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“Now, darlin’... when you proposed I didn’t think this is what our ‘wedding night’ would look like.” Del trailed. His voice was in a race to reach the doctor’s ears, slowly losing to the low vrrrr of the surgical drill gripped tightly in the ungloved hand of the doctor. Such an honour to be treated with the gloves off, raw hands with not a care for infection or cross contamination. The drill in question, small and primarily used to hollow out teeth that required more room for fillings, had no name nor any value to the doctor; dentistry being a waste of time compared to the much more important protection of organs. Still, Ludwig kept the drill on to ‘warm up’, the sound exciting him more than he would care to admit.
“Tsk, tsk, Herr Conagher.” Ludwig said. His finger pointed towards the ceiling, improvised sign language to silence the Engineer. “I asked you if you vould like to be mine, I did not suggest Marriage!” He argued. He would be right, his exact words to the proposal being something; something ‘be mine forever more.’.
Del, who had the utmost respect for the doctor and their matching minds, had agreed rather quickly. Hindsight would tell him that he likely should have questioned the proposal after only a few months of dating.
If that was even the best word for the sort of dynamic they had. A few months of planning ways to replace the innards of corpses with metal bracings and reanimate them, or, fill a steel or titanium exoskeleton with the mushy pulsings of lungs and livers. Their shared chalk board had been filled with drawings of mangled bodies — both machine and man. — paired with faces that looked more than enthusiastic to be part of the process. Formulae checkerboard constructions littered the corners and edges of the chalkboard, it played frame for the diagrams of the body that Ludwig drew up in the centre of the chalkboard. Which, in turn, grappled with the mathematics of it all. Each pattern and design could not be separated from the other. Said few months had been filled with their own joinings. Del found his tongue installing latches into the crook of Ludwig’s jaw, a tracking device so that his tongue may always find Ludwig’s, and his hands may always find their way through the labyrinthian contraption that was Ludwig’s clothes. Making Ludwig more metal than ever before, human aches be damned. In return, Ludwig allowed himself the exploration of bacterial mazes across the Engineer’s body. Every drop of sweat was an ecosystem that Erik wished to make his own. They traded each other’s insides and praised the outsides.
What a glorious few months that had been. Del’s face contorted into a squint, then eased as he realized that Ludwig was right and he should not be very surprised. He did not even want the monogamy of marriage, no, it was the least vital part in the whole assumption. Del had wanted ‘marriage’ in the contractual sense. He would have a lab partner throughout his life, whatever Ludwig did inside anyone else was none of his business… unless he wanted to watch. “You ain’t done this with anyone else right?” He asked. Perhaps there was a little bit of that possessiveness… still lacking romance. Rather, if this was to happen then Ludwig was to be his own flesh bound.
Ludwig snickered, “Pfft! Don’t be ridiculous! Do you ssink I vould claim just anyone! Please!” Ludwig began, the top drawer on the third counter top creaked as it was opened. Del did not stop himself as he leaned slightly to take a glance at the arched form of the doctor. “I have shtandards!” he added, slapping away any doubt with a wave of his hand. Which was fair, he did have his standards. Mikhail was fun to operate on, the larger man had plenty of room to snoop around in, and could be great entertainment when it came to playing chess. Yet, he was no Engineer. Mikhail found his interests lay in his books, guns, and board games. He was an awfully sentimental man, and Ludwig was simply not looking for that sort of commitment right now. Del, on the other hand, the perfect lab partner.
Ludwig took out a few blades from the drawer, held them up in front of his face to check for sharpness and if these blades met his standards for the operation. He turned slightly to the Engineer, and paused his movements as he saw the man sitting upright still, his chest slightly puffed out. Ludwig blew some air from his lips, “Err… Ingenieur, if you could please lay down…” he asked. The click of his heels alerted the operatee that Ludwig had begun to make his way over, with two blades that had seemed to please him enough for this surgery.
“Oh! Oh, right, sure.” Del nodded. The twist of his hips to get onto his side and lay down, the movement that seemed so small, made him wince slightly. A half-choked grunt escaped the diaphragm that was soon to find itself less able to trap grunts. A hand instinctively moved to brace underneath himself, curved to match the small of his back. It was ironic, really, Del believed there was nothing more perfect than a machine. Nothing more pure than the perfection of metal.
Herber grabbed his wrist and pulled it out from underneath him. “Apologies, but I need you laying flat.” Ludwig always seemed to be able to remind Del that metal can rust, just as the flesh rots.
“I know, darlin’, it’s my back. The dang execrable hampering rotten thing–” Del said simply. Ludwig thought for a moment, the tap of his fingers against the fleshy wrist of the other kept him in thought. Perhaps he was also counting Del’s pulse, one could never be too sure if Ludwig was a doctor because he wished to be one, or if he was a doctor because he had not been made to do anything else in his life. He made a note of the number and then simply pushed on Del’s gut to bring him flush to the table. As Del tried to speak again, Ludwig placed two closed fingers to Del’s lips and allowed a shushing sound to come from his teeth.
“Nonesense. Just breathe srough your teeth and try not to disturb the birds.” Ludwig commanded, “I don’t have any anesthetic.” Ludwig confessed with shrugged shoulders and an awkward smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Del’s eyes blew wide beneath his goggles and his jaw thrashed open to protest. He had not a moment to argue before Ludwig was jab-pressing the scalpel into Del’s abdomen. Instead of words, what came out was a loud guttural yell. It was sudden, cruel. Yet, Ludwig knew what he was doing. Of course he did, he had been doing this for years.
Del could take it afterall. He had a little friend attached to his forearm to serve as proof. The evening that had happened, when he refused the flesh and welcomed the machine, had been one rife with frustration and agitation. His hand, five nubs that seemed more animal than human, twitched. Foreign sensations that Del had no interest in enabling. There was never a diagnosis, he never sought one out. Alien Hand Syndrome? Carpal Tunnel Syndrome? Arthritis? Something else? His symptoms connected to some factions of some disorders, and other factions of others. But, then, Del did not want to know what was wrong with it. All he cared about was the fact that the useless weight of muscle, skin, bone, blood, etc. was annoying him more than one could humanly bare. He had wild eyes as he glared at the hand that spasmed into a fist and then relented into a painful flex, the hand harming itself to beg for some attention. The weeks of bodily neglect left Del bloated, pale, sweaty, and hyper. Scout would be put to shame from the adrenaline that pumped through Del’s body. No, it was only there to hinder. Del knew that if a God had been the reason for this creation, then it was a God that would have to be judged by Del at the end of time. Del judged poorly.
The time of death for the hand was 3:24AM, the fourteenth of August, 1966. The hand itself was rotting somewhere, either that or had already been eaten by a wild animal that may have been looking for a snack. The bones, if anything, was all that was left of it. Not that Del cared, no, nothing about his body he seemed to care about. It was his work that rang true. The scar, an oddly clean healed line thanks to the intricacy of the circular saw that had done the procedure (of which Ludwig was somewhat jealous of.), still grew red at times. Ludwig hoped to photograph it someday, keep it for himself to gaze at. Look at the scar, still struggling to heal, unlike the end results of his surgeries that never seemed to heal improperly.
So, why was Del reacting to the pain? If he was able to saw his own hand off during a heat of the moment jerk, then why was this surgery so bad? First, Mania. A sweet drug that likely should be treated in the man, yet was not. Second, Del had been in absolute control at that moment. It was his saw, his pain, his wrist. Here? He was not in control. Even in moments when he worked directly next to Ludwig, shifts where he and Ludwig shared the exact same amount of chalk on the chalk board. Del took some of the upperhand, subtly pushing against the doctor. Finding it easy to force a correction at the doctor, which Ludwig thankfully took well each time, and enjoying having the upperhand. When he had agreed to this proposal he had assumed he would be wearing a suit and writing vows in a needless ritual just to keep his lab partner happy, performing romance so he could keep the doctor against him at night in bed and in the lab.
Honestly, Del preferred this, the feeling of the doctor’s knife slicing him open being better than tending to a room full of guests that he did not overly care for. He just did not like the fact he was under Ludwig’s total care. The pain of the knife was shocking and made him tremble, but his eyes had never looked at Ludwig from this angle. Not like this.
Ludwig was already having fun.
Ludwig had begun the operation in one thick slice of the scalpel into the skin. There was a wet slosh and shish sound as the skin and muscle were torn from their naturally borne position. Bubbles of blood popped up as Del’s skin spat at Ludwig in rebellion. Nothing Ludwig would blink at. He had seen far worse in far uglier places. He wiped his thumb over the first incision, stroking the clean slit of the opening. It was soft. Ludwig knew that Del would likely argue that claim, finding it reprimandable that Ludwig would dare say such a thing, but Ludwig was not about to deny the fact that Del was a soft man. He was made to be a southern comfort, no alcohol or taxing needed. Ludwig looked at his body, the way it carried weight. The way his movements seemed to be … engrained into each flex of the muscle. The movement under the skin, Ludwig greatly enjoyed watching.
Sometimes, during the late evening, Ludwig would stand in Del’s workshop. Usually he would bring something small that needs done, if he was going to watch Del work then he would surely give Del a reason to work, and take his stance. Hands behind his back, straight posture, and a grin on his lips that bore teeth. He looked like a threat, despite the fact Del found him more akin to a promise. Ludwig could stand for hours just watching as muscles worked beneath the skin. There had been many times that Ludwig had stood and wondered if it would be prettier without skin. If he should carefully find a little nip somewhere and start peeling until Del unwound like a ribbon around a parcel. Violent, sure, but could Ludwig be blamed. There was no better exploration than direct, he wanted to. Yet he knew better, right now he would simply day dream. Allow his fingers to grace the inside of Del’s body until his whole form could embrace the viscera.
Ludwig leaned down softly as he continued to deepen the first slice. He knew objectively how far he had to cut down until he reached what he had been looking for. Yet, each body was different. “Oh! Look at ssis! Del, you have such thick skin.” Ludwig praised. He hooked his finger around a small lip created from the slicing. The bare nail, trimmed and kept clean, itched against the growing sensitivity of the nerves. Del grunted as his hand gripped the bed beneath him, toes curling within his boots as if that would stop the pain. As Del’s other hand moved to hopefully get Ludwig to stop, to ease, to hopefully remember that maybe he should remember that Del may benefit from pain management.
Ludwig did not. Instead, he slapped Del’s hand away. Bapping the back as if he were a child who had reached for a cookie that was fresh out of the oven. Del did not take this well, his hand snapped back sharply. He banged his fist into the bed as his face scrunched. “C’mon now, Doc.” Del pleaded, something he did not enjoy having to do.
“Ah! Need I remind you, you agreed to ssis? You vanted ssis. Now, stop being so dramatic and just give me a moment to vork.” Ludwig scolded, digging a couple more fingers into Del’s chest torso to feel around for the base of the sternum. Perhaps he should have felt this out before he began operating. Though, how much could one expect from a doctor that did not have his medical licence any longer? Ludwig found the base of the sternum, no thanks to the trembling and huffing of the other beneath his gaze. “Vill not take long.” Ludwig mused, a pleased smile growing on his mouth like a sickly tumour. He rubbed the edge of the bone, his middle finger flexed up and down slightly against the bone. It was a motion he had made before, to pleading patients who appreciated the doctors more… controversial attempts to ease their needs. Ludwig’s records were as clean as clean could be. Yet, that does not mean they never held filth, the doctor was simply fantastic at sterilising his spaces. Where he had been. There was very little trace of him in Germany, despite the voice.
He twitched the tip of his finger, softly, he nudged the bottom of the sternum slightly, causing Del to arch his back. “Yess, I think that is quite right.” Ludwig praised. His finger itched the bone one last time before his hand slipped out of the other. He looked at the bloodied hand, and the red proof of his work seeped out of him and onto the table below. Del’s bare chest felt increasingly wet, a filthy mix of blood and sweat. Ludwig rubbed his hand on Del’s trousers, heavily clearing as much of the liquid as he could before he would go back to work. Then, he paused.
Del angled his head away from Ludwig, twisted around almost grotesquely. Though, that would be less vile than the feelings bubbling through Del’s entire body. He liked having the power, he liked having his way in the interactions they shared, he liked knowing he knew more.
Evidently, he also liked the opposite.
Ludwig did not mind blood on him. He just liked wiping it on Del. He felt around some more. “My, Ingenieur… I’m flattered.” Ludwig said, patting Del’s thigh thickly, yet, he made no move to do anything else on the matter of Del’s cock. Silly man, he had ended up aroused. Ludwig supposed it could not be helped. Afterall, what was the honeymoon if not an excuse to have sex as quickly as possible? In any case, Ludwig understood the way that Del likely found this to be a very arousing experience. The doctor’s skilled hands explored the innards of the Engineer, making a subtle performance for the operating stage.
Del was not a patient at this moment, per sé, no Del was the Operatee for this procedure. He was not going to spoil Del, he was performing a procedure to ensure that Del knew just who he had belonged to. Silly Del, he had assumed he had been enabling Ludwig. Actually, he had been giving Ludwig the upper hand this entire time. So, no, for now he would not be pleasing Del. He would be getting his work done. Then they would see. Ludwig was much too excited for this.
Del, despite trying to hide from feeling small, glanced at Ludwig through the side of his eye. He could not be seen through his goggles, but his eye was wide and blaring. Like a rat that had been caught by a bird of prey. His breathing was heavy, his breaths could be sliced with that very scalpel and be sewn up, never to know what had been inserted or removed. His breaths sounded chunky, Ludwig interpreting that as he had been doing a good job. “‘S nothin’.” Del tried to argue, but Ludwig simply laughed with a shake of his head.
“No, really, I am flattered! I vill keep this in mind for later…” Ludwig trailed, which is exactly what Del had not wanted to hear. Ludwig simply went back to opening Del up. He was hard to open, but once inside it was worth every flex of tendon that had to be done.
Del had no choice but to lay there as Ludwig finally made use of the blasted drill, the very drill that had not stopped its movements since Ludwig had switched it on.
The drill had a very important purpose, one that Ludwig had been beyond excited about ever since Del had agreed to the procedure: knowingly or not. The drill was to make a modification to Del that archaeologists would be able to make dissertations of in the far future, once Ludwig finally let the Engineer die. Ludwig could barely contain his excitement. “Ohoho!! Now, eenie, meenie–” Ludwig began, only to be interrupted by a pained Del exclaiming.
“Are you using a nursery rhyme to decide what rib?!” Del questioned. He made an attempt to sit up before Ludwig forced him back down, Del was too weak to protest.
“Yes! It is only fair! They’re just all so pretty…” Ludwig explained, this made Del have a turn feeling flattered… in an odd way. Ludwig went back to what he was doing, counting out which of Del’s ribs he wanted to use for the procedure. He landed on one of the upper ribs, the second one. This required more cutting, not that Ludwig was opposed to such a thing. He simply collected his scalpel again and sliced a little higher into Del’s chest. “Mm, this scar is going to look so painful.” There was a tone in his voice that a sane person would be best not questioning. It was lust. How could it not be? The fruits of Ludwig’s labour leaving behind a permanent reminder and a phantom feeling when touched. The thought made him blush slightly. The knowledge that the proof of their connection followed from deep within the inner chambers of Del, then all away out to the casing Del wore. He had such a pretty formation. What made this better than a machine, in Ludwig’s eyes, was that this had not been hand crafted. Del had just been born beautiful, and now Ludwig was altering him to make him more perfect for the Doctor. He had that control.
Ludwig felt such relief as he was finally able to do what he had been setting up for. His spine shivered as he picked up the drill and angled it just right against Del’s chest. With a hand held still, even with the drill vibrating within his grip, he carefully wrote out ‘Ownership of Dr. H. Ludwig.’, and added a little heart to the end of his sentence just for fun. Beneath the ribs Ludwig could see the heart racing, pumping blood as fast as it could right there before Ludwig’s eyes. It was one thing to hear, another to watch. It was trying its best to make Del run away, but Del remained put.
Ludwig had seen this many times before. It never became any less wonderful though. This one was special to Ludwig, this one he really liked. Del was able to match Ludwig in ways that no one ever had, and now, he was guaranteed to be associated with the Engineer. Even years upon years after death.
Remaining still had been the worst torture Del could have imagined for himself, with the pain that somehow janked itself into a feeling he sort of wanted to lay with. He had underestimated pain, it had seemed. Then again, the fleeting thought of doing this with anyone or anything else made him a little antsy. Perhaps it was specifically Ludwig that made this manageable. Then, as Ludwig softly stroked his thumb over the new etchings, he found that very much to be the case. Fuck. He would let Ludwig do anything right now, he hardly had any choice in it. He looked at Ludwig carefully, studying what had just happened. Studying what was happening. He breathed slowly, as slow as he could, though his heart still pulsed as if he were running a marathon. “That’s … that’s it done?” Del asked, convinced that he wanted it over, yet unable to avoid the feeling that the end seemed like a disappointing prospect.
Ludwig pouted as he fine tuned the letters. He had such a small place to work with, and he wanted this to be perfect. It was also not very easy to write on ribs. Not the worst medium that Ludwig had ever encountered, yet he would not be doing this again any time soon, if at all. “I know… But! Do not fret mein Freund!” Ludwig ordered as he stroked over the blooded body before him. His hands were coated in a thick layer of blood. The room had a stench of copper, it made Del think of his workshop. “I ssink you have done very well!” The praise made Del blood, as light as it was considering the fact there was blood going everywhere. Ludwig would handle any of that later, for now he simply flicked on the medi-gun for stabilisation. Del blinked behind his goggles, then sighed as the low setting began to ease some of the ache.
“Now!” Ludwig said loudly. He clapped his hands together and a few small blood splatters went flying across the room. “Given ssat you managed to remain shtill, would you like me to solve ssat problem you have?” He asked, shamelessly pointing his finger to the arch in Del’s trousers. Del would like to say it was purely an adrenaline sparked erection. He would like to.
“Mm. Yeah.” Del said, flustered. Not commonly where he found himself in most dynamics.
“Vat vas ssat?” Ludwig asked.
“Yes.” Del said, a little louder, yet not fully loud enough to Ludwig’s liking.
Ludwig placed his bloodied hand behind his ear and leaned in. “vun last time, please.” Ludwig teased, fully aware of just what he was doing but decided to see how far he could take this before it was put to a stop.
Not far, clearly, as Del finally erupted in a mix of pain and desperation. “Please, Doc!” Del demanded, using his elbows to push himself up slightly. This time he was not pushed down, yet he still ended up laying down anyway. It was easier that way.
Ludwig chuckled at this and stepped closer. “Anything! For my Laborpartner.” He cooed. His hand placed flatly against Del’s lower abdomen, just above his groin and where the beginning of his trousers set. Then, he slipped his hand lower… into Del’s clothing and feeling around for the base of his cock. Ludwig never broke eye contact, he did not want to. He wanted to see exactly how Del moved and reacted to each and every touch. It satisfied him to see. The way he twitched as Ludwig took a stern grip on the base of Del’s cock, the way he grunted as Ludwig began to shift his hand up the length with the blood on his hand being used as the lube, the way he yelped slightly in pain considering that there was still a large opening in his torso and chest.
Del was aware that Ludwig was very good with his hands, this was not the first time he had received hand attention from the doctor, but this one had been different for an array of reasons. The trappings of Del’s trousers made it harder to enjoy, but maybe that was part of it. Ludwig simply held onto Del’s appendage and stroked up and down as far as he could go, staining Del’s skin red from his own blood. The sensations made Del feel icky, the sticky feeling of drying blood and the hardened cage it created around the skin that it touched. The residue was unwelcomed, yet unfought. Once again, his breathing became tough.
Ludwig smiled. “One ssing I like about you, Herr Conagher.” Ludwig began, continuing his movements. Never changing pace, never changing grip. He trusted his skill in being able to bring Del his reward. “Your breathing gives away how you’re feeling.” He said, still not to change. Del was at the mercy of Ludwig. He decided that he would maybe discuss this in future with Ludwig. This was something he would think about for longer than he should.
The operation was concluded not long later. Ludwig’s motions stopped once he felt a mess trickling down his fingers. Red and white coming together to make a mess that would need to be cleaned up, but for now Ludwig merely wanted to seal up Del and officially draw the joining of them both to a close. Del had been exhausted, merely shaking and scrunching his face up with a groan as he came. Laying there limply, welcoming anything that Ludwig would deem worthy of him in this moment. Ludwig pulled his hand out and wiped it on the outside of Del’s trousers. This was something no machine could have, maybe being human was not so bad after all. “There. All done!” Ludwig chirped, and left Del a mess to grab a hold of the Medi-gun.
Del was still wheezing as Ludwig angled the medi-gun, turning up the power until it was strong enough to seal the other up completely. He then pressed a kiss to Del’s temple once they were finished. There was not a great difference between sex and surgery. The marriage consummated with a final touch from the Doctor.