera,” Joshua pointed out as he watched Clive pack it away.

“It was expensive. I figured we could attempt to pawn it if we needed money in a pinch, but it’ll be hard to do now that everyone knows our names and faces. Maybe I should just leave it here.”

“No, bring it with you. There’s another way we can use it to make money.”

Dawn was breaking by the time they reached Imreann’s house. Clive used the anger he felt towards Jill’s attacker to summon the power of Ifrit and kicked the back door in, allowing them easy entry inside.

It was a nice place. Too nice for such a criminal, and amongst the finery of the upper-class décor, it still held all the trappings of a professor of medicine; large bookshelves filled with printed medical journals, framed prints of anatomical diagrams, and even a model skeleton which stood in one corner of the living room.

“Ironic that we’re the serial killers here, isn’t it?” Joshua commented as they looked around the house for a good spot to lie in wait. “All this imagery of human anatomy makes Imreann seem far more criminal than us.”

Clive frowned at the insinuation that both of them were serial killers. Yes, he had killed, but that was only because Benedikta had left him with no choice.

“…How do you want to do it?” he asked instead of replying. Discussing this in a practical manner seemed less villainous than waxing poetic about the irony of the situation.

“Let’s see…How about I distract him by standing in this hallway here when he arrives? He’ll most likely spend some time questioning who I am and what I’m doing in his house, and then you can jump him from the stair cupboard?” Joshua suggested.

Clive blinked. “Wait, so you expect me to be the one to make the kill?”

“Isn’t that what you wanted? It’s your friend we’re doing this for after all.”

“…I suppose so. I thought I would just be an accomplice in this, but I guess you’re right. Jill is my friend so I should be the one to do this for her.”

Joshua looked at his brother proudly. “That’s the spirit. I know you’ll do a perfect job. I hope I can do it justice by capturing it properly on camera.”

“Are you sure about the whole snuff film thing?” Clive asked. He was almost as apprehensive about it as he was about the murder itself. “What if the police discover it?”

Joshua tried not to laugh then. “I highly doubt the police watch snuff, Clive. Besides, we’re not just putting it out for the world to see, we’ll sell the video to an individual private collection bidder so it’s unlikely to get spread around.”

“Don’t you have to get access to the dark web or something for that?”

“Yes, and I know how. Cyril showed me once when we had a student come to the research library to work on a paper about digital black markets.”

“Well that’s convenient I guess. I should still cover my face though, just to be sure.”

Joshua tried not to look too disappointed by this. He wanted to see his brother’s handsome face lost in the thrill of killing. “Fair enough,” he replied and moved back to the living room to look for something they could use. There were deep red cushions on the couch, and he made quick work of removing the velvet cover of one of them before handing it to Clive. “There, tie it around the lower half of your face like a bandanna. It’ll make you look quite dashing.”

Clive did as he was told and tried to mentally prepare himself for what he was about to do. They had a plan, all that was left to do now was wait.

It was about 7am when Imreann returned home. The sound of his keys unlocking the door alerted Clive and Joshua to his arrival and they quickly got themselves into position. Joshua had the camera with the strap around his neck and made sure it was already recording ready to capture the entirety of this bloody scene.

The door creaked loudly as it opened as Imreann walked in. He shrugged off his coat and hung it up on a hook by the wall and then froze in his tracks as he looked down the hallway and saw the intruder standing there.

“Y-you! What are you doing in my house?!” he demanded, his voice shaking with fear thinly veiled by anger.

“I could ask you the same thing,” Joshua replied. “Aren’t you supposed to be in prison?”

“I’ll have you know I was released on good behavior! How do you know about that anyway and who are you?!”

“Oh, I wasn’t aware attempted murderers could get out on good behavior. I wonder if that’s possible for serial killers too…not that we plan on getting caught.”

Imreann paused as those words sunk in. “…’We’?” he repeated, unable to hide his nervousness any longer.

Joshua would have loved to have drawn this out a while, to savor the man’s fear a little longer, but there was no time to waste now. Imreann might attempt to run now that he realized he was in danger and they couldn’t allow that to happen.

“Now, Clive!”

Clive had expected to hesitate, but the order to attack sent him straight into action like a dog trained to obey every command over weeks of training. He burst out from behind the stair cupboard door and got Imreann in a choke hold before he even had time to scream. Slitting his throat was far simpler a task than he’d imagined it to be. It almost seemed as easy and fast as drawing a line across paper. It was only when the body hit the ground that he began to process what he had just done.

He squatted down beside his victim and not to look at the fear-contorted face as he checked to feel his fading pulse. He heart was still faintly beating, but it wouldn’t be for long. He was as good as dead.

“Go on, Clive, you’re not done yet,” Joshua said, trying to keep his tone even despite his arousal. “Mess him up for me.”

Well, Imreann deserved worse than a quick death, Clive supposed.

The way Joshua watched him spurred him on as he began to defile the corpse just as he had done to the other man last night. He forgot all about the fact that the camera was still recording him. All that mattered was that his brother’s eyes were on him and that he was pleasing him with his actions.

It shouldn’t have been making him hard. This was all supposed to have been for Jill, but Clive was beginning to realize that part of him had wanted to do this for himself as well. Every stab of the knife reminded him of Joshua and how much he wanted to fuck him. Maybe if he did a good enough job at this then Joshua would want to pick up where they had left off before Cid walked in on them.

Joshua had other ideas though. The outline of Clive’s cock was clearly visible to him through his sweatpants and he wanted to watch his brother get off in the worst way possible. “Get your cock out, Clive. Fuck his guts.”

Clive went still. His cock twitched at the thought, but it made his blood run cold at the same time. Surely this was too much, too far, too depraved. He kept his eyes locked on the body, knowing that if he turned to Joshua he’d look into those beautiful commanding eyes of his and give in.

“No I…”

“Do it.”

“I can’t.”

“Clive.”

Joshua had never used that tone of voice before. Clive wasn’t sure what it was. It almost sounded like a threat, but one born out a kind of desperation that made Clive feel as though Joshua needed him to do this as much as he needed air to breathe.

With shaking hands, Clive peeled up Imreann’s shirt which clung to his skin from all the blood. He cut a hole in the man’s abdomen with the knife and swallowed thickly as he watched the warm fresh blood spill out which would allow him to slip his cock into the wound far too easily. He fumbled with his pants, untying the laces at the top before pulling them down along with his underwear and settling himself into position over the entrance he’d created.
He took a deep breath. Though he was still afraid to do this, he was throbbing with the anticipation of it. Pre cum dripped from his cock and mixed horribly with the blood below. He heard the sound of shifting fabric which forced him to turn back to see Joshua now leaning against the wall, the camera in one hand and his now exposed cock in the other. Fuck it. If Joshua was going to touch himself to this, then Clive would give him one hell of a show.

So he took the plunge. It was warm. So very warm. He could feel the almost gelatinous texture of what he assumed must be intestines coiled around him. It should have disgusted him. It should have made him sick to his stomach, but all he felt was the desire to fuck himself into it.

“How does it feel?” Joshua asked, intense in a way that spurred Clive on even more.

“It…it’s good,” Clive managed to reply though shaky, irregular breaths as he continued to rut into the perfect little hole he’d made for himself. “Fuck…it’s too good. I might be close already…”

“Come for me then, Clive. Don’t hold back.”

There really was no command from Joshua that Clive wouldn’t obey. It would have been embarrassing to finish so soon in almost any other situation, but right now he was so lost in his depraved pleasure that he didn’t even care. He let out a loud whine as he doubled over and spilled out into the bloody gash, and Joshua came into his hand soon after.

It took quite some time for the two of them to clean up the body. They dragged it out into the back garden where Joshua burned it in small parts to avoid causing a noticeable wildfire. It would no doubt look suspicious if the neighbors spotted smoke rising over the garden fence. Then they found cleaning supplies in the kitchen and began getting rid of as much of the remaining blood in the hallway as they could. Ordinarily they wouldn’t have bothered, but since this was going to be their hideout at least for a while, they thought it best to clean up before the smell started becoming too strong to bear.

It felt almost domestic in comparison to what had just happened before. Doing ordinary housework in their apartment together was like a distant memory by now, and were it not the blood of a corpse which they were currently mopping up, it might have even felt peaceful.

Suddenly Clive’s phone rang, making the both of them jump.

“Who is it?” Joshua asked.

Clive took the phone out of his pocket and looked at the screen quizzically. “I don’t recognize the number. Do you think it could be Cid?”

Joshua leaned over to look for himself. “Oh, that’s mother’s number.”

“She must be desperate to get hold of you if she’s willing to call me,” Clive sighed. “I guess I should ignore it?”

There was a look in Joshua’s eyes then which Clive had come to learn all too well meant that he was considering something awful.

“…No, let me answer it.”

Chapter Text

Anabella flew into a crazed rant the moment Joshua answered her call.

“Tell me it’s not true what they’re saying about you on the news!” she demanded. “It was Clive’s fault wasn’t it? He shall be damned to eternity for causing this veritable stain on the reputation of the Phoenix!”

Clive rolled his eyes. Joshua had put the phone on speaker so he heard every word she had just said. It didn’t bother him too much. He was used to being blamed by his mother for everything that ever went wrong in their family.

Joshua remained calm as he waited for her to give him a chance to reply. He knew he would need to be careful about what he said here if she was to believe all the lies he was about to tell. The woman might have been an insane zealot, but she wasn’t stupid. Luckily, Joshua had spent his life learning to read and respond to her emotions in the right way so that he might receive more of her love and less of her wrath, and it was this acute intuition which gave him an advantage here.

“It’s good to hear your voice again, mother. I was so worried about you,” he began, knowing that the narcissist would enjoy the fact that she had been on his mind. “I assure you that none of this was my fault, nor Clive’s. I’m being hunted down by people who are trying to capture Dominants for their powers, and Clive has been protecting me from them. We never meant to hurt anyone, but we’ve had to use our powers in self defense. I swear, we’re not the villains the news is making us out to be.”

There was a pause as Anabella considered this information. The idea that a mysterious group was going around attempting to abduct Dominants seemed far fetched, but Joshua was sure she would rather accept this explanation over the truth that her beloved son was a cold blooded killer.

“Then why didn’t you call me back when all of this started?” she asked. “You would have been welcome to stay with me and you would have been safe in the Church of the Eikons.”

“I was afraid that if I got you involved, you’d be hurt too…and I didn’t think you would allow Clive to stay and I didn’t want to abandon him.”

Another pause followed, longer this time. “…If I allow Clive into the church as well as yourself, will you come back to me? I despise the sight of that man but if it means I can see you, then I’ll endure it. If what you say is true, then I need to hear the full story from you in person and we must then plan a way to destroy these godless fiends who are after you.”

This was too easy. Joshua had expected it to take more convincing. “Of course, mother, we’d love to see you again. If I text you the address of the house we’re currently hiding out in, can you arrange for us to be picked up and taken to the church? Preferably by someone who won’t figure out who we are and alert the police.”

“I can have one of the acolytes here pick you up. None of them would dare make a move against the Phoenix, so you’ll be safe with them,” Anabella replied. “Morning mass is just about to begin so I must go now, but we can finalize the details of our reunion via text later, alright?”

“Alright, mother. See you soon.”

The brothers sighed in relief once the call finally ended. Even now as adults, it always felt far too intense to talk to her or even to just listen to her voice.

“So…she’s our next victim, is she?” Clive asked, much calmer about the idea than Joshua had expected him to be.

“Yes, if all goes to plan. You have no objections I take it?”

“None at all… I admit that I once thought about doing it myself after that time she broke your leg so that you couldn’t run away from home. I was too scared to actually go through with it at the time, but now we can finally get her out of our lives for good.”

Joshua beamed. He preferred not to think about what his mother had done to him back then, but the fact that Clive had thought of killing her to protect him filled his heart with joy. It didn’t matter that he hadn’t actually carried it out. It was the thought that count, and now they’d be able to do it together. “You’re so good to me, Clive. I love you.”

Clive supposed he should have expected his brother to be the one to find romance in murder of all things. The expression of love caught him off guard but it was by no means unwelcome. “I love you too,” he replied, and leaned in to kiss tenderly against his brother’s lips.

The two of them made the most of the home they were currently inhabiting while they still could. Everyday things such as being able to do laundry and getting food to eat had of course not been easy for them while in hiding, so they took this chance to use the washing machine and dryer to clean all of the clothes they had with them and to help themselves to snacks from the refrigerator. Better to eat them than let them rot.

The bed upstairs didn’t go to waste either. They slept together, first in the literal sense since they hadn’t had any sleep since the night before last, and then they made love later in the day once they finally had enough energy to do so. It was tender and slower than usual. Something about having a plan for once allowed them the mental space to take their time and properly savor each other’s embrace.

It was nice to be able to act like normal people living in a nice house together for a while. Clive still couldn’t help but wish that they might somehow return to that kind of life someday. He wondered if Joshua might ever tire of killing and want to settle down eventually, though he knew he shouldn’t hold his breath. Either way, they would need to take their mother out of the picture before the both of them could truly move on from their past.

The plan was confirmed via text later on in the day as Anabella had promised. She had arranged for Joshua – and reluctantly Clive – to be picked up from Imreann’s home in the early hours of the morning when there would be less chance of anyone being out and about to see them leave. The ride to the church on the border between Rosaria and Sanbreque would be a rather long one. Not because it was a great deal of distance away from here but because, even so early in the morning, the traffic on the way out of the city center would be horrendous. It always was. Still, this fact did nothing to assuage them from the plan. They’d waited their whole lives to be free from their mother’s oppression, they could handle waiting just a few hours more.

Joshua spent the rest of the day using Clive’s laptop which he’d brought with him to edit the footage of last night’s kill, ready to sell to a snuff buyer. He kept a copy of the unedited video for himself but made a version with Clive’s face blurred out. (Clive insisted on it, paranoid that the makeshift mask wouldn’t be enough to hide his identity.) He also removed the audio for the parts where either of them spoke, just in case anyone might recognize either of them by their voices. It seemed overly cautious to go to so much trouble for a video which would probably only be viewed by one person who was unlikely to have any regard for the law if they were willing to pay for snuff, but it was better to be safe than sorry just in case the video happened to get leaked elsewhere.

The two of them then watched the evening news before going to bed early that night so that they would be able to wake up on time when the car arrived. The reporter had mentioned that a search had been carried out at the Hideaway Hotel for the runaway killers, but they were nowhere to be found, and the proprietor had been brought back into the police station for questioning.

“Gods, I hope Cid gets out of this mess,” Clive murmured. “He went out of his way to help us and all it’s done is cause him trouble.”

“Yeah…At least we helped him out by getting rid of Imreann though. Hopefully Jill will be less anxious once she finds out about his death and I’m sure that having one of the medics in a better mental state will be good for the hotel in general,” Joshua replied.

“I suppose so.”

“Don’t worry about Cid or anyone else for now. I’m sure we can find a way to help everyone out again soon.”

“Alright. I guess it won’t make things any easier for us tomorrow if we let ourselves get distracted by things like this.”

When the car arrived to pick them up at around 3am, they were a little surprised to see an almost limo-like sedan with blacked out windows at their door. Anabella never did do things by halves, and apparently that included picking out transportation.

A young acolyte greeted the brothers politely and helped them pack their bags into the trunk. She seemed serious yet soft spoken and looked at Joshua in particular with a kind of reverence.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Phoenix. My name is Jote and I will be ensuring you and your brother’s safe delivery to the Church of the Eikons,” she said.

Clive wondered whether his mother had expressly forbidden Jote to speak to him directly or whether she was simply just more interested in the Phoenix. It wasn’t the sort of thing he would let bother him though, even if he didn’t exactly like the way the acolyte looked at Joshua so intently.

Joshua didn’t mind. He had visited the Church of Eikons a few times before with his mother and was used to the intensity of some of the evangelicals there, so he wasn’t unnerved by Jote’s overly serious and formal manner.

“Thank you. We appreciate your help,” he replied with a sweet smile.

The journey was not exactly unpleasant. It was long, but that had been expected. Nobody spoke for almost the entire ride though, which made things a little awkward. Clive and Joshua kept themselves occupied by scrolling social media on their phones, both feeling that it would be somehow inappropriate to chat to each other with Jote in earshot, and she didn’t exactly seem like the type of driver who would want to join in on the passengers’ conversation.

When they finally arrived, Jote parked the car in a seemingly secret spot behind the church where Anabella was already there waiting for them. She practically pounced on Joshua the moment he stepped out of the car, wrapping him in a stiflingly tight hug.

“Joshua! I’m so glad you made it here safely!” she exclaimed as she held him close. Her expression changed though as she pulled away and noticed what her son was wearing; his outfit, while free from blood now that it had been washed, was certainly not appropriate attire for the Phoenix. “…why are you dressed like this?” she asked, her voice suddenly cold with disapproval.

Joshua was used to this quick change in tone from his mother. He had been expecting it, so it didn’t hurt him like it did when he was young. He could have worn some of the ordinary clothes he had with him, but he wanted to show his mother who he had become and that she no longer had any control over him before finally removing her from his life for good.

“Don’t you like it, mother?” he asked innocently. “It’s my disguise. I’ve been dressing like this so that I don’t get recognized while I’ve been on the run.”

“But surely it wasn’t your only option to choose such oddly feminine clothes? …And such provocative ones at that…”

“Don’t blame him, mother, I suggested Joshua should dress like this,” Clive lied. Taking the blame for everything to protect his brother was second nature to him by now and he didn’t mind doing so once again to save him from her nagging.

Anabella narrowed her eyes at him dangerously. “You. I might have known…you’ve always been a corrupting influence on Joshua’s life. I would have aborted you had I known what a sinful man you would become.”

That one stung a little, but Clive refused to let it show. Joshua gave him a reassuring glance – a look that promised that Anabella would soon feel a far worse kind of pain.

“…Shall I begin the preparations for morning mass, my lady?” Jote asked, breaking the silence.

“Yes, and make sure my robes are ironed and folded as well.”

Jote gave a polite bow and threw a quick glance back at Joshua before running off to do as she was told.

Anabella then lead her sons to a nearby building which was surprisingly modern in comparison to the old church. It had the look of an expensive countryside barn house conversion with large windows and wooden clad walls.

“Oh, has the parsonage house been renovated since I was last here?” Joshua asked.

Anabella nodded proudly. “I couldn’t stand living in that drab hovel, so I had it done up. I also had the other clergy members moved out to off-site accommodation, so I have the whole place to myself now.”

“Do you no longer live with your new husband then?” Clive asked.

There was no reply from his mother as she led them inside. It was clear that she wasn’t willing to speak to Clive.

Joshua sighed. “Mother lives here on weekdays for work and then goes home to her husband and son, Olivier, on weekends in Sanbreque,” he explained.

Anabella looked at Joshua as if to say that he shouldn’t have dignified Clive with an answer and then went to unlock the door. “If only dear Olivier could live with me here,” she said, “There aren’t any decent private schools nearby for him to go to though.”

From everyone other than his mother, Joshua had heard only bad things about Olivier, and he didn’t really care to learn any more about him. He wondered though how the boy would cope once his mother was gone. It would no doubt be distressing for him at first, but he’d surely realize soon enough that it was better to be free from her.

“And how is Oliver doing these days?” Joshua asked for the sake of politeness as he and Clive took their shoes off by the door.

“He’s excellent. He gets good grades in school, he’s well behaved and he doesn’t give me any trouble like you two did at his age,” Anabella replied.

Joshua knew that asking her to elaborate on what kind of trouble she was talking about would likely just lead to her ranting about everything he and Clive had ever done wrong in their lives, so he changed the subject. “Well that’s good, and what about Dion? What’s he been up to lately?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t know. Ever since he and his…friend, Terrence moved to Norvent Valley
last year I haven’t heard a word from him, and good riddance! That man never showed me the proper respect I deserve as his stepmother. But enough about him, take a seat dear Joshua and I’ll go make us some tea.” Anabella gestured over to the white leather sofas across the room before leaving to what was presumably the kitchen.

“So…” Clive said quietly as they sat down. “What’s the plan?”

Joshua let out a sigh of relief now that his mother had left the room. “Well, originally I was thinking we would get her in her sleep tonight…but honestly, I think we should strike as soon as she comes back. I’m sick of this stupid nervous feeling I still get whenever I’m around her and I don’t want to feel it any longer.”

Clive knew exactly the feeling Joshua meant. He had mostly stopped feeling it himself ever since he moved out and realized that his mother’s opinion of him no longer mattered, but while he was still living with her it had been so intense sometimes that it made him feel nauseous. The fact that Joshua was still suffering from it made Clive’s anger towards their mother all the stronger and he had no arguments at all against killing her as soon as she returned.

“Alright, let’s do it,” he replied, putting one hand on Joshua’s knee reassuringly.

When Anabella finally entered the room carrying a silver tea tray with only two cups on it, she was at first confused to see that her sons were not where she had left them. Then their location was quickly revealed to her when they both emerged from behind the door and Joshua plunged a knife into her stomach.

She screamed, both in pain and in horror as she fell. The tea tray clattered to the ground and the china cups shattered. “What have you done!?” she cried. How could this have happened? How could Joshua, her almost perfect son, have done this? He was the one holding the knife and yet she was sure it must have been Clive’s fault somehow.

“What I’ve wanted to do for a long time now,” Joshua replied calmly. He kneeled down next to her and gestured for Clive to do the same.

“N-no. You’re lying! Clive made you do this didn’t he?!”

Joshua shook his head and as if to prove his point, he pulled the knife out, only to stab her with it once again. “No, I’m doing this of my own volition. This is for all the abuse Clive and I suffered at your hands.”

Anabella’s eyes welled up with tears, but she was too full of anger to let them fall. “I don’t believe you! Clive, lift him from whatever curse you’ve put him under! I command you in the name of the Phoenix!”

“You know that only Joshua can command the Phoenix, mother,” Clive said. “And I have been doing as he says all this time, not the other way around.”

“Joshua…please tell me this isn’t true?”

Joshua didn’t answer and instead pulled the knife out once more and handed it to Clive. “Your turn, brother. You know what to do.”

This was where Clive would have hesitated in the past, but not here. He took the knife without question and stabbed Anabella again and again for every moment of pain she had caused them, and with each new wound she let out horrible wails and cries which would have likely woken up the rest of the church staff had they still lived here.

Her vision was slowly burring from blood loss. She felt herself getting colder and weaker by the second. She longed to continue screaming, to yell every insult she could think of at Clive for this act of pure evil, but she was smart enough to know that doing so would only put more strain on her body.

Clive could tell that she was fading fast, especially when she finally decided to keep her mouth shut. He could hardly wait to finally be rid of her, but he wanted to show her something while he still could. With his free hand, he pulled Joshua close and kissed him fervently, making sure his mother understood that she no longer had any control over either of them anymore. They belonged to no one but each other now and that was how it would always be from now on.

Joshua kissed back with just as much enthusiasm, sharing the unspoken sentiment wholeheartedly. He put one hand over Clive’s around the knife and together they cut their mother open like a newly married couple slicing their wedding cake. Where their other kills had felt like a constant rush of adrenaline, this felt different. It was like finally getting go of a breath they had been holding all their lives. It was relief. It was freedom.

Her breathing finally stopped and they pulled apart to take a look at what they had done. They had never seen her in a less dignified state; bloody and broken on the ground with not a shred of authority left within her.

Clive looked back at Joshua. “…How do you feel?” he asked.

It took Joshua a moment to collect his thoughts. This sudden lifting of a smothering, burdensome weight wasn’t easy to put into words, even for someone as well-read as himself. Then he smiled. “…I feel good, I think. Happy. It’s been too long since I was last able to relax like this.”

Clive smiled too. “Then I’m glad we did this.”

“Me too,” Joshua replied and pulled him in for another kiss. Clive lost his balance slightly and landed lying on top of his brother. Neither of them considered this a problem though, and they lay there for a while, kissing and wanting nothing more than to make the other feel good.

To the evangelicals of the Church of Eikons, a murder followed by this shameless act of lust on the church’s holy grounds would be considered the highest form of blasphemy. They would certainly struggle to comprehend then that these crimes had been committed by two of the very Eikons they looked to with such reverence, and that this holy building’s only purpose now was to facilitate the whims of its dominant inhabitants.

Clive was determined to make the most of this moment to do whatever he and Joshua wanted while they had a comfortable space and a roof over their heads. He hadn’t expected to get riled up this time, but the smell of blood and the sight of his gorgeous brother beneath him was turning him on now, and he was done with holding back when he wanted nothing more than to give in to these instincts. He grinded his hips against Joshua’s and was pleased to be met with the same hardness through the fabric of his shorts.

“Shall we head upstairs and find the bed?” Clive asked as he moved to kiss at Joshua’s neck, giving him room to reply.

Joshua was about to agree, and he would have stood up to do just as Clive had suggested, but he glanced back at their mother’s body right beside them and a different idea came to mind. A worse one. He had thought that he could no longer be shocked by his own desires anymore, but this was so awful that he had half a mind to blame it on the phoenix like he used to.

“Why use the bed when mother was always so willing to give herself, body and soul, to the Eikons?” he said, and gently moved himself out from underneath Clive and went over to sit in front of Anabella’s body. “We should let the Phoenix and Ifrit take what they deserve.”

Clive thought he knew what Joshua meant by this, and he wasn’t entirely opposed to the idea. More than once in the deepest recesses of his mind had he secretly fantasised about getting his revenge against Anabella in a similar fashion. He never would have acted on those fantasies in reality, but he supposed that now it no longer mattered what they did to her. She had already just experienced the worst thing that could happen to a person after all; anything else would pale in comparison, and she would be none the wiser now if they both used her body to take the pleasure that she had never once granted them in life.

“Alright,” Clive agreed. “I know I couldn’t convince you not to anyway.”

He watched as Joshua moved over to Anabella’s body, assuming that he was about to remove her clothes. But no, this was worse. Clive’s acceptance of the situation quickly wavered as his brother reached for one of her eyes and pulled it out of its socket, followed by the other one.

“There, a hole for each of us,” he said, and nonchalantly cast the eyes aside, nerve fibres still hanging from them as they fell to the floor. He then pulled Anabella up onto the sofa so that she would be at the right height.

Clive looked into the twin voids and was surprised by the fact that his arousal didn’t wane. He couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like inside one of those bloody cavities. Gods, was he truly so far gone? So desensitized to gore that his lust for it was stronger than his disgust? Apparently so.

He sighed. “Well…I suppose we can hardly sink any lower than we already have…”

“Try not to think, just enjoy it,” Joshua replied.

With a burning anticipation the two of them kissed filthily and helped free each other of their pants and undergarments. As if still partially in denial about the situation, Clive kept his eyes closed and his lips against his brother’s when they finally buried themselves inside Anabella’s skull. It was nothing like anything he had ever felt before; a pleasure so visceral that it sent shivers down his spine. Joshua was no doubt feeling the same way if the low moan he let out was anything to go by.

It was warm, wet, and perfectly tight. Clive wondered distantly if this was how it felt to fuck a woman while on her period. Would the blood be just as copious? Would it feel just as exhilarating? It didn’t matter, he decided, since the only one he cared to share in such experiences with was Joshua and whichever poor soul had become his latest victim.
He let his mind go blank just as Joshua had suggested and focused only on his pleasure. Instinctively, he reached out with one hand and curled his fingers tightly into Anabella’s hair, giving him something to grip onto as he rocked her head back and forth.

“Fuck, Clive…” Joshua murmured breathlessly against his brother’s lips as he was brought further into ecstasy by the motion.

They kept at it for a few minutes more until neither could hold back any longer. Clive’s climax hit him so hard that it was almost dizzying, and he found himself clinging to Joshua with his free hand for support as his seed spilled out of him. He hadn’t realised how heavily he was breathing until the high finally faded and his heartbeat began to settle. He opened his eyes in time to watch Joshua pull out and then stare transfixed at the mess the both of them had made.

“Gods…that was incredible.”

Clive couldn’t deny that he felt the same. “…It was. We shouldn’t hang around here much longer though, the sun will be up soon, and we don’t want to be here when the rest of the church staff arrive.”

“Mm, I suppose you’re right. Let’s get cleaned up as best we can and then head out.”

There wasn’t enough time to attempt to fully clean up the crime scene, but that didn’t matter to either of them since they would be back in central Rosaria before anyone could discover Anabella’s body. Instead they headed upstairs to the bathroom and managed to get as much blood as possible out of their clothes and skin. Blood was a stubborn substance though, and Joshua instead settled for changing into a simple blouse and dress pants set he found in his mother’s wardrobe.

Clive then waited by the car outside while Joshua went into the church in search of Jote. The church was dimly lit save for the many candles which gave off just enough light to allow for visibility throughout the room. This wasn’t the first time Joshua has stepped foot inside this place, but he noted that its atmosphere felt different in the dark of the morning’s early hours. It was almost haunting, though nothing truly scared him anymore.

He found Jote at the alter preparing everything for morning mass just as she had been instructed. She worked quietly and diligently, and Joshua wondered what she would do once Anabella had been found dead. She deserved a far kinder employer who would appreciate everything she did around here. Hopefully whoever stepped up to lead the church next would understand that.

Jote seemed to sense Joshua’s approaching footsteps and turned around, clearly surprised to see him here alone. “Is there something I can help you with, Phoenix?” she asked, bowing her head slightly in a show of respect.

“Clive and I need to get out of here,” Joshua replied. “There’s no time to explain but we believe the police may show up soon. Could we take the car to drive back to our hideout?”

There was a look in Jote’s eyes which was hard to read. Doubt perhaps? Could she tell that Joshua was lying about the police? If that was the case, she didn’t make her suspicion known.

“…Alright. Stay safe out there.” She said as she took the car keys out of her pocket and handed them over.

“Thank you, Jote. You’ve been a big help,” Joshua replied before running out to the car where Clive was waiting for him.

“Did you get the keys?”

“I did. Let’s go.”

They left the church behind, leaving another awful scene in their wake.

Three days later, they were watching TV back in Imreann’s house where they had been able to stay hidden since his disappearance had so far gone unnoticed. That would likely change after the weekend though once his manager at the convenience store would begin to wonder why he hadn’t shown up for work, but they made the most of the space while they were still able.

Joshua’s phone rang, breaking through the monotonous sounds of the shitty reality show that was playing. He picked it up, expecting it to be Cid or maybe Jill.

“Hello?”

“Joshua, it’s Dion. We need to talk.”

Chapter Text

Despite being an authority in law enforcement, Barnabas Tharmr owned a lot of material which would almost certainly land him in jail were it discovered. He knew how to keep such things well hidden though, and only bought from the most hard to access places using personalised encrypted software so that no tracks were left behind.

Tonight, he’d won a bid for a new snuff video which he watched now with the curtains drawn. It would be damming to say the least if somebody were to peer in through the window and see it playing on his home’s large TV screen while Sleipnir went down on him.

It had been a while since the two of them had left the police station and taken a break from work, but the frustration of losing the Phoenix’s trail had made Barnabas finally cave in and take a day off for once. Watching snuff with one’s cock in a subordinate’s mouth was hardly what most people would choose to do when trying to relax after work, but the superintendent had never been a man of convention. He kept his tired eyes fixated on the screen with building anticipation as the soon-to-be victim became fearful upon noticing the intruder in his home.

Sleipnir also watched as best he could from his position. He lay across the couch with his head in Barnabas’ lap, and it wasn’t easy to look at the screen while pleasuring his master, but he caught glimpses out of the corner of his eye every now and then. Through those brief glances, he began to realise that the victim looked familiar, as did the hallway in which he was being killed. If this was indeed the man he thought it was, then that meant that a murder had happened incredibly recently within their jurisdiction.

He pulled off of Barnabas’ cock with a quiet popping sound, a string of saliva still clinging to his soft wet lips. “Forgive me, sir, but I am certain I know that man.”

Barnabas paused the video and didn’t look best pleased to have this moment interrupted. “What? Who is he?”

“I believe that is Imreann Martyn, or rather it was. I arrested him a few years ago after he attempted to murder a student from the university which he taught at. He did some time in jail and has since been released.”

“…Then we must dispatch an investigation team to his home tomorrow morning. Make it your first priority.”

“Yes, sir.”

Dion was one of the last people who Joshua would have expected to receive a call from. Though they considered each other friends, they hadn’t spoken in almost a year since life had simply gotten in the way, and once Joshua had begun his life as a killer he was sure that Dion would see his crimes on the news and would never want to speak to him again. That thought had saddened him, and now he didn’t know whether to feel hopeful or afraid upon hearing his voice after so long.

“I’m guessing this is about my mother’s…passing?” he asked. There was no way that this wasn’t what Dion had called to discuss, so Joshua decided not to waste time on small talk. He was too anxious to learn what his estranged friend thought of him now. He was glad that Clive had gone to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for them both. This way he wouldn’t overhear what was likely to be a very awkward conversation.

“Passing is a light way to put it,” Dion replied. “I’ll be frank, Joshua; I know that she was murdered by you and your brother. My father had private investigators sent to the scene the moment he was notified about her death and the DNA samples found within her eye sockets told us all we needed to know to identify her killers.”

Joshua’s cheeks flushed red and he almost hung up the call in embarrassment. He hadn’t expected Dion to have all the gory details already, and while he hadn’t felt any shame or remorse for his crimes in a long time, it was mortifying to hear that his friend who he had always held so much respect for had learned of the most depraved thing he had ever done. He wanted to curl up and die.

“Dion, I….” he began, and then stopped himself, knowing there was nothing he could say that would make this any better.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t call to condemn you. While I was surprised by the way you…handled her corpse, I must admit that I was relieved to hear of her death. We have all suffered her long enough.”

It was so unlike Dion to say something like this. He had always had such a solid moral compass and Joshua couldn’t help but be suspicious of those words. “…What did you call for then? I assume not just to exchange condolences?”

“No, I actually have a proposition for you. You see, I need some work taken care of at my home in Care Norvent and I have a feeling you and your brother would be well suited to the task. In return, the two of you would be welcome to stay as long as you need. You’ll be quite safe from the authorities here, I assure you.”

“This all sounds far too underhanded coming from you, Dion. How do I know this isn’t some kind of trap? Can I expect to be met with Sanbrequois police officers at your door?”

Dion paused for a moment. “…I don’t know how I can prove that it isn’t. I suppose you’ll have to take my word for it. If you feel threatened when you arrive, you can always set the place ablaze, can’t you?”

Joshua supposed that was true. He had no desire to harm Dion, but if this did turn out to be a trap, he and Clive could use the powers of their Eikons to free themselves from the situation. He wanted so very much to believe that Dion was telling the truth though. He missed his old friend so much, especially after finally hearing his voice again for the first time in forever, and if there was a chance that they could rekindle their friendship, Joshua didn’t want to let that chance go.

“Alright. I’ll talk with Clive about it and let you know once we’ve made a decision. Can you send me the location of your home?”

“Will do. I’d love to see you again, Joshua. I’ve missed talking to you.”

The call ended and Joshua still felt the uncomfortable burn of embarrassment inside him. He couldn’t quite believe how calm Dion had sounded despite knowing exactly how he had defiled his own mother’s corpse. Seeing him face to face wouldn’t be easy, but he and Clive couldn’t stay here in Imreann’s house forever so it would be foolish to pass up this chance to have somewhere else to hide.

When Clive returned from the kitchen with breakfast, Joshua explained the situation to him. He too was sceptical at first; after everything they had done, it seemed strange that Dion would be willing to make them such a generous offer. As always though, he gave in and agreed to go, because it was what Joshua wanted to do, and he had given up on trying to talk his brother out of anything by now.

They prepared to make the journey to Care Norvent. Jote’s car had just enough fuel in it left to make the trip and they created a fake licence plate using Clive’s laptop and Imreann’s printer to stick over the real one since the police would no doubt be on the lookout for the vehicle and they didn’t want to risk getting spotted on any traffic cams. They then made quick work of packing their belongings before finally leaving the late professor’s home for good.

To say that Dion’s home was simply a house was an understatement. It was in fact an entire estate complete with acres of gardens and fields surrounding it. Clive checked the address they’d put into the GPS multiple times as Joshua drove them towards the building to ensure that this was really the right place. He knew that Dion was rich, being the son of Sanbreque’s prime minister and all, but this was far beyond what he ever could have expected.

The road through the fields to the house was a long and well-maintained gravel path with rows of trees lining either side. This path lead to a large horseshoe driveway with an ornate fountain in the centre. One car, a simple yet elegant white sedan, was already parked there, close to the double doored entrance to the house.

“Do you suppose that’s Dion’s car?” Joshua asked as he parked Jote’s car behind it.

“I hope so. Otherwise we might be greeted with unexpected company,” Clive replied.

“Dion would be smart enough not to alert us to anyone else’s presence if this was a trap,” Joshua said. “If there is anyone else here, they’ll have parked somewhere hidden, I’m sure.”

“Let’s hope you’re right.”

They stepped out of the car and approached the door. Joshua knocked and it was mere seconds later that Dion answered it. Both brothers stayed calm as the door opened but kept their guard up just in case.

“Joshua! I’m so glad you agreed to come here, it’s been too long!” Dion said, his words carrying a genuine warmth as he went in to hug his old friend before turning to Clive. “I don’t think we’ve ever met, Clive, but I’ve heard so much about you from Joshua. It’s wonderful to have you both here.”

“Nice to finally meet you, thank you for having us,” Clive replied. He tried his best to act friendly and polite though he couldn’t help glancing over Dion’s shoulder into the house to see if there was anyone or anything waiting to take them by surprise.

Dion seemed to notice this and stepped aside as though to assure him that there was nothing there. “Come on in both of you and let me show you around.”

The interior of the house was far more modern in comparison to its stately exterior. Everything was sleek and clean, black and white, and well illuminated by plenty of warm toned light fixtures. Dion showed them through the hallway into a large living area with a mini bar at one end and an electric fireplace and a wall mounted TV at the other. There were several white leather sofas and various single seater chairs about the room, all arranged nicely around coffee tables, and amongst them all was a brunette man on all fours in place of where one of the sofas ought to have been.

“Please, take a seat,” Dion said. “Can I get either of you a drink?”

“…I’m good thanks,” the brothers replied practically in unison, far too distracted by the stranger in the room.

Dion poured himself a glass of wine and proceeded to sit down on the man and gestured for Joshua and Clive to take the seat opposite. “This is my husband, Terrence,” he explained, running one hand affectionately through the man’s hair. “Although for now he’s just a chair so pay him no mind.”

“Um… nice to meet you, Terrence. I’ve heard about you from Dion, it’s good to finally see you in person…” Joshua said.

Terrence briefly turned to him and smiled back before looking downwards again and maintaining his chair-like position.

“…what the fuck?” Clive murmured.

“Don’t worry, he enjoys this,” Dion said. “It’s part of our master-servant dynamic. He knows he’s allowed to stop if it becomes uncomfortable for him.”

Joshua gave Clive a look as if to say ‘and I thought we were weird’

Clive returned the glance with one of ‘don’t even think about using me as a chair though’

“I know it probably seems strange to you two,” Dion continued. “Terrence and I have been living here like this in the middle of nowhere for quite some time now and it’s honestly made me forget how…unconventional our relationship is.”

“Well, I suppose we can hardly judge when it comes to unconventionality,” Joshua replied.

Dion’s expression darkened then. “…I suppose not, and it’s on that note that I should talk to you both about what I need done in exchange for you staying here. He’ll be here soon, so we don’t have much time to discuss it.”

“He?” Clive echoed.

“Yes. I’m afraid I need this person delt with as soon as possible and today might be by only chance. I understand that you are not assassins to be hired, but I figured the two of you might be able to handle this better than I.”

“Who is he?” Joshua asked. He had hoped that this was what Dion had meant on the phone when he said he had work for him. Mentally, he was already readying his blade.

“…Olivier.”

Chapter Text

“Father hasn’t told him about Anabella’s passing yet,” Dion continued. “He’s told me to look after him for a few days so that he doesn’t have to overhear the details of the investigation.”

“You can’t be serious!” Clive said, eyebrows furrowing. “Do you really expect us to murder a child?”

Joshua was just as surprised by the request, though he said nothing at first. He didn’t feel the same kind of excitement about this which he usually felt when preparing for a kill. It seemed like it would be far too easy to kill a child, and probably wouldn’t provide whatever it was that usually scratched that psychosexual itch in his brain. Still, if this was what he had to do in order to be granted refuge here, then he would consider it. If he could kill his own mother and feel no guilt, then he could certainly do the same to a half brother he hardly knew.

“I assure you, Olivier is no mere child,” Dion replied. “That boy is a monster who has done things even most adults wouldn’t do.”

“Like what?” Clive asked, still skeptical.

Dion took his phone out of his pocket and paused for a second, considering whether or not he really wanted to show what was on there. “...I do have some evidence of his crimes but…well, it’s not easy to watch and certainly not easy for me to share it.”

Joshua’s interest peaked just a little as he wondered how bad Olivier’s behaviour could have been. “Why, what did he do?”

Dion sighed and handed his phone over to him. “Just watch. I don’t think I can bring myself to say what happened out loud…”

By now, both Joshua and Clive thought they were used to all manner of messed up sights, but this was nothing like what either of them could have expected. The video showed Dion, asleep or perhaps unconscious, lying naked on a bed while whoever was holding the camera fucked him. At first they both assumed it was Terrence, but no, the body of the assailant appeared small and slight, and then the sound of impish laughter told them all they needed to know about who was behind this.

“Gods…” Clive murmured. “I never thought a child would do something like that. Why would he film it and risk implicating himself?”

“So that he could send me the video to taunt me of course,” Dion replied, his gaze averted in embarrassment. “He knew that I’d be too proud to ever go to the authorities with it.”

Terrence silently clenched his fists slightly into the carpet. He no doubt felt a great deal of anger towards Olivier for having put his husband through such a terrible ordeal.

“When did this happen?” Joshua asked, handing the phone back to Dion with sympathy in his eyes.

“Not long after Terrence and I first moved into this house. My father asked me to take care of Olivier here for a few days while he and Anabella went on a short vacation. It was on the last night of his stay that he somehow slipped sleeping pills into my wine and managed to…do what he did to me…”

Clive did feel bad for Dion, but he couldn’t help remaining a little suspicious about this whole situation. “Was Terrence not around to stop him?” he asked.

“Unfortunately not. He was visiting family in Oriflame at the time so Olivier and I were in the house together alone. I explained what had happened to him once he returned and showed the video as proof. Apart from him, you both are the only people I have ever shown it to.”

“Then why did you keep the video on your phone after showing him? You said it yourself that you weren’t going to show it to the authorities, and you couldn’t have known back then that you’d be showing it to us. Surely you would have rather deleted it.”

“...I kept it so that I can remind myself that I made the right decision once he’s dead. I may not have known that I’d be asking the two of you for help then, but I knew I couldn’t let that monster live…I would have killed him myself had I the opportunity to do so.”

Joshua had never expected Dion to have it within him to commit a murder. The thought of it was strangely appealing to him. “You would?”

Dion nodded gravely. “Yes. I truly believe that if he is allowed to live, he’ll commit more crimes and hurt more people, and he’ll only get more dangerous as he gets older and stronger.”

“Then why not take care of it yourself?” Clive asked. “Surely getting us involved just complicates things for you?”

“Well…I suppose I just want to make sure that whoever kills him won’t hesitate and risk letting him get away. Despite my conviction, I’m worried that I may falter in the moment and I cannot allow that to happen.”

Clive looked back to Joshua, wishing that they could discuss this in private before making a decision. If Olivier was due to arrive soon though then there probably wouldn’t be time for that. Dion had given reasonable answers for everything so far, yet it still felt like something wasn’t right.

Joshua didn’t seem quite so concerned. “How would you want us to go about it then?” he asked with far too much curiosity in his eyes.

“Quickly and as painlessly as possible,” Dion replied. “I hate to admit how long I’ve been thinking of a suitable method, but I think smothering him in his sleep would leave the least amount of evidence. Hopefully he won’t even wake up to know what’s happening to him.”

Joshua almost looked disappointed by the lack of blood in this plan. He shouldn’t have got his hopes up that a good man like Dion would suggest something in line with his fucked up tastes. Clive had to admit though that this did seem like the kindest sort of murder, if such a thing could exist.

“And how do you expect us to get away with this afterwards? Surely your father will investigate this place?” he asked.

“I’ve thought of that as well. I plan to dispose of his body in the lake nearby and tell my father must have tried to swim there without my permission and drowned. That should keep any investigations outside so you’ll be safe in the house.”

Then before either of the brothers could share their thoughts on this plan, there was a knock at the door.

Dion stood up and motioned hurriedly for the others to do the same. “Damn it, he’s here already! Both of you go upstairs and hide in the large spare room, it’s the last door on the right.”

There was no time to argue. Dion was already making a beeline towards the front door and they couldn’t risk Olivier seeing them yet so they did as they were told.

“Joshua, please tell me we’re not actually going through with this,” Clive said, barely louder than a whisper once they’d shut themselves inside the room.

“What choice do we have? We need somewhere to hide out and Dion made it clear that this is the price we have to pay if we’re going to stay here.” Joshua replied. “Believe me, I’m not exactly feeling good about having to take out a child, but I’ve never once heard a good word about Olivier from anyone other than mother, and I think Dion was right when he said that he will go on to hurt others if he’s not stopped.”

Clive sighed and sat down on the bed. “Do you think you can take care of this one by yourself? You know I’ll do anything for you nowadays, but I really don’t wanna be a part of this if you don’t need me to be.”

Ordinarily, Joshua would have felt a little annoyed by this. After everything they’d done together, he wouldn’t have expected Clive to back out now. It made sense here though; this wasn’t something they were doing for the pleasure of it and Joshua supposed that it was better if only one of them had to do the deed.

“Alright, I’ll handle it myself, don’t worry.”

“Thank you, Joshua.”

Meanwhile, downstairs, Olivier was already doing his best to annoy Dion.

“Where’s that weird friend of yours who lives with you?” he asked, kicking back on one of the couches with his shoes still on, clearly not caring if he got mud in the carpet. He had a small rabbit plushie in hand which he always carried everywhere despite being at an age where most kids would have stopped that by now.

“Terrence is my husband, you know that,” Dion replied with a scowl. “And he’s in the kitchen preparing lunch.”

Olivier shrugged. “Mother always just called him your friend.”

“Well she was wrong.”

Olivier didn’t seem to care and turned his attention to the kids’ show playing on TV. Dion took another sip of wine. He’d kept a hand over his glass the whole time to make sure Oliver couldn’t drop anything into it again. He hoped that the alcohol would help ease his anxieties about what was to happen tonight.

The atmosphere was always the slightest bit more comfortable for Dion whenever Oliver didn’t try to engage in conversation, so of course he decided to speak up again. “Did you know father is rewriting his will now that mother has died?”

Dion's eyes widened in surprise. “You found out about her death?”

“Yeah, I overheard father talking about it with his private detectives. The wall between my room and his office is pretty thin,” Oliver explained, unbelievably calm.

“...And you’re not upset about it?”

“Hmm, not really. I’ll miss her spoiling me, but father does that too. Plus, I’m getting a whole load of inheritance from her!”

“Gods, you’re utterly devoid of human decency.”

“I don’t care what you think of me, Dion.”

“Yes, I’m painfully aware of that.”

“Does it annoy you to know that father’s planning on leaving most of his estate to me in his new will?”

“...He already discussed it with me over the phone. I don’t need his money, I’m doing well for myself. You on the other hand will probably need all the help you can get since you’ll probably end up in jail some day.”

Olivier scoffed at that. “Not because of you though.”

Dion clenched his fist and took a deep breath. It was taking everything within him not to throttle the boy right this instant. “You’re lucky it won’t be because of me. It’s spared you some time, but you’ll get the fate you deserve sooner than you think…”

The boy cackled, delighted by how dramatically serious Dion sounded. It was clear that he hadn’t seen his words as a threat. Dion hadn’t expected him to.

The rest of the day passed achingly slowly for everyone in the house. Terrence surreptitiously brought dishes of both lunch and dinner for Joshua and Clive as they continued to hide in the spare room. He was a good cook it seemed, as the meals tasted wonderful - apart from the carrots according to Joshua- but there was only so much that food could do to help pass the time.

Ordinarily they would have had no trouble creating entertainment for themselves while being alone together in a room with a single bed, but they couldn’t risk the chance of the others overhearing them. Olivier couldn’t be made aware that there was anyone else in the house of course, and Dion and Terrence didn’t yet know about the relationship between the two brothers. It was hardly as scandalous as their murders, but they figured it would be best to play it safe for now at least until they’d secured their place as guests here.

Therefore, with little to do and boredom taking its hold, it was almost a relief when Dion finally entered the room quietly in the evening to let them know that Olivier had finally gone to bed.

“And are you sure he’s asleep?” Joshua asked.

“As far as I can tell, yes,” Dion replied. “As for me, I’m probably not going to be able to sleep tonight, so I’ll be downstairs in the living room…Let me know when it’s done, won’t you?”

“Of course.”

The lights were all out when Joshua silently and slowly opened the door to the smaller guest bedroom which Olivier was staying in. It wasn’t easy to see through the darkness, but it seemed like the boy was fast asleep amongst the cocoon of covers which he’d wrapped around himself. He didn’t snore exactly, but let out quiet breaths which were slightly louder on the exhales.

Moving in closer, Joshua got a better look at him. He looked so peaceful while asleep, his expression free from any sign of mal intent. Some would probably go so far as to say he even looked cute, especially with the little rabbit plushie in his arms. Joshua had to remind himself of how the boy had hurt Dion in order to shatter that illusion.

He couldn’t hesitate, couldn’t allow his momentary doubts to stop him. Dion was trusting him to do this without making that mistake. In one quick motion he picked up the pillow on the other side of the bed and pressed it hard against Oilvier’s face, ensuring that his nose and mouth were fully covered.

It was barely a few seconds after this that Joshua felt Olivier tense up, no doubt having been awoken by the sudden lack of oxygen. He let out a very muffled scream upon realizing what was happening, and when Joshua pushed down harder on the pillow, he began to desperately thrash around in an attempt to set himself free. Despite his young age, the boy wasn’t weak. Joshua had to actively struggle to keep the pillow on him. Olivier kicked him. It barely hurt, having been softened by the layers of bedsheets over his feet, but it was enough to knock Joshua back a few steps.

Though he managed to keep a hold on the pillow, he felt Olivier take a deep and urgent breath beneath it now that it wasn’t pressed quite as firmly against his face. Joshua knew he couldn’t waste a second more. Before Olivier could attempt to move again, he climbed onto the bed, straddling his legs either side of the boy’s struggling body and trapping his arms between them. Kicking would be useless now from this position and it was easier for Joshua to keep the pillow pressed against his face like this with all of his upper body strength. All that was left to do now was wait.

Olivier didn’t try to struggle any longer, either having come to understand that it was futile or perhaps he’d already slipped out of consciousness. Joshua hoped it was the latter; the less the boy had to experience his own death the better. He was still alive though. It was faint, but Joshua could feel his pulse as he dared to move one hand to quickly check the pressure point on his neck.

The silence and the lack of movement left Joshua with far too much space to think as he continued the slow suffocation. Removed from all the thrill and eroticism of his usual kills, guilt was the only thing left to feel, and it washed over him for the first time in months. Why now did he have to feel like this? Olivier deserved what was happening to him, or at least he deserved it more than some of his victims had. Why the hell was he feeling sorry for this absolute monster, this spoiled and favoured son of Anabella, this boy who would almost definitely become some sort of serial killer were he allowed to live? He refused to believe it was because he saw the similarities between them. Sons and killers weren’t made equal. Olivier deserved to die. That didn’t have to mean Joshua deserved it too.

These thoughts were making him feel sick. It had been so long since he’d last had to deal with truly uncomfortable emotions, it was like his body had forgotten how to handle them. He wished this could feel good. He longed to trade the blood that ran cold with shame within him for the electric shots of pleasure down his spine and into his loins which he’d become so used to feeling in moments like these. It would be wrong, of course, to feel that way now. It always had been, but anything would be better than questioning himself like this.

There was no going back at this point. Though his body still showed signs of life, Olivier would have suffered brain damage by now that would be irreversible even if Joshua decided to stop. It had barely been more than a couple of minutes, but left alone with his thoughts it felt like hours. In a weak attempt to find some semblance of mental gratification, he tried grinding against Olivier’s body. It was nowhere near enough and he felt immediately disgusted by himself.

He waited for what felt like an eternity until he was quite certain that the boy was dead. It was only then that he finally removed the pillow and looked down to see the boy’s face; the skin that had turned a sickly blue from lack of oxygen, bloodshot lifeless eyes, and cheeks still wet with tears.

That was what broke him.

Just like Olivier had done during his final moments of consciousness, Joshua cried.

Chapter Text

“What’s the matter?” Clive asked, urgently standing up from the bed and going to Joshua’s side as soon as he saw his brother enter the room in tears.

Joshua couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a panic attack. It was definitely long before all this business of killing had begun. He felt pathetic now as he wept in Clive’s arms, letting out weak sobs in between hyperventilated breaths which made his head swim dizzily.

“Slow down, Joshua. It’s ok, you’re safe with me,” Clive said softly. He brought one hand up into the golden strands of his brother’s hair and stroked him soothingly. Internally he was trying not to panic himself. Had something gone wrong with Olivier? Joshua had always been the calmer killer between them, so if he was panicking, something truly bad must have happened.

A few long minutes passed like this as Joshua did his best to calm down. In the back of his mind, he knew he was supposed to go downstairs and tell Dion that the deed was done, but he didn’t care to do anything now other than to find comfort in Clive’s embrace.

“I think I need to lie down…” he murmured once his laboured breathing slowed enough to allow him to speak.

Clive gave a small nod in agreement. “That sounds like a good idea.”

The bed sheets were good quality; finely woven cotton which felt soft and cool against the skin. They lay there in silence for a while in the dark, Clive’s arm still around Joshua.

“It feels ridiculous to say this now but...I’m a fucking monster, Clive.”

Clive didn’t know how to respond to that. After everything they’d done, he didn’t expect Joshua to express regrets now. “...What makes you say that?” he asked. “Did something happen with Olivier?”

“...He was crying when he died. He seemed so innocent while he slept and I killed him anyway…”

Clive closed his eyes and tried not to imagine the scene. “He wasn’t innocent, you know what he did to Dion,” he said, hoping it would help ease Joshua’s guilt despite the fact that he was now feeling a sense of second-hand guilt himself. What Olivier had done was unforgivable, but murder was of course the worse of the two crimes.

“I know,” Joshua sighed. “I don’t even know why I’m feeling like this. If I was going to feel bad about any of this, it should have been ages ago when I killed innocent people who hadn’t done anything to deserve it…I guess not feeling turned on by the situation made it all feel more real, made me focus on what was actually happening…”

“So…does that mean you want to stop doing this?” Clive wasn’t sure what he would prefer the answer to be. Stopping would of course be the morally correct choice, and it would surely be better not to let the pile of bodies left in their wake grow along with the painful remorse. Then again, they’d both still be on the run either way, and Clive had to admit to himself that we would miss the feeling of dirtily fucking his brother in the bloody aftermath of another kill.

Joshua was quiet for a moment as he considered it. “...I don’t,” he replied at last, “and that’s part of what makes me feel so bad. I’m disgusted with myself but I don’t want to stop. Gods, what's wrong with me, Clive?”

“What’s wrong with both of us?”

“...You want to keep doing this too?”

“...I do.”

Despite everything, Joshua smiled half-heartedly then. “At least we’re still in this together.”

When morning came, the brothers went downstairs after a restless sleep to find Terrence encouraging Dion to drink some water after all the alcohol he’d had the night before.

“I suppose I should thank you both for taking care of what I could not,” Dion told them as they entered the living room. He sat on the sofa with proper posture though it was clear from the grogginess in his voice and the red in his eyes that he was struggling to stay awake. “I would have preferred if you had remembered to tell me when you’d finished though. I had to send Terrence into Olivier’s room this morning to confirm that all went to plan.”

“Sorry…” Joshua murmured, sounding just as sleepless.

Dion waved one hand dismissively. “It’s fine. What matters is that it’s done and we’re finally rid of that boy.”

Joshua nodded but couldn’t bring himself to reply. He was tired and the memory of Olivier’s tear stained face still haunted him.

Clive put one hand on his brother’s shoulder reassuringly. “You ok?” he asked softly.

“...I’ll be fine.”

“Looks like we could all do with some coffee,” Terrence said. “I’ll go make some.”

“I’d prefer wine,” Joshua replied. His hatred of the taste of alcohol didn’t matter right now - anything to forget the events of last night.

Dion gestured to the bar at the end of the room. “Help yourself.”

Terrence left to prepare breakfast for everyone and Joshua made quick work of fixing himself a drink. When the meal was ready, the four of them ate in front of the TV. Joshua tried to focus on the show but it didn’t hold his attention for long. He had little interest in the Sanbrequois chocobo racing grand prix and since nobody seemed to be talking, he found himself left alone with his thoughts. Though the full fry-up Terrence had made both looked and smelled delicious, Joshua found he couldn’t stomach it, his guilt seemingly having ruined his appetite. Dion felt the same way judging by the fact that his plate was still full by the time Clive and Terrence had finished.

“You know that eating something will help with your hangover,” Terrence told his master quietly.

Dion sighed. “I know. I’ll eat as soon as I feel able, I promise…In the meantime, could I ask you to go out and…dispose of Olivier? It would put my mind at ease to know that’s been dealt with.”

Terrence looked hesitant for but a second. Perhaps he hadn’t expected to be directly involved in the murder like this, but he would do anything for Dion. “Of course. Though it would help if someone comes along to keep watch in case anyone happens to be driving by the road near the lake? We surely can’t risk letting anybody witness this.”

“Yes, I suppose you’re right,” Dion replied and looked at Joshua.

After last night, Joshua wanted nothing less than to see Olivier’s corpse once again. He turned to Clive, eyes silently pleading him to help. Clive sighed and reluctantly stood up from the couch voluntarily. “I’ll do it. Let’s go,” he said, allowing Terrence to lead the way out.

Dion waited for the sound of the front door closing before going up to the mini bar and pouring himself another glass of wine.

“Drinking despite the hangover?” Joshua asked, surprised but not judgemental.

“Just a glass or two to ease the headache. It’s a vicious cycle, I know, but these are exceptional circumstances.”

“I suppose they are. I don’t usually drink at all.”

Dion raised his eyebrows. “Not at all? Goodness, if I hadn’t known about your killings, I’d call you a saint.”

Joshua forced a small laugh and quickly took another long sip of wine.

“What are you drinking for this morning then? Celebrating a successful kill?”

“Trying to forget about it actually…turns out murdering kids isn’t my thing.”

Dion winced at the bluntness of those words and averted his gaze guiltily to the floor. “I see…”

There was a long while of silence then as they both continued to drink. The TV was still on but it might as well have been showing static since neither of them were watching it. It was impossible for them to think of anything else besides the fact that the body of a child was currently being driven away to a lake into which it would be unceremoniously tossed, and that both of them were responsible.
Anything would be better than being trapped in this thought process. So now, emboldened by the wine, Dion decided to ask something he’d wondered about ever since he had first heard the news of Joshua’s crimes. “How does it feel to kill? When you enjoy it, I mean.”

Joshua wasn’t sure he wanted to talk about this. It still embarrassed him to no end that Dion knew of all the depraved things he’d done, and it was hardly a drastic change in conversation topic. Still, it was preferable to the silence, and at least Dion was asking him about the good kills.

“It’s…hard to describe. There’s all sorts of words I could throw out; exhilaration, euphoria, bliss, rapture…but none of that comes close to explaining how it really feels. I’ve never done any drugs besides nicotine, but I already know that none could compare to the thrill of murder.”

Dion looked far too interested in this. There was a curious look in his eyes which made Joshua wonder if he’d already said too much. “...If only there was a way to feel like that without taking a life. It sounds like a truly remarkable sensation.”

“If only,” Joshua agreed.

“What about before you kill them? Does the time spent toying with your victims and cutting into them beforehand not provide the same kind of gratification?”

Joshua blushed deeply and covered his face with his hands in embarrassment. It was too uncomfortable hearing Dion speak of such intimate details, and he certainly couldn’t bring himself to explain how everything before the kill itself felt very much like foreplay. “Please, Dion, it feels wrong discussing this with a good man like you…”

Dion almost laughed then though without humour. “I can hardly call myself a good man, Joshua. I tried to be, once, back when I joined my father’s political party in the hopes of bringing about positive change to Sanbreque. But those plans fell through, and now I fear I’m little more than a functioning alcoholic living out here in the middle of nowhere, hiding from the mistakes of my past like a coward.”

Joshua got the sense that Dion wouldn’t have said any of this were it not for the wine loosening his tongue. “...At least it’s not too late for you. You could still do some good in your position, but I’ll never be able to make up for my crimes. Nothing will bring back any of the people I’ve killed.”

“And I’ll never be able to change the fact that I planned Olivier’s murder…but instead of wallowing in our guilt, perhaps you’ll indulge me in a request?” Dion asked.

Joshua raised an eyebrow questioningly as he watched Dion go to the mini bar where he pulled from a drawer a small knife, the kind used for cutting slices of lemon and lime for cocktails. He then took a bottle of vodka and poured some over said knife, perhaps to ensure it was sterile, and then Joshua began to realise what kind of request this was.
Sure enough, Dion walked back over and handed him the knife. “Please,” he said, “cut me up, just a little. I’ve always wondered how it feels, and I deserve to serve some kind of penance.”

Instinctively, Joshua took the knife but shook his head. “I don’t hurt those I care about, Dion. You’re my friend.”

“Trust me, I can handle it.”

“...You’ve been drinking.”

“So have you.”

“Terrence won’t be happy about it.”

“I’ll hide my wounds. What he doesn’t know won’t worry him.”

Joshua felt truly divided here. He was already feeling awful about what had happened with Olivier last night and hurting Dion too would surely make the guilt all the worse. Yet while Oliver hadn’t asked to die, Dion was asking for this, and a few cuts here and there would hardly be fatal. There was also the chance that Joshua might in fact find some pleasure in this somehow, and it was that thought which was the most persuasive.

“…Alright,” he agreed at last. “But tell me immediately if I take it further than you’re comfortable with.”

Dion led Joshua upstairs to another spare room, one which hadn’t yet been used by any of the house’s guests. It seemed a little ridiculous that such a large estate with so many rooms housed only two people, but Joshua wasn’t about to comment on it. He watched as Dion pulled off his shirt and went to lie down on the bed, and tried not to stare too much at his well muscled torso.

“I’d appreciate it if you don’t leave any marks where I can’t cover them up easily with a shirt,” Dion said. “Other than that, as long as you don’t do anything that would lead to serious long term injury, I give you full rein to treat me as you please.”

Joshua nodded and tried to look more confident about this than he felt as he tightened his grip around the knife and straddled Dion on the bed. He would have preferred to use his father’s hunting knife for this since it was his favourite, but perhaps it was better not to use the knife that had ended lives on somebody he wanted to keep very much alive.

“And are you certain you want to do this?” he asked once more just to be sure.

Dion practically smirked back at him with a challenging look in his eyes. “I think I’m more certain than you are. Don’t tell me the fearsome Killer Phoenix is too scared to spill blood now?”

Joshua figured that Dion wouldn’t go so far as to goad him on like that were he not truly prepared for this. So, not wanting to let his generous host down, he decided to play along. “I’m not scared,” he said, holding the knife still and steady just above Dion’s throat. “I just want to make sure you’re not underestimating how much pain I can cause you.”

Though his determined expression didn’t falter, the way Dion visibly tensed up under the blade was exactly the kind of reaction Joshua had hoped for. He’d missed seeing this kind of fear in the eyes of his victims, and he had to remind himself that this wasn’t to be a murder.

He moved the knife downwards to Dion’s chest and began by cutting a shallow line along the faint crease between his pecs. They weren’t as full and large as Clive’s of course, but they were impressive nonetheless, and Joshua could hardly stop himself from admiring that about the man he was now cutting into. It was barely more than a graze so far as he continued to slowly drag the knife further down. Blood struggled to seep out of it, but this cut was only the first many.

Dion wanted more. There was an impatience in his eyes for something far deeper than mere scratches, so Joshua chose a spot on the left side of his lower abdomen and cut a nice deep curve into him. Dion practically moaned in response.

“Again, just like that…” he said, trying and failing to keep his tone of voice from sounding too desperate.

Joshua was more than happy to oblige, and made the same kind of cut, this time on the right side. He made the curved line longer this time though, allowing them both to savour the feeling of it for a few seconds more. Blood pooled beautifully from both sides and made Joshua remember exactly why he loved to do this.

“Your skin cuts so smoothly…” he murmured before going in to cut yet another long line. “And the way you bleed…it’s like ink on blank paper, or footprints in fresh snow…the first marks on something pure and unmarred.”

If Dion wasn’t so focused with held breath on the feeling of the knife breaking into his skin, he might have chuckled a bit at how poetic Joshua was being. For now all he could do was resist the urge to argue that he was most certainly not something pure. He was filthy with guilt, which was why he had subjected himself to this. It was supposed to be a punishment, and yet another cut, this one even deeper than the last, had him whining out in pathetic pleasure.

It wasn’t supposed to feel good. He had believed himself deserving to suffer, as if his own self hatred wasn’t suffering enough, but Joshua didn’t give him time enough to think of anything other than the anticipation between each stroke of the blade and the pain that followed.
And Joshua found himself equally lost in the moment. He let his instincts guide him as he carved line after line, pattern after pattern into the bloody canvas. He was aware of how Dion was feeling now. He could feel his hardness beneath him as he straddled his hips, but that didn’t stop him from continuing his artwork. If anything, it made him aroused too, and all too quickly he was finally beginning to feel the way this used to feel, that insane and erotic cocktail of power and lust that hit every nerve just right.

Without thinking, he dipped down to lick at the blood seeping from Dion’s torso. Oh how he’d missed the taste; metallic and intoxicating. Dion let out a quiet gasp as he felt the warmth of Joshua’s tongue against his skin but he made no move to stop him. It was a different sensation altogether from the cold blade, yet it sent the same shivers down his spine.

“...Y-you like the taste of blood?” he asked, his voice hitching breathlessly as Joshua ran his tongue along the entire length of the longest cut he had made.

“I do. There’s nothing else like it.”

“What does it taste like?”

“...You want to know?”

Dion nodded and Joshua, uninhibited from the wine and drunk on bloodlust, caught Dion’s lips with his own and made sure he would never forget the taste.

Dion knew he should have resisted. This wasn’t how he’d planned this to go. He thought distantly of Terrence, and then felt Joshua’s tongue inside his mouth and immediately let himself get lost in this new shared insanity.

Chapter Text

Joshua lay silently awake and far too sober beside Clive that night, his mind still wracked with guilt for the murder of Olivier, and also for what he had done with Dion this morning. While he and Clive had never discussed the rules of their relationship before about whether or not they could sleep with other people, Joshua was sure that Clive wouldn’t be too happy about this if he knew.

Yet it was still on his mind. He couldn’t help but remember how surprisingly tight Dion had been. Perhaps Terrence usually bottomed between them to avoid bringing back painful memories for Dion of how Olivier had assaulted him? It was quite the act of trust then that he had let Joshua inside him. Then again, maybe it had been part of the punishment he was trying to inflict upon himself. Joshua honestly couldn’t claim to fully understand what had been going through Dion’s mind at the time. All he knew was that it had felt amazing and that Dion had whined and moaned so sweetly beneath both his knife and his body. It wouldn’t be an experience he would ever forget, even if it was never to be repeated.

The two of them had agreed in the afterglow of their tryst that they would neither do it nor speak of it ever again. While it had been enjoyable for both of them, it hadn’t been worth the guilt which followed, and Joshua was now determined to find a way to make it up to Clive somehow without letting him know what had happened.

Almost a week passed by without incident after that. The four men in the house made meals together most evenings with Terrence instructing the others on what to do. Joshua and Clive both technically knew how to cook, but until now there had been no opportunity for them to do so while on the run. Back when they had been living in their apartment money had always been short and so they tended to rely mostly on cheap microwave meals for dinner. It was a nice change to have quality ingredients to use for once, and the simple homely act of preparing a dish together allowed them to at least pretend that everything was normal for a while.

In the daytime they would all watch TV and play card games and snooker on the pool table. Dion often had a glass of wine in hand during these sessions but Joshua could tell that he was trying to cut back on his drinking, sticking to just one glass before dinner rather than several. Perhaps it was because he didn’t want Terrence to worry about him, or because he still felt terrible about the fact that getting drunk a few days ago was what had led him to be unfaithful to his dear husband.

Sometimes the four of them swam in the large mosaic tiled pool in the garden. It apparently hadn’t been used in a long time, but for the sake of needing something else to do, they all worked together to clean it and then spent long afternoons in there trying to relax as best as they could. The whole week would have likely felt like a wonderful vacation were it not for the fact that they were each anxiously awaiting the moment when Dion would have to lie to his father about Olivier’s supposed drowning. Would Sylvester Lesage believe the story? What actions would he take after hearing it?

They were given the answer far sooner than expected and were left with not enough time to prepare their next move. Dion was called by his father during dinner one evening and told that the team of private investigators had done everything they could for now regarding the death of Anabella. Any further investigation would have to be done in collaboration with the Rosarian police since they were the ones responsible for going after the Rosfield brothers. Therefore Olivier could come home two days earlier than expected. The phone was on speaker and they all had heard what had been said. Dion quickly stood up from the table and headed out into the hallway to continue the conversation with his father, no doubt feeling too ashamed to have the others listen to the horrible tale he would have to weave of his poor brother’s untimely demise.

Neither Joshua, Clive or Terrence could bring themselves to say anything as they waited for Dion to return. It was a long phone call. None of them could be sure exactly how long they sat there in nervous silence, trying and failing to overhear any of the conversation besides distressed tones muffled by the distance between them. The steaming plates of food fresh out of the oven slowly went cold, the ice cubes in their drinks melted, the sky turned from the pale pink of twilight to the darkness of night, and it was only then that Dion came back to them.

“...How did it go?” Terrence asked softly as his husband sat back down beside him.

“Father was distraught, naturally,” Dion replied, his expression twisted with guilt. “And furious with me for having allowed this to happen. He said that he would kill me for my neglect if I were not the only family he has left…”

“Try not to take that to heart, he was bound to say something harsh after receiving such upsetting news. He will forgive you in time, I’m sure of it.”

“Not if he knew the real nature of Olivier’s death, he wouldn’t.”

Terrenced opened his mouth as if to attempt to offer some other words of comfort but closed it just as quickly when nothing came to mind that would make the situation better.

Joshua and Clive looked at one another, sharing in their sympathy for Dion, but neither of them could think of anything to say either.

Silence fell over the room once more for an awkward while until Dion finally spoke up.

“I should warn you all, father will be coming here tomorrow with a coroner to investigate and confirm Olivier’s death. Joshua and Clive, I am aware this is short notice, but you should leave tonight and find somewhere else to hide out until it’s safe for you to come back. I don’t know exactly how much of the estate he plans to have examined and we can’t risk you being spotted.”

“Agreed, but where else can we go?” Clive asked with a sigh. They were supposed to have been granted refuge from the law here, but it seemed they would have to pick up and go yet again, even if it was only temporary this time. He was getting so tired of this instability.

“Perhaps Cid knows somewhere we can stay?” Joshua suggested.

“Yeah he’s probably our best bet. I’ll text him.”

A few minutes passed as they waited for a response and in the meantime they filled Dion and Terrence in about who Cid was and how he had helped them. Clive’s phone pinged shortly after and he picked it up to read the message.

Cid: Glad to hear you’re both still alive. I’d invite you back to the Hideaway if it wasn’t getting checked in on by the police every other day or so now. I might have an associate in Oriflame you could stay with though. Can’t risk telling you too much about who he is and what he does for me over the phone, but I’ll ask if he’d be willing to help and get back to you with a location where you can meet him.

About an hour later, Joshua and Clive were back on the road on the way to Oriflame, both filled with relief that they had somewhere to go, but also with the apprehension of how they might be received by the stranger they were set to meet. A friend of Cid ought to be someone they could trust, but surely not everyone would be as accepting of their crimes as Cid had been.

It was early morning when they reached the city. The sky was still dark and the streets were empty as they walked from the car park to the spot where they would meet Gav. They kept their hoods up as they went, making sure that their faces would not be visible to any security cameras which might have been in the area. It was unlikely that anyone would be looking for them here in Twinside since the last time they had been seen by police was back in Rosaria, but it seemed better to play it safe than risk being recognised.

“I’m guessing you two are the ones Cid’s asked me to stow away for the night, yeah?” a surprisingly casual voice came from the shadows of the meeting place alley.

The brothers turned to see a young blonde bearded man with an eyepatch emerge from the darkness. He might have looked intimidating were it not for the friendliness in his face and the way he approached with his hands up to assure them that he was not carrying a weapon.

“Yes, that’s us,” Joshua replied. “Am I right in assuming Cid’s told you who we are?”

The man nodded. “Yup. Not that I wouldn’t have recognized you both anyway if he hadn’t. I reckon there’s not a soul in The Twins who hasn’t seen your faces on the news at this point.”

“And you’re willing to help us despite knowing what we’ve done?” Clive asked. He couldn’t help but feel the need to check. Even if the public weren’t aware of some of the more obscene things they’d done such as the way they defiled their mother’s body, or the murder of Olivier, he found it odd that so many people they’d met lately seemed comfortable around a pair of known killers.

“No need to worry about that. Cid let me know about how you guys helped Jill and that’s the kind of vigilante justice I can get behind. We may be in Oriflame right now, but see this as an extension of the Hideaway’s hospitality in return for helpin’ us out.”

“Thank you, we really appreciate it,” Joshua replied.

“Heh, don’t thank me just yet. I’ve got a place for you to stay, but it’s hardly luxury accommodation. Let’s head over there now before the sun comes up.”
The man, who introduced himself as Gav, led them to a grimy set of apartment buildings on the outskirts of the city which was far removed from the majesty of the capital’s centre. He pulled a set of keys out of his pocket and unlocked the front door of a small maisonette.

“You’ll be stayin on the basement floor if that’s alright,” he said, kicking off his shoes as they entered the hallway. “It’s not much, but it’s got a bedroom and a mini kitchen so you oughta be alright for a day or so, right?”

Joshua and Clive nodded in appreciation as they followed Gav down the stairs to the lower floor. It was simple, but clean and functional and better than either of them expected it to be.

“There’s no bathroom down here though so if you need it, just use the upstairs one on my floor.”

“Do you live here then?” Clive asked.

“Yep, at least for now while I’m helpin’ Cid out with some work he’s got going on around here.”

“What sort of work is that?”

“Ahh I dunno how much I’m supposed to talk about it. Not saying I don’t trust ya but…”

“It’s ok,” Joshua cut in, not wanting Gav to feel like he had to hide anything around them. “It’s not like you’re the only one of us with secrets.” He was sure they would find out about it soon enough anyway.

“I don’t doubt it, and speakin’ of secrets, I’ve gotta head back out to run another errand real quick. You guys alright if I leave you alone here for a couple hours? I’ll be back by the morning most likely.”

The brothers both assured Gav they would be fine and after giving a brief goodbye, he headed back up the stairs and out the front door. They waited for the sound of the door being locked before saying anything.

“Are we sure we can trust this guy?” Clive spoke first once he was sure he would not be overheard. “What if he’s actually working for the police and he’s gone to get them now that we’re where he wants us to be?”

Joshua reached into his coat’s inner pocket and pulled out his knife. “If that’s the case, we’ll deal with him and any cops he brings along, but Cid seemed to really trust him so I feel like we can too.”

Clive sighed and sat down on the bed. “I hope you’re right.”

“Trust me, with both of our eikons, we’re more powerful than anyone that might come our way. We’ll be just fine,” Joshua replied before sitting down too and placing a hand reassuringly on his brother’s shoulder.

The anxious look in Clive’s eyes didn’t quite disappear, but he mustered a small smile. Joshua could tell though that it was more an acknowledgement of his attempt to comfort him than an expression of genuine happiness. Yet again Joshua felt guilty for being the reason that the two of them were constantly on the run. Moving from one place to another always seemed to be much more frustrating to Clive than it was for him. Adding to his guilt was the fact that he still hadn’t found a way to make it up to Clive for his secret tryst with Dion. There wasn’t much he could do for him in their current situation, but if Joshua’s suspicions about what Gav’s line of work might entail were correct, then he at least had one idea that might bring his brother some semblance of pleasure.

“I’m gonna try and get some sleep. It’s been a long night,” Clive said at last, moving to cover himself with the bed’s duvet which was far from the expensive linen ones they’d become accustomed to at Dion’s house.

“Good idea, I’ll join you in a minute. I’m just going to head upstairs and look for the bathroom first.”

“Alright.”

Joshua left the room and made his way back up to the main floor. It didn’t take long to find the bathroom. It was the first room he looked inside. This wasn’t what he had really come here to search for though, and so he continued up the second staircase to the top floor.

He opened the door at the top of the stairs and saw that this floor consisted only of a large single room which appeared to be used mostly for storage. Cardboard boxes littered the floor along with pieces of partially built flat-pack furniture. It looked almost as though someone was in the process of moving in, but judging by the layer of dust which covered everything, none of this stuff had actually been touched in a long time.

It all felt like a halfhearted effort to make the room seem unassuming and empty, though a subtle smell in the air gave away that something more elicit was definitely being kept here. While Joshua had never done weed himself, he’d spent enough time with people who did back in college to recognise the distinct heavy herbal scent. It wasn’t difficult to follow the smell to where it was strongest: a sofa backed up against the far wall of the room.

At first Joshua expected to find what he was looking for beneath the sofa’s cushions. That was the sort of place drug dealers would hide their stock in the movies after all. When this proved to be untrue in Gav’s case, he instead pulled the sofa forward and uncovered a hollowed out part of the wall behind it in which all manner of controlled substances had been stashed.

It seemed that Cid’s secret enterprises were in operation even beyond the borders of Rosaria, and if these drugs were anything like Tarja’s then this was the good stuff which hadn’t been laced or tampered with. Joshua took his time examining everything which was available to him here. He didn’t want the weed, though there was plenty of it. He wanted something stronger so that he could make Clive feel as good as he deserved. After rummaging around through the various containers, several vacuum sealed bags filled with white powder caught his eye. Perfect.

When he entered the basement room once again, bag hidden in his back pocket, he saw that Clive was still awake. That was good, he supposed, it meant that he could get on with his plan much sooner than he thought.

“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked.

Clive shook his head wearily. “Nope. I was kept awake thinking about Dion’s situation. Do you think the investigators will believe the story he told his father? What if they somehow manage to figure out how Olivier really died?”

Joshua had been worried about this too. Though his thoughts had mostly been occupied with Clive tonight, the idea that Dion’s cover story might fall through was a constant nagging thought in the back of his mind.

“I can’t pretend I’m not also concerned about that,” he admitted. “Not to mention the fact that I still can’t shake the guilt for having killed that boy…but there’s nothing we can do about any of that right now, so let’s not dwell on it, alright?”

“I guess you’re right. Not thinking about it is easier said than done though.”

“Then let’s do something to distract ourselves now that we finally have some time alone together.”

Clive looked both tempted yet apprehensive in the same glance back at his brother. They hadn’t fucked at all while in Dion’s house for fear of being overheard and potentially losing their one place of refuge. That would no longer be a problem here.

“You think we’ll have enough time before Gav gets back?”

Joshua moved to the bed and lay down next to Clive. “He said he’d be gone several hours, I’m sure I can satisfy you before then.”

The excited and mischievous glimmer in his eyes along with those words seemed to convince Clive, and he gently pulled Joshua closer towards him by the shirt and kissed him. Joshua kissed him back, deeply, again and again. They had both missed this terribly. To finally hold each other again quickly melted their worries away, at least for the time being. There was no room to think about the consequences of their past actions when it was far easier to focus on the sweet taste of lips and tongues.

Joshua noticed how easily Clive became pliant under his touch and allowed him to take the lead. Perhaps he was too tired to be at all assertive tonight. That was good, it would make this all the easier. Joshua reached down to paw at Clive’s cock through his jeans and delighted in the small needy whine he let out in response. He was getting hard already, clearly more sensitive now after having gone untouched for so long.

“Want me to get you out of these jeans?” Joshua asked, already knowing the answer.

“Do you even need to ask?” Clive replied. He tried not to sound too desperate but his tone of voice failed him.

Joshua smiled and made quick work of freeing Clive from his trousers and underwear, pulling them off him and throwing them to the floor. He then leaned in for more kisses because he always wanted more. Clive felt much the same way and kissed back with fiery enthusiasm. They only broke apart when Joshua moved to pull off Clive’s shirt.

Clive lifted his arms up to help. “You too,” he said as his shirt hit the floor. “It’s hardly fair if I’m the only one naked.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t deprive you of my skin for much longer,” Joshua assured him. “Would you turn around for me? I’d like to top tonight.”

It wasn’t often since the two of them had started sleeping together that Joshua requested this. For whatever reason Clive was usually the one doing the penetration, but he was more than happy to switch it up. He never used to imagine himself as someone who would enjoy taking it, but he also never used to imagine himself as a murderer either. Now he was both of those things and took far too much pleasure from both.

“Anything for you,” he replied, and obediently turned over on his front, his naked ass raised.

The ease at which his brother did what he was told made Joshua all the more aroused. “Good boy,” he teased, and watched Clive practically shiver from the praise.

He then stood up from the bed briefly to remove his own clothes, and with Clive’s head now turned away, he took the white powder out of the pocket he’d stuffed it in and poured a small amount out into his palm and coated his fingers with it. There was no lube here for them to use so they would have to do this the dirty way. Joshua got back onto the bed behind Clive and leaned down to spit over his entrance, hoping it would be enough to open him up comfortably and allow him to absorb the cocaine into his bloodstream.

Had Joshua been sane, he might have questioned himself about the ethical implications of anally drugging his brother without his knowledge, but he was most certainly not. In his mind, this was a kindness; a sweet surprise to make Clive feel good. Besides, it wasn’t as though he hadn’t already done something similar with the nicotine patches.

Clive took each finger like a soldier as Joshua began stretching him open with only saliva to ease them in. Joshua had always been impressed by how well Clive handled this part on the few occasions when they’d done this before. He withstood the initial strain with perfect composure and relaxed into it quickly so it never took long before he was ready to take Joshua inside him. It would likely take a few minutes longer before he started feeling the effects of the cocaine, but Joshua wondered if it had already aided in helping Clive open up. Either way, he would definitely feel it soon.

“Ready for me now?” Joshua asked, leaning in to leave a trail of kisses down Clive’s back.

Clive’s voice was low and desperate as he replied “I’ve never been more ready for anything.”

“Then who am I to make you wait any longer?”

Joshua spat into his own palm and used it to slicken up his cock. He then coated it with more cocaine before finally entering his dear brother’s waiting hole. They both let out a moan as he sank inside. It really had been too long since they’d last done this.

Clive started noticing that this time was different when he felt a strange warmth running through his body alongside the usual pleasure. It was mild at first, like the first sip of a hot drink on a cold day. Simple but satisfying. It was nothing compared to the feeling of Joshua hitting just the right spot inside of him with every roll of his hips, but it didn’t go unnoticed.

Gradually it built up inside him. His heart raced and his mind buzzed. He felt lightheaded, like his brain was swimming in an infinite ocean, and yet he found himself somehow more alert at the same time. Every sensation was magnified. Each thrust became more and more intense. It was almost too much but he couldn’t get enough.

“Gods… how are you doing this, Joshua?” he murmured.

Joshua chuckled softly, pleased that this was clearly working. “Shh, don’t think, just enjoy it.”

Clive had learned by now that it was always better and easier to let go whenever Joshua told him to. Whatever this was, it felt so good and he wanted to make the most of it instead of worrying. He trusted his dear brother to take care of him, so he let himself slip deeper into the euphoric abyss until he could not see, hear nor feel anything besides Joshua. Nothing else mattered and nothing else existed besides the two of them.

Practically deaf to even his own voice, he moaned out his brother’s name repeatedly. Tears of pure overwhelmed bliss ran down his cheeks and his whole body trembled. He felt Joshua pressing kisses down his spine in between whispered words of praise and reassurance.

“I’ve got you, Clive. You’re taking me so well. Just hold on a little longer, alright?”

Clive wasn’t sure he could. He never wanted this to end and yet he felt himself getting closer to the edge every second. He held on as best he could, floating helplessly in that state of almost climaxing. His vision blurred and it was hard to breathe, but he couldn’t imagine wanting it any other way. His cock leaked pathetically between his legs. Gods, he was so so close.

Suddenly he felt Joshua tighten his grip around his waist, his fingers digging hard into his flesh. “You’re almost there aren’t you, Clive? Let it go, let’s finish together!”

There was no stopping it now. Clive felt his orgasm run through him like nothing he had ever felt before. It washed over him in waves, each causing his body to convulse violently and release his hot seed onto the sheets beneath him. Joshua took Clive’s cock in hand and stroked him through it, milking every last drop he could from him as he finally reached his own climax and released his spend deep inside his dear brother.

They stayed like that for a short while, each catching their breath and letting their heavy beating hearts begin to rest. Joshua could feel that Clive’s pulse was still running faster than normal due to the cocaine. It would probably begin to wear off in a half hour or so, but until then Joshua wanted to continue to spoil Clive with affection to make sure this whole experience was as good as it could possibly be for him.

“Let’s get you cleaned up,” he said at last, pulling out from Clive and taking a second to watch the way his cum spilled out from his entrance and down the back of his legs. It was quite the view, hotter than it had any right to be, and Joshua hurried out of the room to fetch a towel from the bathroom before he could get another hard on. As much as he would have loved to go again, he knew that Clive deserved to rest.

He took the remaining bag of cocaine with him and discarded it in the bathroom bin so that Clive wouldn’t find it later and uncover the truth about what he’d done. Of course, Joshua knew that Clive wasn’t an idiot, it was quite possible that he would be able to guess that he’d been drugged once it wore off, but he decided he would deal with that problem if and when it happened. For now he returned to his brother with a damp towel to begin getting the both of them cleaned up and ready to sleep.

“Am I right in thinking you enjoyed that just now?” he asked, gently wiping the towel over Clive’s sweetly flushed skin.

“I did, and I’m thinking you should top more often.”

“Of course. Anything for you.”

“Anything? Then let me kiss you again.”

A request which Joshua was more than happy to accept.

Chapter Text

Gav’s lungs weren’t allowing him to breathe fast enough.

He was a decent runner, and it was a miracle that he’d made it this far while bloody and beaten, but his attacker wasn’t far behind. He dared not look back, though he could hear footsteps pounding the tarmac just as fast as his own.

His house was at the end of this street. He was already moving as quickly as his body would let him, but he knew he would need to be faster if he had any chance of getting inside before the man pursuing him caught up. Just imagining the sharp sting of the knife which might cut into his flesh if he was too slow seemed to spur him on just enough, and his mind went blank as he sprinted the last hundred yards and nearly slammed into the front door when he finally reached it.

Bloody knuckles scraped the insides of his jean pockets as he hastily fumbled for his keys, aware of his attacker’s echoing steps quickly growing louder as he approached.

He stuffed the key into the lock and pushed, but the door was stuck. The damn thing always jammed, and Gav mentally kicked himself for not having fixed sooner. Though he was already bruised beyond belief, he slammed his body against the door until it finally budged, and then entered the house before shutting it. An annoyed yell could be heard uncomfortably close from outside and was followed by the sound of the stranger’s fists banging on the door.

“This will all be over sooner if you just come back out here and do what we asked! If not, there are plenty of loose bricks around, I can always break in through the window!”

Gav didn’t respond. Even if he’d wanted to, his breaths were coming too fast and too shallow to be able to form words between them. He longed to sit down, but it seemed rest wouldn’t be afforded to him.

“You can’t hide forever, boy!” the man shouted. “Kupka has more of us stationed in this part of town and I’ll call them here for backup if you don’t come outside!”

That was the last thing Gav wanted to hear. He could barely fight off one man in his current state. He’d be dead if more arrived. Limping, he descended the stairs to the floor where Clive and Joshua were now fast asleep. Seeing the two brothers slumbering in each other’s embrace was a little odd, but it was the least of his worries right now. Under normal circumstances, he would have felt bad for waking them up. This couldn’t wait though.

“Guys, sorry about this but I need you both awake. We’ve got a problem,” he said as he gently yet urgently jostled the end of the bed to stir them.

Clive was the first to rise. “What’s happened?”

“I got jumped by a guy working for Hugo Kupka, one of Cid’s enemies. Barely managed to escape the scrap, but the man’s outside the door calling his buddies for backup!”

“What would you have us do about it?” Joshua asked, the excitement of the potential opportunity to kill again overpowering his tierdness.

“Help me fend them off I guess? I’d prefer it if things didn’t get violent but…” Gav gestured to his bruised face, “...we might not have much of a choice.”

Clive groned and wiped the sleep from his eyes. “We’re supposed to be in hiding.”

“I know, I’m sorry I - “ Gav began before Clive waved a dismissive hand.

“No, it’s not your fault. We’ll deal with this, don’t worry.”

“Thanks guys, I’ll owe you one after this.”

“You provided us somewhere to stay tonight so let’s say we’re even,” Joshua said.

By the time the brothers had gotten dressed and headed back upstairs, the man who had originally been standing outside was now joined by three others.

“I’ve got backup of my own now!” Gav called to them through the door as he checked through the fish-eye lens of the peephole window to see who they were up against. He tried to keep his voice even but he struggled to hide how nervous he sounded. “Trust me, you don’t wanna mess with these guys!”

“Nobody has to mess with anyone if you just hand over your supplies like you’ve been asked!” called back one of the goons.

“What supplies are they talking about?” Clive asked.

“My drugs. I’m a dealer for Cid and these guys want me to stop selling around here since it’s been causing Kupka to lose business,” Gav explained. “People want the clean stuff rather than the sawdust-laced shit that his guys deal. But we can’t afford to lose money or supplies, The Hideaway is struggling enough as it is, and I’d hate to let Cid down after all he’s done for me.”

Before either Joshua or Clive could reply, there came a noise of shattering glass from another room.

The three of them followed the sound into the lounge where one of the men had broken the window with a hammer and was now climbing through into the room.

“Shit, here they come…” Clive murmured. “Gav, go hide yourself somewhere. We’ll handle this!”

Gav looked conflicted for a moment. He was hardly in a position to help, bloody and bruised as he was, but he felt bad for leaving the brothers behind. The man ran towards him, his hammer raised. Clive caught him by the arm just before he could strike Gav in the head with it.

“Gav go!” Clive said again, and this time he obeyed.

While the man tried to wrestle his arm free from Clive’s strong grip, Joshua picked up a large piece of the broken glass from the window and stabbed the man in the stomach. He let out a wail of pain and dropped the hammer as he fell to his knees and curled in on himself, clutching the wound in a weak attempt to stop the bleeding.

Clive turned to see the other three making their way through the window. He grabbed the hammer from the ground and hit the closest of them over the head, causing him to lose consciousness and fall limp over the window ledge. Broken glass still attached to the lower edge pierced into him as he fell.

Seeing an opportunity, Joshua darted out of the room and left the house via the front door so that he could sneak up on the remaining men from behind as they fought Clive by the window. He pulled his hunting knife from the pocket he always kept it in and stabbed one of the men in the back. The angonised howl he made in return was delightful.

There was only one left now. He began to run, but Joshua caught up with him and held his knife to his throat before he could move more than a few meters away from the house.

“Do you want to live?” Joshua asked him.

The man nodded desperately, afraid to speak lest the movement of his throat caused his skin to catch against the blade.

While Joshua would have very much preferred to kill this one too, he wanted to send a warning to whoever this Kupka guy was. So he took the man’s phone from his pocket and ordered him to film the scene. Clive stepped aside so he wouldn’t be visible while he recorded the dead bodies of his collegues with trembling hands.

“Now, go back to your boss and show him what will happen if he sends anyone after Cid’s allies ever again, alright?”

The man nodded once more. It was clear that he wouldn’t try to fight them any longer. He’d seen how Clive and Joshua could win two against four and he obviously wasn’t going to try to avenge his friends on his own. So when Joshua finally lowered his knife, he ran away as fast and as far as possible until he was no longer in sight.

Noticing that everything had gone quiet and that the fight was probably over, Gav came out of hiding and looked around at the state of the living room.

“Well…this is gonna be a pain in the ass to clean up,” he murmured, trying to stay calm in the face of all the blood. “Thanks for taking care of those guys though. I’d be a dead man if you two hadn’t been here.”

“Better them than you,” Clive replied. “I don’t know what kind of gang their boss runs but I get the impression they’re not as benevolent as Cid’s.”

Gav nodded. “Too true. I don’t know the full extent of Kupka’s business, but everyone knows he deals in some nasty shit. Extortion and human trafficking to name a few.”

Suddenly there came a low groan from the man who had been slumped over the window ledge. It seemed he wasn’t quite as dead as he appeared.

Gav took a cautious couple of steps towards him. “Shit, what do we do? Put him out of his misery?”

Clive was about to agree that this would be the kindest course of action, but of course Joshua had other ideas.

“Wait, Clive, help me pick him up and sit him on the couch. I bet someone online will pay good money to watch his final moments.”

Clive, long past the point of arguing about these things, did as he was told.

Gav watched with concern from the corner of the room. “You’re seriously about to make a snuff film?”

“It’s not like we can make an honest living while on the run,” Joshua replied nonchalantly. “And you’re going to need some quick cash to get that window fixed.”

“This isn’t even my house. Cid bought it as a place to operate in Oriflame. I’m sure he’d rather cover the costs himself than with blood money.”

Clive looked at Gav and sighed. “You can’t talk Joshua out of this stuff once he’s made up his mind. We’re doing this regardless so you may as well take some of the earnings.”

Joshua smiled slightly at the way his brother spoke of him in the fond yet exasperated tone. He took his phone from his pocket and began to record the dying man as he continued to bleed out on the couch. It was a pity they didn’t have Clive’s camera with them, it would have made for a more professional looking film, but this would have to do.

“Well…let me know when you’re done. I’ll be uhh…making some coffee,” Gav said and left the room once again.

“Hold this for me,” Joshua said, handing the phone to Clive once Gav was gone. “A video of a guy slowly bleeding out has to be the snuff equivalent of watching paint dry. I’ll make this more interesting.”

Clive did as he was told and filmed the scene with growing arousal as he watched his brother poke at the wound where the window glass had pierced him. The man’s barely conscious whines did nothing to gain him sympathy. Joshua dug two slender fingers deep into the gash and felt a pleasant shiver run down his spine as the warm flesh surrounded them. He thought back to the previous video they’d made where Clive had fucked Immrean’s corpse, and thought for a moment about doing the same thing here as he continued to finger the wound. It was tempting but the thought that there may still be glass splinters about made him reconsider.

Instead, he went to pick up more of the broken glass from the floor and proceeded to lodge them into other parts of the man’s body. The smallest parts stayed nestled within the cuts they’d created while other pieces stuck out at an angle with just their sharpest points buried inside the skin. Some of the shards fell out and onto the sofa, but Joshua didn’t mind and simply admired the red of the cuts they left behind. Clive tried his best to keep the camera still despite his occasional wincing whenever Joshua would pierce the man with a particularly sharp looking piece of glass. While he was well used to his brother’s brutality by now, he never failed to surprise him with every creative new way he came up with to maim and kill.

“This is practically an art piece,” Joshua murmured, partly to himself and partly to Clive once he was satisfied with his work.

Clive didn’t know much about art, and he ordinarily wouldn’t have considered a weakly twitching bloody body full of glass as an example. This was Joshua’s doing though, and so it had more artistic value than anything else in the world.

When they were done with the video, it was impossible for either of them to hide their arousal. Nowadays Clive was no longer surprised at his own Pavlovian response to Joshua’s violence, and he wished he could bury himself inside his dear brother immediately. A wave of exhaustion washed over him though and it was then that he remembered that he was running on only an hour or so of sleep.

Joshua, similarly turned on and worn out at the same time, sensed their shared condition and gently pulled Clive over to the opposite couch to kiss, touch and grind lazily until both were satisfied. It would have felt practically chaste compared to their cocaine-fuelled fuck a few hours ago were it not for the fact that they were now high on pure bloodlust and surrounded by the carnage they’d created.

Gav had probably gone to bed since he didn’t make a reappearance that night. The brothers fell asleep together on the couch and it wasn’t until midday the next morning that they were finally awoken by the sound of Joshua’s phone ringing. Dion’s caller ID appeared on the screen, though when Joshua answered, it was Terrence who spoke.

“It’s safe for the two of you to come back now…” he said, sounding oddly shaken.

“…Is everything alright?” Joshua asked.

Terrence took a deep breath as if trying to stabilise himself before attempting to explain the situation.

“Dion’s father is dead.”

Chapter Text

Dion never expected that his life would turn out this way. Since he was a child he had always believed that he would grow up to be a married man in an idyllic home with all the wealth and success guaranteed to him simply by being his father’s son. He almost had all of it; he had a loving husband and a millionaire’s estate. He had the money and the high power job, yet in this moment as he led his father and two police investigators out to the lake where Olivier’s body remained on the bank, he could think only of how terribly everything had turned out. He had let everybody in his life down. He was a barely functioning alcoholic who had given up on trying to change the world through politics in favour of hiding away in his too large home and then facilitating his own half brother’s murder all because he was afraid.

“As we were instructed, we left everything exactly as it was once we pulled Olivier’s body from the lake,” Terrence explained to the police investigators as they walked. His voice sounded distant to Dion. It was as though everything was muffled and blurred. He kept his eyes to the ground and tried not to process anything the police or his father were saying and he felt pathetic for trying to suppress these consequences to his actions.

The inspectors spent far too long looking over Olivier’s body. Dion wasn’t sure how much time had really passed, but it felt like hours which were made all the longer by his need to avoid looking at either the corpse or his father’s grave expression.

“What do you conclude?” Sylvester eventually asked, his voice almost frail. Dion was so unused to seeing him in anything less than a highly dignified state, and like everything else about this situation, the heartbroken fragility of his father felt wholly wrong.

“We’ll have to perform a proper autopsy to know for sure what happened here, but even then it may be hard to tell,” one of the investigators replied. “Asphixia from drowning is notoriously difficult to distinguish from other forms of suffocation with our current technologies.”

Sylvester was clearly not satisfied with this answer. He raised his cane and pointed it at the investigator. “Damn your autopsy! I know my son and I know he would have been smart enough not to get himself drowned! This was clearly foul play!”

“...It’s a possibility, sir. We’ll need to do more work to know for sure.”

“Oh I’ll do the work right now!” With his free hand, Sylvestre pulled a gun from his inside pocket and pointed it at Dion. “Tell me what really happened!”

Dion froze, too stunned to speak. Terrence was quick to try and get between him and his father. The investigators stood from where they had been crouching over Olivier’s body and tried to intervene but Sylvestre took several steps sideways to avoid them all and then declared that he would shoot any of them if they got too close.

“Answer me, Dion!” he demanded. “I want the truth! Was my son’s death your doing?!”

The implication that he only considered Olivier his son now was not lost on Dion. He opened his mouth to form a reply and then was silent when he realised he didn’t know what to say. It was unlikely that his father would believe him if he continued to assert that Olivier’s death had been an accident, but to tell the truth was certainly more dangerous here at gunpoint.

“Please, sir, put the gun down,” one of the inspectors said as calmly as possible, though he couldn’t hide the tremor in his voice. “We can solve this peacefully and rationally.”

“I have lost my wife and my son in the span of a few weeks, I no longer believe in rationality! Such a thing would not happen in a rational world!” Sylvestre cried and turned back to Dion. “Do you know how your actions have driven me mad, Dion?! How about I show you how it feels to lose a loved one, then you might finally understand half the pain you’ve caused!”

Sylvestre moved forward and held the gun to Terrence’s head.

Time seemed to freeze. Terrence was about to die and it would all be Dion’s fault. His husband who had been there for him through everything, who lived and breathed for him, would be gone and Dion would never be able to make up for not having treated him better in return, and for not having expressed his gratitude enough. Terrence had always been such a good man, better than Dion could ever hope to be, and the injustice of it all caused Dion’s body and mind to surge with an anger so strong he thought he might explode with it.

Instead he transformed, and it happened in an instant. Bahamut’s wings knocked everyone to the ground a fraction of a second before Sylvestre pulled the trigger. The sound of the fired gun echoed out across the lake, and the bullet missed Terrence by a hair.

Dion hadn’t primed since he was a child, and he had sworn never to do it again after seeing how destructive his Eikon appeared to be. There was no controlling it now though. All he was aware of in his moment was that Sylvestre was a threat to his beloved husband and so he had to put a stop to him. A massive ball of light formed between the jaws of his draconic maw. Terrence had the quick foresight to get behind Bahamut as he fired the concentrated beam of pure energy down onto his father. The two investigators may as well have been invisible to the beast as they were caught mercilessly in the beam’s path and burned instantly along with Sylvestre.

Bahamut then took to the skies, and didn’t come down for a very long time.

“He’s been like this ever since he transformed back into his human form,” Terrence explained once Clive and Joshua returned to the estate. Dion lay on the couch in the living room, alive but unconscious.

“Will he be alright?” Joshua asked.

Terrence gently lifted Dion’s hand to check his pulse for the umpeeth time. “I certainly hope so. Bahamut was flying erratically for several hours before he finally exhausted himself and fell to the ground, but Dion seems to be unharmed from the fall so it seems likely that he just needs to rest for a while and restore his energy.”

Clive hadn’t known until now that Dion was Bahamaut’s dominant but it made perfect sense. Of course the family Anabella had chosen to connect herself to was one whose blood flowed with divinity, obsessed as she was with the Eikons. He wondered if Joshua had already known as he’d seemed less surprised when Terrence recounted his morning’s events to them. Clive would have to ask him about it later.

“What do we do in the meantime then?” he asked Terrence.

“Well I suppose we’ll have to dispose of the remains of the investigators who got caught in Bahamut’s blaze, and eventually of Sylvestre’s body too though we should let Dion decide how to handle that…” Terrence rested his palm on his husband’s forehead to ensure that his temperature was fine. “I only hope he doesn’t blame himself for his father’s death. He’s already carrying so much guilt.”

“If anyone should bear the guilt for this, it ought to be me,” Joshua said. “None of this would have happened had I not agreed to kill Olivier…”

Terrence shook his head. “If you had declined, I’m sure Dion would have done it himself eventually. I’ll stay with him when he wakes to make sure he doesn’t try to do anything rash.”

“He’s lucky to have you,” Joshua replied.

With Terrence continuing to watch over Dion, Joshua and Clive headed out to take care of the investigators. Their plan was to use the fire of the Eikons to cremate the remains, but Joshua stopped his brother for a moment and pulled out his knife.

“Wait Clive, with everything that’s happened it might be a while before Terrence gets a chance to have groceries delivered here. We should…put aside some meat just in case.”

Of course. Clive wasn’t even surprised by the suggestion. It had only been a matter of time before the murderous phoenix developed a taste for flesh.

“Goddamn it, Joshua,” he sighed, but did nothing to stop him from carving up the corpses. The ease with which Joshua did so suggested that he’d already researched how to do it. Clive hoped it was knowledge he’d extraplilated from a cooking tutorial rather than from some sort of dark web cannibal forum, but at this point he supposed it hardly mattered either way.

The deceased men had been well muscled and provided decent sized cuts of meat. Once Joshua had finished cutting it, he gathered up the pieces on one of their discarded jackets and bundled it up to carry inside before setting the rest of their remains ablaze. Just as with everybody else unfortunate enough to have been burned by Joshua’s flames, the two corpses practically evaporated, bones and all.

Back inside, they headed to the kitchen and stored most of the meat in the freezer, aside from one piece which Joshua decided to cook immediately since neither he nor Clive had eaten since leaving Gav’s place. There were vegetables in the refrigerator and while Joshua would have been very happy to ignore them, especially the carrots, he reluctantly threw some into the tray at Clive’s request.

They waited for everything to roast for an hour or so, and in the meantime Joshua sat at the kitchen table with Clive’s laptop and began editing the snuff they’d filmed the night before. Clive prepared cups of coffee for them both and couldn’t help but think how beautifully and peacefully domestic this would have been were it not for the images on the screen and the flesh in the oven. Small moments like this were the closest they’d probably ever have to a normal life though, and so Clive chose to embrace the good in it. He gently placed one of the coffee cups down on the table next to Joshua and kissed him.

That evening Superintendant Tharmr streamed a new video onto his TV in the living room, and this time Slepnir didn’t wait to question him about it.

“Did you buy this from the same user who sold you the last snuff film?” he asked.

“Yes. Considering we found Rosfield DNA at the home of the last victim they filmed, it is safe to assume that this account is either owned by the brothers or someone affiliated with them. Therefore this new video will likely be pertinent to our investigation,” Barnabus explained.

Sleipnir raised an eyebrow. “…and is that the only reason you’re watching it?” Both of them already knew that it wasn’t.

With a smirk Barnabus parted his legs, making the growing hard on tenting in his trousers more apparent. “Does that answer your question?”

“Most eloquently,” Sleipnir replied, and knelt down in front of his master.

Chapter Text

Dion awoke the next morning with a splitting headache. At first he couldn’t remember where he was or what had happened before he fell unconscious, but he recognised Terrence’s concerned expression immediately and took what comfort he could from the sight of his husband as flashes of his time as Bahamut ran through his mind.

“My father,” he asked the moment his mind allowed him to form words. “What happened to him?”

Terrence took Dion’s hands softly in his own. “…He fell to Bahamut, but please, try not to blame yourself. You weren’t in control when you primed.”

Dion could recall it now. Terrence would have likely been killed if he hadn’t primed in that moment. He remembered casting the devastating beam which killed his father and took the two investigators with it.

“I cannot help but blame myself,” he replied, choking back tears. “Though I would do it again if it meant saving you.”

“And I’ll forever be grateful for it, but I’m sorry it had to come down to this. Were I standing further away from your father perhaps-”

Dion squeezed Terrence’s hands tighter. “Don’t you blame yourself for this either, Terrence! You have done more for me than I can ever hope to repay so do not for a moment think that I’d hold any of this against you. The blame should be mine and mine alone. If I had not orchestrated Olivier’s murder, none of this would have happened.”

Terrence sighed. It was true enough, but he still considered his husband faultless in this. He held him close for a while comforting him as he wept for the loss of his father.

Back at the precinct, Sleipnir entered Barnabas’ office and presented what he’d discovered after examining the most recent of the Rosfields’ videos.

“It didn’t take long at all to find the location of these murders,” he told his master proudly. “The house in the snuff film was obviously one of those old Sabrequois masionettes in the run down parts of Oriflame by the looks of it, so I sent a subordinate out to the area to check and he found the house, corpses, broken window and all.”

“Have the Sanbrequois police been to the scene yet?” Barnabas asked.

“Yes, though I believe they have yet to connect the case to the Rosfields. At first I thought we’d have no way of proving that this was their doing without letting them know about the film, but I did some additional research on the house, and you’ll never guess who’s name the lease is under.”

Barnabas was in no mood to wait for the dramatic reveal. “Who?”

“Cidolfus Telamon.”

“Excellent. Tell none of this to the Sanbrequois police, and don’t bother continuing to investigate them.”

Sleipnir raised an eyebrow. “Sir?”

“If the Rosfields are in Oriflame then it’s no longer our problem.”

“But surely we must tell them of their connection with Cid? We have a legal responsibility to work with them now that this case is under multiple duristictions, do we not?”

“Not if I say so. Those boys are providing me with entertainment that cannot easily be found, and I want to give them time to make more.”

“With all due respect, sir, you cannot be serious.”

“When have I ever not been serious?”

Sleipnir couldn’t think of a single instance.

He began to feel a strange sense of envy towards the Rosfields. It was rare for anyone to capture Barnabas’ attention, but they had achieved it. He longed to be the centre of his master’s attention in such a way, to be watched in awe rather than just being used as a means to an end. But at least to his face, he couldn’t bring himself to disobey.

“If that is what you want, sir,” he replied shortly before leaving the room.

It seemed that the man Joshua had allowed to escape the scene at Gav’s house wouldn’t be getting his phone back. Hugo Kupka replayed the video for the umpteenth time, unflinching at the sight of his dead lackeys as he tried to figure out who had done this. If Cid had new allies who were willing to kill for him, that would make things difficult. He wished Benedikta were still here. She would have come up with a way to track the killers down. He hadn’t been the same since her death, and with his dreams of the two of them creating a stronger crime empire together shattered, he had nothing left to fuel him but the hope of revenge. For now, all he could do was wait for news of the Rosfields whereabouts. Then all hell would break loose.

“We’ve shown you great clemency by not raiding that hotel of yours,” Sleipnir said as he circled the table where Cid sat in the interrogation room. “I hope you’ll be so kind as to repay us with the information we need.”

Cid lit up a cigar and leaned back in his chair, casual as ever. “The only reason you didn’t raid us was because you knew the Rosfields weren’t in their room anymore. Don’t try to spin it as a show of good faith.”

“We could still bring that criminals’ nest of yours down if you refuse to cooperate. The fact that the Rosfields were there at all is grounds for us to investigate,” Sleipnir bluffed. He knew Barnabas would no longer allow any investigation that might lead to the brothers’ arrest, but Cid didn’t need to know that. “And of course, if we should so happen to stumble across your drug operations or harboured fugitives in the process, we’d have no choice but to have the place shut down.”

“I’m aware,” Cid replied with a tired sigh, smoke escaping his lips.

“So can I assume you’ll be truthful with me for the sake of your precious hotel?”

Cid shrugged. “Are you going to make me take a polygraph test?”

“We can, if it seems like you’re lying.”

“And you think you can tell if I’m lying? I like to think I’m pretty silver tongued.”

“Well let’s find out, shall we? First question: the Rosfields recently murdered several men inside a home that was rented out in your name. Am I correct in assuming this means you’re still in contact with them and that you provided this location to them as a place to hide?”

“How could you have known they were there?” Cid asked.

“We were informed by the Sanbrequois police,” Sleipnir lied. He couldn’t tell Cid about the snuff film after all. “There was a lot of broken glass around and the brothers must have sustained injuries from it as their DNA was found in blood traces on the ground.”

“That was some quick forensics. The incident only happened two days ago.”

“Yes, well time is of the essence in such cases. Now, kindly answer my question. Are you in contact with the Rosfields? Or do we need to seize all your electronic devices to find out?”

Cid sighed once again. Both he and Sleipnir knew that if the police took his multiple phones they’d find evidence of his drug traffiking which would put the hotel in jeopardy. “Alright, fine. Yes, I provided them with a place to hide. The murders there had nothing to do with me though, you have Kupka’s men to blame for that.”

“Kupka, hm? Your little gangs are still fighting?”

“They’re the ones doing most of the fighting. Me and my people are just trying to help struggling people get back on their feet.”

Sleipnir laughed. “By dealing drugs to them? You and Kupka are just as bad as each other. The only difference being that you do everything under the guise of altruism.”

Cid’s expression darkened, though he kept his tone of voice calm. “Unlike Kupka, my people deal clean drugs in controlled doses and give support to those trying to quit. We offer shelter to people who would otherwise be sleeping on the streets and generally provide all the kinds of services the Rosarian government fails to have in place for its vulnerable citizens. Does that sound like false altruism to you?”

“It sounds like nonsense. I bet you only help those people so they become indebted to you. Besides, you just admitted yourself that you’re still working with the Rosfields. Befriending killers of innocent people is hardly a noble cause.”

Cid looked like he was about to say something in his defence, but Sleipnir didn’t give him time to speak before he continued.

“Which brings me to my next question: where are the brothers now?”
“That, I don't know,” Cid replied. “I haven’t received any messages from them since telling them about the house in Oriflame.”

Sleipnir could have chosen to interrogate Cid further about this, but decided to leave it for now. He had more than enough information for the moment and an idea was already forming in his mind; a new way to capture the Rosfields without his master’s involvement.

“Very well. You may go for now. I’ll be back in touch if I need anything more from you.”

Cid stood up and stubbed out his cigar on the table, uncaring about the scotch mark it left behind. “Looking forward to it.” he replied sarcastically and took his leave.

Chapter Text

That evening Joshua and Clive entered the living room and were relieved to see that Dion was finally awake.

“How are you feeling, Dion?” Joshua asked as they sat down on the sofa opposite him and Terrence.

Dion sighed. “Physically at least, I am well. I wish I could say the same for my mental state, but after everything I’ve done, I hardly deserve to feel anything but guilt.”

“You know it wasn’t your fault, love,” Terrence said for what wasn’t the first time today.

“So you have reminded me, but I can’t help but feel responsible regardless.”

“If you need someone to blame, let it be me,” Joshua said. “If I hadn’t killed Olivier-”

“If I had not asked you to do so,” Dion argued. A moment’s silence followed and Joshua couldn’t think of anything else to say.

It was Clive who spoke up next. “We can talk about who’s to blame later. For now we should figure out what our next move will be. The Sanbrequois police are probably wondering where their investigators and Sylvestre Lesage have gone, and they’re bound to send people over soon to find them.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Dion replied. “I doubt they’ll simply believe us if we tell them they all went home after they finished with the investigation. Perhaps we should all find somewhere else to stay?”

“What about one of your family’s holiday homes?” Terrence suggested.

Joshua looked doubtful about this suggestion. “Surely they’d know to look there once they realised you weren’t at home?” 

“Hm, yes good point…” Dion said. His eyebrows furrowed with worry and frustration as he tried to come up with an alternative plan.

“We’ll figure something out,” Terrence promised him, putting one hand on his husband’s arm reassuringly, “For now, let’s just be careful who we open the door to.”

Sleipnir had never liked Hugo Kupka, even when he used to work for the police. The man was brutish, arrogant, and had always failed to show Superintendent Tharmr the proper respect he deserved. Then again, Sleipnir was well aware that he was going against Tharmr’s orders right now and that was hardly a way to respect his master. This had to be done though. He wouldn’t allow the Rosfields to steal away his lover’s gaze, and Kupka would help make sure that all went to plan.

“So you’re saying Clive Rosfield is the man who killed Benedikta and he’s currently staying at Cid’s hotel?” Hugo asked as the two of them discussed the situation under the neon lights of a shitty bar in Rosalith.

Sleipnir shook his head. “He’s not with Cid at the moment. We don’t know where he is, but we do know that he and his brother are still in contact with him. I plan to use that connection to draw them out, but I’ve recently been forbidden from taking any action in regards to the Rosfield case.”

Hugo grinned menacingly. “So that’s where I come in.”

“Yes. I expect you’ll give the Rosfields the warm welcome they deserve.”

“Oh I will. And I’ll make sure Clive suffers ten times worse than Benedikta did.”

That night, Jill settled down to sleep in the room she and Tarja shared next to the infirmary. Ever since Immrean’s death, she’d been sleeping better than she ever had in the last few years. The only thing that could make this better would be if Tarja was able to sleep here beside her, but alas, she was still on night duty, and day or night, there was always someone in the Hideaway who needed help.

She was so proud of the life they’d built here together. It was hardly the kind of career she’d originally imagined for herself when she first began studying medicine, but here the difference she and Tarja were making to people’s lives felt so real. It was a joy to see people get back on their feet here after having fallen into hard times. Recovering from addictions, escaping bad living situations, and rediscovering the joys of living once more, it was all possible here, and being a part of that was what she now considered her life’s meaning.

The bedsheets had been freshly washed and still smelled of the lavender scented fabric softener they used. A cup of calming camomile tea warmed her palms as she held it with both hands and gently blew away the steam before taking a sip. The book she had been enjoying recently sat waiting for her on the night stand and she couldn’t wait to continue reading it in just a moment. What bliss.

This moment of peace was short lived though, as Jill was abruptly pulled out of her serenity by the sounds of yelling and fighting coming from the floor above. At first she thought it was just a fight between hotel guests. Quarrels were uncommon here, but they did happen occasionally. This sounded much more serious though, and when the commotion didn’t stop, she rushed out into the hallway and abruptly came to a stop half way up the stairs as she saw what was going on.

The scene she found there was unlike anything she could have expected. Tarja was already there, rushing to the aid of someone on the ground who had seemingly been beaten up. In the middle of the lobby, a giant of a man who Jill had never seen before was directing a group of armed lackeys to surround the area, trapping all the guests and staff who had been socialising here inside. Behind that towering figure stood someone she recognised: Chief Inspector Harbard, the man who had been in charge of Immrean’s case and had no doubt been a part of getting him such a light sentence.

She stayed still where she was, hoping that none of the armed men would look down the stairs and spot her. Showing herself now would only get her trapped with everyone else in the room, so she watched and waited for a moment to move in and help.

“Where’s Cid?” The hulking man demanded as Otto ran into the room to see what the commotion was about.

“What is this? Who are you thugs?” Otto asked, dodging the question.

The man took a gun from one of his men and pointed it at Otto’s head. “You should know who I am. Your lot have been meddling in my business for far too long now and I’ve come to put an end to it!”

Jill could see that Otto was doing his best to remain calm despite staring down the gun’s barrel. “Ah, so you’re Kupka then?” he summised.

“That’s right. Now unless you want a hole blown through your head, I suggest you let me know where Cid is.”

“He’s right here.” Cid said, appearing in the doorway. “If you have grievances with us, Kupka, you can discuss them with me directly. Leave my people out of this.”

Kupka immediately turned the gun on Cid. “You would tell me to leave your people out of this when it was those Rosfield allies of yours who killed my men first?”

“They did that of their own accord, and from what I understand, it was because they were protecting my man Gav from your lot. So if you’re petty enough to argue about who started this, you have only yourself to blame. Nobody would have been hurt at all if you’d have just let my folks go about their lives in peace instead of getting butthurt over lost profits.”

“You are in no position to insult me!” Kupka yelled and threw a punch which sent Cid to his knees.

It was subtle, but Jill noticed purple sparks begin to surround Cid. He must have been preparing to prime if needed, but she hoped it wouldn’t come to that. There was no telling what damage Ramuh might do. Even in the name of protection, it would be a miracle if nothing was destroyed and if nobody was hurt in the process of his transformation.

“Now, now, you two. Let’s not fight just yet,” Chief Inspector Harbard said, stepping between them.

Cid narrowed his eyes in anger. “Sleipnir. I should have known you’d be in on this. But working with Kupka? That’s a new low.”

Sleipnir shrugged. “Desperate times call for desperate measures, and we still have two serial killers on the loose. So, if you truly care for this place and the lives of everyone here, you’ll do as I say or else Titan will see to it that you’re all dead and buried under its collapsed walls.”

It was not long after midnight that Joshua and Clive were awoken by the ringing of Joshua’s phone on the night stand.

“Ugh…Who’s that?” Clive asked groggily.

Joshua picked up his phone and checked the caller ID. “It’s Cid. Must be something serious if he’s calling at this hour.”

Clive nodded in agreement and watched with anxious anticipation as Joshua answered and switched to speaker phone so they could both hear the conversation.

“...Hello?”

“Ayup. Sorry to call at this ungodly time of night, but we’ve got ourselves a bit of a situation here at the Hideaway.”

Even through his casual speech, the brothers could hear the underlying fear in Cid’s voice and it set them both on edge. 

“What’s happening?” Joshua asked.

“In short? Hugo Kupka, Titan’s Dominant, is working with the police and he’s here threatening to turn the place to dust if you two don’t show up.”

There was a sound of a scuffle and suddenly a different voice spoke through the phone.

“You hear that, Clive?! I know you’re there, you bastard! You’ll come here and pay for what you did to Benedikta!”

Joshua immediately hung up the call. There was no way in hell he’d let Clive show up anywhere where someone was planning to hurt him, especially if that someone was a fellow Dominant.

“Who the hell was that? Who’s Benedikta?” Clive asked, eyes now wide with urgency.

“I think that was the name of the policewoman who almost arrested me that night we left our apartment," Joshua replied. His phone rang once again, and he hung up for a second time.

“We can’t just ignore this!” Clive said.

“We can and we will if it means keeping you safe!” Joshua replied. “If anyone has to go, let me go alone!”

Clive moved to stand up from the bed. “No, that man demanded me specifically, and I’m not about to trade my safety for the lives of our friends!”

Joshua grabbed his arm and refused to let go. “And I won’t trade the life of my brother for anyone!” 

There was another notification sound, a text this time, and Clive used his free hand to snatch the phone from Joshua before he could try to delete or ignore the message. Cid had sent just one word in all caps: “HELP” with a video attached.

With a rapidly growing sense of dread, Clive hit the play button. Joshua reluctantly leaned over to watch. It was unclear who was recording. Most likely it was one of Kupka’s men. He panned around the scene in the lobby, making it clear what was happening, showing all of the hotel guests who had guns to their heads. He approached one, seemingly at random, and shot them.

“More will die the longer you ignore our demands!” he said. The video then cut off, leaving Joshua and Clive in ice cold shock.

“Joshua please ,” Clive implored. He was on the brink of tears. Innocent people were dying and it was partly his fault. If only he had been able to save Joshua that day without having to harm Benedikta. “We can’t let them take any more lives! What if we lose Tarja next? Or Jill ? Don’t tell me you’d be ok with that.”

“Of course not! I don’t want them to get hurt either, but better them than you! You’re the only person I love, Clive, I can’t lose you!”

Clive pulled Joshua into his arms and held him tight and protectively to his chest. “Don’t say that as if I don’t love you just as much! Do you think I’m not afraid for you too? Please, let me go alone so I can keep you and everyone safe. I’m the older brother after all.”

“They want both of us,” Joshua replied, his frustration and fear bringing him close to tears too. He could feel Clive’s heart racing madly in time with his own. Just as panicked, just as afraid. “Stay here with me, please!”

His phone pinged with another video. This time Clive didn’t watch it to see who had been taken out. They couldn’t waste any more time. “You stay here, alright? I love you, Joshua.” He said, kissing his brother on the forehead before leaving the room and running down the stairs toward the front door. Joshua wasn’t going to leave Clive to dive into danger alone and followed after him. 

The keys to Dion’s car sat in a decorative bowl on the side table beside the door, and Clive snatched them up before heading out to the white sedan in the driveway. The car they’d borrowed from Jote was low on fuel so Dion’s was the only option. He scrambled to start the ignition, intending to drive away before Joshua could get in, but his brother was quicker.

“Get out,” Clive said.

Joshua refused.

There was no time to sit and argue about this. Every second wasted was another life potentially lost, so reluctantly he began driving, hoping that he could somehow convince Joshua to hang back once they reached the Hideaway.

The roads were mostly empty at this time of night, making it easier to speed through the countryside of Sanbreque as they headed back towards Rosaria. Joshua called Cid back to let him know they were on their way and hoped that this would stop Kupka from ordering anyone else to be killed.

“And Cid, I…I’m sorry this is happening,” Joshua added. He knew it wasn’t enough of an apology. The police wouldn’t be there if it weren’t for his crimes, and Kupka wouldn’t have been able to get away with doing something like this if he wasn’t working with them.

Cid let out a frustrated sigh in response. “Well, I guess the consequences of your actions were bound to catch up with you. True, you and your brother have helped us out a lot, and you still have my gratitude for that, but you’ve also been cruel and murderous bastards. So get on over here as quick as you can and sort this out, will you?”

Joshua didn’t disagree. After everything he’d done, it was impossible to pretend that ‘cruel and murderous bastard’ was an unfair assessment of him and yet it hurt coming from Cid, a man who he’d grown to hold so much respect for.

“I will, I promise,” he replied before Cid ended the call.

He then texted Dion and explained the situation to him. He and Terrence were probably still asleep now, and most likely wouldn’t read the message until tomorrow morning, by which time anything could have happened.

The rest of the drive to the Hideaway was torture. Joshua could scarcely breathe and his chest was painfully tight in dreadful anticipation of what was to come. Clive was clearly feeling much the same way judging by his white knuckle grip on the steering wheel and the sheen of sweat lining his brow. This wasn’t fair. Clive didn’t deserve this. Since the beginning of his crimes, Joshua had gone back and forth between feeling guilty and remorseless, but the one thing he’d never be able to forgive himself for was robbing Clive of the safe and happy life he might have lived had he not dragged him into this.

He longed to apologise to his brother for that now, but he could hardly think straight in his current panic. All he could do was pray that the two of them would make it out of this alive so that he could tell him afterwards.