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jeromeswife · 9 hours ago

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li’s adopting their hybrids

Synopsis: Headcanons for the li’s and their sweet, darling hybrids and how they came into their lives.

Warnings/tags: Xavier x sheep!hybrid, Zayne x cat!hybrid, Rafayel x bunny!hybrid, Sylus x puppy!hybrid, Caleb x cow!hybrid, non canon compliant, mentions of abuse in Caleb’s. Yandere Caleb but like what’s fucking new? 18+ only.

Xavier

Xavier decided that he wants a calm little hybrid, initially planned on adopting a cat hybrid but changes his mind at the last second when he sees you. The manager insisted that he pick another one, “that one’s too timid, scared of her own shadow,” he grunted but Xavier insisted.

You cried the whole walk back to Xavier’s apartment, not wanting to leave the comfort of your prison. Once you arrive you immediately bleated when he tried to touch you and made a run for the nearest bedroom. You locked the door and blocked it with your body (he could feel you trembling against the door). It took him almost an hour of coaxing to finally get you to come out.

“Your fur’s out of place, may I brush it?” He gently ask you when you open the door. Your face was puffy and your eyes were bloodshot, not knowing what to expect from the stranger. You shake your head gently as your tail swings between your legs, but Xavier keeps his composure. You were panicked, he needed to demonstrate that you have no need for anxiety anymore. “That’s fine, this is my bedroom, yours is over here.” He instructs, walking down the hallway and motioning for you to follow.

He decorated your room with a queen sized bed and a vanity. The closet had a few dresses but he insist on knowing your size before he bought too many. You wear his pajamas to bed since he doesn’t have any for you, and it helps you familiarize yourself with his scent.

Xavier attempts to take you shopping at the local mall, but you don’t last too long before you cry out of overstimulation.

Finds out that you desperately cling to your routine, any disruptions can cause anxiety that be desperately wants to avoid!

It takes you three months for you to allow him to touch you, and he adores the small bleats you let out when he brushes your hair or the fur on your ears.

Follows your vegetarian diet very strictly; if you even smell meat in the air you lose your appetite so he makes sure you eat before he cooks his own food.

Buys you the prettiest collars he can afford! Absolutely melts the first time you ask him if he can put it on for you.

You’re very clingy once you feel safe around him, if he’s asleep on the couch you’ll grab a blanket and cuddle him. Naps are your favorite bonding activity with him.

Keeps a hand around you in public to calm your nerves.

Xavier will take you on picnic dates out on empty fields, you love being outdoors with him and you’ll often fall asleep on the blanket before heading back to your home.

“Xavier… can you engrave something on a tag for my collar?” You sweetly ask one evening while preparing for bed (you slept in his room more often than not now). He nods and ask what you’d like, noting your crossed legs and how you avoided eye contact with him. “Wan’ it to say ‘Xavier’s Lamb’ pretty please…” you hide your face in embarrassment, but he grabs ahold of your body and hugs you instead.

“Of course my starlight, don’t be shy… I’ll give my lamb whatever she desires,” he reassures you, giving you a kiss on the cheek.

Zayne

Doesn’t want a high maintenance hybrid, he’s too busy most of the time for a puppy or a bunny.

Zayne doesn’t formally adopt you. One day after work, he sees you being taken in by hybrid control. Any hybrids found uncollared were to be sent to the shelters, it was common knowledge in Linkon. You were angry and prepared to attack the man who was forcing you into the van when he suddenly intervenes. “There you are, I’ve been looking all over for you. Forgive my cat, I took off her collar last night and the wanderer attack frightened her. How much do I owe you?” He smoothly lies to the man (for what reason is he helping you? He doesn’t know.) the catcher’s glad to get you off his hands, so he lets you go with a warning. Once he’s gone, Zayne sighs and turns to you. “Shelters don’t take care of your kind very well, be more careful next time.” He warns before turning around and heading off to his home. Doesn’t give you any time to reply to him, and he doesn’t notice that you’ve been following him until he’s more than halfway home. Zayne sighs, turning around as you quickly hide behind a bush. “… Come now, we’ll find a place for you to live in the meantime.” You keep your distance still, but follow him anyway.

Zayne prepares dinner that night for two while you explore his house, getting to know every room and corner.

He does buy a collar for you with his address the next day, but that’s only incase you get caught again. He’d sign off on you and you’d be free once more. Truly doesn’t expect to keep you for more than a month.

Let’s you sleep in his living room for now. He ask his coworkers if anyone wanted to adopt you but most of them already have hybrids or they don’t care for them. Researches your kind to make sure your living conditions would satisfy you, for now of course.

Enjoys how schedule oriented you are, and that you need your space. You hissed at him once for walking too close to you.

Will sometimes wake up to you running around the house because god forbid you let out energy in a normal manner. Gets used to it, but he insisted you use his treadmill at first. “No, that’s stupid. Running around obstacles (his furniture) is more fun.” You shrug and never touch the machine again.

You didn’t take long to open up to him, by the second week you began laying your head on his lap for naps. Zayne couldn’t help how fond he grew of your sweet purs and quirks.

You’re disgusted by any vegetables he makes, you refuse to eat anything besides savory and junk food which annoys him to no avail, but he adjust to your dietary needs anyway.

Likes when you paw at his chest, you don’t like verbalizing your needs so you do that as a way of saying “I’m hungry.”

Invites you to permanently live with him after a month of searching for a home, he’s gotten so accustomed to you and admits he’d feel lonelier without your presence. Prepares a room for you which you spent most of your time in napping.

Zayne doesn’t realize how fucking sassy you would be, you once scratched his leg on accident (your claws were nonnegotiable) and he jokingly said “I should have let the catcher take you.” You flicked him with your tail and scratched him again. “Your jokes suck more than his catching skills…” you hiss before heading to his room and locking the door. Zayne had to sleep on the couch that night since you wouldn’t get out.

You absolutely hate when he smells like other people or animals or hybrids or- anything. The first thing you do when he’s home is hug him and smell his uniform. Unfortunately for you, he’s a doctor and can’t help how many people he’s around at work. You rub your head on his uniform to get the scent of them out and to make sure he’s covered in your pheromones… what if other hybrids think he’s fair game? Absolutely not.

Scratches your belly sometimes because he thinks it’s funny when you get annoyed by it.

Doesn’t bother buying any collars or cute bows for you, you won’t wear them anyway and you prefer wearing shorts with long sleeves.

You’re happy so long as he pampers you with attention when you do ask for it. He’s happy so long as you’re safe and content with the house.

Rafayel

Rafayel originally has no intentions of adopting a hybrid, his aunt convinced him after a long conversation about being lonely but being too damn stubborn to interact with any humans besides Thomas.

He was so indecisive, Rafayel truly hates cats, puppy hybrids are too energetic, and he doubts he’d even find a perfect match for him!

Rejects every hybrid by downright insulting them to their faces, most snarled at him but he brushes them off easily.

Rafayel notices the only hybrid with an expensive collar and aura in general, did you really belong here?

“She’s new, her owner passed away from old age and left her too pampered to live on ‘er own or work. She might be too high maintenance for ya’…” but oh! Rafayel thought you were the prettiest bunny girl to exist! Your large, fluffy ears covered half of your face as you slept on a pink bed. Your nose would crinkle randomly and you even sneezed yourself awake while he observed you.

“Do you wanna come live with me, little bunny?” Rafayel smiles at you as you rub your big eyes awake. Your face tilts in confusion and you blink multiple times as you stare at him.

“Do you have snacks? And a pretty bed for me? And I like getting my hair and fur trimmed once a month, and I don’t share my space with other hybrids- and oh! I need bows for my ears- none of that polyester stuff…” Rafayel grins as you list the demands you have for him, they’ll all be met with ease, he assures you.

Three hours later, Rafayel spends over a thousand dollars on your outfits at the mall and buys you a new furniture set for your room. Insist on a king sized bed for you and overdoes it a bit, even by your standards. He buys you multiple collars too, and a new set of bows that match all of your new dresses.

Rafayel likes to scare you sometimes because you thump your leg on the floor rapidly and he thinks it’s hilarious.

Often has to lock the cabinets in the kitchen, lest you eat all of the snacks inside.

Tries to set you on a schedule but you just don’t listen to it. It’s nap time? “No it’s not, Rafie! I wanna keep watchin’ my movie!” You sweetly cry and flutter your lashes at him. Rafayel always caves in, unable to deny you your desires.

Rafayel feels a sense of satisfaction knowing that he can provide for you and flaunt how happy his darling is, often takes you to his gala’s if you’re comfortable but keeps you home for the most part.

You like watching him paint! You sniff a lot of his materials and try to guess what the colors originate from.

Has tags on all of your collars that range from “Rafie’s bunbun” to “Rafayel’s cumbunny.”

He spends most of his time at home with you, unable to bear the thought of leaving you for more than an hour.

Probably makes you more spoiled than you were before, he doesn’t bother keeping you in check because there’s no point! He knows when to put you in your place though. Gives you a nice smack on your ass when you need to chill out.

Sylus

Sylus had absolutely no intentions of adopting a hybrid, he’s never even been to an adoption center!

He finds you one evening in an alleyway while he’s driving home. There’s a large gash on your shoulder and more blood on the concrete than in your system. You let out a pitiful growl before you pass out, and he lets a moment of weakness dictate his following moves. Sylus has no reason to help you, he’s seen plenty of street rats die in the N109 Zone, maybe it was your puppy eyes that convinced him before you fainted, but he’d never admit that.

You wake up two days later in a dark room with two demons…? staring at you. If you had the energy, you’d bark at them but the most you can do is muster up a faint growl as one of them tries to pet your ears.

“Come on, pup! We got rid of all the fleas in your ears, maybe the boss will let us keep you!” One of them tries to calm you, but his words stress you out behind belief. Keep you? As a pet? Absolutely not. Adrenaline floods your system and you flip your mattress over with what little strength you have left and shrink down in a corner.

Stylus hears the twins scream from a few rooms over and goes to investigate, turns out you bit into Luke’s hand and refused to let go. You definitely drew some blood too, making him chuckle. He has to use his evol to force you to let go, and the twins run out of your room. “Don’t worry, I have no intentions of keeping you past next week, I’m only waiting until you’ve healed from your infection and cut.” He assures, but it doesn’t calm you either.

An hour later, he comes back to your room with a meal on a tray, placing it on the desk by your bed and leaving promptly. You stare at the food for a good five minutes, skeptical of it but too starved to care. You’ve never had your own steak or baked potato before… you caved and chewed everything slowly at first, but ravaged through it in less than five minutes. You’ve never felt so stuffed in your life… was there more? But you’d have to ask the demon twins or the man with the deep voice for more…

Sylus comes back thirty minutes later and he’s surprised, it looks like you’ve even licked the plate clean. “Do you want more?” He ask, picking up the tray as you meekly nod in reply. When he comes back (this time with two stakes instead of one) he notices how your tail wags once you smell your food. You must have had horrible access to food before if receiving seconds made you feel this excited. You don’t eat in front of him, you stare at your plate until he finally leaves and resume your feast.

You have a horrible attention span, everything and anything distracts you from what he’s saying. Sylus tried to explain that you needed another shot for your infection and that he wasn’t trying to hurt you, but the sound of Kieran and Luke playing video games distracted you so much you barked at him when he injected you with your meds.

After three days, you grow accustomed to eating as much as you want when you want, so much so that you begin to understand why other hybrids allow themselves to be adopted. You’ll be gone in Less than a week, so you began to eat less and less as time passes, not wanting your body to get used to the luxury of three meals a day.

Sylus notices how little you eat now, you barely touch your food anymore and never whine for seconds. You explain to him that you’re never sure of your next meal, so it’s best to stay accustomed to a low food intake.

He ask if you’d like someone to adopt you, but you deny it quickly; you didn’t want someone to control your life, and humans are inherently evil to you anyway. You’ve dealt with too many human men on the streets to feel safe around them again.

You insist it’s fine, you’re used to the streets and danger of the city, but Sylus doesn’t buy it.

He offers you an extension at the base, so long as you’re nice to the twins and don’t ruin any furniture (and shower daily). You were so close to denying it when your tail began to wag.

He insist once he sees how happy it makes you, and you share your first meal with him that night.

He lets you order all of your clothes online, you grow used to finding something cute in your size and immediately hitting ‘add to cart.’

The twins grow on you after a bit, but Luke still keeps his distance from you at times.

Sylus doesn’t realize how chatty you are until you’re comfortable around him. He enjoys how you blather on about the most minuscule things that caught your attention while he was gone.

Sometimes gets a bit tired from all of your talking and he scratches the back of your ears. You whine for more scratches and let out moans of enjoyment instead.

You’re afraid of thunderstorms, horribly so. You woke up everyone at the base one night, howling from the loudness of it all. Sylus invites you into his room and you cuddle against him throughout the night.

Adores how much you begin to fill out after living with them for a few months, you were starved before and now you’ve gained weight and seem much less depressed.

You always always run to the entrance once you hear him come in after a long day of business killing people, you throw yourself at him and embrace him in a tight hug.

Calls you ‘kitten’ at times just to make you angry, it’s cute when you growl at him.

Caleb

He first sees you at a dinner party with one of his coworkers, some lieutenant he never bothered learning the name of. It’s quite common for humans and hybrids to date, so it’s not surprising to see you there.

You’re collared and wearing a stunning black slit dress, emphasizing your curves and hiding your tail. Most of your features were hidden in one way or another; your hair covered your ears while your spots were hidden by makeup. The only things that stuck out were your horns, besides that he would have mistaken you for a regular human.

You were such a shy little thing, you didn’t speak to anyone besides your lieutenant what’s his fuck and avoided looking most people in the eye. A few days later, Caleb overhears your owner talking about how dumb you are to a few higher ups, saying you’re barely worth the hassle but you’re too afraid of any repercussions to leave him.

The next dinner, you’re left alone on a balcony while your owner entertains a few others inside and Caleb approaches you. You avoid his soft gaze and pretend not to hear his voice when he says hello to you. Finally makes you giggle when he ask “Does Lieutenant Headass not let you talk to anyone?”

You’ve never heard anyone insult him before! And you thought he’d tattle on you for laughing but you never hear of the instance again. The next dinner you’re at you meet him out on the balcony again, this time more willing to speak.

“Come on, I don’t even like ‘em. I’m surprised you put up with his shit in the first place, you know he talks about you behind your back?” He informs in the middle of a conversation about why the hell you stick around with him.

“That’s fine, he can say whatever he wants as long as I don’t get sent back to a shelter or farm.” You shrug, “I’d rather put up with his antics than be sent back there…” you mumble, looking away solemnly. When you turn away from him, Caleb notices a makeup covered spot on you that’s never been there before (has he already memorized where your spots are? Probably). He grabs ahold of your hand and you panicked for a moment. “Don’t… don’t do that. I can’t risk him seeing.” You warn as you let go of him. He hurts you, it’s obvious to him now, but how much worse is the treatment you received in shelters if you deal with being hit?

The next day, your owner’s been killed in a freak accident during a flight. No one could have foreseen the tragic death of him, and Caleb makes his way to his house (he’s definitely looked into all of his personal information at this point) to check on you.

You’re sobbing and panicking when you open the door, but not for the reasons that Caleb thought. You’ll be sent back to a hybrid farm without an owner, it’s unfortunate but hybrid systems were much crueler to cow girls than they were to most others.

“Don’t worry, you can always come live with me. My penthouse has plenty of space for you.” Caleb warmly offers while you stand in shock. What luck did you run into? What did you do to deserve this generosity…?

You move in immediately with him and Caleb is absolutely enamored with you. You stopped covering your spots on your skin and always wear clothes that let your tail flick around. You pierced your ears and got a septum ring too, both suited you well.

You’re so grateful for Caleb, you don’t even notice how clingy and obsessive he is. If he points out one of your habits you weren’t aware of you don’t think of it as odd or creepy. To you, Caleb is a savior who took you away from a life of misery and uncertainty.

He burns your old collars and buys you new pastel ones, always buys you light colors because you look prettiest in them.

You cried one time when Caleb made hamburgers and he never made them again afterwards

He likes to kiss your spots, even tries to name a few of them.

Likes to grab you by your hips too, sometimes a bit harsh so you’ll let out a precious little ‘moo!’

No one questions when you begin to show up at dinners with Caleb, no one wants to question the Colonel to begin with. Most of them don’t recognize you anyway, Caleb isn’t ashamed of your marks or features so he never covers them.

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jeromeswife · 2 months ago

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COWORKER | YANDERE!CALEB x READER | LOVE AND DEEPSPACE

~ WRITING COMMISSIONS ~ ~ PATREON ~ ~ KO-FI ~ ~ NOVELS ~

NEW! Check out my Patreon for early access to my stories! *BONUS* SPRING SALE: 25% OFF COMMISSIONS UNTIL 11/04!

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I do not own anything except my own writing. All properties belong to their respective creators. CONTENT WARNING: Yandere / Death / Violence A/N: I downloaded this game just for this man and he was even hotter than expected. I'm cooked.

You never expected to see him again. Not in this lifetime.

The last memory you had of Caleb was burned into your mind like a scar—flames licking the late afternoon sky, the acrid scent of smoke, the sound of the explosion that shattered your world. You had screamed his name until your throat bled.

He was gone. Nothing but a necklace.

So when the docking bay doors of the Farspace Fleet hissed open and the Colonel stepped onto the deck, tall and cloaked in shadows, the air in your lungs simply stopped.

He wore a black uniform pressed to perfection, with gold trimming that caught the sterile lighting. His coat billowed slightly behind him, heavy boots echoing against the metal floor. His cap obscured part of his face, but not his eyes.

Those violet eyes. Your world narrowed into that singular color—the same shade you used to see when he smiled and promised to come home.

“Don’t miss me too much, pipsqueak.”

He didn't speak at first. He only looked at you.

Your voice wavered. "Caleb...?"

He stopped, then removed his cap.

It was him. Though, his face had changed. Leaner, older. His smile was faint and unreadable, and his eyes seemed a little more flat, colder than you recalled. Darker. Everything was darker about him.

Nonetheless, it was still Caleb. In a way.

"You remembered me," he murmured. You took a step forward, then froze, unsure if you were dreaming. "You're…alive."

He gave a curt little nod, and then finally smiled. Just a little. "I'm back."

And that was all it took to break the dam.

You ran to him, crashing into his chest with a sob, clutching the front of his coat like you might vanish if you let go. He didn't return the embrace. Not right away. But after a long, lingering moment, his arms wrapped around you.

His grip was tight.

Too tight.

…

Three Months Later…

Your hands hovered over the interface, eyes flicking between data streams and transmissions from the outer quadrant. Working in Intel for the Farspace Fleet wasn’t what you’d imagined for yourself, but Caleb insisted. You had wanted to join Recon like you used to dream about together as kids—running missions, piloting ships—but the Colonel said it was too dangerous.

Around here, if the Colonel said something, then that was that. Better to put up and shut up, rather than face wrath.

You were lucky to be granted a post here at all, he said. With your record, you owed it to yourself to stay safe. And more than that, he owed it to Gran, to keep you that way.

So now you sat behind a desk, surrounded by rows of monitors, analysts, and support crew. It wasn’t glamorous, but it mattered. And, truthfully, you were just happy to be close to him again. Even if he was colder now. More distant.

Sometimes you wondered if it was really still the same guy you grew up with. The Caleb you knew always had such a warmth to him, a puppy dog innocence that you found endearing. Sure…he could be clingy. And a bit of a worrier. Too much of a worrier, when it came to you.

But he was just protective. It made sense, right? You two had known each other for so long…

You looked up as a voice interrupted your thoughts.

"Need a second pair of eyes on this?" The question came from Milo, a quiet, observant man from your division. He was a bit tall and clumsy, nerdy in a stereotypical way, but not unattractive. In fact, from the rumors you’d heard, he had a couple of female fans in the office. Maybe more than a couple.

He smiled gently as he handed you a datapad. "Colonel’s patrol log from last week. There’s some anomaly in the movement pattern. Thought you might spot something I didn’t."

You smiled back, accepting it. "Thanks. I’ll take a look."

He nodded and returned to his desk, but not before giving you a soft, almost sheepish glance. It wasn’t the first time. And you were starting to notice. He lingered too long sometimes. He remembered every detail about how you liked your reports formatted. He made excuses to talk to you.

You weren’t so naïve to think it was a coincidence. You also weren’t sure how you felt about it. You were still trying to process everything with Caleb.

Colonel Caleb.

He had changed so much, and yet...when it was just the two of you, sometimes you caught glimpses of the boy you once knew. He'd cook for you on late nights, sliding a plate across the counter without meeting your eyes. He'd tease you lightly in the elevator or call you by the old nickname only he ever used. When it was just the two of you, it felt much more familiar.

But there were moments, too, when he would freeze, staring just a little too long. His mechanical right hand would flex beside his hip, a tension in his jaw you couldn’t decipher. You'd ask him if something was wrong, and he'd always smile that empty, too-calm smile.

"Everything’s fine," he would say. "As long as you're safe."

That evening, the lights in your quarters flickered as you entered. You barely had time to set your bag down when the console chimed.

"Incoming call from: COL. CALEB."

You accepted it, brushing your hair behind your ear. "Hey."

His image appeared on screen, still in uniform. He was alone in his office, the lights low.

"Busy day?" he asked. At first, he had that boyish look on your face, the one you remembered fondly. The one which made you feel a little more at ease. His violet eyes were soft and downturned like a cute little dog.

You smiled faintly, feeling comfortable. "Yeah. Some signal interference in the west quadrant. Milo and I were reviewing your logs. He caught something strange."

There was a pause. Just a breath. But it felt heavy.

"Milo," he repeated, his voice unreadable. "He’s been helping you a lot lately." You hesitated, sensing a shift. "He’s just a coworker." Another pause. Caleb’s jaw flexed. "Of course."

You opened your mouth to change the subject, but he spoke again. In an instant, a switch had flipped.

"I want to see you. Come to my office. Now." You blinked, bewildered. "Is…is something wrong?" He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. "Not at all silly. I just miss you."

…

The halls of the flagship were quiet at this hour, lit by the pale glow of emergency strips. You passed the occasional officer, but no one met your gaze. When you reached Caleb’s door, it slid open before you could knock.

He was waiting, standing beside his desk, arms folded.

"Sit," he said gently, gesturing to the couch. You obeyed, nerves prickling. The room felt too still. The warmth you thought you had sensed earlier seemed to have all but vanished.

"Do you trust me?" he suddenly asked, walking over. You looked up, surprised, all innocent eyes. "Of course I do, Caleb."

He sat beside you, close enough for your knees to touch. "Then don’t lie to me.”

Staring at him, you cowered back against the couch cushions. Lie to you?

“I saw the way he looked at you. How he’s been looking at you.” Your heart skipped. That confirmed it then, that’s what this was about.

"Milo? Caleb, he’s just—"

His hand reached for your face, interrupting you, gloved fingers tracing your cheek with surprising gentleness. Still, you flinched. "I know every part of you. I remember the way you used to cry when the thunder scared you. The way you always held my hand under the blankets. I know the scent of your skin when you’re nervous. I know when you’re lying."

You tried to speak, but he leaned closer, eyes locked on yours.

“You know you can trust me, right, [Y/N]? I just want you to be careful…”

Your breath caught. "Caleb—"

“-Because in this world, you can’t easily trust anyone, okay? You don’t know what people might really be like behind the masks they wear…”

While his words weren’t wrong, your brow furrowed. It was really hard for you to picture Milo that way, he seemed hapless. “Caleb, I don’t think–” you reached up to pull his hand away, but he shifted his thumb so it hooked against your jaw, and held a little tighter. Your fingers hovered, but didn’t touch him. You shuddered.

“...Promise me, [Y/N]. Promise me you’ll stay away from other guys like that. At least…” Caleb hesitated, before his expression steeled again, “At least not until we both know we can trust them. Yeah?”

His hand finally moved, and drifted down your torso softly, against your chest before he seemed to realize and he pulled it back sharply. He breathed, a shuddering, weary breath. “...You’re not like anyone else, [Y/N]. You’re special. That’s why I need your word, okay?”

He looked at you straight, waiting for your promise. Your throat felt tight, but you swallowed, and nodded. “...O…okay, Caleb. Okay…”

…

That night, alone in your quarters, you thought about Caleb. About Milo. About how the tension had been building ever since your reunion.

It had come to a head today, and you didn’t like it. You didn’t like the way he held you, stared you in the eyes with none of the softness you were once used to. You didn’t like the…implication…of what might happen if you didn’t do as he said.

You remembered the way Caleb used to act when you were kids—always showing up, always hovering when you talked to other boys. He never said anything outright, but you could feel it. The possessiveness. The suspicion. He made it a point to insert himself, anywhere and everywhere, to keep them away.

Nobody messed with him either. Not even the neighborhood bullies, who he’d done a sufficient job of ‘teaching a lesson’ after they’d tried to target you one time. He had been bigger. Stronger. Scarier.

And these days? Even more so.

Back then, you thought it was sweet. Like you had a guardian constantly looking out for you. A gravity-gifted guardian.

Now...it felt heavier.

…

The next day, you bumped into Milo outside the commissary. Literally.

"Oh, sorry—!" you began, but Milo caught your arm to steady you, and you froze up. You’d been about to skirt around him, hurry along, but- "You okay? You look pale."

God, he’s so nice. Why does he have to be so nice?

You forced a smile, shrugging his hand away despite feeling it was rude, "Yeah. Just—didn’t sleep much."

He hesitated, pulling his arm back like he feared he’d overstepped. In Caleb’s eyes, he would have. Yet he still tried to extend his kindness. "If you ever want to talk about it...you know…I’m around."

In front of you, you saw him collapse into a sheepish, red-faced reaction, shifting foot to foot. It stung a little to have to be so curt with him, but you needed this conversation to end, and sharp. Before he saw.

You nodded, gave a quick thanks, and abruptly took your leave. Milo lingered behind, bewildered.

You might have felt relieved. You didn’t realize Caleb had been watching.

…

That afternoon, the atmosphere in the Intel room shifted. You felt it before you saw him.

Silence fell like a curtain as Caleb entered, his presence a wall of cold authority. His boots struck the floor, weighty, deliberate.

He walked straight to your desk, past staring eyes and quiet workers, all of them too on edge to even dare speak. Heaven forbid they did.

When he reached the back of your chair, his tall, broad shadow fell deeply over you. It cloaked you in a chill, but you tried to remain calm and composed, looking ahead at the screen. You stared hard at the numbers and letters flickering in front of you. They were starting to clump together, meaninglessly.

"I need to see you in my office," he said, and the way he spoke was so neutral and detached, it was as if he wasn’t speaking to you at all. Just some stranger, someone of zero consequence.

Kind of shocked by his tone, you slowly looked around and up at him. You expected him to lean down maybe, drop the act and make his request softly.

He didn’t. He stared down at you, cold and hard, gaze narrowed.

You swallowed and stood, following him out without a word. Eyes followed you the whole way.

When the doors slid open to his private office, you stepped inside—and froze.

Milo was there. Restrained on his knees by invisible force, in a column of compressed gravity. His eyes were wide with fear, teeth grit to endure the pressure and the pain.

You stared for a moment, meeting his terrified eyes, before stumbling backwards, hands hovering before your mouth.

"C-Caleb—what the hell is this?!"

The Colonel removed his gloves, placing them calmly on his desk. "I warned you." "What are you talking about?!" "Milo," Caleb said with icy precision, "was never just a friendly coworker. He was planted here. Embedded in Intel to get close to you. Because of the Aether Core."

Immediately, Milo tried to cry out something, eyes bulging, head quivering, but all he could manage was a grunt of agony as the weight dragged him crushingly deeper towards the ground, compressing every organ.

You flinched. "That’s classified—" "Exactly. And he knew. He tried to earn your trust, waited for the perfect opportunity. Probably had some backdoor installed in our systems already."

You looked back at Milo. "That can’t be true."

"You don’t believe me? You would trust him over me?" "I—Caleb, please, let’s investigate—"

He tilted his head, blankly. “I did. I’ve already seen the evidence. It’s conclusive. So…"

Caleb raised one hand. The air around Milo twisted.

"NO! Caleb, STOP—" "You need to understand," Caleb said softly, eyes never leaving yours. "Anyone who tries to hurt you…will pay the price."

Gravity compressed with a sickening crack. Milo didn’t even have time to scream. You covered your mouth in horror, stumbling back. It didn’t matter how many Wanderer attacks you’d witnessed, you’d never seen anything this horrifying before.

And it was Caleb who was responsible. Caleb, of all people.

Caleb stepped forward, catching you by the shoulders before you could teeter off your feet. His hands were warm. Comforting. As he pulled you close you simply couldn’t fathom how these same hands had just done what they had done.

"Shhh," he whispered. "It’s over now. You’re safe. As long as you’re with me, you’ll always be safe. I can promise you that, pipsqueak.”

You stared at him, tears streaming down your face, jaw agape, pupils small with shock. How he could use your charming little nickname now, after that…was sickening. "...You killed him."

"He was going to hurt you. I protected you."

You wanted to scream. You wanted to run. But something froze you numbly to the spot, and Caleb only pulled you close, arms wrapping tightly around you, firm enough it was like a warning. His next words confirmed as much.

"You’re mine," he whispered. "No one else's. Just mine."

Something horrifying dawned on you then. It wouldn’t have mattered if Milo was innocent or not. It wouldn’t have mattered if Caleb made up that story to frame him or if it were the truth after all. Because he was another man, another person, who had dared to try and get close to you. And that was enough.

That was enough to turn him into a villain. A ruthless, cruel villain.

In his mind though, he must have been a hero. A hero who would keep you ‘safe’.

Even if it meant destroying the world around you. Even if it meant destroying anyone else in it.

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A/N: Milo from Atlantis got stuck in my head for some reason recently (or maybe it was the one time Cole Sprouse cosplayed him on here, either way...). So...he's here? I guess?

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