#steseb promptober 2019

[matchaccino-x]

DetectiveSebCas' Promptober Master List (Whumptober 2018 & Promptober 2019)

Thought I'd help @detectivesebcas make a complete list of all of their Promptober works; each prompt here links to the original post on Tumblr. Due to Tumblr's character limits, this list only contains the 2018 & 2019 prompts; a link to the lists for future Promptober years is at the bottom of the post.

Chapters & links are all under the break. Please go give them a read if you haven't already!! :)

Whumptober 2018

Stabbed

Bloody Hands

Insomnia

"No, stop!"

Poisoned

Betrayed

Kidnapped

Fever

Stranded

Bruises

Hypothermia

Electrocution

Stay (Part 1) / Stay (Part 2)

Torture

Manhandling

Bedridden

Drugged (Part 1) / Drugged (Part 2)

Hostage

Exhaustion

Concussion

Harsh Climate

Friendly Fire

Self-Sacrifice

Drowning

Restraints

Broken Ribs

"I can't walk."

Severe Illness

Seizure

Caregiver

Showdown

Promptober 2019

Anima

Lingerie

Catalyst Divergence - Chapter 19

Coffee Shop/Bookstore AU

Sebastian Defeated

War Photographer Stefano

Shaving

Soft Focus Fluff

Sympathy for Sebastian

A Bad Case of Death

Bondage

Catalyst Divergence - Chapter 16

Haunted Stefano

Soft Focus Divergence - Chapter 9

Hide and Seek

Fever

Protecting Art

Stefano vs. Joseph

Mobius Agents

Film Camera (Soft Focus)

Wedding Photographer Stefano

First Impressions

Awkward Confessions

Injections (Afterimage)

Stefano's Birthday (Catalyst)

Tactical Flirting

Defending Stefano's Art

Creator's Rights

Learning Italian (Afterimage)

The Big Question (Catalyst)

Vampire Stefano

Sunbathing

Sebastian Working for Slade

Two Sebastians (Catalyst)

PTSD (Catalyst)

Sebastian's Apology (Stefano's Bedroom)

Emily's Grave

Artistic Nudity

Plagas Sebastian

Stefano and Lily

Halloween

Photo Shoot

---

Whumptober 2020 & Comfortober 2020 ->

Promptober 2021 & Promptober 2024 ->

[detectivesebcas]

Promptober Day 32- Sunbathing

(Yes I know it’s not October anymore, but for numbering/tagging purposes, we’re sticking with Promptober.)

Requested by: lemon-kitten

Warnings: descriptions of nudity, adult situations

Universe: AU

Sebastian wipes the sweat from his brow.  It’s one of his rare days off- and one where he isn’t exhausted from working a night shift- and he’s been using it to catch up on some work around the house.  He has mowed the lawn and cleaned the gutters, and now he figures he should probably do something about the rose bushes in front of the house.

Those rose bushes were Myra’s pride and joy, and Sebastian has literally no idea how to take care of them.  Since Myra left a year ago they’ve been growing out of control, and Sebastian decides that it’s probably time to take some kind of action before they actually take over the front yard.  He may not know where to start, but he can’t help but notice that his next door neighbor’s flower bed is perfectly maintained.

Stefano has been living next door for just a few months, and Sebastian knows very little about him, except that his name is Stefano, he’s Italian, and he’s some kind of artist.  He’s also pretty sure that Stefano is taking advantage of today’s nice weather as well, because he saw him come out the back door when he was in the middle of cutting the grass.  Surely Stefano won’t mind answering a few gardening questions.

Sebastian approaches the six foot privacy fence that separates their yards and steps up onto the bottom crossbeam so he can pop his head over the fence.  “Hey Stefano,” he calls.  “Have you got any tips on-”

The words die on his lips, because Stefano is indeed outside, reclining on a lawn chair and completely nude.  Sebastian has, on occasion, had the thought that he would not mind seeing more of his attractive European neighbor, but this was not what he meant- at least not consciously.

Stefano is staring up at him, squinting in the bright sunlight and using his hand to shield the one eye that is not obscured by his hair.  “Tips on what?” he asks, seemingly unfazed.

“Ummmm…” Sebastian stammers, all thoughts of the rose bushes gone from his head in an instant.  Even in its relaxed state, Stefano’s body is impressive.  Sebastian doesn’t know how he stays fit as an artist, but he is lightly muscled, lean in all the right places, and he has a perfect tan… maybe because he spends so much time lying out in his yard naked.

Sebastian swallows hard, wondering how long this has been going on when he wasn’t here to see it.  His eyes make their way slowly from Stefano’s mouth down his neck to the hollow of his throat, to his collarbone where beads of sweat are clinging to his skin, then farther down his chest, which is dusted with hair, to the muscles of his abdomen and then down to-

“Sebastian,” Stefano prompts, and Sebastian’s eyes jerk back up to his face.  “You were asking for tips on something.”

Sebastian’s mouth is suddenly very dry, and his voice comes out hoarse.  “I...you…”  He is suddenly aware that he is blushing furiously.

Stefano sighs deeply in a way that makes his chest heave so enticingly Sebastian can’t tear his eyes away.  “Is something wrong?”

Sebastian wets his lips, then does his best to answer.  “You’re...uh...you know...naked.”  He gestures at Stefano’s body, trying hard to keep his eyes away from the parts of Stefano he really wants to inspect.

Stefano raises an eyebrow.  “Really?” he says, sarcasm heavy in his voice.  “I hadn’t noticed.”

“I mean, anyone could come along and see you,” Sebastian points out, feeling a pang of jealousy that Stefano is putting himself on display for the entire neighborhood.

“Yes,” Stefano agrees, “anyone who comes along and climbs up on the fence could see me.  Would you believe this is the first time that’s happened?”

“Point taken,” Sebastian says, because Stefano is still being sarcastic of course.  “But still, if you’re going to lie around in the yard like this, someone’s going to see you.”

Stefano shrugs.  “And so what if they do?  You seem to be the only one who is bothered by it.”

“I’m not bothered,” Sebastian answers reflexively.  “I’m…”  What is he?  Flustered?  Embarrassed?  Aroused beyond belief at seeing so much of Stefano on display?  “I’m just looking out for you,” he finishes.

“That’s very kind,” Stefano says, “but I’m quite capable of looking out for myself.  Was there something you wanted?”

It is at that moment that Sebastian loses the battle with his baser instincts, and his eyes continue right down Stefano’s body.  He catches himself, but not before he has a chance to find out that Stefano keeps himself as well-groomed as his flowerbed.  There is definitely something he wants, but he’s not about to tell Stefano what it is.

“Uh...yeah,” he says, realizing Stefano is still waiting for an answer.  “Do you...ummm... do you want a beer or something?”

“It’s ten in the morning,” Stefano says, raising his visible eyebrow.  “But perhaps a less alcoholic refreshment would be in order.”

“Right,” Sebastian says.  “I’ve got some lemonade in the house.”  He holds up a hand.  “Just don’t move.  I’ll be right back.”

He swears he can see Stefano stifling a laugh behind his hand as he steps down from the fence and hurries back to the house to get two glasses of lemonade.

When he returns, Stefano has dutifully stayed in place, lounging in his chair and seemingly quite at ease with his nudity.  This time Sebastian comes through the gate so that he can hand the glass to Stefano.

“Why don’t you sit down,” Stefano suggests, gesturing at the lawn chair opposite him.  “That is, if you’re willing to comply with the dress code.”  He winks.

Sebastian takes a deep breath.  “Uh...okay,” he says with a nervous laugh.  “When in Rome…”

“My dear Sebastian, I don’t think you’re ready to take on Rome yet,” Stefano replies with a smile.  “But you are always welcome here.”

[detectivesebcas]

Promptober Day 41- Halloween

Requested by: Anon

Warnings: none

Universe: any post-Union AU

Stefano doesn’t seem to mind the messier aspects of pumpkin carving, but Lily is a different story.

“No way!” she declares, after sticking her hand into the pumpkin exactly once.  “It’s too slimy!”

Sebastian laughs.  “I’ll help you if you want, but you’re missing the best part.”

Lily nods frantically and shoves her pumpkin across the newspaper-covered kitchen table at him.  “That’s okay,” she says.  “I don’t need to do the best part.  I just want to carve it.”

“Carving it is the best part,” Stefano says.  His eye is trained on his pumpkin, and his voice is soft, almost dreamy.  He has finished removing the pumpkin’s innards and now seems to be doing his best to recreate some artistic masterpiece Sebastian isn’t familiar with.  Or maybe it’s his own creation...actually, knowing Stefano, it’s almost certainly his own creation.

“No, the guts are definitely the best part,” Sebastian says, reaching into Lily’s pumpkin to pull out a handful.  He extends the fistful of pulp toward Lily.  “See?”

Lily squeals and pushes her chair back from the table.  “Dad, that’s gross!”

Sebastian shakes his head.  Sometimes he wonders if Lily is actually his daughter, but then he remembers that she’s spent half her life in an artificial world where apparently her range of sensory experiences did not include pumpkin guts.  She seems perfectly happy to let him clean out the pumpkin, though she is bouncing in her chair with impatience by the time he switches to a big spoon to finish scraping the inside.

“Alright,” he says, “it’s all yours now.”

Lily takes to carving with an enthusiasm that makes Stefano smile and Sebastian wonder why on earth Lily is so comfortable using a knife.  He puts that thought aside and turns his attention back to his own pumpkin.

By the time they are finished, Stefano’s pumpkin looks like it belongs in a museum, and Lily’s is a close second.  Sebastian’s, on the other hand…

“Oh dear,” Stefano says as he moves behind Sebastian’s chair to look over his shoulder.  “What happened here?”

“What, you don’t like my vision?” Sebastian asks, doing his best impression of Stefano.  “Philistine!”

“How many eyes does it have?” Stefano asks.  He sounds like he is holding back laughter.

“You know that’s something I’ve never spent too much time worrying about,” Sebastian says, turning to Stefano with a wink.  “But I guess three or four?  It took me a while to find a shape I liked.”

He wraps an arm around Stefano’s waist and pulls him in for a kiss.  Stefano indulges him for a few moments, but then immediately goes back to scrutinizing his pumpkin.  “It certainly looks...unique.”

“Come on,” Sebastian says.  “Looks aren’t everything.  I mean, you married me.”  He raises an eyebrow.

Stefano gives him a playful shove.  “You’re ruggedly handsome.”

“And so is this pumpkin,” Sebastian insists.

Stefano can’t contain his laughter anymore, and Lily steps in to take a look at Sebastian’s handiwork.  “You can’t put that out, Dad.  It’s going to scare the little kids.”

“Maybe it’s supposed to be scary,” Sebastian suggests.  “It is Halloween.”

“In that case,” Stefano says.  “Bravo.”

They put the jack o’lanterns out on the front porch, and spend a few minutes admiring how the candles inside them illuminate their artwork before Lily runs upstairs to put on her cat costume.  At first, Sebastian wasn’t sure whether she would think she was too old for trick-or-treating, but Lily seems eager to catch up on everything she has missed while she was in STEM.

“Do you need help with your face paint?” he calls up the stairs.  They’ve done a few test runs of Lily’s costume this week, mostly because Lily has been looking for any excuse to put it on, and the face paint is definitely the tricky part.

“No,” Lily answers back a little too quickly.  “Stefano’s helping.”

After the way his pumpkin turned out, Sebastian can’t really blame Lily for preferring help from Stefano.  And surely Stefano is the right man for the job...or at least, that’s what Sebastian thinks for the first twenty minutes.

“Hey guys,” he calls after some time has gone by.  “Everything okay up there?”

“Yes!” they shout back in unison, and then Stefano adds, “Just doing the finishing touches.”

The finishing touches take another ten minutes, which is just like Stefano, and Sebastian is about to check on them again when Lily bounds down the stairs with Stefano behind her.

“Ready!” she announces.

“Good,” Sebastian says.  “If you guys took any longer, it wouldn’t be Halloween anymore.”

“Oh, it’s not that late,” Stefano says, putting on his jacket.  “Besides, one cannot put time constraints on the process of creation.”

“Somehow I knew you were going to say something like that,” Sebastian replies.  He shrugs into his own jacket and tries to hand Lily hers.

“No, Dad,” she protests.  “It’ll cover up my costume.”

Sebastian heaves a sigh and tucks Lily’s jacket under his arm, because he’s pretty sure that after a few minutes outside she’s going to want it, costume or no costume.

It’s a perfectly crisp fall evening, complete with a light breeze rustling the dry leaves and the faint smell of a bonfire somewhere nearby.  There are already a few children in costumes making their way down the block.  Lily meets up with two of her friends from the neighborhood, and Sebastian and Stefano trail behind them as they go from one house to the next.

“I miss the days of free candy,” Sebastian says wistfully, watching Lily and her friends comparing bags.

“You know, you are an adult with a job,” Stefano points out.  “You can buy all the candy you want.”

“It’s not the same,” Sebastian says, and they both laugh.

“If only I had known that candy was the way to your heart,” Stefano says.

“You already know the way to my heart,” Sebastian replies, reaching for Stefano’s hand and finding it in the dark.  “I think you always did.”

[detectivesebcas]

Promptober Day 39- Plagas Sebastian

Prompt: Stefano injects Sebastian with an RE4-style plagas parasite in order to make him compliant.

Requested by: Anonymous

Warnings: mind control

Universe: Canon AU

Words and sensations drift in and out of his head like a half-remembered dream.

“Sebastian.”  It’s the photographer’s voice...Stefano.  Is that his name?  “You had to make this difficult.”

There is a hand in his hair, tugging his head to the side, a sharp pain in his neck, then gentle fingers that soothe the pain away.

“Now that you have our gift, it is only a matter of time…”

***

Sebastian jolts awake, sitting up at his desk and looking around the room, eyes wild.  For a moment, he is almost convinced that he is in his old office at KCPD, that everything is back to normal, but then he glances at the bulletin board to his right and sees the information Kidman sent him on the Mobius team members and Stefano Valentini.  Things are about as far from normal as they can get.

He stands, trying in vain to remember how he got here.  He was in City Hall looking for Stefano, and he is sure he met the photographer, though he can’t recall any details.  His sore muscles and terrible headache also provide little information, but there is nothing to do now but press on.  He isn’t sure how, but he knows that his next destination must be the theatre in the business district.

***

He doesn’t see Stefano again until he is sucked into the photograph in the backroom of the bar.  He finds himself quite suddenly in one of the dark, maze-like hallways of Stefano’s gallery, and he’s only gone a few steps when the artist himself appears before him in a flash of blue light.

“Sebastian,” he says with a suspiciously engaging smile.  “How delightful to see you again.  Are you feeling better?”

This catches Sebastian off-guard, because no one in Union has expressed any concern for his well-being, and in fact, most of them seem to be trying to kill him.  And then there’s the question of how Stefano knew he wasn’t feeling well in the first place.  He frowns.  “Why do you care?”

Stefano’s smile doesn’t waver.  “Because soon you and I will be working together.”

“There’s no way in hell,” Sebastian snaps.  “I’d never work with you.”

“We’ll see about that,” Stefano says just before he vanishes in another flash of blue light.

The encounter leaves Sebastian with a bad taste in his mouth, but he shrugs it off and continues through the gallery until he reaches the thing he is supposed to destroy, the twisted mass of flesh that might once have resembled something human.  He feels a pang of conscience when he looks at it.  It’s intriguing in its own way, and it seems a shame to damage it, but of course that is why he came here.  

It takes an unusual amount of strength to raise the knife, as though his body is fighting him, and when he sinks it into the sculpture, it almost feels as though he has buried it in his own chest.

***

The second sculpture, the one behind the picture in the hotel, proves just as straightforward to locate, even if Sebastian does have to sneak around and avoid Obscura to reach it.  He has just grasped the handle of his knife when he hesitates, gives the sculpture another look, because this one really is beautiful, even if he doesn’t fully understand it.  Surely it would be cruel to destroy something like this, to destroy someone’s creation.

He shakes his head as if to clear it, because those last couple of thoughts didn’t feel like his own, but they are somehow compelling.  They’ve taken up residence unbidden in his head, and even now, he’s not sure they’re wrong.

Maybe he doesn’t have to destroy this...maybe there’s some other way...but no, he needs to draw out the artist to get to Lily, and so he raises the knife.  Or he tries to.  His hand is on the handle, but his arm is frozen in place, stiff and unresponsive.  He grits his teeth and tries again, but nothing happens.

“Is something wrong, Sebastian?”

He doesn’t have to turn around to know that it’s Stefano behind him.  Rage flares up in his chest, and it spurs him to action.  He rips the knife from the sheath and plunges it into the sculpture.

It hurts- physically hurts- him, and he and Stefano gasp in unison.  Sebastian sways on the spot and drops to one knee on the floor, then looks up to see Stefano doing the same.

“No,” he answers when he has finally caught his breath.  “Nothing’s wrong.”

Stefano flashes another mysterious smile before he gets to his feet and disappears.

***

When he next sees Stefano on the stage, something stirs inside him, a kind of vague, formless longing.  Stefano exudes raw power, and he wants to tap into that power- no, he is already part of that power, if only he will let himself access it.

“It’s alright,” Stefano says, as though he can hear Sebastian’s internal struggle playing out.  “We are the same now, you and I.  We share the same blood, and we have the same goal.”

No, Sebastian wants to say, but by the time he opens his mouth, the thought has left his mind, never to return.

Stefano descends from the stage and approaches him, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder.  Something inside him thrills at that touch.  Something inside him resonates at the same frequency as Stefano, and Sebastian instinctively presses closer.

“I knew you would be ready,” Stefano says, sounding pleased.  Sebastian doesn’t know what he is supposed to be ready for, until suddenly he does.  His mind is filled with visions of power, of what they will do with that power, of what Union will become.

“Come with me now, Sebastian,” Stefano says.  “We will rule Union together.”

Sebastian doesn’t have to ‘come with’ Stefano.  Sebastian is Stefano.  They are part of the same organism, the same consciousness, fused inseparably, and Union will tremble before them.

[detectivesebcas]

Promptober Day 37- Emily’s Grave

Requested by: @dreamlind

Warnings: grief/mourning, references to canonical character death

Universe: Canon AU

The photograph catches Sebastian’s attention immediately.  Not only is it taller than Sebastian himself and the only point of interest in this particular room, but the image it depicts is so different from everything else Sebastian has seen in Stefano���s gallery.

Sebastian has become familiar with Stefano’s style, with blood and gore and human bodies twisted into unnatural configurations, but this new picture is nothing like that.  It depicts a stone marker, which can only be a gravestone, on a cliff beside the ocean.  Sebastian is mesmerized by the image, by the tranquility and sorrow it conveys, and he finds himself walking closer and closer until he is within arm’s reach of the picture, and then he is reaching out his arm to touch it, to be pulled in the same way he was with the photographs in the hotel and the bar.

He can feel the wind on his face, can hear the waves lapping at the base of the cliff, because now he is standing in the very spot the photograph depicted.  It is just as peaceful as he imagined it would be, which seems strange after the way he’s been racing around Union trying to track down Stefano and Lily.

The gravestone is in front of him, and he moves in close enough to read the inscription: Emily Lewis.  Sebastian remembers that name, remembers the young woman who was found decapitated in Krimson Park all those years ago, and he remembers finding the newspaper clipping about her in City Hall.  She was Stefano’s model...but was she also his victim?

The sound of footsteps on the gravel path behind him sends Sebastian diving into a nearby bush.  He crouches there, waiting to see who is coming and whether they are going to pose a threat to him.

It’s Stefano himself who comes into view on the path.  He is walking slowly, as if he’s in a bit of a trance himself, and in his hands are red roses, much like the ones Sebastian saw in the room with the mannequin at City Hall.  He is wondering if there is some connection when Stefano approaches the gravestone and kneels down to place the roses at the base of it.  Stefano sighs deeply and sits back on his heels, still looking at the gravestone.

“My dearest Emily,” he says.  “It has been six years since I last saw you.”  He pauses.  “Six years I have spent alone.”  He draws in a deep, shuddering breath, and when he speaks again, his voice is tight.  “I have come back to see you, just as I promised I would.”

He raises his hands to shield his face, and his next breath is more of a sob.  Sebastian is dumbfounded at this display of emotion from Stefano.  Didn’t Hoffman say that he was a psychopath?  That he was incapable of emotion or at least incapable of understanding the emotions of others?  And yet, here he is, crying over the grave of a woman who died over six years ago, keeping a promise he made to her.  The man in front of him is so far removed from the Stefano that Sebastian has come to know in Union that he doesn’t know how to reconcile the two.

“You did not keep your promise though,” Stefano says through his tears.  “You promised that you would never leave me...that I would never be alone.”

Sebastian’s heart is breaking for Stefano, because he knows this kind of loss himself, knows how it feels to talk to someone who will never answer back, knows the absolute emptiness of the silence that follows Stefano’s words.

“Why did you leave me?” Stefano continues.  “My dearest Emily...my only friend.”  He buries his face in his hands again and weeps, and even though he is an enemy, even though he has taken Lily and murdered dozens of people and corrupted Union, something in Sebastian softens.  This man is grieving.  This man is in pain, and even though Sebastian is a little bit worried that he might be about to get stabbed, he has to do something.

He stands up and steps out of the bushes.  “Stefano?”

Stefano whips around and scrambles to his feet.  Predictably, he doesn’t look happy to be disturbed.  “What are you doing here?”

Sebastian raises his hands in a pacifying gesture.  “I’m sorry.  I really am.  I didn’t know what this was.  I just found the picture and…”  He isn’t sure how to finish the sentence, but Stefano nods.

“Is this...is this a real place?” Sebastian asks.

“No,” Stefano replies.  “The gravestone is real, but it is in Krimson Cemetery.  I thought Emily deserved a much grander place than that.  And she always talked about how she wanted to live by the sea.”

“It’s beautiful,” Sebastian says.  An unasked question hangs in the air between them.

“I didn’t kill her,” Stefano finally says.

Sebastian nods.  “I believe you.”  Now that he’s seen how much Stefano is grieving Emily, he finds it hard to believe that he was responsible for her death.  He also sees an opening to make an appeal to Stefano’s better nature.

“You know, the way you were just talking to Emily?” he begins.  “It’s how I used to talk to Lily.”

Stefano frowns.  “What do you mean?”

“When I thought she was dead,” Sebastian explains.  “I used to talk to her every night before I went to sleep.  Sometimes I felt like I was going crazy...talking to someone who I knew would never answer me.”

Stefano nods in understanding, and Sebastian looks him right in the eye.

“Please, Stefano,” he says.  “I thought I’d lost her once.  I can’t lose her again.”

Stefano seems to deliberate for a few seconds, but then he says, “Very well.  I will take you to her.  What then?”

“Then we come up with a plan to get all of us out of Union,” Sebastian says.

“All of us?” Stefano asks.

“All of us,” Sebastian replies.

[detectivesebcas]

Promptober Day 25- Stefano’s Birthday (Catalyst)

Requested by: @dreamlind

Warnings: mild language

Universe: Catalyst (post-story when they’ve settled down)

Stefano knows there is something unusual going on when he wakes up alone, but he still takes a few moments to savor the simple pleasure of lying in bed on a lazy Sunday morning.  It’s winter, so the air in the house is a little chilly, but in his pajamas and under the covers everything is soft and warm and smells like Sebastian.  It’s quite an enjoyable way to wake up, but that doesn’t change the fact that something strange is afoot.

For one thing, it usually takes a nuclear explosion to get Sebastian out of bed, so it’s very atypical for him to be awake before Stefano.  For another, Stefano can detect the sound of hushed voices in the hall outside his bedroom, and the snatches of conversation he overhears are distinctly suspicious.

“Dad, I’ve got it,” Lily says.  He can hear the irritation in her voice, and Stefano wonders if this is part of an ongoing argument.

“Okay, okay,” Sebastian says.  “Just be careful.  It’s a little heavy.  And be quiet.”

Stefano has to stifle a laugh with his pillow, because Sebastian has no place telling anyone to be quiet.  Maybe it’s his years in law enforcement coming through, but Sebastian has no inside voice, and even when he thinks he’s whispering, Stefano can still hear him from the next room.

There are a few more footsteps, and Sebastian mutters, “Watch it.”

“I’m fine!” huffs Lily.  “Just get the door.”

The door creaks open, and Stefano sits up in bed, eager to see what on earth is happening.  Sebastian and Lily are standing there, both in their pajamas as well, and Lily is holding a breakfast tray.

“Happy Birthday!” Lily blurts out.  She has a huge smile on her face and looks like she is about to bubble over with excitement.  “We made you breakfast in bed!”

Stefano is hit by such a rush of emotions that it takes him a few moments to sort all of them out.  His first instinct is to tell Lily that it’s not his birthday, but this is immediately followed by the realization that he doesn’t actually know whether it’s his birthday or not.  He racks his brain, because this is something people know- normal people know when their birthdays are- but he is drawing a blank.

At the same time, he is a little overwhelmed by the kind of warm fuzzy feeling that comes on so often when he is with Sebastian and Lily.  They’ve clearly done something very nice for him, and he doesn’t know what he did to deserve this or why they seem to think he is worth all this trouble, but he knows that it’s useless to ask these questions.  They’ll just insist that they love him, and that will be the end of it.

In spite of his confusion, he smiles and answers, “Well, this is a pleasant surprise.  Thank you.”  His eye flicks over to Sebastian.  “Both of you.  It smells wonderful.”

Lily beams and carries the tray over to the bed, waiting for Stefano to arrange himself comfortably against the pillows before she hands it to him.  He balances the tray on his lap, eyeing the piles of french toast and bacon with some apprehension, because there is definitely too much here for one person.

“You two are going to help me eat this, right?” he asks.

“If you insist,” Sebastian says with a grin.

***

Stefano can tell Sebastian had a hand in preparing the french toast, because it’s a little heavy on the cinnamon, like everything Sebastian cooks, but it’s still very good, and he and Sebastian and Lily eat their fill.

Afterward, Lily volunteers to take the tray downstairs, and Sebastian closes the bedroom door behind her and turns to Stefano.  His brow is creased with worry.

“What’s wrong?” he asks.  “Did we overdo it?”

“No,” Stefano replies, glancing down at the comforter.  “I just…”  He takes a deep breath and forces himself to look at Sebastian.  “I just didn’t know it was my birthday.”  He pauses.  “How did you know?”

“It was part of the file Mobius had on you,” Sebastian says as a dark look crosses his face.  “You really didn’t remember?”

Stefano shakes his head.  Over time, he has come to terms with the fact that there are many things about his past he does not remember, but this seems like a pretty big one, and apparently Sebastian thinks so as well.

“God damn it,” Sebastian growls, and Stefano flinches.  He knows Sebastian isn’t angry at him.  Sebastian would never talk to him that way, but even Sebastian’s righteous anger on his behalf can be a little disconcerting.

“Sorry,” Sebastian says quickly.  He moves to sit on the edge of the bed next to Stefano and takes Stefano’s face between his hands with a deep sigh.  “What did Mobius do to you?”

It’s clearly a rhetorical question, and neither one of them attempts to answer it.  They sit, still and silent, for a few seconds until Sebastian leans in to press a kiss to his forehead.

“I’m sorry,” he says again as he sits back and meets Stefano’s gaze.  “You deserve so much better.”

“And now I have it,” Stefano points out, because he can’t imagine a better life than the one he has with Sebastian and Lily.

“I guess so,” Sebastian says, though he doesn’t sound convinced.

“I know so,” Stefano replies.  “Now come and lie down with me for a little while.”

“That does sound tempting,” Sebastian says, “but can’t I stomp around and curse out Mobius instead?”

“No,” Stefano says decisively.  “You have to do what I say.  It’s my birthday.”

Sebastian laughs and dives under the covers with him, and there is no better feeling than being wrapped securely in Sebastian’s arms.  Whatever Mobius took from him, he has gained back a hundred times over.  His old, lost memories don’t seem to matter very much when he can make new ones with Sebastian and Lily.

[detectivesebcas]

Promptober Day 27- Defending Stefano’s Art

Requested by: @lucidlexicon

Warnings: mild language

Universe: pre-established SteSeb relationship, post-Union

It’s almost midnight, and the crowd from the opening of Stefano’s latest exhibit has dispersed, but there are still a few stragglers scattered around the gallery.  Sebastian is cruising the room with a glass of champagne in his hand, hoping to catch a glimpse of the artist himself, when he hears it.

“I suppose so, but does the imagery serve any purpose?”

“Shock value- that’s all,” a second voice chimes in.  “Gore for its own sake.”

Sebastian pauses, shielded from the speakers behind a column.  He certainly isn’t an art critic himself, and he often doesn’t fit in particularly well at these events.  At the last opening, he got the distinct impression that Stefano was a little embarrassed by his lack of sophistication.  However, he is still savvy enough to know that what is being said on the other side of the column is not the praise he expects to hear about Stefano’s work, not the recognition that Stefano’s work deserves.

The first voice is speaking again.  “There’s no meaning here, nothing that invites deeper analysis.”

Sebastian bristles at that, because of course Stefano’s art is meaningful.  He knows how much Stefano puts into his creations, how he pours his heart and soul into every photograph, how precisely he engineers each composition.  Nothing is random; nothing is left to chance.  Sebastian may not understand what each piece means, but they sure as hell mean something.

He glances up and down the gallery, but he doesn’t see Stefano, which is probably a good thing, because Stefano really doesn’t need to hear this.  For one thing, these people are clearly idiots, and for another, Stefano’s reaction to criticism can be a little extreme as evidenced by the fact that more than one of his critics has disappeared under highly suspicious circumstances.

“I can’t believe we came out to see this,” the second voice says.  “This isn’t even art.”

Sebastian sees red at that, because he knows how important art is to Stefano, and these people are simply wrong.  He may not understand why, but they are dead wrong, and no one insults his husband’s art like that.

He steps out from behind the column.  “Where the hell do you get off saying something like that?”

The two middle-aged ladies who have been disdainfully eyeing one of Stefano’s latest pieces jump back in surprise.  Actually, judging from their expressions, it’s something more like terror.  Their eyes are wide and their mouths are hanging open.

“Excuse me?”  One of them says tentatively.  “Who are you exactly?”

“Forget about who I am,” Sebastian snaps.  “Who are you?  Who are you to judge this?  What do you know about art?”

The owner of the second voice draws herself up to her full height, which is approximately five foot one.  “I’ll have you know I am Veronica Whitehurst, senior photography consultant for Artiste magazine.”

“Never heard of you,” Sebastian shoots back, thoroughly unimpressed.  He doubts he’ll even remember her name in a few more seconds.  “And where’s your exhibit?”

“I...I…”  Veronica Whatsername stammers.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Sebastian says.  “It must be easy to throw those kind of comments around when you’ve got nothing on the line yourself.”

Veronica Whatserface has composed herself a little more.  “My contribution to the art world is my critique.  Anyone who’s anyone knows my work,” she replies indignantly.

“Yeah, I’ll bet,” Sebastian retorts.  “Your ‘work’...”. He makes air quotes with his hands as he speaks.  “...is just tearing down the people who actually create things.  With people like you around it’s a wonder anyone bothers to create anything at all.”

Both women stare at Sebastian in stunned silence.

“Stefano is a visionary,” Sebastian says with conviction, “and if you can’t see that from his work, then you don’t have any business in the art world at all.”

The two women look at each other, then back at Sebastian, then back at each other.  “I’ve never been so insulted!” exclaims Veronica Whatever, and she and her companion shuffle away across the gallery, shooting ugly looks over their shoulders at Sebastian.

Sebastian turns his attention back to the photograph in front of him.  He strains his eyes, strains his mind, tries desperately to see it the way he is sure Stefano sees it, the way an artist would see it.  It still looks the same to him, and he can’t say that he understands it, but he knows what it represents.

It doesn’t matter if a hundred critics pan this exhibit.  It’s Stefano’s work, Stefano’s blood, sweat, and tears, and even if they don’t see the meaning in it, it absolutely means something to Sebastian.

He is lost in thought when a familiar hand touches the small of his back.  “Visionary, you say?”

Sebastian turns to Stefano.  “How long have you been there?”

“Long enough,” Stefano replies with a strained smile.  “Though I was standing out of sight behind the column.”

“I’m sorry,” Sebastian says.  “Don’t take anything they said too seriously.  Who cares what they think anyway.”

Stefano looks thoughtful for a moment.  “What about the things you said?”

“You know I meant every word of it,” Sebastian says.  “I may not understand your art, but I understand you.”

“One doesn’t always have to understand art to appreciate it,” Stefano says.  “And I, in turn, appreciate all you do for me.”  He leans in to kiss Sebastian.

Stefano’s mouth is soft and warm and tastes of champagne.  The kiss is a little rough, probably because Sebastian is still agitated from his argument with the art critic, but Stefano doesn’t seem to mind.

When the kiss ends, Stefano rests his head on Sebastian’s shoulder.  The gallery is almost empty now except for Sebastian and Stefano and the strains of some classical music.

“You’re sure I didn’t embarrass you?” Sebastian asks.

“Far from it,” Stefano replies.  “Now, dance with me.”

Sebastian grins, because this is something he does understand, and when Stefano is in his arms, all is right with the world.

[detectivesebcas]

Promptober Day 26- Tactical Flirting

Requested by: Anon

Warnings: innuendo, canon typical violence

Universe: Canon-ish AU

Sebastian hears the footfalls behind him a second too late.  His hand flies to his gun, and he pivots on the spot, but before he can pull the gun more than few inches out of the holster, there is a bright flash of light, and he is utterly frozen in place.

He can only watch as the photographer approaches him, camera still held in one hand.

“You’ve been searching for me for so long,” the photographer says.  “I must say, I am quite flattered.”

He strolls closer as Sebastian frantically tries to will his muscles to move.

“Many have sought me,” he continues, “but I have met no one here in Union who is as…”  He looks Sebastian up and down, openly admiring his physique.  “...impressive as yourself.”

Sebastian is stunned.  This is Lily’s kidnapper, the man who is responsible for the corruption of all of Union, and by all accounts a formidable adversary.  He came here expecting a fight, and the flirtatious comments catch him completely off guard.

“You will be my finest work yet.”

The photographer steps in closer, and Sebastian’s confusion is replaced by a cold wave of fear when he sees the knife clutched in his other hand.  He tries to run, to shout, to draw his gun, but it is all in vain.  The photographer raises the knife and moves it toward his chest.

“Don’t be afraid,” he says in a tone that is far too soothing for this situation.  “I merely like to take a look at my canvas before I begin to create.”

The knife catches the fabric of his shirt at the collar, and the photographer draws it downward, slicing his shirt open neatly down the front.  He tucks the knife away inside his jacket and traces its path with his gloved finger, drawing an imaginary line down Sebastian’s torso, ending at the waistband of his pants.

“And such a canvas you are,” he breathes.  He directs his gaze back to Sebastian’s face.  “I am Stefano, and you will be my art.”  His fingers brush Sebastian’s cheek in a tender caress.  “We will meet again.  I promise you that.”

He turns and walks away, and it’s not until the double doors close behind him that Sebastian is able to move.  He draws his gun and takes aim, but of course there is nothing there.

***

Sebastian emerges from the encounter shaken, red-faced, and practically shirtless, for all the good his is doing him right now.  He doesn’t know who Stefano is or what he wants or why he has taken such an unexpected sort of interest in him, but he puts all of that aside.  He has to find Lily.

Kidman is able to fill him in on some of the information about Stefano’s past, and he heads for the business district armed with more knowledge, though still not enough to understand what kind of game Stefano is playing.

What he finds outside the theatre only fuels his curiosity- and his growing sense of embarrassment.  One of Mobius’ soldiers is strung up by barbed wire, and a knife is sticking out of his skull.  It’s not the blood and gore that shocks him but the photo impaled on the knife.  Sebastian pulls the knife out to get a closer look and finds himself blushing furiously, because the image is of Stefano wearing only his trademark gloves and a strategically placed scarf.

“What the hell?” sputters Sebastian, dropping the photo.  It lands upside down on the pavement, and he can now see that there are words written on the back in what appears to be blood.

Waiting for you.

***

When Sebastian steps through the double doors of the auditorium for his final confrontation with Stefano, a plan is already beginning to take shape in his mind.  Of course there is no guarantee that it will work, and if it fails, he’s going to end up looking pretty stupid, but if the signs Stefano is sending him are any indication, it’s worth a try.

Stefano is on the stage in front of him, knife in one hand and camera in the other.  He smiles.  “I was beginning to worry you weren’t coming, but I see you’ve found me.”

“Yes,” Sebastian replies, steeling his nerves and putting on his most seductive voice.  “Now what am I going to do with you?”

Stefano’s eye widens noticeably and he takes a small step backward.  “Excuse me?”

Sebastian has already drawn his gun and fired off a few rounds before Stefano collects himself.  He reels with the impact of the shots for a moment, but then seems to shake it off, and in a flash he is right in front of Sebastian, knife raised, but Sebastian keeps his cool this time.

“I like a man who fights a little dirty,” he growls, eyes locked on to Stefano’s.

Again, Stefano hesitates, and he has to go on the defensive, dodging Sebastian’s bullets and parrying his close-range attacks.  They go back and forth like this for several minutes.  Sebastian has never considered tactical flirting before, but he must admit that it’s working surprisingly well.

He is reloading his gun when Stefano teleports close to him and drops to one knee.  He is breathing hard and one of his hands is raised in a gesture of surrender.  “Wait!” he calls.

Sebastian snaps the magazine back into place and pauses, on the alert for another of Stefano’s tricks.

“I propose a truce,” Stefano says.  “I don’t have the girl anymore, but I know how we can get her back.”

Sebastian raises an eyebrow.  “Does it involve suggestive comments?  Because that mouth of yours is going to get you into trouble.”

“Let me assure you that I know exactly what to do with my mouth,” Stefano replies with a wink.

“Oh for god’s sake,” Sebastian groans.  Stefano is absolutely shameless, but he’s in no position to turn down an offer of help.  He grasps Stefano’s hand and pulls him to his feet.  “Let’s go.”

[detectivesebcas]

Promptober Day 28- Creator’s Rights

Requested by: Anonymous

Warnings: canon typical violence, references to brainwashing

Universe: Canon AU

“What is your mission?” Stefano asks, making sure that his tone carries the appropriate sense of authority.  He is standing squarely facing Sebastian, the way a superior officer might address a footsoldier.  And Sebastian is his soldier.

“To protect the Core,” Sebastian replies with no hesitation.  His eyes are a little unfocused, but his voice is strong, and Stefano can detect no deception in him, no weakness, nothing that will breed failure or disobedience.

“And to whom are you loyal?” Stefano says, looking Sebastian up and down.

“To you.”

Stefano frowns slightly at that.  There is nothing lacking in Sebastian’s loyalty, and in fact Stefano has been reaping the rewards of that loyalty for quite some time during the training process.  What troubles him now is that he knows his time with Sebastian is drawing to a close, and it doesn’t seem fair for him to be deprived of the fruits of his labor.

A creator does have certain rights, after all, and Sebastian is undoubtedly his creation.  Theodore provided him the raw materials- the flesh and bone, the thoughts and feelings and memories- but Stefano has shaped those materials to fit his vision, and in Sebastian’s case, he has outdone himself.

Sebastian was perhaps not the most psychologically balanced individual to start with, but that gave Stefano a lot to work with.  Sebastian was ruled by his emotions, but Stefano has focused them, channeled them for a very particular purpose, just as Theodore directed.  And even though he undertook all of this on Theodore’s orders, Stefano now finds himself resenting Theodore for threatening to take Sebastian away from him.

It would be a terrible waste, for one thing.  Sebastian has such potential, and Theodore will utilize none of that.  Stefano had high hopes when he provided Theodore with the Core, but Theodore is only interested in power for its own sake- gaining power and withholding it from others.  He is too unimaginative, too short-sighted to have any interest in the things he could accomplish with that power..

In addition, Stefano has taken a more personal interest in Sebastian.  The life of an artist is often a lonely one.  He typically prefers his creations- his photographs and his sculptures- to human interaction, but of course Sebastian is his creation as well, and he and Sebastian have had much more… satisfying interactions then he could ever hope to have with his other works of art.  Sebastian’s enthusiasm for physical contact is matched only by his eagerness to please, and Stefano has found both of those things quite enjoyable.

As a creator, he should retain the absolute authority to control his own work, to dictate how others can interact with it, if he allows them to interact with it at all.  He doesn’t expect Theodore to see it that way, but then, Theodore is a manipulator, not a creator.  Theodore is also drunk on his own power and laboring under the delusion that all of Union belongs to him.

To that end, when Theodore next summons him and Sebastian to his throne room, Stefano is prepared for a fight.

Sebastian looks mildly confused upon suddenly being teleported into Theodore’s realm, which is just as dull as Stefano remembers it- all fire and brimstone-, but he quiets as soon as he sees that Stefano is with him.  That trust, the docile acceptance that he is safe if he is with Stefano, causes Stefano’s protective instinct to flare up again.  Sebastian is his to use and his to protect, and he won’t allow Theodore to damage him.

“Stefano.”  Theodore’s voice booms through the cavernous throne room, and Stefano has to resist the urge to roll his eye.  He appreciates theatricality, but this is just excessive.  “When we last met I set you a specific task.  Have you completed it?”

“Yes,” Stefano replies.  It’s not a lie exactly.  He has successfully reprogrammed Sebastian, altered his memories, and changed his loyalties, but he has no intention of turning him over.

“Very good,” Theodore says.  “Now, come to me Sebastian.”

Sebastian looks at Stefano, and Stefano knows that all he has to do is give his permission, tell Sebastian to obey Theodore, but instead he holds up a hand.  “Wait,” he tells Sebastian.  Then he turns to Theodore.  “I can’t let you do that,” he says.  “Sebastian has become rather indispensable to me.”

“Stefano.”  There is a note of warning in Theodore’s voice.  “I expect nothing less than absolute obedience in my servants.”

Stefano is quite finished with Theodore, and he detests being spoken to as though he is a naughty child.  “I am no man’s servant,” he says proudly, “and Sebastian is mine.”

“Then it seems our business is at an end,” Theodore says.  He waves his hand lazily and in an instant, Stefano is surrounded by a ring of fire, or, more accurately, a ring of Theodore’s fire disciples.

Stefano realizes two things immediately.  First, he is going to be far outmatched in a fight against this many strong opponents, and second, it may not have been a good idea to anger the man who holds the power of the Core.  He reaches for his knife, preparing to make his last stand, but before he can do anything, Sebastian springs into action.  He shoots and stabs, bends time and space, uses all of the tools Stefano has given him, and Stefano is filled with a sense of pride as he watches his creation at work.

When Sebastian has cut down the last enemy, Stefano has the presence of mind to teleport them away from Theodore.  It’s a temporary measure, and considering how powerful Theodore is, there are surely much greater obstacles ahead, but at least he still has Sebastian by his side.

Speaking of Sebastian, he is looking at Stefano with a curious expression.  “Sir?” he asks tentatively.

“Yes?”

“Does this mean I can stay with you?”

“Yes, of course,” Stefano replies.  It’s a rare showing of emotion, but one that he’s willing to permit.

[detectivesebcas]

Promptober Day 5- Sebastian Defeated

Requested by: @sebcastellanyes

Warnings: violence (between Stefano and Sebastian), making art, major character death; This gets rough, so if you prefer the softer stories, maybe sit this one out

The knife rends flesh, scrapes bone, lays him bare before the eye of the artist.  Sebastian knows he should resist, knows he should be screaming by now, but the pain of what Stefano is doing to his body is nothing compared to the pain in his heart.

Lily is gone.  He has heard those same words so many times over the past few years- from Myra, from Joseph, from his department-issued therapist.  Before that night in the bar with Kidman, before Union, he had started saying those words to himself in an attempt to reunite with reality, to hold on to what was left of his mind.

Learning about Union, learning there was a chance to save Lily was a tiny glimmer of hope in a desolate world, but now all of that hope is gone, because Theodore has won.  Theodore was able to break his mind, break his will with his own shortcomings- his fear, his doubt, his guilt, his memories of Beacon, his regrets about not being there for Myra and Lily.

And now Lily really is gone.  Lily is dead- no, Lily is worse than dead.  She is a slave to Theodore’s will, and all because Sebastian failed.  He had expected to be killed outright rather than turned over to Stefano, but it hardly matters now.  He is in his own personal hell, regardless of the plans Stefano has for him.

He lets himself slump against Stefano’s work table.  He couldn’t leave it if he wanted to, tied down as he is, but he has no fight left in him.  There is nothing to fight for anymore.

A gloved hand brushes his cheek.  There is dampness there, and he doesn’t know if it is his tears or his blood or something else.  “It’s alright, my dear,” murmurs Stefano, his voice oddly soothing in Sebastian’s ear.  “You are becoming art.  When I am finished with you, you will be magnificent.”

Sebastian has nothing to say to him.  Sebastian has nothing to say to anyone.

Stefano’s hand trails down his ribcage, and the knife follows.  In spite of the crushing guilt, the cutting does hurt, and Sebastian’s breath catches in his throat.  “Easy,” Stefano says, hand and knife still working in unison, “True art requires suffering.  Inspiration is no use if one cannot stomach the process of creation.”

They must be making some art, because Sebastian is suffering intensely, both from the white-hot pain of Stefano’s knife and the thoughts that are tearing his brain apart from the inside.  He has all but tuned out the artist’s rambling words when Stefano’s tone becomes less dreamy and more matter-of-fact.

“You believe that you have failed, yes?”

Sebastian says nothing.

“I suppose in a way you have,” Stefano continues, apparently unperturbed by Sebastian’s lack of response.  “The same way that I failed in Florence.”  He continues to work as he speaks, and Sebastian’s awareness ebbs and flows with the pain.

“I had a glimpse of success, of artistic glory, of the most important thing in the world, but it slipped through my fingers,” he muses.  “The same way the girl slipped through yours.”

“Her name is Lily,” gasps Sebastian.

“I know,” Stefano replies, “but what good will it do her now?”

Sebastian doesn’t answer.  There is nothing to say.

“You may not realize it, but you have one last opportunity,” Stefano says, approaching Sebastian’s head.

Sebastian opens his mouth to ask what the hell Stefano is talking about, but Stefano cuts him off.

“Not to save her,” he says, “but to control how she will remember you.”  He brushes Sebastian’s hair out of his eyes, almost fondly.

“She is still aware, you know,” he continues.  “He may have harnessed her power, but she is still aware of everything in Union, and as long as Theodore continues to use her for his own ends, she will remain aware.  Whatever is left of you in this world may be all that she has left to comfort her.”

Sebastian’s head swims.  Surely these are the ramblings of a madman.  Lily can’t see him.  He wouldn’t want Lily to see him like this.

Stefano returns to his work, and Sebastian grits his teeth against the pain.  He is too weak and exhausted to do anything else.

“Do you want her to remember you as the man who failed to save her?  Or as something beautiful?” he asks.

Sebastian thinks it might be better if Lily doesn’t remember him at all.  He hasn’t done anything worthy of being remembered.  Myra was the kind of parent Lily deserved.  Myra was the one who never gave up, the one who kept searching for Lily even when it made no logical sense, the one who found Lily.  Myra did a much better job protecting Lily than Sebastian ever did, but even she was no match for Theodore.

He is so lost in these thoughts that he doesn’t register Stefano’s movement until he leans in close to his face.

“She spoke of you.”

“Lily did?” Sebastian whispers.  His mouth is so dry, and his voice is almost gone.

“Yes, she did,” Stefano replies.  “When Lily was with me, she told me about you, how strong you were, how brave…”

“Not...strong...enough.”  Sebastian forces out.

“But so brave,” Stefano murmurs, stroking his cheek again, “brave enough to take on an entire world of enemies just to have the chance to see her again.”

There is dampness on Sebastian’s cheek again, and this time, it’s definitely tears.

“You have such a noble story, Sebastian,” Stefano says, brushing the tears away.  “One that I will capture forever in my art.  When people look at this photo, they will not see how you failed but what you sacrificed.”

Sebastian’s vision is beginning to go dark around the edges, and the pain is gone, but a coldness is slowly creeping up his limbs.

Stefano steps back and picks up his camera.  “Now, smile for me.”

There is a bright flash of light, then darkness.

[detectivesebcas]

Promptober Day 14- Soft Focus Divergence (Chapter 9)

Prompt: What if Slade agreed to sell Stefano to Sebastian and Sebastian agreed to pay the price to get Stefano out from under Slade’s control?

Requested by: @dreamlind

Warnings: mentions of drug use and prostitution, human trafficking, contains a spoiler for the Soft Focus main story

Universe: Soft Focus (Sebastian is a vice and narcotics investigator, Stefano is a sex worker, and Slade is Stefano’s pimp)

“And what if I didn’t bring him back at all?”

Sebastian’s words hang in the air.  Stefano’s eye is fixed on the floor, which is hard under his knees, but he is sure that Slade is sizing up Sebastian, trying to decide whether he means what he says or not.

“That would be a pretty hefty charge,” Slade says after a pause.  “Probably something we’d negotiate up-front, if you knew you wanted someone…for that purpose.”

Sebastian’s hand twitches where it rests on Stefano’s head, but otherwise he keeps his composure.  Stefano has to remind himself that this is all new to Sebastian, that Sebastian doesn’t know just how common it is for escorts to leave this house and never return.  Slade is a businessman after all.  Everything- and everyone- here is for sale.

“Name your price,” Sebastian says.

Slade doesn’t speak, and Stefano chances a look up.  Slade has taken up his ledger notebook.  He jots something on it, tears out the page, and hands it to Sebastian.

“Done,” Sebastian says, taking his hand off of Stefano and reaching into his pocket.

Slade’s eyes get noticeably wider for a second before he turns to Stefano.  “Go upstairs and get your things,” he says.

Stefano is on his feet in an instant, hurrying to obey.  For once, it’s not just because he’s afraid of what will happen if he doesn’t.  His hand shakes on the railing as he climbs the stairs.  He still has a bit of a high going from a session earlier tonight with one of Slade’s clients, but even without the drugs, there is excitement running through him.

He pushes open the door to his small room and starts to gather his belongings.  He has so little to his name- just some clothes and his sketchbook- that it all fits into one small bag.

He doesn’t know what Sebastian will ask of him, but whatever it is, he will do it.  Sebastian has been very kind and polite to him so far, but Stefano doesn’t delude himself into thinking that will last.  He’s had clients like this before, the ones who start out shy and unassuming, the ones who treat him like a lover rather than an object, the ones who change as soon as they get a taste of power, as soon as they realize that he can refuse them nothing.

Sebastian will be the same of course, but even so, he can’t be any more cruel than Slade and Riker.  Stefano has suffered such indignities at their hands that he is more than willing to opt for the devil he doesn’t know than the one he does.

When he returns to the sitting room on the second floor, Slade has the smug look that he usually has when someone has just given him a great deal of money, and Sebastian’s face is pale and drawn.

“Alright then,” Slade says to Sebastian. “It’s been a pleasure doing business with you.  If you need any more product or if you’re looking for some...companionship in the future, you know where to find me.”

“Got it,” Sebastian says, and they shake hands.

Slade directs his attention to Stefano.  “You behave yourself,” he cautions.  He narrows his eyes.  “He knows now.  He can ruin you just as well as I can.”

His words hit Stefano like a bucket of cold water, leaving him reeling from the shock.  He had no idea Slade would go this far, that Slade, in turning him over to Sebastian, would also turn over his trump card, the source of all of his power over Stefano.

“Hey,” Sebastian says quietly.  He is standing in front of him with his hands on Stefano’s shoulders. “Let’s go.”

He trails behind Sebastian on the way out of the house as though in a trance.  He should be thrilled to leave this place, to leave these men, but instead he is afraid, not just of how much power Sebastian has over him now, but of what Sebastian must think of him.  Sebastian is one of a very few good and decent men he knows, and Sebastian’s opinion of him does matter.

The car ride is silent.  Sebastian has a white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel, and Stefano isn’t even paying attention to where they are going.  It doesn’t matter.  This is his new life.

When the car stops, he gets out and follows Sebastian to what must be his house.  His hands are shaking, and he doesn’t know if it’s from the drugs or his fear.  Sebastian closes the door behind them, and when he turns around, Stefano can see that he is shaking too.  They stare at each other for a moment before Sebastian breaks the silence.

“He thinks I’m going to murder you.  You know that, right?”  He shakes his head slowly, face strained.  “He just sold me your life.”

“Yes,” Stefano replies calmly, because this is the one thing about the situation that does make sense to him.  “What did you think you were purchasing?”

“Your freedom,” Sebastian says with a heavy sigh.  “The investigation’s over, and I couldn’t leave you there like that.”

“There is no freedom for me,” Stefano says.  “Not when you know about Emily.”  He is shaking harder now, and he fears his knees will buckle under him.  He sways on the spot for a moment, but then Sebastian is stepping forward.  Sebastian’s arms are around him, and he is being pulled firmly against Sebastian’s chest.

“It’s alright,” Sebastian murmurs very close to his ear.  “We need to talk about that.  We need to talk about a lot of things, but not right now.  Right now you need to eat something and get some rest.”

Stefano allows himself to relax against Sebastian, to feel safe and protected and cared for, even if it’s just for a moment.  This seems too good to be true, but everything about Sebastian seems too good to be true.  Maybe- just maybe- things are actually going to change.

[detectivesebcas]

Promptober Day 4- Coffee Shop/Bookstore AU

Requested by: Anon

Warnings: explicit language, innuendo

“He is so fucking irritating!” Sebastian huffs, picking up a book and thumbing idly through it before thrusting it back onto the shelf at random.

Theodore flinches. Sebastian is hard on his books, but he suspects Sebastian is hard on everything.

Sebastian strides over to the front window of the bookstore, almost pressing his face to the glass in an effort to see down the street. “Look at him over there with his fancy drinks and his moody lighting,” he growls. “And what kind of name is Veritas for a coffee shop anyway?”

Theodore knows by now that he would be wasting his breath if he attempted to answer Sebastian’s question. Sebastian has been in his bookstore at least once a week for the last two months- stomping around, putting all of his books out of order, and grumbling about Stefano Valentini.

He can’t resist making an observation, however. “You certainly seem...preoccupied with Mr. Valentini.”

“What?” Sebastian whips around, a blush already coloring his cheeks. “No! I’m not preoccupied- I’m...offended.” He puffs up his chest as he continues, “His business is ridiculous! It’s all form and no substance! Who comes to a coffee shop for the atmosphere?”

Theodore raises an eyebrow as he starts to put his shelves back in order. Maybe Sebastian has a soft spot after all. “The lady doth protest too much, methinks,” he says, almost to himself.

“Who are you calling a lady?” Sebastian shoots back.

***

“That man is an embarrassment,” Stefano fumes as he leans against the counter by the register. “He has no idea how to run a business.” His eye narrows as he gazes out the window. “Or how to dress, for that matter.”

Theodore doesn’t have to look up from his work to know that Stefano is talking about Sebastian. Stefano has talked of almost nothing else the entire time he’s been visiting Theodore’s shop. If he spent half as much time focusing on his business as he spends complaining about Sebastian, he would be very wealthy indeed.

“Can you believe people actually drink that bilge-water he calls coffee?” Stefano snorts. “Philistines.”

Theodore heaves a sigh. “I wouldn’t call his coffee watery,” he observes. Sebastian’s coffee is strong enough to wake the dead. “Quite the opposite in fact. Have you ever tried it?”

Stefano makes a disgusted face. “As if I would allow anything of his into my body.”

Theodore wants so badly to make a comment, but he bites his tongue. Stefano is a very proud man, after all. The silence hangs heavy between them.

“I know what I said,” Stefano says finally, a look of resignation on his face. Then he turns and storms out the door with a muttered, “Damn it all!”

Theodore watches him go and wonders if Stefano realizes how much he is actually saying.

***

“If I wanted to,” Sebastian begins before quickly adding, “-and I’m not saying that I do- but just hypothetically if I wanted to approach someone like Stefano, how would I go about that?”

“So glad you asked,” Theodore replies, because he has reached the point where watching Sebastian and Stefano obsess over each other has become almost intolerable and their frequent, highly agitated presence in his shop is starting to drive away customers. And here is the perfect opportunity to put an end to all of this and restore the peace.

“First of all, put a little thought into your appearance- clothes, grooming, that sort of thing,” Theodore offers.

Sebastian frowns. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Theodore answers with no hesitation. “You said it yourself. The formal elements are important to him. You would do well not to neglect them.”

“I guess so,” Sebastian says thoughtfully. “But even if I clean up a little, he still thinks I’m some kind of ruffian.”

Theodore can’t argue with that. He’s heard Stefano use exactly that word to refer to Sebastian on more than one occasion. “Maybe so, but brushing up on a few basic niceties would show him that he’s...not entirely correct.”

“Hey!” Sebastian protests.

“Come with me,” Theodore says, leading the way to the back of the shop. “I think I have a few books that may be of interest to you.

***

“What do you think, Theodore?” Stefano asks later that same day. “Is it the height of folly for me to be interested in someone so...so boorish?” Predictably, he is looking off in the direction of Sebastian’s shop again.

“He’s not so bad,” Theodore says, “and more importantly, he’s trying to improve himself.” Or at least he had better be. Theodore didn’t send him home with all of those books on etiquette for nothing.

“But why him?” Stefano says, sounding genuinely distressed. “There are a thousand more suitable men in the world! There are probably a thousand more suitable men in this city!”

“None of us can choose where we shall love,” Theodore says. He turns his attention back to restoring order on one of the shelves Sebastian was pawing through earlier.

“Is that from a book?” Stefano asks with a distinctly suspicious note in his voice.

“I’m sure it is,” Theodore replies. “I have forgotten more books than most people have ever read.”

Stefano seems to be satisfied with this answer, because he doesn’t speak for a few minutes, and Theodore returns to his work. He is almost finished with the shelf when Stefano quietly clears his throat.

“As you are so well-read, what do you suppose I should do now?” There is none of Stefano’s trademark sarcasm in the question.

“You could make an effort to be more approachable,” Theodore suggests. “Maybe stop calling him things like ‘philistine’ and ‘brute’.”

Stefano’s brow furrows. “You are asking quite a lot of me.”

“You’ll manage,” says Theodore.

***

The next evening, Theodore looks out the front window of his shop to see Sebastian and Stefano sharing a bottle of wine at the restaurant across the street. He smiles to himself. Some of the best love stories aren’t found in books.

[detectivesebcas]

Sebastian/Stefano Promptober?

After a bit of a social media break, I have returned to Tumblr with plans to take on another October challenge.  Each story will be Sebastian/Stefano oriented and about 1,000 words (probably exactly 1,000 words like last time).  I’ll post one each day for the month of October.

I considered using a list like last year, and I may still use the Kinktober or Whumptober prompt list to fill in any gaps, but I also wanted to give you, the readers, a chance to submit some prompts of your own.  So here’s the big question, is there anyone left in this fandom?

If you’re out there, send me a prompt.  Anon is fine; multiple asks from one person are also fine.  It can be as detailed or as vague as you want- anything from a single word to a very specific scenario.  Bear in mind that it will be limited to 1,000 words unless I get carried away and it spins off into its own story, so maybe nothing too plot-heavy.

Some things to consider if you want to request something specific:

- What universe should it take place in?  Canon, Negative Space, Catalyst, Soft Focus, or Afterimage?

- Genre: smut, fluff, friendship, etc.?

- A word, quote, activity, kink, scenario, etc. NSFW is fine.  I’ll post these on AO3 as well in case Tumblr stops cooperating with NSFW written material.

Hope everyone is doing well, and tell me what you want to read this October!

[detectivesebcas]

Promptober Day 16- Fever

Requested by: Anonymous

Warnings: none

Universe: AU with established SteSeb relationship (post-STEM)

It’s about four o’clock in the morning when Stefano’s eye snaps open.  The first thing he realizes, with a bit of a smile, is that Sebastian’s arms are wrapped around him and Sebastian is burrowing his face into the crook of Stefano’s neck and shoulder.  The second thing he notices is that Sebastian’s body is as hot as a furnace.

Sebastian’s body temperature is usually a bit warmer than his own, which is lovely on cold winter nights when they are snuggled under the blankets, but the amount of heat he is putting out now is far beyond that, and it’s enough to cause Stefano concern.

“Sebastian?” He says quietly, voice hoarse from sleep.

“Hi,” Sebastian murmurs as he nuzzles his way farther into Stefano’s neck.  “I’m so glad you woke up.  I was getting lonely.”

Stefano almost laughs at the idea of Sebastian getting lonely when the two of them are not even one millimeter apart, but there is a tremble in Sebastian’s voice, a vulnerability that tells him that something isn’t right.  This is more than just Sebastian’s normal affinity for physical contact; this is serious.

“Do you feel alright?” Stefano asks, running his hands up Sebastian’s back.

Sebastian shivers, then shakes his head ‘no’.  Stefano can feel it, because Sebastian’s face is still pressed against him.  Apparently Sebastian isn’t going to volunteer any more information though.

“How do you feel?” Stefano prompts.

Sebastian seems to be considering for a moment before he replies, “Sometimes hot, sometimes cold.”

Stefano manages to work one of his hands into a position where he can feel Sebastian’s face, though it isn’t easy because Sebastian refuses to be dissuaded from burrowing into him.  As he expected, Sebastian’s face is quite warm.

“You’re running a fever,” Stefano says, rubbing Sebastian’s back with his other hand.  “Let me get you a cold compress.”

He starts to move away, intending to get up out of bed, but Sebastian’s grip on him tightens so that he isn’t able to move more than a few inches.

“Don’t leave me,” Sebastian’s voice is muffled by Stefano’s neck and shoulder but he sounds genuinely distressed by the prospect of Stefano leaving.  It’s so unlike Sebastian, who is usually independent and self-assured almost to a fault.

“Shhh,” Stefano soothes.  “I’ll come right back.  We need to get you cooled down.”  He tries to move again, but Sebastian redoubles his efforts to pin him.  Stefano is no pushover, but Sebastian outweighs him by almost thirty pounds, and besides, Stefano isn’t going to struggle very hard against someone who is obviously ill.

“Don’t need to cool down,” Sebastian mutters against his neck.  “Just need to cuddle.”

Stefano is dying to point out that if cuddling had any healing properties at all, neither one of them would ever get sick, considering how openly affectionate Sebastian is at every opportunity.  He relaxes, resigning himself to the fact that he is apparently not going to be getting up anytime soon.  Instead, he lets his mind wander as his hand makes slow circles on Sebastian’s back.

“That’s my favorite song,” Sebastian sighs a few minutes later.

“Hmmm?” Stefano says, before he realizes that he has, in fact, been singing quietly.  It’s an old Italian lullaby that his mother used to sing to him and his brothers at bedtime.  “Have you even heard that song before?”

“No,” Sebastian replies, “but it’s my favorite.”

Stefano stifles a snort of laughter.  Regular Sebastian says what is on his mind most of the time anyway, but feverish Sebastian has no filter at all.

“Can you sing some more?” Sebastian asks in a small voice.

“Of course,” Stefano says, and he goes back to singing and rubbing Sebastian’s back for a few more minutes.  Sebastian seems to be settling down, though Stefano is still concerned about how warm his skin is.

“Is Joseph here?” Sebastian asks, seemingly out of nowhere.  “Joseph always knew what to do.”

“No,” Stefano replies, slightly annoyed, because he also knows what to do- Sebastian just isn’t letting him do it.  He knows about Joseph of course, and he knows how important Joseph was to Sebastian, so he supposes it sort of makes sense that this needy, vulnerable Sebastian would be drawn to something familiar.  “Joseph isn’t here, Sebastian.  I don’t know where he is.”

“Oh,” Sebastian says.  “That’s too bad.  I think you’d like him.”

“I’d like it if you’d let me go and get you a cold compress,” Stefano points out.

Sebastian is quiet for a moment.  “And that would make you happy?” he says, and his tone is so serious it almost makes Stefano laugh again.

“Yes.”

“And you’ll come back?”

“Yes, of course,” Stefano replies, wondering where exactly Sebastian thinks he’s going to go at four in the morning.

Sebastian sighs and loosens his grip.  “Okay, but you’d better come back.”

“I promise I will,” Stefano says.  It only takes him two minutes to go downstairs and get a cold compress, but Sebastian seems to be overjoyed to see him when he returns to the bedroom.

They settle in again with Sebastian draped over Stefano and the compress resting on the back of Sebastian’s neck.  Hopefully this will let his fever start to come down, although he must admit that feverish Sebastian is rather entertaining.

Stefano wraps his arms around Sebastian and gives him a squeeze.  Sebastian hums his approval and tries to snuggle closer, if that’s even possible at this point.  Stefano is quickly becoming uncomfortably warm, but he’s not about to deny Sebastian comfort when he’s not feeling well.  “Just relax,” he murmurs into Sebastian’s hair.  “You’ll feel better soon.”

“I feel better already,” Sebastian says.  “You healed me.”

Stefano smiles, because even for Sebastian, this is fairly ridiculous.  “How exactly did I ‘heal’ you?” he asks.

“With cuddling,” Sebastian says, as though this should be obvious to anyone.  “But I’m not totally healed yet, so we probably shouldn’t stop.”

“Indeed,” Stefano agrees.  “We wouldn’t want you to suffer a relapse.”

[detectivesebcas]

Promptober Day 10- A Bad Case of Death

Requested by: @sebcastellanyes

Warnings: explicit language, mild gore, minor character death (handled in a very non-serious way)

“Hey, you,” Sebastian slurs into the phone.  His voice is thick with sleep and his mind is fuzzy, but even through bleary eyes, he can see Stefano’s name on the incoming call screen.

“Sebastian, we have a problem at the gallery,” Stefano says tersely.  Unfortunately the tension in his voice is lost on half-asleep Sebastian.

“What do you mean, ‘problem’?” he asks, because all of the problems he can think of that would come up at the gallery are pretty benign.  Hopefully Stefano isn’t calling him in the middle of the night because he dropped his camera or something.

“There’s no time for that, Sebastian,” Stefano insists.  “You need to get over here right now!”

It is three o’clock in the morning, and as far as Sebastian is concerned this isn’t the time for anything but sleep.  However, now that he is alert enough to detect it, there is an urgency in Stefano’s voice that he can’t ignore.

“Okay, okay,” he mutters.  “I’m coming, but this had better be an actual emergency.”

The phone beeps, and Sebastian looks down to see that Stefano has hung up.  He sighs and slides out of bed, fumbling around in the dark for his clothes.

***

Sebastian floors it all the way to the gallery, hoping he won’t be pulled over by one of his own colleagues, because that would be really embarrassing.  He breathes a sigh of relief when he pulls into the parking lot, lets himself in, and hurries to Stefano’s office.  The ‘problem’ Stefano referred to is immediately apparent.

“Jesus Christ!” Sebastian shouts in surprise.  “What the hell happened here?”  He gestures at the woman slumped over in the chair beside Stefano’s desk.

“Nothing!” Stefano says, throwing his hands up in frustration.  “Nothing!  She wanted a preview of the exhibit that is opening tomorrow, and I agreed, and then…” He waves his hand in the direction of the woman.

“And then what?” snaps Sebastian, because they are definitely missing a few steps here.  “Is she…?”

He steps in and feels for a pulse, but finds none.

“Yes,” Stefano replies.  “She collapsed while we were touring the exhibit, and I brought her back here.”

“Who is she?” Sebastian asks, already wondering what the police report on this incident is going to look like.

Stefano frowns.  “You see, that is the problem-“

“No,” Sebastian interjects, “this is the problem.”  He waves his hand at the woman’s body again.  “Who is she?”

“Her name is Susan Phi,” Stefano replies, eye downcast.  “She is an art critic.”

“What?” Sebastian snaps, because he knows that name.  He has seen that name in Stefano’s files in Union, and he is sure that she and Stefano had a fairly antagonistic relationship even at that point.

“It’s not what you think,” Stefano says quickly.

“The hell it’s not!” Sebastian shoots back.  “We had one rule when we got out of Union- one!  Do you remember what that was?”

Stefano sighs deeply.  “Don’t kill everyone,” he says.

“No!” Sebastian says, exasperated.  “No, it was ‘Don’t kill anyone!’”

“That was not my understanding,” Stefano says matter-of-factly.  “And you must admit, those are two very different things.”

“You...you...you cannot get out of this using semantics!” Splutters Sebastian.

“That doesn’t matter,” Stefano replies, “because I didn’t kill her.”

Sebastian eyes him warily.  He wants to believe Stefano- he really does- because things have been going so well since they escaped from STEM.  There is a voice in the back of his mind telling him that of course it was too good to be true, but he desperately wants everything to be okay.

“So if I look at her body I’m not going to see a bunch of stab wounds?” He asks.

Stefano shuffles his feet uncomfortably.  “Well...you see,” he begins.  “The thing is…she sort of collapsed onto a knife.”  His voice drops so low at the end of the sentence that Sebastian has to lean forward to hear him.

“She collapsed onto what?”

Stefano sighs.  “A knife.”

“Was it your knife by any chance?” Sebastian asks, because it is getting harder and harder for him to find an explanation for all of this that doesn’t implicate Stefano in a murder.

“Unfortunately it was,” Stefano replies.

Sebastian groans.  Just to confirm his suspicions, he grabs a pen from Stefano’s desk and uses it to push aside one flap of the woman’s blazer.  Underneath it, her white shirt is soaked with blood.

“It was an accident,” Stefano offers.

“No,” Sebastian says.  “You don’t have accidents, and I find it really hard to believe that your harshest critic had an ‘accident’ while she was alone with you at your gallery.  Surely you can understand that?”

“I know this doesn’t look very good,” Stefano concedes, “but it was an accident, and even if it wasn’t, I did not break the rule.  I didn’t kill everyone.”

“Oh god damn it, not this again.”  Sebastian rakes a hand through his hair.  He has to think.  They have to do something, because now he’s caught up in this too.  He’s sort of taken on responsibility for Stefano since they got out of STEM, and up until this morning it’s been going really well.

And now they’ve got a body.  It’s someone Stefano has motive to kill, and the manner of death has Stefano’s signature all over it.

“If it makes a difference,” Stefano offers.  “She really was a very unpleasant individual.”

Sebastian is pretty sure that it doesn’t make a difference but they really only have one option.

He turns to Stefano.  “Help me get her body to the car,” he says.

Stefano springs into action, looking absolutely delighted that the two of them are going to be disposing of a body together.

Susan Phi is quite a bit heavier than she looks, and as they are struggling down the stairs, Sebastian takes a moment to remind Stefano.  “Okay, from now on, the rule is ‘Don’t kill anyone.’”

“You take all the fun out of everything,” grumbles Stefano.

[detectivesebcas]

Promptober Day 21- Wedding Photographer Stefano

Requested by: @ftwyn

Warnings: none

Universe: Post-Union AU where Stefano makes it out of STEM

The ceremony isn’t particularly interesting, so it’s no surprise that Sebastian’s mind starts to wander.

At first he takes little notice of the wedding photographer, and indeed, the man isn’t doing anything to draw attention to himself- quite the opposite in fact.  He moves easily among the guests, taking a few shots from one location before gliding effortlessly to another.

It’s all happening in the periphery of Sebastian’s vision, only registering in the back of his mind, but it’s somehow familiar.  He’s seen someone move like that before.  He’s seen the neatly tailored suit, the graceful swoop of the man’s hair.  It’s nagging at him, but he tries to put it out of his mind and focus on the ceremony.  Jacobs is more of a work colleague than a close friend, but he was kind enough to invite Sebastian to his wedding, and the least Sebastian can do is pay attention.  Besides, the reception has an open bar.

***

Sebastian is well into his first drink when someone takes a seat beside him at the bar.  He doesn’t pay much attention at first, but then the man speaks.

“Hello, Sebastian.”

Sebastian turns, expecting to see someone from work, and nearly drops his drink.

“Stefano?” he says in disbelief, aware that his mouth is probably hanging open.  Stefano died in Union.  He saw Stefano die in Union.  He is the one who killed Stefano, because Stefano kidnapped Lily.  And now Stefano is casually sitting next to him at a bar at his wedding reception, posture relaxed and camera held loosely in one hand.

“The very same,” Stefano says with a mysterious smile.  “I hadn’t expected to see you again, but this is quite a pleasant surprise.”

“What are you doing here?” Sebastian asks.  His mind is still reeling with what he is seeing and what that means about STEM and Mobius.

“Working,” Stefano says, gesturing to the camera as though it should be obvious what he’s doing.  “This may not be the most intellectually stimulating project, but it allows me to finance more satisfying ventures.”

“Oh,” Sebastian says.  Wedding photographer is such a mundane job for a man who, by anyone’s standards, is quite extraordinary.  His brain jumps to another question, and he can’t keep himself from asking, even if it is a little awkward.  “Didn’t I...didn’t I kill you?”

Stefano smiles indulgently.  “It certainly seemed so at the time, and yet the next thing I remember was waking up in one of Mobius’ warehouses.”  He shrugs.  “It was unexpected to say the least.”

“So I guess it’s no use asking you how you got out of STEM,” Sebastian observes.

Stefano nods in agreement.  “I am afraid I don’t recall anything about that, though I must say that this world is a bit of a disappointment after Union.”

Sebastian opens his mouth to argue that the real world is preferable to Union in many ways but closes it again, because he sort of understands what Stefano means.  After the constant high-adrenaline of Union, this world seems somehow diluted, and even if he is grateful to be able to raise Lily somewhere relatively safe, he can’t deny that it is a little boring.

Speaking of Lily, that raises another, very important, question.  “Are you going to come after my daughter?”

Stefano sighs deeply.  “And why exactly would I do that?”

Sebastian raises an eyebrow at him.

“Do you think I make a habit of kidnapping children?” Stefano asks, looking genuinely hurt.  “Do you really think that is the sort of thing that appeals to me?”

Sebastian doesn’t answer.  He doesn’t have any idea what sort of thing appeals to Stefano.

“Let me assure you that what happened in Union was an isolated incident,” Stefano continues.  “There were certain...pressures and influences there that do not exist in this world.”

Sebastian is quiet.  He has some idea of what Stefano is talking about, though he still isn’t sure he can be trusted.  In fact he seems to recall that Stefano was involved in some morally questionable activities even before Union.

“What about Emily Lewis?” he asks pointedly.

“What about her?” Stefano challenges.  “Innocent until proven guilty- isn’t that how it works?”

Sebastian frowns, because Stefano does have a point.  He doesn’t have any proof that Stefano killed Emily Lewis- not in this world at least- though that doesn’t make him feel any better about this whole situation.

Stefano leans forward slightly and looks into Sebastian’s eyes.  “I mean your daughter no harm,” he says, and Sebastian can’t detect any deception in the way he says it.  “In fact, at the moment I am more interested in you.”

The implication of his words is clear, and it takes Sebastian by surprise.  He tries to cover by taking a gulp of his drink but ends up sputtering because it is, after all, a very strong drink.  He still hasn’t quite recovered when Stefano stands up and claps a hand on his shoulder.

“I need to get back to work, but it’s been lovely talking with you,” he says before he gives Sebastian a wink, and disappears into the crowd, leaving Sebastian to sip his drink and wonder what the hell just happened.

***

A few days later, a hand-addressed envelope comes in the mail, and Sebastian opens it to find a picture of himself at Jacobs’ wedding along with a business card and a note.

Sebastian,

I meant what I said about being interested in you, and I would very much like to see you again.  My card is enclosed.  I’ll be waiting for your call.

Regards,

Stefano

The note fills Sebastian with an odd mix of excitement and nostalgia.  On the surface, it seems insane that he actually wants to see Stefano, but on the other hand, Stefano is one of a very few people who can understand what Sebastian has been through, and that must count for something.

There’s only one way to find out.  He picks up his phone and dials the number.