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"CHOOOOOOOOOOOOORD!"

A man with tired eyes and black glasses slowly turned over to the person who yelled at him. He sighed and got up from his chair to walk over to the man. "What do you want Brio?" He tilted his head at the pirate and he motioned over to a geode he found. "I found this preeeeetty cool geode but I actually have no idea what to do with it." Chord looked at him blankly and shrugged, starting to walk away.

"I wouldn't be useful in this situation sooo.. later." Brio grabbed his arm and pulled him back in response. "Dude there's so many places something as small as that can go!" He protested as he pulled him back, pretty frustrated. "Do we have a ladder?" "Of course we have a- wait a damn minute."

A little while later he walks into the garage to grab a soda to find Brio putting the geode next to a bunch of other gemstones and trinkets on a segment of the place that was rather high up. He stood there stunned for a moment before snapping out of his state. He stood there until Brio noticed him, "Oh hey! Are ye looking for something?" "First of all, where did you get all of the other ones?" The man on the ladder pointed to a bag, it had a bunch of gems in it. Chord shook his head and continued, "Second of all, why are you putting them in the garage of all places??"

"They shine when the garage door opens and it's pretty cool!" Chord just chuckled and grabbed his soda from the fridge. "Whatever, just don't fall or anything!" As he walked out he heard a pretty loud crash, he did indeed fall. Though, he didn't really care because he had more gems to put up.

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Angelo leans on Chord tiredly, not paying attention to the movie they're watching at all. He yawned and Chord chuckled, noticing how sleepy he was. Soon he thought about something and lightly tugged on his shirt. "Hey Chord," he perked up and turned over to him. "Why are there a bunch of gems in the garage?" 

"Yeah uh.. Brio found a bunch and decided to put them there instead of everyone else." The demon chuckled and rested his head on his shoulder. The man he's leaning on glanced at him and smiled, turning back to the movie after. And then Angelo lightly bit one of his arms. "..What is it with you and your cuteness aggression?" 

He glanced back at Chord and shrugged. The man couldn't help but laugh at him which made him sigh and let go of his own arm. He burries his head into his shoulder. After that couldn't help but glance at the creature leaning on him. "You know I can tell when you're looking at me right?"

He sighed and pulled him closer, surprising him but not really minding it. "You're so adorable, I can't really help it." However, that just made both of them more tired than they were before. One of them grabbed the remote and turned the TV off just to pull each other closer. Chord grabbed one of his hands and intertwined their fingers, rubbing one of his fingers against the back of his hand affectionately. 

Angelo smiled more and rested his head above his. "..Can I bite you?" "Again, you and your cuteness aggression! ..no." He sighed dramatically and pulled away from him. The other man sighed and pulled him back in. "You're so lucky you're my favorite person."

"And you're lucky I let you annoy me." He stuck his tongue out at him and he rolls his eyes as a response. Chord starts to play with his hair, pretty distracted by him. Meanwhile, Brio comes into the room, pausing at the sight of them just laying together. They hear a shudder sound and they freeze up before slowly turning towards the pirate. 

"IM PUTTING THIS ON INSTAGRAM!"

"NO." "You son of a..."

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"Alrighty then, you're good to go." Chord waved to the man who's motorcycle he just fixed. He waved back and then he rode off into the distance. He sighed and cracked his knuckles, who knew working without him would be so hard?

For a moment he paused and looked over to a pinned up photo. It was Key, his father, and him in front of the garage he was working him. Though he looked away from the photo, trying not to think about what happened to him. He stretched his hands and the pressure on his fingers transfered to his gloves, causing his claws to come out. After a moment he noticed and balled his hands into first so they would go back into his gloves.

He decided to put his gloves away for now. Even though he knew he didn't need his glasses he was still wearing them at night. When he went missing he decided to wear them whenever he was in the garage just so he could tell who he was. Just then he head a knock from somewhere and looked behind him. He saw a silhouette of a person and tilted his head, not expecting any more business.

"Hey.. can you fix something for me?" Something was off about the guy but he didn't know what. That was before he stepped more into view. He was atleast 6'9 and not as human as he looked. His horns definitely gave it away. 

"Uh...sure dude. What.. what do you need help fixing up?" The man held out a music box and opened it, it was fairly alright except for the fact that it wasn't spinning like it was supposed to. "It's.. for a friend of mine who collects stuff." Chord paused, definitely surprised that a demon of all things was asking for help but he agreed. As he started to work on the thing he glanced one more time at the photo and then got to work.

"..Cute." Chord paused and responded with, "Huh?" "Oh, nothin." They had a few interactions like that while he was busy. As soon as he was done he tested it so it worked and it did. He handed it over to the man who smiled and shook his hand.

"Thank you...er.. Chord. I'd be struggling to fix that myself." He chuckled and when he let go he gave him a thumbs up. "Oh, what's your name since I forgot to ask?" "You may call me your worst nightmare.. but I'm Angelo." This made Chord crack up, he bid him farewell and the man left.

"...Holy sh-t I just talked to a demon.. wait did he call me cute?"

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"AKINO WAIT-" She clearly isn't listening and she runs into a wall.

"Huh? Oh, hi Lance. What happened this time?" He sighs and shakes his head, "She tired to race me again." "IN MY DEFENSE I WANTED TO BEAT HIM." She rubs her head tiredly and looks over at Brio. "Besides, I can do whatever I want since I produce sunlight." 

Lance stretches and casually lays down next to Akino, seemingly tired. "How are you so energetic all the time?" "Probably because she's younger than you." "Hush it!" Suddenly, Angelo comes outside with Chord in his arms.

"Guuuuys.. Can I have some help?" "You seem perfectly fine right there." He huffs and turns over to Aki and Lance. "Aki, can I have a little bit of help here?" "MMMMM nope!" 

"Stop whining Chordie, you're just grumpy." "Oh, oh! Kinda like-" "Let's just get you back inside. Akino, would you like any tea or something?" The child nods and follows them inside. "Well.. aren't you going to join her?" Lance just shakes his head and curls up into a ball.

"How are you even a guardian.." "I don't need you judging me right now!" Brio rolls his eyes and sits down next to him. Today would be a lot more complicated with him and Akino around.

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"Crea, what the fuck are you doing-" "SILENCE!" He works non-stop, working extremely hard. You just kind of look at him with a concerned look. For a moment he stops, before continuing without looking back.

Hours pass and you wonder when he'll stop tiring himself. He already seemed exhausted enough. That question answers itself when he opens the door. You look over at him, who's looking for something. There's definitely something up with this guy.

"...Are you going to-" He goes back into the room. This lord of chaos is getting on your nerves. You frown and get up to do other things. Preferably ones that don't remind you about his existence.

It's the next day and you wake up to Crea right next to you, wide awake. You flinch and back up just to look at him. Yeah, you don't want him in your house anymore. Though, you doubt he'll leave based on the deal you two made. Something about being a famous musician? Yeah, something like that.

"I made something for you, ___." Well, that's a surprise. In fact, you thought he was working for something to destroy the human race. He hands you a big bouquet of flowers made out of.. guitar picks. You take them and give him a weirded out look.

"Uh, thanks?" He smirks and ruffles your hair. "You're welcome, muse." Crea walks away, probably back to wherever he goes when you're busy. Okay, that was weird.

You decide to grab a random vase you never had a use for and put the flowers in there. They're kind of pretty if you stare at it for long enough. That's barely a compliment though. ..It's definitely good enough for him though. "Maybe he's less a little.. annoying."

Meanwhile, he leans back on a chair in his own realm. It's absolute chaos, nobody can tell what's happening in there. He's daydreaming, mainly about you. "This is going to be easier than I thought." He wanted something.

The something was probably you to be honest. 

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"You again..?" You stood on the porch, looking at the demon on the steps. Last time he gave you those flowers. It was still.. confusing on how you felt about him. "Ice cream?"

Does he think this is casual or something? Being seen out in public with some master of chaos seems stressful. What if he draws attention? Though, he could be seen as a cosplayer. "Y'know what, sure."

Yeah this was a bad idea. You were waiting in line and everyone was staring at him. Thanks Crea, very cool. When the two of you were about to order, you paused. This experience made you extremely nervous so you just froze.

Instead of you, the actually normal one answering, he answered. He wanted cookie dough, which suits him. As you were getting yourself together, he got you exactly what you wanted. How the hell did he know that. Well, he is a demon so why wouldn't he?

You got the ice cream and decided to sit down to eat. Actually, he wanted to do that. You couldn't just.. leave him there so. If you did, everyone would be asking for pictures or who he's cosplaying. They might even ask if he's single! 

Wait, why were you worrying about that? "_____, Are you going to eat that or not?" You were thinking for so long that he decided to see if your brain was transported into a different dimension and being slowly picked apart or not. You nodded, you bought it so you might as well eat it. And then somebody tapped your shoulder.

"What are you doing with this guy?" Oh great, you were the one being picked on instead. You know this person was probably going to hit on you, and it annoyed you. Why was it always you? Suddenly, Crea stood up and stared at him.

He was pretty tall and this made the guy back up. "No offense but.. you deserve somebody better." This definitely made the demon that you were stuck with, pretty angry. "Why don't you mind your own business and find your own lover; or is your god complex that important to you?" The guy scoffed and backed off, walking away.

Did he just refer to you as his lover? Out loud and in front of everyone waiting in line? People were looking at you two and mainly you. You looked back at him and sighed before starting to actually eat the ice cream. You two are never going out in public again.

"We should go out more often, muse."

Chapter Text

       He was only 15 when everything wrong in his life happened. Well, at least the first incident.

     At first, everything was fine. He was pretty much normal. At least, as normal as a weird vampire could be. He knew his capabilities and used them to his advantage. He worked hard and was efficient.

     That's what his dad thought about him at the time. He was okay with that. Normal was good. He called him Vit but his name was Vittorio. He prefered it when his name was shortened. 

     It made it easier to say. He was even used to fire while everyone else freaked out. The heat brought him comfort. In fact, the fire brought him comfort for a long time. And then he found out how bad it really was.

     It started from one spark. One turned to another. Things escalated. It was the reason he snapped. Went completely crazy.

     He cried that day. Vittorio left someone that day. She died in that fire, his mother. From that moment on, he overworked himself just to make someone who wasn't even there proud. He only had his father spiraling into despair.

     In general, he was losing his mind. He was aggressive to everyone that wasn't family. The family he had was abusive. Vittorio Volitare fallen to bruised arms and black eyes. At fifteen he was subjected to horror. 

     He couldn’t impress the person he had left. The cigarettes left burns, he didn't know which ones were from the fire or not. The guilt of a crime he never committed lingered. His body hurt. The boy was aching. 

     At eighteen he took up knife throwing. By the time he mastered it, he ended up throwing them at himself instead. It wasn't fun in games anymore. He lashed out at everyone. They heard his screaming through the halls.

     It turned into laughing. Joy from the pain he was subjected to. Murmurs about how he deserved it. That he was the one to blame. “It wasn’t caused by anyone,” turned into, “It's all my fault.” 

     His father was disgusted. The blood on his hands came from himself. Vittorio lost himself in the pleasure of bringing himself pain. It was too late to pull himself back out. That's when it happened.

     His own father was executed in front of everyone. The eyes of a man expecting more, removed. Everyone was taken away from him. It happened again. A flame lit and thrown at the tree. 

     The rope held, along with his body. It was all for nothing as the corpse burnt. Lifeless, forever held in the chains of fire. “The burning man,” they called him. There were other burning men after that.

     Burnt corpses and missing innocents. Taken as a murderer. Known as the sole survivor. There was no above, there was no below. For all he knew, he was the savior to those around him.

     Vittorio, the one left standing. Vit, the hard worker. The vampire boy, fallen to the hands of torture. A man lost in a fire. Vittorio Volitare, the savior of his own kind.

     A savior. A murder. A lost soul. 

     A child.

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“Hey, Len?” He turns over to them. They're in the middle of a field, the sun is fully up. He still wasn't used to the sun, but it was nice to be in it. He tilted his head.

They hesitate before continuing, “Hold out your hands for me.” Lenni nods and holds out his hands for them. The bartender puts two flowers in his hands. He pauses, “What.. are these for?” They hold up a finger in response.

Suddenly, a few butterflies came up to his hand. They even landed on him because of the flowers. “..I have never been this close to one of these.” Lux chuckled and put their head on his shoulder. “One day, I think we'll die and come back as butterflies.”

He looked over at the bartender in confusion. They've never wanted to talk about things like that. Why did things change now? “Or maybe swans, they mate for life!” They were going to keep going, but realized this was out of nowhere.

“Sorry.. I just finally came to accept that we'll be gone one day.” He nods before kissing his forehead. Two of the bugs stayed while the others left. They reminded him of their relationship. It was peaceful.

“We'll be gone but.. we will still find our way back to each other.” “Promise.. promise me that we'll find each other again.” He pulls Lux closer to him. He never thought he'd love someone. Though, there they were, sitting together like two butterflies.

“I promise.”

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     Dr. C sighed and leaned on the back of Mark's chair. He had nothing better to do, most people were having a great Christmas. Meanwhile.. he was stuck here monitoring the subjects with his partner. “I'm so tired of this.” The other only shrugged and rubbed his eyes.

     “We can't do anything about it, it's our job.” “No shit Sherlock, I'm complaining because I bought gifts.” Mr. M raises an eyebrow. “For.. who?” At first, he just hesitated.

     He didn't really intend on telling him until they left. “For you, we're basically emotional support for each other and everything!” He paused before nodding and reaching up to grab one of his hands. “Thanks for that.” Dr. C chuckled before squeezing it and letting go. 

     “Hey, we're friends, we might as well.” Mark only shrugged, continuing to spectate the facility. Something about that just felt off. Clearly, what he said irritated him. “That was a sudden change.. you alright Mark?”

     He nodded as a response. This was most likely him hiding his emotions. He recognized this, especially with him looking very focused all of a sudden. It was like he was ignoring every other thought he had. “I know what will cheer you up!”

     When he left he didn't even question it. It wasn't really necessary in the first place. Eventually, Dr. C came back into the room with a Christmas tree and a lot of ornaments. The fact that he was going out of his way to cheer him up was nice. “Why don't we decorate the tree?” 

     “Well, you really know how to distract me.” He chuckled, “I'd rather have you happy,” he chirped. He handed him a random decoration. It was a heart shaped ornament. It seemed like it was a metaphor.

     Maybe Christmas wouldn't be that bad.

Chapter Text

     “Hey Vinyl!” She perks up and looks over at her. “..What.” Funk motions over to the mountains. They were sitting on tree branches. 

     How else could they get a good view? Though, she wanted to show her something else. There would always be some type of ulterior motives with her. The rational one looked at the other blankly. Nothing was even there yet.

     “Just wait for it; it won't take too long for it to appear!” “Wait, did you just say it?” The ground started to rumble and shake. It was like a miniature earthquake. They both held tighter onto the tree.

     Suddenly, the outline of a deer became more visible. It fully raised its head up to open its eyes. They were pure white, and there were three of them. “Told you it wouldn't take too long!” Funk was concerningly laid back about this.

     The deer was even taller than the tree. In fact, it was as big as the mountains. “What.. what is that?” Vinyl's confusion made Funk laugh. As if this was the most normal thing to be asking about.

     “It's a deer, I call her Shika.” “..How can you tell she's a girl?” She shrugs and responds with, “Sometimes you just know things.” The deer, Shika, had spotted them. It walked over to them without hesitation.

     It's head lowered, directly staring at Funk. “Sorry I haven't been around quite often.” She reached out and put her hand on its head. The deer closed its eyes. “How often have you seen her?” 

     She pauses before speaking, “Every few weeks we've been meeting up.” That's where she's been going for the past months! She takes her hand off Shika and she opens her eyes again. She turns to Vinyl and tilts her head. “..Hello… Shika.” 

     The deer stares, before sniffing her. Vinyl freezes out of fear. “Stop being such a wuss, even cats do it!” “It's a huge deer!” She pulls back and just.. stares. 

     “She wants you to do what I did.” She hesitantly nods before putting one of her hands on her head. Shika closes her eyes once again. This made things a lot less terrifying. It was actually kind of nice. 

     The deer opened her eyes again and Vinyl quickly pulled away. “I'm never going to get used to this.” Funk felt the same way when she figured out how to give herself a voice. She mainly used clips from videos or music, but she got used to it. “I get it, but.. you've gotta eventually!” 

     Shika nodded before turning away and walking off. It was a small introduction, but it was a start. “So, what do you think?” Vinyl just stared in awe. Suddenly, a snap of her fingers shook her away from her thoughts. 

     “When's the next time you're coming back?”

Chapter Text

"Shut the fuck up." He flinched and backed up. It was as if he was scared of me. I didn't mean to do that. I'm scared of myself too.

     "Xavier, do you even hear yourself right now?" I shook my head and turned away. Of course I did. Though, I was muffling myself out. I was losing my mind.

     "I don't know what to do anymore." He stared at me in disbelief for a moment. "What, you just get pissed off and all of a sudden your brain just stops?" My hands clenched into fists. He noticed.

     It didn't take long for him to regret his actions. "Fuck, I didn't realize I.." I cut him off almost instantly. "STOP BEING A DICK AND LISTEN TO YOURSELF INSTEAD!" I glared back at him.

     He noticed something I noticed a while ago. "Your eyes." "Blue, effects of the experimentation." Then he noticed something else. "Some of your hair too."

     I haven't looked in a mirror in a while. I sighed and my back hit a wall. He clearly felt bad, he was just bad at expressing it properly. I sunk down to my knees, holding my head in my hands. "I don't know everything."

     The shapeshifter only nodded. "Why do you expect so much of me?" He nearly responded but decided not to. Instead, I continued to fill in the silence. "I'm not a scientist, I'm not a powerful deity, I'm a normal human being."

     Derek hesitated before he said anything. "I don't know either." He decided to sit down next to me. "Maybe it's my fear of the unknown or my aggression against everyone; but I really don't know." We didn't really know.

     "..I wish I knew you well enough to get used to you." I agreed with him. We were stuck together fighting for survival. There was no way around it. "I trust you enough not to do anything.. shitty."

     "I trust you to do the same." I glanced at him, tugging at his hair in frustration. I grabbed his hands. "You're going to get male pattern baldness.." This caught him off guard.

     Derek just grinned, trying so hard not to laugh. "Whatever you say, dude.." I've never seen him like this. It was comforting to say the least. I let go of his hands, only for him to grab me and mess up my hair.

     "You are an ASS!" We were laughing like maniacs. I was trying to pull away while he continued to mess with me. It was as if nobody could intefere. I hoped this was what safety felt like.

     Eventually I managed to pull him off me. "..Let's try this again." He stared at me, expecting something, anything. For a moment I just.. stared, but I brung myself to respond. "Yeah, let's.. let's restart."

Chapter Text

   "Altair?" Dr. C slowly opens the door, questioning if he even should at this point. Altair, the scientist, has been missing for a week now. What would he know, he wasn't in his situation, all he knew was that something had happened to him. He wasn't sure want, but he was going to figure it out. 

   The room was completely dark. There was no light to be found. The whole room was boarded up, he could barely see anything in the first place. As he closed the door, he tried to search for a light. He didn't find one, but he did find a flashlight. 

   It was all he really needed to find the scientist. He attempted to turn it on, but it seemed busted. He shaked it a few times. "Altair, where are you?” As the light turned on, he saw him.

    There were wings sprouting out of his back and feathers growing on his skin. He resembled what seemed to be a bird, maybe even a harpie. He wouldn't know, but he did call him to ask about this. He refused to let his fear get to him, this was a normal human being. He was still the same. 

   One freak accident couldn't have changed him. Dr. C hesitantly reached out towards him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "What.. what happened to you?” Suddenly, he turned to look at him. He was basically staring into his soul. 

   That instantly scared the shit out of him and he backed up. "Altair..? Cmon, you've got to say something!”The scientist got up and fully turned to him, his eyes had turned pure yellow. As golden as his hair was. Though, he looked more animalistic than ever.

   “..It was one accident.” "I know, but you've got to explain to me how it happened." The man took a step forward. He took a step back. He was off. Something was off. "I.. I don't know who I am anymore.” 

   "..Your name is Altair." He tilted his head in the way that owls did. Nearly soulless. "..Shit. SHIT! IM SO SORRY." He panicked and ended up tripping onto the floor. 

   "Fuck, ow." Dr. C paused, pointing the flashlight at his fallen form."Are you.. are you alright?” “Yeah.. yeah, I think so.” He nodded before helping Altair up.

    He was a lot more heavy due to his wings. All of this was clearly a lot to take in. Mainly for Altair, he felt like he was going insane. He had blocked off the windows for a reason. “I'm going to ask again, what the hell happened to you?” 

   “I was.. experimenting with a bird, specifically its DNA.” Dr. C jumped at this revelation. Messing with something like that was insane. After all, doing something like that to himself was a terrible idea. Something would've gone terribly wrong and he would get terribly hurt or mutated. 

   “Why the HELL would you even do that on yourself?” “I didn't have anyone else to try it on. It was my only other option!” He frowned before checking his pulse. He wasn't a walking corpse at least. That was the main thing. 

   “I'm glad you're.. alive.” Altair only nodded and sighed, sitting down at his messy desk. He would show himself to the sun, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He was a creature of destruction and wouldn't let anyone get hurt from his own stupid antics. “Can I.. do anything for you?” 

   The bird man shook his head. It was too late to help him. He was already completely isolated. He kept losing his memory. Going completely insane. 

   It was too late when he contacted him. There was nothing he could do. This was his only chance to do something great. He fucked it up and now was a complete monster. There was no other way around it. 

   He had to accept it. If he had no humanity left inside of him, then he’d accept what he was now. “No, there's nothing left to do.” “I can't.. I can't leave you like this.” He was going to respond, but didn't. 

   What could he say? “I could.. I could bring you to the woods or have you stay with me-” “JUST FUCKING STOP, THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO!” Dr. C flinched and stepped back almost instantly. He was right, and he hated knowing it. 

   “Let me rot here, where I belong.” He sighed and held his head in his hands. He felt a hand on his shoulder. “I could.. I could visit you.” That was a nice thought, but there's no way it would work out. 

   Not if he became this aggressive. He would attack him and possibly kill him. This was how he was going to spend the rest of his life. “No.. I'll hurt you.” “Then I'll help you find out how to fix this.” 

   It was the one thing he really could do. It may not work as well, but it would do something. Even if he died, he'd still have hope of a remedy. To cure everything he had done. He let out a huff, “Yeah, that's.. that's good.” 

   That was what he needed. Something to hope for. It helped get rid of the dread. The idea of dying alone without knowing who he was was terrifying. Yet, somehow he distracted him. 

   It was bearable. At least, for a little while. “I can.. get you everything you need to stay up here.” He agreed and Looked at his hands. They were more talons than anything. 

   He'd be able to kill a human with them. It.. disturbed him. His hands clenched into fists. His hands bled from the sharpness of his own hands. He was hurting himself from this alone.

   It hurt to think about. He had completely ruined himself. “Altair,” Dr. C yelled his name. He snapped out of his trance. His hands unclenched. 

   The blood had stained his hands. It was under his nails. He felt unholy. “Fuck.. I can't.. shit.” His eyes started to blur. 

   Altair's glasses ended up falling off. He was crying. Instead of digging his hands into his own hands, they dug into his head. He didn't want to do this. Not anymore. 

   He couldn't save himself. He didn't want to stay here. Why couldn't he just leave? He forced himself to stay up here without hesitation. He knew people were going to treat him differently. 

   Yet, he didn't even really care. He was so sick of his own tears and the pain of his own claws. His head bled and he shook his head over and over again. He couldn't do this here. “I hate this, I can't do this.” 

   Dr. C forcefully grabbed his hands and forced them away. He was going to kill himself from the sheer force of his own talons. He didn't want him to just die like that. He refused to do it. If he died, it would be worth it in the end. This is not how he dies. 

   Not here, not now, and not today. “You can get through this, we'll get through this.” It didn't feel like it. He felt so lightheaded at the moment. There was adrenaline pumping through his veins. It stung to feel this way. 

   He couldn't even notice the pain. “Breathe, Altair.” Dr. C grabbed his face. He did exactly that. He calmed himself down and breathed.

   He needed to get through this. He started to slow down his breathing bit by bit. It was helping, luckily. He doubted it would work with anyone else. After all, he had known the scientist for years. 

   He doubted he would even contact anyone if it wasn't him. As he calmed down, he felt something being placed on his face. It was his own glasses. “You know, you've always looked better with these on.” The tears that were streaming down his face had started to disappear. 

   “I.. thank you.” He chuckled and nodded. He knew that he would've done something to make him laugh. He always did. It was his way of making others feel somewhat better.

   “You're welcome, bird man.”

Chapter Text

 “You've got.. issues you need to work out.” Altair scoffed and turned his back to him. “I've always had issues.” looked at him with concern. He's never just said that outright.

 Ever since Samuel was stuck here, he'd been fighting with this.. creature. His name is Altair, but he's always called him bird man. Apparently he mutated his body a while ago. Mixing his dna with a bird's did not go well. Especially with his paranoia and aggressive nature.

 Maybe he was a good person. Though, he wouldn't know. After all, he was a monster to him. At least, so he thought. “..Always,” he murmured to himself.

 “YES, Always!” He flinched before frowning and turning his back to his. “You don't have to be such an asshole about it.” This annoyed Altair further. “You're the one who wanted more information, you decided to do this!”

 He really did, but only for his job. He needed this opportunity. Yet, somehow, he found himself growing worried for a bird. It confused him, and he hated it. Why was this happening to him?

 Why would he care this much about this guy? It all annoyed him to the core. He glanced over his shoulder. “Maybe I could.. try and help with those problems?” Altair looked over at him.

 “I won't be annoying about it this time.” He had to hesitate for a moment. Why was he doing this? Hell, he was holding him hostage and giving him knowledge in return. All because he was a scientist.

 “..Fuck, you're so frustrating!” He slams his hand on a table. He had no idea how to feel about him. He was rude, yes, but he’d grown fond of him. The reason why was unknown.

 This made him unreasonably annoyed. It was as if he was playing with his mind on purpose. He made him soft. He was not a soft person. He was feared, a monster.

 Yet, somehow he was thinking otherwise. He did not appreciate this at all. When he looked back at him, he saw his face. His expression was laced with concern. This wasn't the time for this.

 Yet, his own face softened seeing his. It drove him insane. It was too irritating. As Samuel started to walk towards him, he tensed up. He could kill him if he wanted to.

 Hurt him. Completely ruin him and leave him to rot. Yet, his brain refused. It wouldn't let him. He let him fix his glasses.

 It was a small gesture, but it made him soft. “Why aren't you scared of me?” “You haven't given me a real reason to.” This was farthest from the truth. He's showcased his power and how dangerous he is plenty of times before.

 Yet, he remembers one specific time. He used it to protect him. He was protecting him. Protective of a simple scientist. How was he supposed to feel about that?

 “You're not all bad.” Altair only stared at him in confusion. “Are you, big guy?” How was he going to respond to that? “Fuck off, Samuel.”

 He went to leave, but briefly paused when he saw him reach out to him. “You could at least.. let me help.” He just looked at him blankly. “I don't need help, scientist.” He left as quickly as he arrived.

 He wasn't going to let anyone get to him. At least, not yet. He'd have to spend more time with him. Instead of thinking of ways to do just that, he decides to go and find him again. His footsteps weren't quiet against the floorboards.

 In fact, they were prominent. It was better to try again. Well, without irritating him. “Where the hell did he go..” “I am right here.”

 Samuel gasped and looked up at him. He was hanging from the ceiling. This was especially irregular. Maybe he knew he'd come looking for him. “..Are you just going to.. hand up there?”

 Altair nodded without hesitation. “Whatever, will you just.. listen to me?” He hesitantly nodded in response. It's better than constantly being bothered more than once. “What.. what caused this?”

 This question surprised him. It sounded more concerned instead of disgusted. He softened. “One small incident, none of your concern.” It was his concern.

 He's worried about him. It wasn’t good. “And what.. happened in that incident?” He didn't want to respond to that. Hell, it was better not trying to think about that.

 The day he ruined himself. “I tested something on myself.” This made him pause. “You.. didn't have anything else?” Altair shook his head.

 He would've put on his glasses, but he was upside down. It would've been a lost cause. “Bird DNA,” he chuckled at the whole ordeal. It was as if this whole thing was some joke. That's what it was to him.

 “You're laughing at your own suffering?” He gives him a worried look. Altair sighs and shakes his head. He stretched his wings before coming down. He went to put on his glasses, but Samuel did it for him.

 “You don't need to do this.” “I don't care about that, I care about you.” He froze at those words. His eyebrows furrowed. He wasn't telling the truth. No, he couldn't be.

 How could a man so deep in his studies, care about this all of a sudden? “I don't want you to think you're alone.” He was telling the truth. He was becoming soft. The man that hid alone, isolated from the outside world.

 He had a soft spot, for a normal human. Maybe it was because he was just like him. Maybe it was because he had been alone for so long. He really had no real idea. “You really aren't all bad.” He stayed silent.

 He was in awe of him. How he was acting. Samuel reached out to grab his face. “You're a good person deep down.” He didn't think so.

 Hell, he thought he was the worst person alive. He's a terrible person. He hurt people. “I'm not, I've told you that before.” The scientist rolled his eyes.

 He was questioning his own self worth, and he just rolls his eyes? As if none of this was affecting him? “You really just think that?” He nodded. Maybe it was actually true.

 Yet, he couldn't accept it. He couldn’t deal with the thought that he was an actual good person. He refused to acknowledge that fact. “I want to help, but will you really let me?” Altair seemed to lean into his touch.

 He wanted to get used to this. Yet, it was hard to. “..Fuck it, I'll let you.” Samuel paused before grinning. “Good, because I'm going to be here for a while.”

 The man froze, “Wait, what?” “I said you're never getting rid of me anytime soon! This made him pretty upset. Yet, maybe it wasn't all that bad. He was at least affectionate and cared about him.

 That's what mattered. They were what mattered in that moment. That's how it would be for a while. “..Thank you,” he mumbled. “What was that?”

 He wanted to rub in the fact that he got him to listen. He would have none of it. He shook his head. Yet, Samuel's hands continued to remain on his face. They stayed there without moving.

 It was as if they were stuck in time. Staring at each other for the rest of their days. He wouldn't mind that. “Why do you make me.. soft?” He chuckled, “I could ask you the same thing.”

 He looked at him with such sincerity. It felt too intimate. Yet, he wanted it to continue. He had no idea why. He felt his thumb dragging against his cheek.

 It felt like he was lost in a trance. Altair sighed and closed his eyes. One of his hands moved to hold one of Samuels. He held it in place on his face. “I don't get you.”

 The scientist sighed, “You don't need to.” That felt too right. Everything felt so aligned. It was so sudden and out of nowhere. He wasn't sure on how to handle it.

 After all, he was aggressive. Why would he enjoy this? Especially after years of barely contacting others! ..It finally clicked in his head. He was what people would call, touch-starved.

 He longed for some ounce of affection. He lashed out because he never got the thing he wanted the most, touch. It all made some sort of sense. It overwhelmed him. He felt himself tear up.

 This was no time for tears. “..I'll say this one more time, thank you.” He meant those words. He meant that. He wanted to be loved.

 It truly amazed him. “You're a wonder of the world.” “And you're a wonder of my brain.” Altair opened his eyes again. He showed no anger or resentment.

 He was calm, more than before. His hand left the one on his head. Samuel’s hands left his face. “Are you going to be alright tonight?” All he could think to say was maybe.

 He didn't really know how to feel. His actions puzzled him enough. “It would be better to stay with you, based on my psychological state.” He nodded, and suddenly hugged him. It wasn't quite out of nowhere.

 He looked like he was preparing for something in the first place. “You've tired me out, scientist.” Hearing this, he gave him a smug smile. It was as if he was making fun of this. It was great to annoy him about all of this.

 Somehow, he felt like he could get used to this. Everything he did he knew he could get used to. His existence alone was something he was already alright with. “Am I.. falling in love or some shit?” He nearly said yet, but only shrugged.

 “Doesn't matter anyways.. though, I do have one small request.” Now, this was out of nowhere. “And what would this very request be?” The scientist hesitated. “May I see your wings?”

 This was more of a touchy subject. Yet, he decided to let him. He was comfortable enough with him. “I will.. give you that access.” Altair, spread out his wings for him.

 Samuel, reached out to run his hands against them. He was gentle, not wanting to hurt him. Of course he didn't want to hurt him. Goosebumps formed on the man's skin. It was a lot to take in.

 Yet, the moment felt right. “You're really magnificent, even if you can't see it.” He felt himself get flustered by that. He really was in love wasn't he? Even though he didn't like perceiving it.

 He needed to come to terms with it. Yet, it would take time. He was okay with this. He actually felt okay. He felt him press his face against one of his wings.

 “Don't you ever change, you hear me?” He glanced over at him, only to realize he was staring right at him. He was referring to him. “..You know I won't.” “Good, it's hard to not get attached to you.”

 He hesitated before asking, “Are you sure you want to go through with all of this?” The scientist struggled to come up with a response. “You're putting up with me and the things that I do.” “Well, you've been doing the same since holding me hostage.” Altair let out a huff before folding his wings back up.

 Samuel nearly lost his balance because of that. “Yes.. you know I'm sure.” He couldn’t help but smile at him. “Good,” he rolled his eyes, mimicking his mannerisms. He shook his head.

“Good.”

Chapter Text

 Lenni sighed and looked at himself in the mirror. It had been two years since the incident. It all happened so fast to him. For the rest of the world, it didn't happen soon enough. He might've been rewarded for his efforts, but he didn't get what he really needed.

 All he wanted was closure. He still felt so guilty after what happened. After letting his brother die. He could've done something to prevent it. He just knew it.

 After all, it's what he was supposed to do. Instead, he was stuck with his brother's scarf and a grave next to his mother's. He was becoming more and more depressed. He couldn’t really talk to anyone. The council would think he was cool, and the crowd of people worshipping him would think he wanted more.

 He didn't want more of anything. Not roles in society, not money, and not power. He sighed and looked over at the pills on the bathroom counter. He couldn't do that. There were people counting on him.

 He has weight on his shoulders. It was too late to do any of that. A scowl crossed his face and he threw the bottle into the trash can. It was too late to pull something like that. He decided to just deal with it.

 He opened the door and left. The house was quite comforting, but not enough. He walked over to the front door. For a moment he hesitated. The hallucinations were coming back.

 It was too much for him. Voices telling him to go back to old ways. Urges to scratch at his skin till he bled. No, he couldn't do that. “Will you just please shut up..”

 They went silent. It all just stopped. He needed to do something before he really did something. Lenni opened the door, stepping outside. The Inbetween was the equivalent of fall based off what he read.

 Before the world nearly ended, there were seasons. Now, they were stuck in specific ones at all times. He closed the door behind him, making sure to lock it. It was better this way, he hoped. It was better to deal with it than rot away with it pulsing in his system.

 He refused to wait until his bubble burst. It couldn't happen. He had to go to their graves. He sighed and took out an umbrella. He was going back to Cyber. He was swift in transportation, so getting there wouldn't be a problem.

 Once he got to where he needed to be, he frowned. He didn't want to deal with this. Yet, he knew he had to. He had to face the fact that there was nothing he could do. It was too late after all.

 He walked through the graveyard, looking for three specific graves. They stood out more than the rest. Then, he found them. All of them. They were in a row.

 He sat down in front of all of them. It was as if they were there. They weren't, but it was a nice thought. He wasn't sure what to do by this point. There were the most flowers at Kora's resting place.

 He had probably talked about him the most. It wasn’t hard looking at his grave, nor his mother's. Though, there was one he just couldn't deal with. It was too much. He refused to do it.

 The voices started to get louder again. Too loud. The rain didn't muffle them like it always used to do. It was starting to get too severe. He didn't enjoy it at all.

 Through all of it, one voice was the most prominent. It was his best friend. His grip on his umbrella loosened. He let it fall from his hands. He was drenched, and yet he didn't care.

 He felt tears running down his cheeks. Not rain, actual tears. The one thing he heard in his head was, “Let all of it out.” That's exactly what he did. He let himself cry.

 His hands latched onto his hair and pulled. He needed this. He needed to do this. His breath had gotten heavier. Lenni was sobbing uncontrollably.

 Eventually, he let out a scream. He was so fucked up, he didn't care if anyone had heard him. That wasn't his concern anymore. As he started to calm down, he stared up at his grave. “I'm so.. so sorry.”

 He pulled his knees to his chin. “I'm sorry for what he did, and I'm sorry that I couldn't save you in time.” He meant every single word. All of it was true, and he was stuck that way. “It's going to be okay, I am always with you.”

 He paused and looked around. The voice didn't feel unfamiliar. Yet, it felt like something entirely new. Then, he processed what it was. A mix of all of their voices.

 It was distorted, yes, but it was them. He didn't care if it was in his head or not. He needed to hear those words. The voices had stopped. They didn't persist, nor linger.

 Completely vanished. He chuckled and picked up his umbrella. “..Thank you.” He lingered for a while. After a moment of silence, he got up.

 Those urges had vanished for him. He was.. glad. Before he turned to leave, he looked back one more time. “This night has opened my eyes.” He smiled before starting to leave. Then, his grip on his umbrella slipped. It was blown away by the wind.

 “..Goddamn it.”

Chapter Text

 Xavier sighed and took off his shirt. He glanced over at the mirror. His scars had healed up pretty well. The scientist didn't even try and mess with those. Maybe they understood what he was.

 That things won't change. Suddenly, he heard someone open the door. “Hey Xav.. ier?” Danny stared at him, stunned. He tilted his head.

 “You've got… scars on your..” The man sighed and covered his torso with his wings. He managed to get a hang of them with ease. “No.. no, don't hide.” The man moved his wings out of the way.

 He looked at them for a moment before reaching out. Xavier nearly moved away, but he was gentle. His hands started from his sides, to his chest. He brushed his thumbs against the scars. “How long have you had these..?”

 “Before I was captured.. so a while.” He nodded before wrapping his arms around his waist. “Why do you keep getting hotter and hotter?” Xavier took a moment to process that, but ended up getting extremely flustered. “Have you seen yourself in a tank top..?”

 Danny scoffed before picking him up, carrying him in his arms. The dove let out a squeal, not expecting it. “Ah, you're so easily distracted!” He spun around, bringing his lover around with him. “Well, you're the most distracting thing ever!”

 Danny rolled his eyes before stopping and putting him down. He got down on his knees. “I swear.. you're a wonder of the world.” “I'm.. you're.. crazy.” Xavier covered his face, which was as red as a tomato.

 Danny gave him a smug smile before kissing his stomach. “You're absolutely amazing, dude.” “You make it sound weird when you add dude.” His hands drifted down to his hair, running his fingers through it. “Mhm..? Then, dove, you're absolutely amazing.”

 He made his way up from his stomach to his scars. He was extremely delicate, not wanting to hurt him. “Dan.. you're the most annoying man I've ever met.” All Danny did was grin and get up. “Yeah.. but you know you love me.”

 He put his head against his. “I'll love you, no matter how many times you change.” That was great to hear. Hell, it was better than anything. Well, besides when they confessed their love to each other.

 “I will do anything for you.” “And I would kill for you, without hesitation.” He dragged him to the bed, laying down with him. Their legs were tangled together. “You're getting it tonight.”

 “Oh my god, stop it!” He pushed him, and he pushed him back. “Yet, you tell me otherwise.” Xavier sighed dramatically and buried his face into the crook of his neck. “You're the cutest.. I could just..”

 Danny bit his shoulder without a second thought. The other got even more flustered and wrapped his wings around him, bringing him closer. “Thank you.” He was too busy giving him a hickey. As soon as he pulled away, he pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

 “Thank you for putting up with me.” Xavier glanced up at him, and reached out. He ended up grabbing one of his horns and tugging at it. Danny let out a surprised gasp. “..Oh you are absolutely getting it.”

 He pulled him closer and his hands glided up and down his sides. “Wait I only meant to grab your-” His grip on him tightened. “My what, dove?” He let out a sigh before leaning more into his embrace.

 “You know exactly what I meant.” “Well, that doesn't stop me from thinking otherwise.” He leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “..Danny,” he was cut off. “Oh what, you want more?”

 Xavier stared at him silently before wrapping his arms around his neck and instantly pressing kisses all over his face. “This is going to be a long night isn't it?” “Absolutely, dumbass.” 

Chapter Text

 “You don't need to be so eager-” Mark was cut off as Samuel smashed his lips onto his. They collapsed back onto the couch. His hands instantly went straight to his hair, running his hands through it. Samuel took control of the kiss, having a little more experience than he did.

 Soon, he broke this kiss. “Fuck..,” He muttered as he tried to catch his breath. Mark let out a sigh and buried his face into the crook of his neck. “I could ruin you, doctor.” His lips pressed against his neck.

 He was gentle, yes, but so controlling. Samuel’s breath hitched, his hands tightening on his hips. “I know, but that doesn't stop me.” The man beneath him chuckled and his hands fell from his hair. He instead placed them under his shirt, rubbing his thumbs against his sides.

 He's never seen him like this. He was so.. desperate. It made him need more. He needed so much more of this man. Fuck, his man.

 “Maybe I'll be ruining you instead.” Mark scoffed and scraped his teeth against his neck. He could bite him if he wanted to. Yet, he didn't, he was gentle. Maybe he saw him as too delicate.

 Samuel let out a sigh and leaned into him. A shiver went down his spine as he started to unbutton his shirt. “..You're twitching.” For a moment, he had no idea what he meant. Then, it clicked in his head.

 “Oh, didn't.. notice that.” “No shit sherlock.” Mark scoffed and pressed closer to him. Once he saw Samuel bite his lip, he knew to continue. He couldn’t help but grind down on him.

 “Shit! ..Keep going.” He slightly hesitated. He's never really done this with a man before. Yet, he did as he asked. As he continued, he watched as the man above him struggled to keep himself under control.

 He knew he was getting to him. His hands tightened on him further. “Stop before I.. fuck.” Samuel trailed off and removed one of his hands from his body, biting down on it. Mark did as he said, stopping his own movements. When he did, the scientist let go of his hand.

 His breathing was getting heavier. Not to mention how hard he clearly was. Suddenly, he was pinned down. Samuel tugged at his boxers. “..May I?”

 “Absolutely,” he said, a little too eagerly. He definitely needed this. Even if he wasn't too sure of himself. He slid them off his body, his cock springing out. There was pre-cum leaking from his slit.

 Samuel paused, admiring every inch of him. “You're fucking stunning.” He let out a breathy chuckle before leaning closer to his face. He understood what Mark was doing and leaned in himself, pressing his lips against his. It wasn't lustful, no, it was.. passionate.

 The kiss was meaningful. He pulled away after a moment. The man below him clearly wanted more, but he didn't persist. “And you're absolutely intoxicating.” The doctor chuckled and one of his hands moved to his cock, pressing his thumb against the head.

 “Oh really,” he questioned, tilting his head. He was absolutely teasing the hell out of him. Though, he loved every second of it. “I’m going to fuck the shit out of you when I have the chance.” “Oh trust me, you absolutely will.”

 He nearly said something else, but he just cut him off by starting to jerk him off. “I.. you son of a BITCH-” He let out a small groan. “I'm sure you wouldn't want me to stop, would you?” Mark would've said something else, but he didn't.

 Instead, he just let it happen. He did his best to not buck into his hand. It was getting increasingly harder to stay still as the moments passed. Suddenly, he grabbed Samuel's hand. “I'm too.. I'm too close.”

 Hearing this, the scientist stopped. His hand left his shaft. “..Could I try and.. fuck you?” He chuckled before nodding. “It's what we're going, aren't we?”

 He grinned and got off him, taking off his own boxers with no hesitation. Hell, he was more confident than the other would ever be. “..Oh shit.” He reached over to open the drawer, grabbing the lube. He completely forgot he was definitely bending over for him at this point.

 Mark slapped his ass without even asking. “That's.. quite bold of you.” He looked over at him, raising an eyebrow. Samuel passed him the lube. He stayed in his position, bent over on all fours.

 He watched as he poured some of the lube over his fingers. “I'm.. going to be gentle, alright?” The scientist nodded, not even phased one bit. Mark gently pressed a finger against his hole before pressing it into his ass. Clearly he was used to this based on him not reacting too much.

 He started to stretch him open, pressing another finger into him. Then, he pressed his fingers against his prostate. “Fuck… right there, Mark.” This caught his attention and he did it again. He whimpered and put his head against the arm of the couch.

 He saw this and instantly pulled his fingers from his hole. He let out a huff, until he felt his cock pressing against his ass. “Can.. can I?” “Absolutely.” He slowly started to push in, biting his lip from the sensation.

 Meanwhile, Samuel let out a groan as he felt his cock slide into him with ease. For a moment, they stayed still. Mark was fully inside of him. “You.. you can move now.” He nodded and finally started thrusting.

 “..You know you can be as rough as you want right?” “Well, in that case..” Suddenly he started being extremely rough, which startled Samuel. Yet, he couldn't complain. He groaned and buried his face into the couch, arching his back.

 As soon as he hit his prostate, his moans started getting a lot louder. Mark smirked, “You might be a little sore after this, doctor.” He grit his teeth and his cock started to twitch. “Just keep fucking going.” He chuckled and kept going, pounding into him over and over again.

 Suddenly, he felt him clench around his cock and he gasped. “S-shit I'm going to..” He trailed off and let out a cry, cum spurting from his shaft. Mark came a little after he did. He took a moment to breathe before pulling out of him.

 “Yeah we.. we're doing that again.” Samuel moved out of his position before collapsing onto the couch. “..Mark, I think you broke my legs.”

“I DID WHAT.”

Chapter Text

 “Fucking.. ow.” Altair winced as he was attempting to clean a wound he gained. It was hard navigating with wings. He still wasn't used to them. “..Need a little help?”

 Samuel tilted his head, waiting for a response. He was sitting in the corner of the room, mainly because he was avoiding too much sunlight. “Well.. actually, yes, bleeding won't stop.” The doctor motioned for him to come over. He did, walking up to him.

 He grabbed his arm, inspecting it for a moment. It wasn't that bad, but it stung a lot more badly then a normal injury would. This was most likely because of his senses being heightened. Bird dna was weird.. Samuel looked up at him blankly before looking at his arm again.

 “..What are you doing?” “Helping you.” He suddenly started to lap up the blood that continued to spill. It would eventually stop flowing after a moment or two, but he did have to clean it. “..Samuel.”

 There was no response, he just continued. ..This was getting a little too intimate at the moment. Once the blood stopped, the doctor stopped too. He wiped his mouth before grabbing the bandages Altair didn't put down. “..You don't mind this, do you?”

 “Ah well.. not really?” “Good.” He started to wrap his arm up, making sure mot to hurt him too much. “..How did you even get this?” The scientist sighed and glanced over to the broken glass he forgot to clean up. “Bumped into sharp glass pieces, it went deeper than I expected.”

 “No shit!” Samuel chuckled and finished wrapping his arm. “..What was the.. blood about?” All he did was grin and say, “Oh, didn't have anything to clean the stuff!” He.. he had fangs. The longer he stared at him, the more he processed more things about his appearance.

 He had a bite mark on his neck that was healing, his eyes were dark, and he had fangs? “..Samuel Cameron, did you get bit by a goddamn vampire?” “..Okay maybe.” Altair sighed and shook his head in frustration. This was going to be quite a long day.

 “..Do you have a blanket?” He stared at him for a moment before leaving to grab a blanket. When he came back, he just threw it onto him. “..You're going to be here for a WHILE.”

 “..I know.”

Chapter Text

 “I thought you got lost.” Briar looked at you blankly, hanging from a tree branch. He was always blunt on days like these. “You wish,” you muttered. Maybe he did wish you got lost.

 Then again, you never knew. You couldn't even see his expression. Speaking of his face, “How do you see with all of that on?” “I don't, my senses are heightened so I don't need to.” That was.. new.

 He never told you about that before. Suddenly he dropped down from the tree and walked over to you. He just stood there for a good moment. You waved a hand in front of his face to get his attention. It was as if he was studying you or something.

 He grabbed your face. “Are you hurt or anything?” “What.. No!” He chuckled, showing off his teeth. He was frightening.

 Yet, you were drawn to him. Some guy living in the middle of the woods who's almost naked? Yeah, that was surely what you were into! Maybe all of those movies were getting to you. ..There are some weird fucking tropes.

 “Good, you worry me enough.” “..What do you mean by that?” He quickly remarked, “You need a therapist.” He wasn't really wrong. He let go of you, and then grabbed onto you again.

 He grabbed your arm and started dragging you deeper into this nature filled hell. How did he even survive without being able to see? “You're going to give me a broken leg one of those days.” “You’d like that.” You nearly choked on air from that.

 “I would absolutely not like that.” “Do you know how often I've heard you talking about wanting to be broken in half?” You were stunned. He noticed that? Well, he did say his senses were heightened.

 That includes his hearing. You didn't say anything else. “Exactly, sweetheart, let's get a move on.” You just nodded and started walking at the same pace he was going. ..He called you sweetheart.

 What the hell was going on. Genuinely, he'd usually contain himself from doing something that.. specific. “Where are we going?” “You'll see,” He glanced over at you. You assumed he did by the way he moved his head.

 Your legs were starting to get tired, you were tired. Which.. was pretty reasonable really. It had been around an hour or two. It was evening by now, you forgot to eat this morning. “You're going to murder me.”

 “You don't know that do you?” You sighed and just kept going. His grip was too tight on your arm to stop. He could absolutely break one of your bones without a thought. ..Maybe that was hot.

 Suddenly, you stopped moving. Well, he stopped which caused you to do the same. “..Holy shit.” You stared in awe at the pretty decent sized waterfall. How did nobody even find this spot?

 You could drown someone here and nobody would ever know! ..That was a questionable thought. Wait, was he going to kill you? Is that why he was being so weird with you earlier? He motioned over to a small area that had been cleared.

 ..He fucking dragged you there for a goddamn picnic. That's it. He sat you down and climbed the tree that hid you from the burning sun. “Reach your hand out, dumbass!” You did exactly that, and an apple fell into your hands.

 It was ripe, but.. didn't it need to be cleaned? “You can wash it off in the water, it's good, I checked!” You just nodded before sitting there for a while. So, this was his equivalent of a date? ..Sweet.

 You chuckled before washing the apple off in the water. You bit into it without hesitation. Hell, this was the best apple you've ever had. You didn't even eat them that often. “Good,” he questioned, coming down with his own apple.

 “Uh, yep!” He grinned and washed off his own apple before eating it. “..Meh, I've had better.” You stared at him like he had committed a crime. “..How the FUCK is there better?”

 “I've lived in this area long enough to know what tree produces the best fruit and what not.” He took another bite with ease. You were surprised it was that effortless for him. Then again he has bitten through bone before. ..You might want to be more hesitant if you upset him.

 It would be extremely painful. For the rest of that evening, all you two did was talk. Well, besides catching Briar up with all of the important events happening. At one point, he noticed how tired you were. Mainly because of how slow your speech was becoming.

 In response, he stood up and just.. picked you up. “..whathefuck, okay, put me down.” “You would collapse.” Well, he wasn't wrong about that. “..Whatever.”

 He scoffed and started walking back towards the entrance of the woods. Yet, you two continued talking. It was pretty comforting being this close to him. Well, he was comforting in the first place. Eventually, he put you down.

 You had to part ways with him. “..So, when are we meeting up again?” “..Eh, probably in two weeks if that's alright.” He gave you a thumbs up. You turned away, but he stopped you.

 “Wait, one more thing.” You tilted your head in confusion. Then, he grabbed one of your hands and kissed the back of it. ..Holy shit, did he really just do that? Before you could say anything else, he ran off. He was gone in the blink of an eye.

“..Oh hell yeah.”

Chapter Text

 “You look great, Mark!” He scoffs and shakes his head in disagreement. “You know that's not true.” “Stop being such a pessimist.” Cameron put an arm around Mark.

 They've known each other for long enough to be this friendly. Platonic.. maybe. Not really, actually. It's to the point where they end up sleeping on each other. That's platonic, right?

 “You think I should change the tie?” “This one looks fine on you.” The scientist nodded before pausing. ..The flowers. The flowers didn't look right.

 He had an idea as to why, but still. “We’ve gotta swap.” “Wait what?” Cameron motioned over to the flowers. They didn't look.. right.

 Yet, the colors matched them! “That's.. that's strange.” He handed his flower to him, and Mark did the same. When they put them on, it looked.. perfect? “..Maybe this symbolizes something?”

 “Well, we both lean on each other.” That was true but it had to be something else. They leaned on each other all the time, they constantly complimented each other, they displayed pda.. oh. OH. “It’s because we act gay.” “..Are you not gay?”

 Cameron paused and just.. looked at him. “..Are we in love?” “..Well, I am.” ..Holy shit. Mark tilted his head waiting for him to say something. Anything.

 Instead, the scientist grabbed his face and kissed him. It was.. sudden, but.. gentle. The feeling of his lips against his was everything. Mark melted into it, wrapping his arms around his waist. When Cameron pulled back, he chased his lips.

 “..Please.” “Mhm..?” He pulled him back in, becoming a lot more desperate. His grip on him tightened. He pressed his tongue against his lips.

 He didn't give him access. Not yet, at least. He whined and pulled back himself. “You sure about this?” “I need you.” Cameron nodded.

 ..It was going to be a long night.

Chapter Text

 “...Helios.” He watched as he turned to him, his eyes narrowing. “Don't “Helios” me.. what did I do this time?” “No, I want you to go to bed.” He scoffed and turned back to his research. 

 They had been attempting to find a cure for his powers for weeks. One of them was overworking themselves, and it wasn't Altair. “You used to work till morning before I came around.” He sighed and grabbed his face. “We are not doing this today.. go take a nap.” 

 The Golden Savior frowned and pushed him away with ease. He always managed to be gentle with him, even though he could probably kill him with the flick of his wrist. Instead of going to at least take a break, he pulled him down next to him. “Work with me and maybe I'll think about it.” He sighed and went to fix his glasses, but Helios did it for him instead. 

 “You're in your 40s and you're pulling this.” “You're in your 40s and you locked yourself in your study working day and night.” “..Helios, you have eye bags.” He glared at him, causing him to back down. It's hard to reason with somebody so.. bitter and cold. 

 He wasn't all that bad, he was endearing at times. “You're going to be the end of me.” “Ah, you're so dramatic.” He slowly turned to him. He was dramatic? 

 He literally talked to himself on a daily basis. ..Well, he did too, but he sounded like some edgy superhero. “..Have you heard yourself?” “Focus, Altair.” He put his head on top of his. 

 ..Wait, was he in his lap? You cannot be fucking serious. “I need to give you a bedtime.” “You're not giving me orders.” “Oh I will be soon.” 

 There was no response, all he did was roll his eyes. ..It was actually quite comfortable being right there. Maybe this wasn't so bad? Plus, he told him he'd grown a liking to him and would kill for him. ..He did say that, didn't he..? 

 “...I..” He glanced up at him, only to realize he was falling asleep. ..He did exactly that, he fell asleep on him. To think The Golden Savior had fallen asleep on him was.. crazy to him. Yet it was.. endearing? 

 He didn't mind, he'd probably squish him like a bug if he did. Or was he into that? ..Was he questioning his kinks? Suddenly, he woke up again. “AH! ..Excuse me.” 

 He sighed and straightened himself out before picking Altair up, only to sit him on the run-down couch. “What are you doing now?” All he did was sit down next to him and guided his head to lay on his shoulder. “Sleep on me, I'll continue myself.” “..I'd rather have you sleep too.” 

 He glared at him, and the scientist glared back. For a moment, his gaze had softened. The next thing he knew, they were laying on each other. “..You're going to be the death of me.” “Too bad, I already said that earlier.” 

 “..Ah, hush.” He wrapped an arm around him and sighed. ..He was warm, and Altair was cold. They needed this. Both of them. 

 ..Working together did turn out to be a good idea, didn't it? Yeah.. they'd both say so. 

Chapter Text

“Okay.. let’s see what we’ve got!” They searched through their files, only to see one that caught their eye. An entity known as “Screwball”. Well, he wasn’t an entity, he was a human being. Though, he had bits on him sewn together. 

“Now this is interesting.” Solarium scanned all of the info until he saw the location. Earth-8D, it wasn’t that far from there. “Ah, this is going to be quite easy.” They got up and stretched their legs. 

“Wonder how long this will take!” 

The sun lord roamed the forest, enjoying his time alone. It was quite calming actually. And then, it happened. “A visitor!” They looked around for a moment, finding nothing. 

“Look up,” they yelled, and that’s exactly what they did. A ginger haired man stared back at him, one of his pupils larger than the other. Yep, that was Screwball! “Who’s ye?” They were a little speechless at first. 

He was hanging down from a vine, somehow not even falling. How could he hold onto something that could break so easily? “I’m Solarium, guardian of the sun!” “Ah, those stories were true!” He dropped down onto a branch, tilting his head. 

“Ain’t you gonna tell me why you’re here before I feed you to the birds?” “Before you.. wait what?” Screwball laughed and motioned over to a bunch of crows. “..Oh you’re that type of crazy.” “Hah, no shit sherlock!”

Chapter Text

“Where do I go..?” “Ah, it doesn't matter, just come in!” The music was loud enough that you could hear it outside. Hopefully it wouldn’t burst your eardrums. You weren’t going deaf to some music at a masquerade! 

The doors opened as you stepped in. ..Maybe you should’ve worn both the suit and the dress. Everyone was conregating with others or already dancing, but that didn’t seem quite.. enticing to you. Well, not at the moment. You did need to take a second to breathe first. 

There was a lot going on and settling in first was a great option at the moment. The bar seemed nice enough. You sat down on the stool. On second thought, you were glad you hadn’t worn that dress. It would be extremely uncomfortable sitting down in it. 

“What can I get for you..” “Doesn't matter.” “Just making sure, what can I get for you, sir.” The bartender was nice enough to make sure what your pronouns were, so at least that was something. “Whatever you’ve got.” 

They shrugged and passed you a glass of wine. This was less anxiety inducing than you thought it was. You thanked them and took a sip before looking around. Masks covered the faces of those around you. You had one too, you assumed it was some type of bird. 

..It was a peacock. There weren’t many people at the bar, which you were grateful for. It’s better to chill out than to do something you regret. Somebody sat down next to you. You looked over, the person was instantly recognizable. 

He couldn’t hide his identity if he tried. “Helios,” you assumed. “Ah, noticed that easily?” “You’re not exactly unnoticeable..” He chuckled, he was the one the people looked up to. 

After all, he could stop anyone if he wanted to. “What are you doing here of all places?” “There’s nobody else to assist so I am here.” “Mhm..?” He looked over at the bartender. 

“The usual?” “Yep,” he responded with as much pride as a lion. His face was covered by a cat mask. A beer slid his way. “Thanks.” 

He glanced back over at you. Maybe you’d go dance, but dancing alone was.. embarrassing. What were you going to do? Just go up to a random person. “Would you like to dance?” 

“Well.. I’d need to finish my drink..” “I can save your spot.” You hesiated. Who would you even ask in the first place? There were so many people and.. 

He noticed your stress. “I could dance with you if you’d like.” “I’m fine, I just don’t know who to ask..” He sighed and put a hand on your shoulder. 

“Just ask me!” “Oh.” You rubbed the back of your neck. Was he really just going to let you do that? Did he just feel bad or was he being genuine? 

“Seriously, I don’t mind.” ..He was being serious. You paused for a moment. Were you really going to just.. dance with him? ..The answer is yes. 

You’d never be able to do this again! You nodded. “Ah good!” He grabbed your hand and led you over to where the others were dancing. “Actually I don’t really-” 

“Just follow my lead.” This was easier than you thought. Helios grabbed both of your hands, guiding you all while navigating through the crowd of people. It was actually quite charming. Yes, you were out in the open, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. 

No, it felt natural. This felt normal to you. Nobody knew who you were and that mean nobody could judge you. Though, everyone would know you were dancing with The Golden Savior. “What’s your name anyway?” “.._____.”

 “A nice name for a magnificent person.” You grinned. It was becoming easier to follow along. At this point you didn’t need him to guide you. “Should I be asking something else?” 

You thought about it. “I have a hard time talking to others??” “I can tell!” He didn’t judge you either. You knew who each other were, but it didn’t really matter. 

All of a sudden, the spotlight was on you two. People backed away. “..Could we go?” “You sure?” ..Yes, but also no. 

You decided to face your fears and continue to dance with him. He was following you this time. The spotlight was focused on the both of you. When you couldn’t take it anymore, you stopped. It was too uncomfortable. 

The lights came back on. ..People cheered. Not just for Helios, but for you. He guided you away, back to the bar. Your drinks were still there. 

“..Thank you.” “Why would you thank me when you could thank yourself?” He grabbed one of your hands and kissed the back of it. “Thank you, mi amor.” ..Holy sh-

Chapter Text

“I thought you were asleep.” Maxwell flinched and turned to Helios. “Oh.. I just.. couldn’t.” He nodded before sitting at his desk. “Is something on your mind?” 

There was, he just didn’t trust him enough to talk about it yet. It was too risky. He’d be judged or isolated again. He couldn’t do that again. “Yeah, It’s just not that important.” 

“It clearly is based on what time it is.” “..What time is it?” “It’s five in the morning.” ..He stayed up that long? He should’ve gone to bed. 

“I wasn’t paying attention to the clock.” “Dissociating, that’s what you were doing.” He hated that he was right. Then again, sleep was a good thing. “Just… I’m just thinking.” 

“If you’re thinking about something that is disturbing you, maybe you could distract yourself.” “And how would I do that?” Helios motioned him over. He sat on the only other chair there was. “Here.” 

He gave him a blank sheet of paper. “What.. what is this for?” “Draw something, anything.” He obliged, not knowing where this was going. When he was done, he crumpled the paper into a ball, causing Maxwell to flinch. 

“Why would you do that..” “You reacted.” “Because you..” “I know, and that’s the point.” “..I have no idea what you’re getting at.” 

“For every action there is a reaction.” “..That is a law of motion.” “I know, and you were abused in some way.” How could he tell just from that? “..What do you know?” 

“People don’t flinch just from that, they don't react that severely.” Really? That didn’t make sense.. He’s seen plenty of people do that! ..Actually, the only person he remembered doing that was himself. 

He unfurled the paper and gave it to him. “The paper will never be the same, and you know that, right?” He was making another comparison. “I get it.. are you going to ask me or not?” “No, I’m just distracting you.” 

“..What?” “It already worked.” ..He wasn’t thinking about those awful memories. No, he was thinking about the paper and the man in front of him. In a split second he had already stopped thinking about the one thing bothering him. 

“Feel good enough to go to bed, Max?” ..His name had never been shortened like that. “..Ah, not fully.” “..You can’t stay up all night.” 

“Well, what am I supposed to do?” Helios picked him up without a second thought and carried him downstairs to the couch. “Let’s just.. watch something.” He put him down before sitting next to him. Maxwell stared at him for a moment before leaning on his shoulder. 

“Yeah, I think you’re just going to make me fall asleep.” “..Good.” He pulled him closer and put on a random movie. He couldn’t help but think about what he said. That law did apply in that moment. 

He had flinched when he crumbled his paper. The same way he responded whenever someone raised their hand like they were going to hit him. It was instinct. That.. didn’t matter though. All of those people were long gone by now. 

He wasn’t lost anymore. He was found.

Chapter Text

“I'm afraid you're a distraction to the focus of the project entirely.” “WHAT!?” The Witness, they called him. He had two versions of himself. One they called, “Fluffball” and the other, “Stinger.” 

It was obvious which one was the problem. “The.. other one.. what was it's name again?” “Stinger.” “Right, right.. it's been causing problems.. problems we cannot afford.” He grimaced for a moment before straightening up.

 He was exhausted with working things out already. In fact, he'd lashed out quite recently. Something he probably had to follow up on. It wasn't ideal, but it had already been done. “It's not my fault.. that.. THING has a mind of its own!”

 “I get that, but unless you can suppress it..” “I CAN'T! How am I supposed to keep this thing at bay without, I don't know, KILLING MYSELF!?” The man’s hands balled up into fists. He stood up. He towered over the rabbit.

 “Figure. It. Out.” Fluffball scoffed and took a breath. “Okay I'll.. look into it.” “Good.” He turned to leave, but something changed. 

He stood there before the black void that covered his face appeared. He turned to him. “SOMEONE DOESN'T LIKE THE TRUTH BEING EXPOSED.” “Do not stand in my way.” “AW, SOMEONE NOT GETTING WHAT THEY WANT? CRY!”

 Broadcaster snarled, settling his hands on his desk. He needed to keep himself at bay. He's a professional compared to the people around him. He knew better than to lose his cool in front of someone lower than him. He needed to set an example.

 “Your other half will look into how to.. how do I say this.. help you out.” He tilted his head. “Keep you in line.” He lunged at him without a second thought. Broadcaster grabbed his neck and forced him up against the wall. 

Stinger’s feet weren't even touching the ground. He clawed and tugged and scratched at his hand. It didn't budge. “You have no room to talk.” “AND YOU DO?” 

He leaned closer to him, getting right up in his face. “YOU'RE NO BETTER THAN THE PEOPLE YOU DESPISE.” “Yet I am better than you.” Stinger stared at him before spitting on his visor. He tilted his head, expecting something out of him. 

An outburst. His hand tightened on his neck, digging into his neck. The stuffing was visible. It made him sick. He wiped his saliva off with his other hand. 

“I'M SURE YOU'RE ENJOYING YOURSELF.” “I'm sure you are too, but I'm not playing your games.” He giggled and just grinned at him. He refused to give into his wicked tormenting. Instead he put him down and pushed him towards the door.

 “Leave.” “BUT WE WERE HAVING SO MUCH FUN!” “LEAVE. NOW.” Stinger just laughed and the black box disappeared, revealing Fluffball's petrified face. “WHAT THE FUCK.”

 He grabbed his neck, feeling the holes there. He looked up at him. He stared back. “I am truly sorry.. I can sow them back up if you'd like.”

 He stared at him before.. nodding. Why not?

Chapter Text

“It's so hard tying you down, let's not make this harder..” “MAYBE DON'T RESTRAIN ME AND WE WON'T HAVE A PROBLEM.” “It's too late for that, you're already restrained.” He tugged and pulled at the rope keeping his hands together. It wouldn't budge. 

“Whenever you're having issues, I will tie you down.” “FLUFFBALL AGREED TO THIS?” “Yes, and I quote, ‘Do whatever it takes to stop him.’” He frowned and put his head back against his chair. Broadcaster couldn't help but laugh.

Sting was always described as a devious creature that possessed Fluffball. Now he was nothing but a rabbit caught in a snare. Too bad for him, he would've made a great assistant. “I should leave you here but..” “YOU WOULDN'T DO THAT WOULD YOU?” 

“Of course I would; you may be a part of my co-worker, but now you are nothing but a victim.” He walked closer, grabbing his jaw to pull his head towards his. “After all, you know what happens to things like you.” “JUST GIVES ME MORE OF A REASON TO ANNOY YOU.” His grip on his jaw tightened. 

“I can keep you here for days, boy. “THIS BODY WOULD DIE.” “You know it won't, it can sit here and stay the same, I can keep you here for as long as I want.” Sting snarled and was ready to lunge at him, but he couldn't. “Enjoy your time here.” 

He let go of him, the rabbit seeming to be disappointed when he did. He didn't look into it too much. As he turned to leave, Fluffball called his name. “BROADCASTER! Get me out of these ropes please..” Instantly he walked back over to untie him.

“How.. bad was he?” “Not as bad as you think, λαγουδάκι.” “You've got to stop calling me that..” He chuckled and finished untying the ropes holding him down.

 “Hopefully that doesn't happen again.” He nodded, getting up and rubbing his wrists. He guided him out of the room. “Agreed, he's.. mad right now.” “You can.. tell?”

“Yep, always.” Broadcaster closed the door behind them. “That seems.. quite inconvenient.” “Oh it is, but I can handle it.” “Of course you can..”

Chapter Text

 “...Engine.” He didn't respond at first, trapped in his own mind. Then he felt his nose being flicked. “You're bleeding.” “I bleed every day of my life.” 

 The detective wiped the blood that started at his head to his nose. “You're bleeding bad.” He stared at him blankly. Yes, he was insensitive to this by now. Numbed down to a husk of a man who felt almost nothing. 

 Nothing. That didn't change the fact that it still scared the hell out of Eden when he was bleeding. He may regenerate, but where he regenerates is far, far away. It's irritating enough with his short fuse. He's.. useful. They saw each other as acquaintances. 

 Strangers on occasion. Not today. Today was different. It broke the routine. And he hated him for that. 

 “I'm not getting you again. You'll have to find me.” He sighed and reached up to his head, not flinching at the pain. His hand drifted to his side. He glanced at it once, covered in blood. He looked deranged. 

 “You're staying here.” “..What did you say?” “I know you heard me.” “You'll get yourself killed without me.” “And you've already been killed without me.” 

 They stared at each other for a long moment. The tension was so bad that you couldn't walk between them. It was equivalent to a brick wall. “Let me wrap you up.” He glared at him. 

 He never usually liked being touched. All of the physical contact from fighting burnt him out enough. Yet, he softened. “..You're an asshole.” “You’d get lost looking for me.” 

 “Because you're a twig and way too skinny for anyone to see with the naked eye.” Eden chuckled and started to clean the blood from his face. “I swear, if I were you, I'd be screaming.” “Or dead from blood loss.” “You're not losing enough blood to even pass out.” 

 He shrugged, staring at him. He noticed once he finished. “..You have a first aid kit, right? You need stitches.” “..What? Oh.” He motioned over to the one hanging on the wall. It was the only one he had left. 

 He'd buy more once they were finished with their job. “..You have so much shit for stitches in here. How often do you get them?!” He looked away. “You've got to be kidding me. Y'know what, why am I surprised? Go lay down!”

The detective barged in with a sprained wrist. “Son of..” He trailed off, realizing that he was staring right at him. “..I said you wouldn't survi-” “Not another word, fighter.” 

 He laughed. Hard. He'd never seen him like this until now. He hadn't been in a fight since yesterday. “Someone's happy.” 

 He closed the door and locked it thoroughly. “Next time, let me come.” “No.” He let out an audible huff. “You'd have to restrain me so I wouldn't come.” 

 “..Great idea.” He crashed down onto the couch, wincing as he moved his wrist to a terrible degree. “You have a cast somewhere?” “No. I never needed them. ..Until you came along to ruin my life.” “I ruin everyone's life, I'm a detective, Engine.” 

 “And?” He paused and glanced over at him. “..I bring the bad things to light. Did you forget what I said last time?” “Kind of. But.. don't you get to kick ass?” “...Yeah?” 

 “Exactly.” “There's more to it than that.” “I know, but sometimes ignorance is bliss. Thinking the best of people helps. ..A coping mechanism of mine.” “..You have a coping mech?” “Yeah. ..Don't say it like that.” 

 He scoffed and took off his gas mask. “..You're better when you're honest with me.” “I never had a good feeling about you at first.” “You do now.” “..Do I?” 

 “You just admitted that you have a coping mechanism to me.” Engine shook his head. They stared at the ceiling for a while. “You're good,” the detective muttered. “..You're good too.” 

 “Mhm..? ..What are we?” “..Friends.” “You think so?” “Yep.” “Good.” 

… “YOU DID HAVE A CAST.” “I like gaslighting you.” “If I wasn't injured right now I SWEAR.”

Chapter Text

“..Xavier.” There was no response. “..Xaaviieeeeer..” He didn't respond that time either. “Dove.” 

He instantly snapped out of his daze, turning to him. “What's up?” He motioned over to a card. Oh yeah. Birthdays. 

He didn't usually keep track of himself in the facility. He could only keep track with a simple calendar at the time. Though, it was different with Danny around. Xavier reached over and opened it. It was a birthday card, that's for sure. 

Then, he noticed a particular handwritten sentence. “You mean the world to me, never forget how much I love you, Dove.” He couldn't help but smile. “Thank you-” “That's not all.” 

Danny picked Xavier up without even a second thought. Instantly, the winged man wrapped his arms around his neck. “Easy, I won't let you go.” He brought him outside to the yard, there were fireflies everywhere. It was as if their home lit up. 

“..It's nice out, hm?” He chuckled and held him tighter before putting him down. “Close your eyes for me.” “Sure, sure..” He kept his eyes closed, waiting for the moment he could open them. 

When he was able to, he gasped at the sight. Danny, down on one knee in a suit. “..I feel dumb in these clothes now..” “You look radiant right now.” He pulled out a small box, presenting it for him. 

“I have loved you since the moment I laid my eyes on you, Xavier. I have never been so enamored with anybody until I met you. You are perfect. ..I have been waiting for the perfect moment to do this.” He opened the small box to reveal a ring. 

“Xavier Jones, my dove, the love of my life, will you marry me?” Xavier stared at him for a long time before bursting into tears. He frantically nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Danny grabbed one of his hands, placing the ring on his finger. “I've always wanted to do this.” 

As Danny got up, Xavier grabbed him and pulled him into a deep kiss, running his hands through his hair. When he pulled back, Danny chased after his lips. “I… You're the best thing to ever happen to me.” He teared up hearing that, pulling him closer. He pressed his forehead against his. 

The fireflies around them made the moment all the more extravagant. Xavier's hands couldn't help but drift, sliding under his shirt. “..Inside?” “..Huh? Oh, yea.” Danny wrapped one of his wings around him. 

“C'mon, Dove.” They walked inside, holding each other's hand tightly. It wasn't long before they were curled up in bed together. “..I love you.” “I love you too, my sweet dragon.” 

Xavier buried his face into the crook of his neck, his arms wrapped around his waist. Before his eyes fell shut, he felt him press a kiss to his head. He let out a sigh before drifting into a deep sleep. Before, he didn't care much for birthdays. Now, he knew he could get used to them.

At least, with Danny he would.

Chapter Text

You slowly opened your eyes, glancing around the room. You barely remembered anything from last night besides being taken into someone's room. You didn't know who's. You stretched, and then froze. There were arms around you. 

A lot more than two. You moved your head to see you were stuck between two people. One a lady with long brown hair and four eyes. The other a man with long.. purple hair. His face was kind of covered with his hair. 

You let out a sigh. You knew them. Selene and Luminous. You must've hooked up with them last night. As you slowly started to sink back into bed, you felt one of them stir. 

“Well, good morning to you.” You looked over to see his eyes half open. “..Hi.” “Nervous?” “..Uh. Yeah.” 

He chuckled and pulled you a little closer. “Don't be, at least I refuse to hurt people.” You only nodded and you felt one pair of his hands sliding up your sides. You kind of just accepted it. You weren't going to move yet and they just felt so comfortable. 

Not to mention that you've known them for long enough to be comfortable with this. You wouldn't mind being a third. You were sure you were last night. Selene stirred. You reached a hand over to cup her face. 

“Hi.” “..Well hello to you too.” She smiled and tilted her head to press a kiss to your palm. “I'll go make breakfast for you two, okay?” He kissed the top of your head and kissed Selene’s forehead before heading over to the kitchen. 

She pulled you closer, pulling your head to rest on her shoulder. “Go back to sleep, I'm sure you're still tired and you're quite comfortable.” You were completely flustered at this point but you seemed to lean into her. What else were you going to do? Get up? Hell no.

This was one way to wake up..

Chapter Text

Ever since he was brought into.. whatever the hell this place was, he couldn't remember his past. He lost himself in his own head. Ignoring what those scientists were doing to him. He learned not to care, to become numb to it. Besides, he did what he was told and never got hurt. 

Isn't that a good thing? Wrong. He was tired of it. Following rules sucked. Bad. At one point, he was so aggressive and against everything that they gave him the job of experimenting. It was fun talking to the other patients, but torturing them like that hurt. 

The screams were loud. Annoying. He couldn’t STAND the sounds. So, he opted to ask for.. freedom. To leave. When they heard this, they instead trapped him. 

Constantly having him restrained when he didn't need to be. Sedating him which made him worse. He broke. And it made him remember. He wasn't born here. 

This wasn't his home. This was his prison. He used to be a normal HUMAN being. Now he was.. this. He was altered. 

Parts of his body were stitched on. He had the features of a mantis. Is that why everyone called him that? That's stupid. ..But he didn't remember his real name. 

That was too far back to remember. He decided to call himself.. Screwball. He screwed around and the only thing that brought him an ounce of entertainment was a ball in his room. It suits him! 

He had a plan laid out on exactly how to leave. He knew this place like the back of his hands! ..And mantis hands. That didn't matter! He destroyed everything in his path. 

He was going to leave and nobody could stop him. ..And he was right. Nobody did stop him. As soon as he managed to reach the outside.. he was in awe. He could barely remember the last time he had felt the sun. 

He quickly hid away, running as far away from the lab as he could. Nobody would be able to find him. Nobody. He was finally free! ..Well.

Screwball woke up to the sound of.. crashing? In his abandoned house? Instantly he got up, grabbing a hammer. He cut the lights. As he slowly walked downstairs, he heard it. 

Footsteps. His hammer collided with something. He turned the lights back on, only to be face to face with.. one hell of a sight! A man with blonde hair, golden eyes, and a cat mask was on his floor, about to get up. Luckily, he pounced on him. 

His foot pressed against his chest, encouraging him to calm his breathing. “...Who are ye? What the fuck are ya doing in MY house!?” The mysterious person held his hands up. “..Just looking for shelter. ..May I ask, what are you? You're an.. interesting specimen.” He scoffed. 

“I ain't no specimen. I'm Screwball, the convict who escaped from that stupid lab! What are you?” “..A man whose blessing has become a curse.” “HAH! Sure. I'll believe it when I see it.” He took his foot off of him, pointing his hammer at him. “Leave.” 

“...I'm sure you wouldn't like people knowing exactly where you are, would you?” “..Oh this is what we're doing now? Trying to room with the man who has killed the scientists who fucked with his DNA and manipulated people countless times?” “..Yes.” “..Ah, yer stupid enough. Sleep on the couch. You better be gone tomorrow. I don't have the time to play with men like you. Insignificant, egotistical, and so, so weak!” He sighed and shook his head, wandering back upstairs so he could sleep in peace. 

He didn't want to fight right now. He locked his door and fell face first into his bed. If he wasn't gone tomorrow, then he'd kill him! For now, he'll live. ..For now.

Chapter Text

It had been a few years after the.. apocalypse. Those zombie movies really were right. Huh. I was still standing strong.. somehow. I ended up getting trapped in a mall, but that benefited me.

For now, I was mainly staying in a cabin. I was constantly on guard, making sure nobody would be able to get in. I'd go out every once in a while to search for a source of food but that's about it. No zombies usually passed by the area. It was all good, I just had to keep focus.

All of a sudden there was a banging on the door. Peaking at the camera, it seemed to be just a ginger-haired guy with mantis features. Wait, MANTIS FEATURES?! "Er.. hello? Anyone home? I've been running for ages and yer shelter is.. the only one I've seen!" I didn't respond. This guy was way too nice.

There's no way he wasn't planning something. Instead, I waited for him to leave, and he did. At least I didn't have to deal with that. Sealing the window was a great idea, so I was in the clear. He wouldn't come back anytime soon.

He came back a day later. He even introduced himself. ..Fuck, I knew him. Of course I did. "Do you have any bite marks?" He shook his head.

I didn't believe him and came out with protective gear and a baseball bat. I taped pins to it so it would hurt. I expected him to come at me, but he didnt. "..Holy shit. The fook are ye doing here?" "I kind of live here now."

He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Can I.. come in?" "..Yeah, but I still don't trust you." I stuck the headpiece onto his head. He wouldn't be able to get to me like that.

He only crossed his arms and followed me in, closing and locking the door behind him. "Never thought I'd see you again, Screwball." "Ye missed me?" "Never." He scoffed and sat down on my couch.

Yes, he may be an asshole, but it was good to interact with someone. "How'd you survive all this time?" "I stuck with some people, they ran off, and I trapped myself in a mall for a bit." I only nodded and took off the rest of your protective gear. It was way too hot to wear all of that.

"..I might've been in the same mall. I did see the glimpse of a ginger." "That was most likely me.." I just chuckled and sat down on the arm of the couch, noticeably away from him. "…So..?" He tilted his head. I wasn't sure what else to say.

"..Can I stay?" "What?" "With you." I glared at him. Yeah, we've lived together before, but.. now? It was different.

Then again I did have enough food for two people. Not to mention I didn't have to waste some of it with him around.. "Fine, fine. I don't wanna waste anything." He grinned. "This is definitely the start of something good!"

The headpiece I gave him was strapped to him now. He clawed at it sometimes, but never pulled it off. I didn't care if he got close, he couldn't bite me. It was weird with him being lucid, but at least I could still talk to him. Even though I couldn't take him anywhere..

"If I could bite you right now.." I felt one of his raptoral legs wrap around my waist. He pulled me tighter, but I let him. "But you can't." "I know.. but I have my imagination, lass."

I scoffed. He leaned in closer. I could feel the cold plastic press against my cheek. ..And he pressed his tongue against it. He was fantasizing about licking me. I couldn't help but get flustered, not to mention I couldn't tell if he was hungry or.. hungry.

"Fuck off." "You know you love me." The feeling of his fingers digging into my thighs cought me off guard. "You look like you're ready to fuck me or something." "Maybe I want to."

He pressed up against me. "All ye need to do is take this shit off. I promise I won't eat you in a.. graphic way." I crossed my arms. "I'm not falling for your bullshit, Screw."

"You know I can't help it. I crave your taste. I yearn to put my mouth on yer skin." One of his hands slid under my shirt. I wasn't sure if I wanted to move it or if I wanted him to keep going. "I want to do some fucked up shit to yer body."

I tackled him, pinning him down to the couch. His hand slid from under my shirt. "If you want me so bad, you would be getting off on me right now." "Who says I'm not? ..Fuck yer hot." I got off of him, leaning back against the couch cushions while he just laid there.

"Yer no fun.." "Sorry for wanting to survive." I grabbed one of his hands, kissing his palm. "What are we?" "I don't know. Friends with benefits?" "That's overdone. ..How about rivals with benefits, hm?"

"..Yeah. Whatever you say, zombie boy."

Chapter Text

"Hey." Lenni jumped and looked over to see Lux, staring at him. "You were zoning out again." He only nodded and held his head in his hands. "Hangover probably."

"I told you to quit drinking. I may be a bartender, but you can't handle alcohol." They reached over and cupped his face. "It reminds me of the old days." "You were miserable back then." "I was miserable with you and my brother."

Lux sighed and grabbed one of Lenni's hands, interlocking their fingers. "You know how I feel about that type of.. shit." He chuckled. They still weren't exactly used to fully cursing around him. After all, they usually stopped themselves.

"I know, I know, but I can't just stop." They nodded and pressed their forehead against his. "Just.. stay at my bars." He simply nodded and wrapped his arms around them, pulling them down onto the bed. Lux chuckled, he always seemed to be this affectionate with them.

The things is, they absolutely loved it. They never complained when he did it. The bartender stretched out their limbs before wrapping their arms around Lenni. He watched as they buried their head in his chest. "..I never thought I'd have this."

"Hm?" "I mean.. you. This. These little moments with you. I thought this would never happen." "Well, it's happening right now." He scoffed and burried his face in their hair. "I know, but I thought I'd be.. alone."

Their hands glided across their back. "You were never alone, because you had me to come to. You also had your brother. ..Before…" They felt him frown. "You were never alone. ..And I promise you'll never be alone again." The feeling of lips pressing against his skin made him jump, but he melted into it.

"You're so helpless around me, yknow that?" "You make me weak." They chuckled, grinning when Lenni pressed a kiss to the top of their head. "I'm glad to have you. I'm not sure how I'd do alone." "Mhm? I'm sure you'd manage. Besides, you're so good around me."

"Oh, you're getting it tonight." "I have work in the morning.." "Not anymore.

Chapter Text

He woke up to the feeling of warm arms embracing him. He didn't move an inch. Hell, why would he ever get up? He was so comfortable right now. Wrapped up in the bartender's arms.. wait what?

Lenni jumped up, pushing Lux off of him. He fell off the bed. They instantly jolted awake looking over to see him on the floor. "Len!" They pulled him back onto the bed, checking his head.

"Are you okay? You didn't break anything right? Do you need water? Food? Anything?" He slowed them down. "..Lux. What are we doing here?" "You ended up cuddling me last night." "And you didn't push me off?"

The bartender shaked their head and reached up, brushing a hand against his face. "Chill for a bit, kay?" "..Did we do anything last night?" "No, no, but you were very clingy." He let out a breath and relaxed into the bed.

It was Lux's turn to be clingy. They let out a breath before putting their head against his chest. "What are you doing." "I'm not doing anything." He tilted his head.

He wasn't the best at.. this. Though, he was willing to try for them. He laid back, letting them stay there. "You're teaching me how to love." He ran his hands through their hair.

His hands were bigger than their's. They felt a lot smaller than they really were. "Good, you deserve to love." "..Like you?" "Mhm. Just like me."

They closed their eyes, leaning into him. Hesitantly he wrapped his arms around them. They were so warm. He loved it. If only they were a blanket..

He chuckled and closed his eyes, leaning his head against the bed. He never thought he'd be enamored with anyone like this. Then Lux came along and changed everything. Giving him the chance to heal. At this point, they were inseparable.

And he'll do whatever it takes to keep it that way.

Chapter Text

"REN!" He jumped, scrambling to his.. snake feet. Whatever it is. Broadcaster was calling him, and he didn't seem happy. The thing is, he knew why.

A while ago, he managed to free a "rabbit" as Broadcaster called them. Nobody found out for a long time, until.. The Madman got involved. He always managed to figure things out whenever Broadcaster ordered him to. Just a mindless puppet. ..Unlike himself.

He.. must've found out and told him. There's nothing he could do, he already had a tracker on him! As he slowly walked over to his office, Fluffball gave him a thumbs up. If only he wasn't so submissive around Broadcaster. After all, he felt useless to everyone else.

Ren opened the door, only to see his boss glaring at him. He closed the door. "Sit, boy." He did exactly as told. While he sat, the other man got up.

"Explain to me what you think you're here for." "..Letting someone escape." "So you do know, hm?" He tensed up, rubbing the back of his neck. All he did was nod.

Why did that bastard have to rat him out? He could've stayed quiet! Then again, their job kept them off the streets. They had nowhere else to go! ..Except for Fluffball and Stinger.

He felt a hand around his neck, freezing before being held against the wall. Ren tugged and pulled at the single hand holding him up. "You should've known better. I taught you better, lab-rat." That wasn't his name..

"Yes sir, but.. isn't there a be-" "There is no other way," he murmured. His grip on his neck tightened. "Ren, I'm afraid you must suffer for what you have done." He didn't like the sound of that.

He watched as a slow grin began to form on his face. He hated when he did that. "Suffer…how?" Broadcaster got closer to him, his grip on his neck tightening enough to keep him breathing. He unhinged his jaw.

Instantly he turned his head away, pressing his head against the wall out of fear. Was he really going to kill him? He didn't even have many people to work for him! He closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable. He stood there for a while, only to realize he hadn't done anything yet.

He cracked one of his eyes open to see his boss staring at him with a blank stare, his mouth closed. "I'm not going to kill you, yet." He dropped him. He stared up at him on the floor, his back to the wall. "Then, what are you going to do?"

He seemed to think about it before leaning down to his level. "I hope you don't mind being tied up for the rest of the day." That was a lot less terrifying than.. a second ago. "I don't really like being restrained in.. any form." "Well, you're going to learn to like it."

Ren sat there in his boss' office. What was he supposed to do? The tight chains were already digging into him. Instead of thrashing around, he did his best to get comfortable. He leaned back, staring at the ceiling while his legs moved apart.

"You learn fast, don't you?" He glanced over at him. "What are you referring to?" All he did was give him a toothy grin and went back to working. "No, no, what do you mean by that?"

He got up, and he instantly straightened up. "I.. sorry, sir," he murmured as he walked closer to him. His boss grabbed his face, pulling it to face his. "Would you like to.. find out?" "Nevermind, I was just overstepping is all.."

He tilted his head. "I must say, you do quite well tied up." He snickered before letting him go and sitting back at his desk. Ren sat there for a long moment, before realizing his face was red. ..Is this why Screwball was always fucking helpless?

Jeez.

Chapter Text

"Boss… please.." Fluffball whimpered and clawed at his back, even though it didn't really work. Broadcaster held him down, guiding him to ride him. He let out a huff, feeling his hole flutter around his cock. They had been here for hours, but one of them decided to accidentally take an aphrodisiac.

He didn't want to be useless so he asked for a little bit of help. He didn't know the drugs would take so long to exit his system. There was no point in having him do it himself, so.. this happened. His legs shook, letting out a groan as he kept hitting his prostate. He never thought he'd end up getting fucked in the work place but here he was.

He never thought he'd even be able to take this much, but he wanted more. "I can't believe I'm doing this.." "If.. you'd like to know, Stinger is enjoying this too." He briefly paused, causing Fluffball to whine. "Boss, don't stop.."

"Can I go harder?" "..What?" "Will you allow me to go harder?" He hesitated before nodding, only for him to start ramming into him. Broadcaster watched as he did his best to contain his cries.

They were going to be there for.. a very, very long time.

Chapter Text

"I swear, if I had the chance, I'd just.. hibernate like a fox or something." Danny chuckled and crossed his arms. "Oh really, without me, Xavier?" He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Maybe not.."

Derek watched from afar. He knew he didn't need him. He had Danny now! He should be happy for his best friend. But that was it. Friends.

It made him sick to his stomach remembering that day. Rejecting him. Saying no. He wasn't sure until the janitor came around with his long hair and intresting scar. He watched as they got closer together, helpless.

If he could take it back, he would. He'd say yes. He'd be able to always be around him. Constantly protect him and they'd talk the way they always did. Not to mention having the ability to be affectionate with him.

He'd hold him, play with his hair, lean on him, press kisses to his sensitive skin. He'd treat him better than he ever could. What did he have? A backstory and music taste? He had those same things and wasn't the son of a scientist!

Fuck, he was jealous. He couldn’t help it. He should be the one talking to him like that. The one making him blush and look away at little comments. The one touching him, wrapping his arms around him, pressing his body against his.

He was supposed to be the one making him weak, soft, and pliant under his touch. Under his gaze. But it was too late by now. He watched as Danny grabbed one of Xavier's hands, interlocking their fingers. "Bird boy," he murmured under his breath.

His bird boy, taken from him. It was all his fault. Derek let out a long sigh before looking away from them. His hands were clenched into fists. He never thought he'd screw up this bad and here he was. Thinking about a man who he could've said yes to.

It didn't matter anyways. He.. had Alice. She was cool, badass, spunky. They had the same banter as he and Xavier did. The two were similar, but he wanted the boy he couldn't have. He was just.. settling for her.

He needed to be better than this, but he just kept going back and forth. After taking a breath, someone put a hand on his shoulder. "You okay? You look freaked right now." He stared at the blond haired beauty and smiled.

"Yeah. ..I'm going to be okay, bird boy."

Chapter Text

"Derek.." He let out a grunt. He always thought he'd be the one ontop of his puppy eyed blondie. Yet, here he was, letting him rut against him frantically. He never thought the affects of heat would transfer with his wings.

Wait, if his whole body was sensitive, would his wings be too? He reached up and brushed his fingers against his feathers. He shivered. "You like that, Xav?" He nodded frantically.

He grinned, starting to press and massage his wings. His hips stuttered and he let out a loud groan. He bucked harder, his thrusts becoming irregular. It felt so good, feeling the pressure start to build up. "Fuck, just like that, pretty boy."

"Close.. so close.. please.." He rubbed faster, "Come on sweetheart, break for me." He threw his head back, letting out a long whine. He watched as he came in his pants, seeing the wet spot forming on his denim. Derek couldn't help but cum after him, letting his body go limp.

"What's happening here?" The both jumped and turned over to see Danny leaning in the doorway. "Well, we-" "You didn't even invite me." They both perked up.

"Up for another round?"

Chapter Text

Marshall watched the rain roll down the window, laying down on the couch. He knew he was exhausted, but he didn't realize until he laid down. After that fight, he knew he wasn't going anywhere. He could barely work anymore. Knowing how long rehabilitation takes, it would be a while before he could free roam again.

Everything will hopefully get better. He closed his eyes, letting the sound of rain fill his head. All of a sudden, he heard footsteps. His eyes snapped open and he sat up wincing. "Settle down, Max, you've already hurt yourself."

Helios stood in front of him with a cup of coffee. Without his gloves, the infection of his own powers was more visible. You could see how noticeable it was, especially with the color. "You need to sit down." "Nonsense, I'm healing well enough to be walking around."

He had bandages around his arm and on his chest. He was struck pretty badly. Yes, he was extremely powerful, but that didn't mean he couldn't be killed. He was tired, which makes sense as to why he had a cup of coffee. "Sit, Helios, you know you need it."

"What I need is to continue my work, I'm behind!" Whenever he worked he forgot to eat. The quiet traveler had to constantly keep an eye on him. "At least let me keep an eye on you." "No, no, I want you to rest!"

The golden savior scoffed before realizing he was serious. The gentle man glared at him, his arms crossed. "You heard me the first time, rest." He knew his weakness was whenever he was angry. He was usually a calm person, so if he was mad.. he was really pissed.

"Okay.. you're scary when you're annoyed." Maxwell chuckled and pulled him down onto the couch next to him. He couldn't help but let out a shiver. He was quite cold.. He thought for a moment before pulling him closer, covering both of them with a blanket. "Go to sleep or something, when I get better we can go and collect things to research like we always do."

"Not without you." He couldn't argue with that. Helios pulled him closer, resting his head on top of his. "You're.. actually quite warm." "I guess I'm your new heating pad."

He grinned and closed his eyes. The rain continued on. Though, it didn't seem so cold anymore. He closed his eyes once more, the sound of the injured man's breath and the rain flooded his mind. He felt him start to fall asleep, and he couldn't help but drift off himself.

The healing process started to move faster, all from his warmth.

Chapter Text

It’s been a few years since the incident. Since the day he’s escaped. He’s started his Freshman year of high school. Yes, he had to relearn everything, but it wasn’t too bad. It could be much worse.

Zane had adjusted easily into school, too focused in work to even think about anyone else. He was living with Derek and Alice at this point. He visited Xavier and Danny often, but whenever he did he ended up asking the same question. “Is there a way we can get everyone else stuck in that facility out?” All they could respond with was.. maybe. 

Yes, it was too dangerous to go back, but what if they did? Maybe they could pull it off! But, he wasn’t exactly eager to do that. Especially with what happened to Alice. All he could really do was wonder. It’s the only reason why he was often lost in his thoughts. It was June 2029, the Friday 11th. 

He had been sitting outside, thinking about nothing. It was just a way he got everything off of his mind. It worked decently well. However, as he was staring up at the sky, he saw something. It wasn’t a bird, kind of, it was more like a person with wings. It couldn’t be Xavier, he lived farther away!

Something escaped. Something escaped that facility and it was flying above his head. And it saw him. Zane nearly ran inside when it dove down, but he didn’t move an inch. It crashed right next to him.

It clearly didn't have much training with flying. It slowly got up, and showed its face. He paused, taking a step back, "..Dakota?" He slowly dragged himself to his feet, nearly falling over in the process. He ran over to help him stabilize.

He didn't speak, but he did stare. His eyes spoke a thousand words, and they were all about him. Zane looked away, pulling him to go inside of the house. "….DAAAD!" Derek came rushing out of.. whatever room he was in.

"What's wr.. oh my god." He stared in both worry, and confusion. Zane gave him a hesitant smile, while Dakota glared. "Put him down on the couch, I'll go get your Mom.." He nodded, leading him over to the couch.

"How are you holding?" He let out a groan. At least he was vocal in some way. Luckily he didn't have anything to do for a couple days. He jumped when he put a hand on his shoulder. He put it back down, "Don't move or anything, you're still hurt."

It was weird being the one taking care of him. It used to be the other way around. After the experiments he'd always hold him until he stopped crying. Even when he got used to it he still helped him calm down. All he did was stare at him.

He wasn't sure what else to say to him. It was new seeing him like this. "How old are you?" Zane looked at him, surprised. He didn't know if he was ready to talk yet. He didn't even realize that's what he sounded like now.

"..Just fourteen." He let out a sigh, realizing how long it had been. "I went all this way looking for you, and you're.. okay." The spider couldn't help but feel guilty. He had left him for so long. He knew he was lonely.

"How old are you?" He chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "..I think I'm 16 now, I was supposed to drive by now." That hurts to know. He could've stayed back with him. They could've escaped by themselves!

He let out a long breath and sat next to him. There wasn't much to say. "You know, I'm sure you could still be caught." He raised an eyebrow hearing this. Maybe it was better to lay off, he was already struggling enough to fly.. "I'd rather learn to fly first."

Zane's face lit up. "I know someone who could help with that!" The other grinned, it wasn't often he saw him happy. In fact, he never usually saw anyone happy. Not even himself after he left without him.

It was good to finally talk to him again. "I'm sure he'd be happy to meet you! I mean.. he's kind of like you!" He motioned to his wings. He paused for a moment. He was probably processing that there was another person with wings. Another person fused with bird DNA.

"..Yeah, yeah. That's great." He seemed so down all of a sudden. "We'll spend time together right?" It clicked. Instantly he nodded in response.

"Of course we will. ..I've missed you, D." He put his hand out, waiting for him to put it against his. The other did exactly that, their hands spread out and pressed together. Dakota's were bigger than his by now. Then he saw the claws come out.

He jolted back. "Ah, fuck, sorry, I'm not sure how to control that." He let out a sigh and glanced away. The spider stared at him for a long moment before hugging him. "..Dakota, please wake up now."

"What?"

Dakota jolted awake in a cold sweat. He frantically looked around, expecting to be in the same place as before. His new home. This wasn't home. Zane wasn't there with him. Nobody was.

They were all gone. All of them. He had nobody. Zane left years ago. What could he do now? The facility was so advanced that it was hard to get anywhere without getting caught.

He curled up in a ball on his bed, letting the tears roll down his cheeks. God, he felt so childish and naive. It was too good to be true. There's nothing he could do. ..He wanted to be home again.

"Why'd you have to go too?" He cried harder than he ever had. Every day he had to experience the same pain. The same torture. The same shocks, the same bruises, the same treatment. He wasn't sure if he could take this anymore.

"Please… come back, Z. Please."

Chapter Text

"ENGINE!" He jolted awake at the sound of his voice. Looking around, he saw him crushed in his arms. He stared at the detective blankly for a moment. "Let go me, you're going to squeeze me to death, moron!"

At his words, he instantly let go. The man dropped to the floor. He wasn't that bright, but he sure was strong. At least, that's what the said himself. Not to mention he was good at his job.

"Sorry, must've grabbed you in my sleep." "No shit, sherlock." He let out a huff and put his hair back into a ponytail. "Doing anything today?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I am, you aren't." For a long moment, he froze. They always had something to do together, which is what worried him. He would've questioned him further if he didn't stretch his arm too much. The wounds from yesterday were still healing. There was no answer on if it would scar or dissapear.

"See! You're not going anywhere, you're staying here while I'm at work." Engine let out a huff and glared at him, Eden glared back. Then, he crossed his arms, which meant buisness. However, he wouldn't budge. He didn't look away once as he stared into his heterochromatic eyes.

He let out a sigh. He couldn't fight him. They work together. It's better to lay off this time. It was one of those days.

As he sat back down on the couch, he couldn't help but notice the detective staring at him. He tilted his head, causing him to look away. If he was blushing, there was no way of telling with his gas mask on. "Just stay here, big guy, I'll be back." He threw the blanket back onto him before walking out the door.

There was a chance he could follow him, but.. it would be obvious if he did. So, sitting there was all he could do right now. Glancing at his arms, wrapped up in bandages, he couldn't help but be worried. If he could get this banged up, what would happen to.. He got up. He'd protect him, he always did.

"You know, I'm worried about him." Liz nodded, her fingers occupied with typing at lightning speed. It was always crazy knowing she could do all of this and pay attention. Then again, she was what the people called a "techie." It was the best description of her he had.

"No, no, I get it. He's always running into fights without protection, no wide range weapons like a gun or something." "EXACTLY!" He let out a sigh, trying to connect the dots on this case he was assigned recently. This one was required, he couldn't pick it. Some rich prick got caught doing real bad.

As they talked, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Their office had a window just incase. Outside of that window, he caught a glimpse of dreads in a messy ponytail. He froze and ran over, frantically looking around. Nobody was there.

"Something up, dude?" She had stopped typing to look up at him. Her glasses seemed to hide her eyes due to the light shining right at her. He only shook his head and right back to work. Though, glancing at the window every few moments. He knew he'd end up looking for him.

He frowned, looking in the window. Yes, he had suspicions. No, he didn't know what they were talking about. And.. yes, he was kind of jealous. He was only that comfortable with him, so this was.. off.

He began to walk off, and then he saw him turn. He instantly moved out of the way of the window, walking back to the small house they decided to stay at. Well, it was Eden's house, he just wasn't used to other people living with him at the time. His brain was filled with envy, which freaked him out, he usually feels the same few emotions every day. This time, it was different.

It had to be because he told him to stay. He wasn't doing that, so he stumbled into a random building. Luckily, it was a small coffee shop. Nobody would bother him if he didn't leave, unless they were closing up, so he decided to stay. The fighter ordered his coffee and stared longingly out of the window.

Why was his mind working like this all of a sudden? It wasn't supposed to be like this. This was wrong, unnatural. He was taught to think certain things in certain ways, so this was foreign to him. His hands couldn't help but clench into fists.

For some reason he was.. annoyed. In his defense, he's only been in a positive relationship once, and that's with Eden. How could he just.. find somebody else? A tap on his shoulder jolted him out of his thoughts. Engine glanced over at the coffee that was put down on the table. "Never knew somebody like ye would drink anything but black coffee."

He looked up at the guy, a ginger-haired Frankenstine's monster looking guy. The main thing odd about him was his mantis-like features. Tilting his head, he merely shrugged. "People don't think I do a lot of things." "Well, I guess they're wrong."

He slightly smiled. It wouldn't hurt to have somebody to talk to. Just for a little while. "..What is your name?" "Screwball, I just prefer that name." He nodded, maybe Eden was right about the whole socializing gig.

All of a sudden, he heard a loud crash from outside.

"Son of a..," Eden started to slowly back away from the person who decided it was a good idea to break the window. They were wearing a mask and a cloak, hiding their identity. It wasn't a bad idea, but they had the technology to deal with.. this. He jumped when he pulled out a gun. Eden dragged Liz behind a desk.

"I swear, that robot in charge should've banned guns for people not trained for them!" He didn't respond, too focused on not getting shot. All of a sudden it all stopped. He did his best to glance over without making himself out enough to get shot. The first thing he saw was the gun on the floor, which he instantly grabbed and pointed at the person.

The thing was, the person was in a headlock. His eyes drifted upward to see Engine holding him back. He knew he decided to leave. Then again he did save him and Liz's life. He noticed him slowly fading out of consciousness, instantly alarming the other detective. "Put them down, they're passing out!"

He stared at her for a moment before putting the person down. "You two can get out of here, I'll handle this one." They looked at each other before nodding and leaving, the fighter letting the detective clock out first. The two were silent as they walked back. What was there to talk about? Though, one could feel the other staring.

As Eden locked the door, he let out a sigh and turned back to the large man in front of him. He looked like a puppy, and it was pitiful. "You know what? I'm not mad.. you saved our lives." At the word our, he frowned. He tilted his head.

"..Are you, maybe, more than likely, jealous?" He watched as he scoffed and turned away. Either way, he didn't respond, his arms crossed. "Well, are you jealous?" The fighter didn't respond for a moment, before nodding.

"..Do you want a hug, big guy?" He stood there for a moment before picking him up and squeezing him to his chest. He was always affectionate towards Eden. It was just.. surprising. He hugged him back, just as tight. "..I assume your bandages have healed?" He only shrugged and put him down on the couch, sitting next to him.

He couldn’t help but stare at the fighter, it was a habit he struggled to get rid of. Who wouldn't stare at him? He's huge! Not to mention how strong he is. If he could take that pain away, he would. All he wanted to do was.. shit.

He looked away, knowing he was just yearning. It doesn't matter, he needed to focus on their mission. Focus on what they were working for. All of a sudden, he put his head on his. No words were spoken.

Engine seemed to not know the effect he had on him, not moving an inch. "..What are you doing?" There was no response. Instead of tensing up, he leaned back into him. This caused him to wrap his arms around him.

They've leaned on each other before, but not like this. "Are you going to let..go?" He felt him shake his head, so he just accepted his fate. Today was exhausting. For him at least.

Hesitantly, he leaned back to settle into his embrace. He felt him stiffen before letting out a hum. He felt his hands reach his hips, going under his shirt and resting back on his bare waist. His thumbs rubbed circles into his sides, which he leaned into. "..What are we doing?"

"The correct term would be cuddling. ..Who's the clingy one now?" He felt him chuckle. He grinned in response. Eden couldn't help but ask, "What are we?" It took a moment before he got a response.

"I don't know, I think you decide that." Engine buried his face into his hair. The detective laughed before thinking. "Well, I think we're together." He fidgeted with his hands not knowing what to do with them.

"Well, then why is that?" "..Your hands are under my shirt and your head is on mine, it's obvious." He didn't say anything else, causing the fighter to respond with a quick, "Alright then." Then, he felt his hands drift higher, tracing his surgery scars. He instantly got flustered, but he didn't tell him to stop.

"..If we're together, can we touch each other like this?" The detective had yearned to bury his face in between his pecs for a while now. "..Uh, uh, yeah. As much as we want." He nodded before his hands went to his chest. "..I'm glad you got that surgery, I can do this without anything in the way. ..The scars make you so much cooler too. "

He let out a huff and took off his gas mask, nearly forgetting it was still on. The next thing he knew, his lips were pressed against his forehead. The kiss felt so long, and so short. He stared at him with disbelief. "..Can't believe we haven't done this this sooner."

"..Yeah. Yearning is so dumb sometimes."