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whisperwritingstuff · 25 days ago

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Hey guys, remember this hero for sale enemies/lovers post? Yeah, Varanere and I went wild so here you go, have all this. See if you can figure out who wrote which bits. : 3

mind you, in hfs enemies/lovers, that like. of course vex has security cameras all over his own lair. when he's fully out of his fever, possibly a couple weeks after hotguy is gone, he stumbles on the footage clearly showing that he didn't make it out to go get hotguy

which is confusing because he could swear he remembers doing that (he doesn't, but it was easy for scar to convince feverish-vex of the memory, talking him through building it up)

vex briefly entertains the notion of someone messing with the footage, but he trusts his systems

which leaves vex with only questions and no answers

just a video freeze-framed on the shot of hotguy picking up the collar

Cubbie would fully run to Doc in a panic that the mind control collar had Unforeseen Side Effects.

Try as they might, they Cannot recreate them, or find any reason for them.

Cub stays fully convinced its his fault tho. That he did something to Hotguy to cause him to come back. Torn between wanting to distance himself to not alter him further and the everpresent maelstrom he feels helplessly drawing him towards Hotguy.

Scar wonders why Vex is being so hot and cold with him since shortly after his latest stay at the ConCave(?). Did he do sth wrong? Was Vex upset with him for knowing where his lair was? With being seen in such a vulnerable state? Or even with Scar convincing him of a lie?

How would they even begin to attempt to recreate the chance that Cub has simply accidentally Trained Hotguy after years of this, to come to him every year- Did he make the collar Too Pleasant? He paces and throws ideas at Doc.

Cub doesn't understand it, that's what bothers him the most. He doesn't get it and therefore he doesn't know how to interact with it. He doesn't know how not to cause any further degradation of Hotguy's self, surely only Cub having damaged that would cause Hotguy to come to him willingly.

Vex tries to fight Hotguy like Hotguy were any other hero interrupting him, silent blows and efficient traps. Like a reset. Like reminding Hotguy how this is supposed to go. (Like tearing himself apart.)

This only makes Hotguy chase Vex more, push him harder. Something isn't right. Vex isn't supposed to shut him out like this. Vex is /his/ archnemesis. Hotguy has to stop himself from throwing a punch at another hero fighting Vex, but it's a close enough call that he knows Vex knows.

This only drives Vex into a further spiral of guilt about what he's Done to Hotguy. (The thought that Hotguy could have naturally become as obsessed with him right back never enters his mind. Not the perfect shining hero. not the silly all too lovable movie buff. Not over Vex.)

Vex tries to go quiet for a few weeks, when treating Hotguy coldly only seems to make things even worse.

Oh Scar would not take Vex going cold and then awol well. He's constantly on edge. Hitting too hard. Pushing himself too far. Telling himself that the nightmares filled with loneliness and an echoey, distant mocking laugh won't come if hes tired enough.

Scar hasn't eaten more than fast food and protein bars/shakes in weeks. It barely visible, but his health is declining.

Cub is switching between not looking at the news to trawling the web for any recent images of Hotguy he can find. This is fine, he tells himself. He cant hurt him any more like this.

But Cub is familiar with every curve and pane of Hotguys body, and he sees the decline. The start of muscle and fat loss. The way the scars stand in sharp relief over graying skin, pale sentinels of injuries passed but not forgotten. (One of them is from Cub. A small, jagged line on Hotguys right calf. Where his axe had once torn half the muscle apart on an ill timed swing. It's still Cubs proudest achievement and deepest regret, to have marked his Hero in suffering like that.)

Cub is sitting on the roof of his building, weeks later. Being here reminds him of fighting Hotguy, of being Vex. (He isn't sure he wants the reminder.)

Arms folded on the low railing, feet threaded between posts and dangling over the edge. A faint thump behind him.

Hotguy, landing on the roof. Slumping over a vent, clearly exhausted.

Cub has a choice to make. He's hidden in the shadow of the stairwell out of Hotguys sight. (Unless his night vision visor is on.)

He's also in his civilian persona. Who has met Hotguy before. At fundraisers and galas and big dinners.

Never casual. Never out of the public eye.

He could go up to him, as Cub. Offer the obviously exhausted hero a drink or a snack maybe. Something healthy. (The obvious malnutrition Hotguy has been showing lately is weighing heavily on him)

As Cub deliberates, Hotguy sinks to the floor. Shakes out and rubs what he can reach of his arms and legs.

Tingling nerves from B¹² deficiency, Cub suspects.

When Hotguy lifts his visor to rub his eyes, grousing about how he's blind as a bat at night these days, (vitamin A deficiency, Cub knows), he makes a snap decision. Gets up, leaves the shadows, and approaches Hotguy, weary smile on his lips.

Scar pushes himself to be the most Hotguy that he can be. Nothing but training and rescues in his head. He tries. He tells himself this is what normal is. Was. Should be. He tells himself he only rewatches the news coverage of his old fights with Vex to better learn how to stop him, not because he wasn't going to be able to sleep without hearing that laugh anyway. Not because he's trying to pinpoint how it all went wrong.

He hadn't even realized, how much time he'd begun wasting with cooking. Ever since getting a taste of it, during his captive weeks. Now every time he steps foot in his shitty little kitchen, it only reminds him of Vex, of the startled smile he'd gotten when presenting Vex with a carrot cake. It only reminds him of that aching hollow where his nemesis should be. Better to just grab the shakes or bars as quick as he can and be on his way, spend as little time int here as possible.

(Cub wants to touch it. More now than ever, he wants to know what that mark he left on Hotguy Feels Like under his fingertips, under his palm. Under his li-)

Cub has mundane work to throw himself into. He has friends. Friend. Acquaintance, at least. He tinkers, and he runs deep reviews and overhauls on the financial of all his companies. He lets it consume his whole attention.

And then it spits him out on the other side, needing sun and air as much as he needed a snack. He could do them all at once.

When he hears Hotguy land, at first Cub thinks it's wishful thinking. But he could come up with something nicer if it were.

Cub keeps his eyes averted as he approaches, not looking under the lifted visor. Hotguy needs the juice more than he does, Cub thinks, so he offers it up. Practically places it in Hotguy's hand, before rummaging around in his pockets.

Hotguy startles, tenses up subtly as soon as his hands are out of sight. Calms again when Cub just drops a packet of (vitamin fortified) fruit gummies and a packet of peanut butter cracker sandwiches on Hotguy's lap. Cub wishes he had more, or something better, but. It's what he'd brought with him.

"Hey man, thanks for keeping the city safe." Cub mumbles his words, "You do good work. Good work."

And sure, Hotguy's heard it a hundred times before, but somehow, here, sprawled on the roof of a building with someone he only barely knows, it feels a little different. It feels warmer. It brings a tiny smile to his lips. It loosens his tongue enough to poke and prod at Cub until he can get Cub rambling about his numbery stuff, so Scar can just listen and snack.

It doesn't occur to Hotguy in that moment that he didn't once question the food or drink he was given, accepting it gratefully.

Cub knows he's doomed. Dooming himself by doing this. By indulging in chatting with Hotguy, almost like it's one of their kidnap weeks.

He can feel his addiction sparking back up. He knows, in his bones, that tomorrow, he will be back in his lair, back to plotting. Back to being Vex. (Back to hurting Hotguy.)

He tells himself that at least he'll stay strong. Not engage in any banter, just cold and efficient villaining, that Hotguy will defeat nonetheless. (Because Cub lets him.)

He doesn't even last the first encounter. Something in that rooftop chat had broken the dam he built inside himself, and here he is, responding to Hotguy's admittedly superficial attempts at banter like a cut sunflower, doomed to die and yet still turning his head to reach for his sun.

Addiction. Obsession. Those are the words Cub knows for this feeling. This thing in his chest that shifts with a discomforting comfort when Hotguy smiles at him. This all-consuming need for more of Hotguy. The ache of his unpunched cheek, longing for Hotguy's knuckles. (A cheek that has still not forgotten Hotguy's caress)

What's the point? What's the point of going back to villaining if it's not to interact with Hotguy? If it's not to throw his morals to the wind and selfishly covet those few minutes he has Hotguy's undivided attention?

Unfortunately for Vex, Hotguy is not quite as welcoming as he'd hoped. He banters, yes. He fights. But Hotguy holds a line of wary tension in his body whenever Vex is near, not letting his guard down. Vex has burned him, abandoned him, and Hotguy doesn't trust that this return to form is anything but a ploy to get him to lower his guard.

Hotguy puts real effort into capturing Vex, for once, startling them both when the cuff clicks shut around Vex's wrist.

In a snap decision Cub will never understand about himself, he snaps the other cuff on Hotguys wrist. (He could phase out of them. The cuffs are meant to suppress innate powers, not tech assists like his. Cub never let on that he is a full tech villain, not a partial power and partial tech villain. Easier to keep cover that way. They may as well be an innate power by now, with the implants running through his whole body.)

Their eyes meet over where they are now trapped together.

Cub may blame idle daydreams he's had before, of being stuck with Hotguy. Those had never included him being in his villain persona before, though.

(Cub has encouraged people in thinking his powers are part magic or part fae pact. He even modulated his voice-altering implant to fit that theme. Easy enough to pretend the tech enhances what's already there instead of creating it. He keeps a few of his power boosts external for that purpose, so he can be weakened when they're knocked off or broken, while the internal implants still provide some powers.)

(Scar has never needed to bring the key before! He just. Slaps the cuffs on villains, drops them off, and it becomes someone else's problem!! And then he picks up the cuffs later, or they get delivered back to him. He's not sure he'd be able to find it if he tried! And he can't try because he refuses to being Vex to his home.)

They stare at one another for a long moment.

The first to move is Hotguy, and he plain decks Vex, though the angle is awkward with him having to use his off-hand and them being so close together. It stings, but it doesn't knock Vex out.

Vex laughs a shocked (happy, in a sick way) laugh, and asks what hotguy was going to do if that did knock him out. Start carrying him around again? [he didn't mean to say again. he didn't mean to think about the footage of hotguy carrying him. he wishes he remembered it, that the fever hadn't eaten those memories.]

The media would be having a field day with this, if they could see it.

At least Cub had the presence of mind to cuff Hotguy's main to his off hand, so they can at least stand side by side and walk without it being awkward. Cub thanked the stars that they had found themselves in a stairwell, cut off from the outside. No one else to justify their actions to, just their highest courts, themselves and each other.

Cub has that freefalling feeling he will be found guilty.

"Unlock em already," he demands. With Hotguy busy, he could make a getaway.

Hotguy mumbles something unintellegable.

"What?" Cub snaps.

"I dont have the damned key!" Hotguy yells at him. Cub stills. How are they getting out of this?

How soon before someone comes looking for them? Vex pulls them down a few flights of stairs, just so they'll be a little harder to find. Just to give himself a moment to think.

"You don't- Okay. Okay. Who has your backup key? Cuteguy?" Cub assumes there's someone with a backup key. Like how he has Doc for some of his stuff. Like the collar. No, don't think about the collar. He's looking at Hotguy's neck again.

And wow, Hotguy Sure Is wishing he'd thought of having a backup key at this point. That'd be super helpful right now! "No! It's just- We'll just have to cut it!"

"Cut. The cuffs designed to stand up to every super you've faced out here. That's your plan." Cub deadpans.

"I don't see you having a better one!"

Cub taps the folded down shaft of his axe. "I could always cut off the weaker link. You only really need one hand, right?"

Hotguy finds himself aching for the days where he could (thought he could) read Vex clearly, because he Cannot tell from the flat-cranky expression if Vex is joking or not. "Try it and I'll bite you-" He doesn't know why he blurts that out, bristling and aggressive.

Cub's eyes dart to Hotguy's mouth. Trace his lips. The unbidden image of those teeth tearing into his skin shoves itself into his mind, complete with the ghost of feeling it.

"Kinky." He snaps, his mouth running faster than his brain.

Cub wishes he could swallow the word as soon as it leaves his lips. Wants to sink into the earth to hide from his shame.

Scar is floored. Did Vex really just say that? Really Really? Like they are just bantering on his couch with a movie in the background again? No, bad Scar, pull yourself together, you are Hotguy right now. Act like it! Don't think about cozy domestic nights with your archnemesis! (Scar is ignoring that shameless flirting and banter is right on brand for his hero self.)

Cub hadn't realized what a trap it was to let his eyes drift to Hotguy's lips, now he can't seem to move them anywhere else. Watching for any hint of movement. Eager to catch sight of even the briefest flick of tongue.

"It's not! I'll- I'll tear your arm right open! And I won't stop, I'll rip the muscles apart with my teeth until you can never hold that stupid axe again. I'll make sure you never forge- I'll keep you from doing any more harm, no matter what it takes!" Scar would also love to not be saying the words he's saying but he opened his mouth and they started flowing out and he thinks that Vex might be onto something this might actually be a little bit kinky if he thinks too hard about sinking his teeth into Vex's flesh, about his new ravenous curiosity about the taste of Vex's blood. At least he managed to not say something stupid about Vex not being able to forget him. Saved it at the last second, getting back on track with very normal not-kinky hero words. No one needs to know how much Vex's absence stung, especially not Vex.

Vex blinks, then presses the back of his free hand to Hotguy's forehead. He has no idea what to do with that torrent of words, other than check for a fever that isn't there.

Scar yanks his head away, stumbling backwards. He does not have a fever, and who does Vex think he his, treating him so caringly!

He completely forgot that they were currently cuffed together. He remembers this fact with alarming clarity, when he backs into the edge of the stairs and falls backwards, pulling Vex with him.

He lands hard on his quiver, which is thankfully made to withstand much more weight landing on it. It does dig hard into his back, from shoulder to hip though, leaving him unbalanced even laying half sloped on the stairs.

Vex falls on top of him. Their foreheads clack together loudly, painfully. Vex catches himself partly on one hand braced above Scar's shoulder.

Their faces are not even an inch apart in the gloom of the stairwell. Vex's eyes peering down at him, pale blue and uniform. Scar had always thought of these eyes as soulless, with the missing iris and pupil. Now, this close, he can see they aren't. He can see so many emotions reflected in them, more than he has words for.

Vex's breath ghosts over his lips, hot and heavy in the tight space.

Cub has his lips pressed to Hotguy. Why? He doesn't know. When did this happen? He couldn't tell you.

Who moved first, who closed the gap?

That is a question for later. Right now, all that is left in Cubs brain is the burning need to devour the lips of the man in front of him like he is the air he needs to breathe.

Later, Cub will blame the 'concussion' (their heads hitting together wasn't nearly enough to concuss either of them) for the kiss, regardless of which of them closed the space.

Now? Right now Cub is starving for Hotguy, ravenous. He can't get enough. He might never get this again. The kiss is as much giddy rapture as it is clinging fear.

Hotguy is. He's being kissed like he's the only person in the entire world. Like Vex wants to pull his soul out from between his lips and- Can Vex do that? Is that one of his powers? Hotguy kind of hopes not, he thinks he likes his soul. But he also likes being Wanted more than someone wants Air Itself, so he's arching up into the kiss as much as he can without sliding on the stairs. Some distant part of his brain remembers that he wants to Bite Vex. So he does. He bites way harder than he needs to, watching Vex's eyes flare brighter with a moan as Vex tastes his own blood between them. Fuck. Scar now has to live with knowing what that tastes like. With knowing that he likes sucking on Vex's lip. With knowing Vex is an earnest but overly methodical kisser. With knowing he wants More. What is Hotguy supposed to do with any of that? What is Scar supposed to do with any of that?

Apparently his body's answer is to spread his legs and try to pull Vex closer.

Rapid steps pittering down the stairs shake Cub out of his reverie.

"I think they went down here." he hears a voice say. Reporters, if he had to guess.

Reporters, who can under no circumstances see what just went down here. What still is going down. (Him. Him going down on Hotguy's lips like he needs them to breathe.)

Both of them freeze, wide-eyed, mouths still slanted over each other. Cub's lip still sucked between Hotguy's. Hips frozen mid grind, their hard dicks mostly aligned through the thick fabric of their costumes, barely granting them any friction, any pressure at all, just more frustration.

Cub would have ripped both of their costumes off, had he been given the chance.

They separate like they've been burned, Cub fully extending his cuffed arm to be able to sit back, off of Hotguy.

"Should we... make a break for it?" Vex asks, sounding more uncertain than Hotguy likes hearing him.

Hotguy wants to hug himself, but that would both be unheroic and also impossible with one of his arms stretched out and still stuck to Vex's. Instead he plays with a smoke bomb arrow from his quiver. "Think you're going to be able to?" He asks. He realizes he has no idea how much the dampener cuffs effect Vex. He's lucky himself not to have any kind of power he needs. Nothing reliable anyway. He also kind of hopes he's not the only one who's in need of a moment to get rid of something entirely too close to being a boner for his comfort. Scar tells himself that it's a natural reaction to a warm body on his, it could happen with anyone. Hell, maybe it even has happened with Cuteguy before. So like. It's totally normal, right? It just happens sometimes.

"There has to be something at my lair that can fix this." Cub mutters.

Hotguy flinches back. "I might as well ask you to come down to the station."

"Their speaker system sucks and their beds aren't half as nice." Cub counters, a bit miffed at what feels like a slight to his sort-of-home. One of his homes, anyway.

Not that they have much longer to discuss it, with the footsteps getting closer.

"Do it." Vex says.

Scar pushes the triggerpin on the smoke arrow, and struggles to his feet, half having to cling to Vex for stability.

Smoke billows up around them, filling the stairwell.

They make a break for the closest door, huddling through.

A corridor lined with doors greets them. And there, at the end, a window with a fire escape. A way up and onto the roof, to get where they want to go mostly unseen, if they can coordinate the climb and jumps.

And once they decide on a destination. Luckily, the station and Vex's lair were roughly in the same direction.

For one brief moment the thought flickers through Hotguy's head to take Vex's lead, before he firmly pushes it down and takes the lead himself. He's the Hero here. He's ready to make it a fight.

Vex doesn't make it a fight. Not when he wants to be far away from prying eyes more than he wants to get into a pissing match with Hotguy. Not when their goals line up for the moment. He'll deal with when they de-align when that happens. For now he matches his steps to Hotguy's. Easy to do, he's studied everything about how Hotguy moves. He's ready, moving his arm to accommodate the motions Hotguy wants to make before Hotguy can even make them. Vex shuts his brain off and sinks into the flow of movement. He trusts Hotguy with the run-up and jumps timing.

At least, until they're several roofs away and Hotguy tries to steer them toward the station. Vex stops hard, then.

"No." Vex would do a lot of things for Hotguy (for another kiss like that especially) but he does Not want to go to jail. Or have his identity found out.

"I have to bring you in." Hotguy argues.

"No." Vex refuses again. "I won't let you."

"Well I'm not going to your lair." Hotguy snips back.

"You have to. It's the only way I can get us out of these." Vex shakes his hand, shaking Hotguy's with it where they are still cuffed together. "Come on man, you've been at mine before."

"Yeah, when you were mind controlling me!" Neither of them is relenting.

"So you need to be mind controlled to come to my place? Yeah, I can do that." Much to Hotguy's shock, Vex reaches into a pocket on his costume, and pulls out a collar.

What looks like his collar.

"Theres no way I'm letting yo-" Vex has him spun into his arms and pinned before he can finish his sentence. His trained hero reflexes kick in way too late, doing nothing but stiffening him in Vex's hold.

"Shhh, it'll be okay man. It'll be okay." Vex closes the collar around his throat. It really is unfair that he had his main hand free, when Hotguy is stuck with his offhand.

"There. Now you can quite your whining and come along." Vex is pulling him towards his lair.

Scar feels a calm settle over him when the collar clicks shut around his throat. A tension in him, released. He stumbles a moment, but follows Vex. "I don't want to." He whines, more petulant than a Hero should sound. More like Scar than Hotguy.

"Yeah, we all have to do thing we don't want to sometimes, suck it up." Vex keeps his words clipped and authoritative, his motions confident. He can't falter for a moment.

This is a gamble. This is a huge gamble for Vex. If Hotguy figures out that isn't the collar with the mind control device in it, then it's all over. There's nothing actually stopping Hotguy from attacking Vex. What else was he supposed to do! Hotguy was being unreasonable.

"Vex." Hotguy drags out the name, becomes distracted with the feel of it in his mouth. "Vex. Vex." He repeats the word, still following. It's getting easier to follow now. Easier to forget that there's any reason he didn't want to spend time with Vex.

"Yeah, that's me. You're doing good. Cheers, man." Vex encourages, his stomach twisting as how well his plan is working. What does that mean for what he's done to Hotguy? He can't think about that. Focus on the task at hand. Lair. Handcuffs. Nothing else.

Scar is sinking into that soft, cushy headspace he sometimes gets in those forbidden stolen weeks of domesticity. He doesn't have to do anything like this. Doesn't have to be Hotguy and bring Vex to- no, don't think about it. Just float. Just let his mind fizzle out and ignore whats going on around him, ignore how he knows they're almost there. Ignore the bubbling thoughts of Vex just deciding to keep him, to never let him go. Locking him in his deepest vault and throwing out the key.

He's ignoring that he now knows the shape of Vex's moans of pleasure. Ignoring how he wants to taste them again.

There is no door falling shut to snap him out of his daze, the door to Vex's lair closes soundlessly behind them. Scar stands there, docile and pliant, while Vex collects himself.

Cub adores and hates the look on Hotguy's face. It looks so empty. Like his first mind control attempt, where Hotguy was just a puppet for him to play with. The thought of doing this to him long term, of wiping away such a radiant personality, is not one Cub wants to dwell on.

Cub scrutinizes Hotguy, he can't help it, he needs to find something in Hotguy that's different than that first time- He doesn't know what to do when that difference comes in the way Hotguy belatedly notices his gaze, straightening up and beaming a bright smile at Cub. Not bright like his smile for crowds and events, but bright and a little bit messy, loose, lopsided. Like there's a spark of adoration there, powering the brightness of his expression.

Cub turns away, pulls them both to his lab- His heart is racing far more than it had been while they were running. He thinks he should take the collar off, if he wants to save any part of this... unnamed thing between them. He reminds himself he's already ruined that, and that he doesn't need Hotguy interrupting him trying to separate them with a fight or something.

Scar finds it natural, when Vex sits in the only chair in the lab, to simply sink down to his knees beside Vex. He rests his cuffed hand on Vex's thigh, to give Vex some use of the matched hand. And to get to touch- If Scar's focused on touching, then he's not thinking about how easy it'd be to scoot under the desk instead, nuzzle into the space between Vex's thighs-

Right, none of that, just the fabric of Vex's costume under his hand. Hm. What if there were less fabric there. Less stiff protective barriers between them. They're Home, after all. They're Safe, Vex doesn't need to be wearing all of that. Just their masks, like normal.

Scar decides to be helpful with attempting to remove those layers so they can both get back to that comfortable normal.

Cub is so focused on starting his work, getting a scan of the cuffs to figure out what hes working with, he thinks Hotguy shuffling around is just him trying and failing to get comfortable on the hard floor. Until he hears the clinking of hard objects being set on the floor.

And sees Hotguy has stripped himself of all of his external plating and gear, grinning up at him while trying and failing to remove his outer costume layer with only one hand.

Seeing that his attention has shifted, Hotguy brings both hands to Cubs utility belt, trying to open it.

Cub, still baffled by this behavior, lets him. The belt comes off with ease. Hotguy then busies himself undoing the plating Cub has layered over his body, lots of fine intricate pieces to retain as much freedom of movement as possible.

Hotguy pulls off his tassets first, nuzzling the side of his thigh through the remaining layers of costume once they are pulled off.

Before he can move on to the many chest pieces, Cub catches his wrists.

"Hey." He asks, gently, as to not startle Hotguy out of this weirdly peaceful and touchy mindset and provoke a fight. "What are you doing."

"Getting comfy." comes the immediate reply, with a nuzzle against one of his hands where hes holding Hotguy's wrists.

"Why." Cub asks. His costume is perfectly serviceable to be worn over long periods of time, he has no immediate desire to shed it. Hotguy's costume should be the same, for all the long hours spent in it.

"Home. No need for armor." Hotguy is nibbling gently at his fingers now, occasionally giving them the smallest of licks. "Please?" Wha- How is Cub expected to say no to those puppy dog eyes, they are the most lethal of all weapons Hotguy carries.

"Fine." Cub breaths out a deep sigh. "But. Just the armor." He lets go of Hotguy's wrists.

Immediately, those hands are back on him, curiously feeling up every piece to figure out how to remove it. Cub takes a deep breath, closes his eyes, and ignores the thought of those fingers elsewhere.

Home. That word rings in Cub's mind. Does Hotguy really think of this as- It's just the collar talking, right? Well, not the collar, this collar can't do that- But. Whatever Cub did to him with the other collars. Even though Cub had never Said that before.

This train of thought unfolds over the backdrop of his selfish agreement to allow Hotguy to divest him of his armor. He's- Cub knows he's not in any danger here, it's his own Lair, and Hotguy is clearly under his thrall in some way or another.

Then why do those wandering hands make him feel so weak? So vulnerable? Being without armor is nothing they haven't shared before, but- Cub shivers out a breath, when he can feel the faintest bits of the warmth of that touch, seeping through the fabric of his remaining costume.

Scar is delighted to be given permission to continue his task. His whole mind focuses in on the puzzle of how Vex's armor comes together. He's studied the way Vex moves more lately, since Vex was gon- No, none of those thoughts, Vex is here. Vex is here now, and that's the important part. All Hotguy has to do is tease apart the puzzle of Vex under his hands, his hand.

The pile of armor grows, and Hotguy finds himself savoring getting to the end of his task with more little breaks, more moments to lean close, to nuzzle, to breathe in ozone and chemicals and think about what it'd be like if he hadn't been forbidden to remove more.

Hotguy finishes with a proud little sound in the back of his throat, not having noticed the way that Vex hadn't made a move to keep working the entire time.

Even better, Hotguy has thought of a loophole! He leans his head on Vex's knee and sighs contentedly. His free hand? Sneaking over any part of Vex's costume he can reach, seeking an opening. He's not removing any of it, just. Looking to slip his hand under, to rest it on Vex's skin, always a bit cooler than Hotguy's own.

Cubs brain has come to a screeching stop. Hotguy is petting his skin. Its not the very first time its ever happened, Hotguy has pet his hand or his shoulder or his hair before, mostly during movies. But that was an absent sort of petting not this. This is focused and hungry. Touching as much of his skin as possible. A whole different beast.

A beast set on devouring him, if the look in Hotguys eyes is anything to go by. Had the kiss fully broken his brain? Had it fully broken Cubs own? He quietly queries a full system check in the parts of his brain that have computer hookups, to control his phase implants and wings.

Does a much more organic bit of introspection while that is running in the background. Or at least as much introspection as he can, with Hotguy's fingers still leaving burning streaks where they pet his phase cold skin.

He doesn't feel like his mind is broken. Or rewired. Then again, he hadn't felt rewired after Doc implanted the connections for his wings and phase implants. Or while he was learning to use them.

Was that even a comparable situation to this? Cub isn't sure, but he would not consider it to be. That was hardware. This is software.

A gentle nudge in his mind tells him the system check came back all clean. He's at 37% internal battery, 55% external, wing sensitivity set to flight high, phase fields ready, neural interface stable, no damage recorded to either devices. Good readings, especially after an intense fight like the one they had. He's got another half hour of phase time left, at least, and that's without dipping into external batteries.

He could phase out of the cuffs, now that Hotguy is distracted. But how will he explain it after, if Hotguy asks? He can't say the cuffs don't suppress his phasing, that would cause them to scrutinize him closer, and maybe develop cuffs that could actually block it. No, he has to get out as if he really were powerless.

Hotguy nuzzles up to the inside of his thigh, peering up at him coyly from under those sinfully long lashes, and there goes Cubs train of thought.

Not just derailed, completely dissolved.

How could he think about anything but those bright green eyes, with the way they are looking at him, as if they seek to devour him whole.

Or those lips, that he now Knows feel as soft under his as they look. Knows what they taste like, what moans falling from them sound like when he's licking between them to get to the sweet treasure that is the inside of Hotguy's mouth.

A mouth that is slightly open, with a tongue tip darting out to wet pouty lips invitingly.

Lips he absolutely Cannot kiss again.

"Stop this." He says weakly. No conviction in his voice.

"Why." Hotguy whispers back. So frustratingly, irresistibly alluring.

Again, Cub doesn't know what came over him when he fists his hand is Hotguy's hair and pulls him in for a hard kiss. Pulls him right into his lap, straddling him. Licking into his mouth, just like he envisioned.

It's still as sinfully delicious as it was earlier.

Cub runs his hand down Hotguy chest, squeezing those tits that have been taunting him from just beyond the edge of Hotguys boob window for years. Barely notices how he feels skin under his fingers instead of kevlar reinforced spandex, his fingers phasing cleanly through Hotguy's suit with barely a thought.

The chair topples under their fervent makeout, but they manage to stay on their feet. Hotguy, not to be outdone, crashes his back into the nearest wall, pinning him to it, and hiking one of Cub's legs around his waist, grinding into him hard. Now, with the stiffest parts of their armor removed, there's actual friction to be had. Cub groans, throatily, in time with Hotguy's own moan, at the stimulation. Humps his hips up into it to get more.

Pushes off from the wall, crashing Hotguy into the opposing one, just to get more leverage. Lifts his archnemesis clean off the ground, legs wrapping around his waist.

Teeth clacking together as Hotguy just melts into him, submitting so beautifully.

Cub bites his lip until blood flows in victory.

Cub now knows what Hotguys blood tastes like. That taste will forever stain the inside of his mouth. No other taste could ever compare to this nectar of the gods flowing freely from the others kissbitten lips.

No symphony sound as sweet as the ragged moans he was pulling from those lips, tainted in forbidden rapture.

Hotguy's fingers on his skin where there previously was only fabric on his back throws him off.

Has him dropping Hotguy like a hot potato.

What has he done? Again.

It gets easier every time. Cub can feel it. The craving to scoop Hotguy back up. How simple it would be. How delicious. How many nights fantasizing alone he could make into reality with hardly any effort-

Cub backs away, ends up dragging the mildly stunned Hotguy with him a couple feet, those damned cuffs keeping them linked.

Scar lays on the floor, head spinning. Heart pumping. Has he ever been so hungry in his whole life? Has he always been this hungry and somehow missed it?

When Vex stops dragging him, Scar sits up. The ghosts of cold fingers dance across his chest, his arms, his back. He wants to be the one to warm Vex up. He wants Vex to look at him like that again, like he can't look away. Like Scar is everything, the only thing in his head, his hear-

No, too much. That's too much to ask. Scar swallows. Tries his throat. "Got any leads?"

"What." Vex's tone, flat with possibly-shock.

Scar's eyebrows bunch in concern, leading him to stand. "On the cuffs." He clarifies, looking Vex over. Drinking in every inch more of skin than he usually gets to see.

"When would I have- No." Vex snaps.

Something's bothering Vex. Something's wrong and Scar doesn't know what it is. Doesn't know how to help. He wishes for mindreading powers, but even if the universe was feeling kind today, the cuffs would stop it regardless.

"Maybe we should take a break. Get a snack." Hotguy suggests. He strips out of the outer fabric layer of his top.

"I haven't hardly had the chance to start-"

"Snack first, then brain work." Scar says, more firmly, draping his top onto Vex, over Vex's shoulders. Maybe he mourns to see some skin go, but- Oh something deep in Scar's chest rumbles pleasure to see Vex draped in his colors- Not! That that's why he did it! No!

It's just that. A blanket and food are good for shock, that's all. He's just being a good hero, that's all. Just taking care of his. Of his. Of his Vex.

Cub is.. gonna need a minute here. With how rapidly the mood had flip flopped. He has no idea if the scan he started on the cuffs got anything. Really should reconsider making more of his lab equipment accessible from his internal systems.

Snacks. Snacks do sound good. Maybe he can sneak a top up of his internal batteries. He feels better when they are topped up.

Letting Hotguy pull him to the kitchen, Cub tries to remember if he left his snack charger on his desk or moved it to the couch. He hopes he moved it.

Scar slips his cuffed hand into Vex's, lacing their fingers together. That makes it feel much more natural to pull Vex toward the kitchen, when Scar isn't given any kind of a no. Which Scar is taking as a yes to snacks! Clearly Vex needs them if he's zoning out this bad.

The path to the kitchen is familiar enough. He's ended up in Vex's lab a few times before, for what Vex claimed were checkups at the start and end of his kidn- vacations. Who knows what they really were, but Scar wouldn't mind ending up in there more often. Vex focuses on him so nicely during them.

Scar takes stock of the kitchen, finding it less well stocked than he'd like, but workable. Vex is going to have to be his main hand, though, given the orientation of their cuffing. Well, he hasn't objected yet!

Scar instructs Vex on pouring some cream into a pot to boil, easy enough. A bit harder to correct him on how to hold a knife when chopping chocolate, but he takes it well enough. The cinnamon's old, but still smells good enough, and will make a fine stir-stick for their mugs.

Of course cocoa first. It's warm and sweet and everything someone could want in a beverage. It's also not one Vex has turned his nose up at before, which is a vital consideration.

Simple things, simple things. Scar digs around in the fridge, coming up with bits and bobs. Shark coochie board it is!

He gets Vex to slice some random cheeses and cold cuts while he lays out some crackers on a tray, and digs up some little bowls to put jams and uuuh maybe cream cheese? Probably. Into. He doesn't remember Vex having this many serving dishes before. Oh right, Scar adds a bowl of baby carrots to the tray, too. That's like a balanced snack, right?

"Good job." Scar twists so he can reach Vex's hair with his free hand, ruffling it. "Help me carry this." Scar hands Vex the mugs, and takes the tray, before heading to the couch at a deliberately slow walk.

Cub makes his way over to the couch, following Hotguy and carefully balancing both mugs of what he thinks is hot chocolate. The cooking process is a bit of a blur, with him still in his own head.

Thankfully, they make it to the couch with no spills. Cub sets down both mugs as soon as he can, next to what looks like an improvised charcuterie board Hotguy scrounged together for them. He is happy to see his snack charger on the end table, plugged in and ready to go.

Hotguy is fussing with the folded blankets he keeps on the couch, woven ones, not those synthetic plush ones that feel like hell on his skin. A blanket is awkwardly draped over him, catching on both his wings where they are folded against his back and Hotguy's outer layer still draped over his shoulders. He probably should give that back. He does not want to give it back, ever. He wants to stay wrapped in Hotguy forever.

Hotguy, who has put a baby carrot in his cuffed hand, and is encouraging him to eat it.

Casually placing his right hand on the charging pad, he lets Hotguy feed him more baby carrots, and the occasional bit of cheese and crackers, while enjoying the feeling of power singing through his cables.

Scar thinks Vex is doing better. Coming out of his shock. This is how you treat shock patients, right? Wrap them in a blanket and feed them? He's pretty sure it is.

Knowing that Vex doesn't like all foods, he makes sure to ask before offering new combinations off the shark coochie board, getting little nods and soft noises of agreement for most. Anything that combines carrots and jam is vetoed, though. Boo. He personally thinks that's an excellent combo.

Vex hasn't tried his hot chocolate yet though, and its getting cold. So logically, the best thing to do is to situate himself half on Vex's lap, and use both hands to hold his cup for him to drink from.

The first thing Cub thinks is that the weight on his legs is great actually and he'd love if Hotguy could do that to his whole body.

The second thing he thinks is that Hotguy is on his lap and there are several things he'd like Hotguy to do with his whole body.

But instead of Hotguy's lips on his, Cub feels the warm tap of ceramic on his lip. It feels natural for him to part them for Hotguy at this point, and frankly? The creamy richness is making a strong case for second best thing he's tasted this year. Cub Very carefully does not think about drinking anything else creamy from Hotguy.

"You're doing so well." Hotguy praises, in that warm and almost-soft sort of way. Cub's wings try to flutter, but he forces them to continue to lay flat. "Just a bit more for me, alright?"

Cub thinks he'd do a Whole Lot More if Hotguy asked him while sitting on his lap like this and talking in that tone. But yeah, he finishes up the cocoa being offered, reflexively licking his lips clean afterward. Hotguy seems distracted for a moment, before he leans to set the mug aside.

Scar, of course, decides that this whole thing is working so well, that he should just stay on Vex's lap. He's comfortable, and Vex seems to finally be relaxing some. "How are you feeling?" Scar asks, leaning forward to drape himself on Vex's chest.

"Comfy, actually." Cub is really fighting with his wings now. They want to spread, or phase into the couch. He tends to keep them out of phase when sitting anyways, as most furniture is not made to accommodate them, and they can get really painful and cramped, even if artificial. The habit is harder to break than he thought.

Having Hotguy on his lap makes up for it though. The deep, calming pressure, and the fact that its Hotguy. Who is currently giving Cub his full, undivided attention. Cub could get used to this. A dangerous thought.

"How are you holding up?" he poses the question back at Hotguy, who seems to be handling all of this surprisingly well. Too well, if you ask Cub. He may have to insist on a brain scan, before Hotguy goes on his way after he gets them uncuffed.

"Oh I'm doing just marvelously, don't you worry your pretty little head about lil ol me, and focus fully on yourself." Hotguy all but purrs, voice reverberating through Cubs ribcage even with all those barriers still between them. He wonders what it might feel like without them, Hotguy draped across him skin to skin, purring for him in pleasure.

Cub hates to break the moment. Does not want to remove Hotguy from his person.

But he also would like full use of both of his hands, and his phasing ability. And with his brain back online, after Hotguy so carelessly turned it to mush, he can get to work on that again.

"Come on, get up, I should start working on getting us free. And I can't do that with you crushing me, however comfy that may be." He pats Hotguy on the arm.

"I don't wannaaaa." Hotguy whines, like petulant toddler told to eat their veggies. "You're so comfy, and then I'd have to get up, and we'd have to figure out how you can work properly, it's gonna be a whole thing, and couch times are not for those things."

"This isn't couch times." Cub speaks levelly, feeling very rational and responsible about the whole thing.

"But what if it was nap times?" Scar wheedles. "Just the teeny tiniest of naps?"

"No." Cub says, gathering himself to-

Hotguy's lips are warm on his neck. Pressing kisses, taking little nips. Cub's train of thought is instantly burgled, hollowed out of all the valuables like good reasons and coherent words. Especially when Hotguy's hand manages to slither its way under all the layers of blanket and drape and everything to press searing-warm into his hip, as if that could hold him down on the couch.

"Just stay with me, a little longer. We don't need to do any of that complicated stuff right now." Scar whispers to Vex, between kisses. If Vex gets the cuffs off, he might do something silly, like try to make Scar leave. And Scar simply can't have that.

Also Vex's neck is refreshing and tasty, like a popsicle. A wonderful dessert, just for Scar. He loves feeling Vex's pulse race under his tongue, adores knowing he's having this effect on his often unreadable archnemesis.

"No." Cub manages to choke out.

"No." He reaffirms, when the first made Hotguy hesitate. "Bad Hotguy. We are going to get off this couch, go back the lab, and then I'm going to figure out a way to get us out of these cuffs, and you will let me, or so help me."

Hotguy actually backs down, even if he doesn't fully get off of Cub's lap. The puppy eyes were back out in full force, Hotguy even throwing in a lil lip wobble this time.

"Nu uh, Off." Cub stands firm this time. Partly because he does not think he can be held responsible for his actions if Hotguy keeps up the little kisses and nibbles on his neck like that. He may end up doing something he could never forgive himself for.

Shooing Hotguy off his lap is an ordeal, the man determined to stick to him like glue. Or an overactive puppy with severe separation anxiety, with the way he is whining and pouting at him.

Cub hardens his heart and pushes through. Hotguy would not be behaving this way if not for whatever residual mind control putting the collar on him activated, and to be able to safely take the collar back off him, he first needs to get these damned cuffs off.

He does realize that he can't have Hotguy just kneeling next to him again, that will just lead to distractions he cannot afford. But what else to do with him? Just for a moment, Cub's thoughts flit to the very first mind control collar he ever made. It would turn Hotguy into a perfectly obedient doll, just for a while.

The thought holds surprisingly little appeal, in fact, it repulses him to have even thought of it. He wants Hotguy to be as much like himself as he can be, even if it causes Cub major inconveniences.

That does bring him back to the issue at hand, though. Maybe they should stop by his bedroom here, grab another chair for Hotguy to sit on.

What state had he left his bedroom in? Was there a dissected project on the desk? Did he remember to make his bed this morning? Does that even matter?

He's bringing Hotguy to grab a chair, not some date he wants to impress. It feels a lot like that though, with the kisses and the way he's still half hard from Hotguy's... affections... in his neck area. He hopes he hasn't ended up with a hickey, that would be a pain to cover up in the office until it faded.

"Small change of plans." He announces. "We're gonna get you a chair, so you don't go causing any more trouble by distracting me."

"Trouble? Me? Never!" Hotguy sounds so offended, like he has never done a wrong in his life and cannot believe he is being accused of one now.

"You know exactly what you did." Cub retorts, already pulling Hotguy off to his room.

Scar follows along, still a little stunned by the shock of Vex calling him bad. Which he thinks should may not impact him this much, but- Scar shivers. He wants to be good. Just a teeny tiny bit more than he wants to get his way.

That's... Well, that's probably normal for whatever Vex put into this version of the collar. Scar knows he's been tweaking it every year. It's not something for him to worry about.

He whimpers softly, sticking close to Vex as much as he can. Which means going along to wherever Vex keeps his spare chairs.

Which is... a bedroom? A room with a bed, at least. And stars. On the ceiling. Almost familiar- Scar can't quite pull a memory of them together, though.

He does try to pull them toward the bed, but Vex just yanks him toward the chair.

Don't think of him as Hotguy, Cub tells himself. He's just. Someone. Some random person. Treat him like it. He sharply tugs, until he can get his hands on the chair.

Some random person pressed arm-to-arm with him like this would have his skin crawling off. It's hard to ignore that he wants to lean into Hotg- The person, instead. "You are going to sit in this chair and you are going to keep your hands to yourself, and you are going to Behave. Do you understand me?" Cub puts on his voice for dressing down employees who disappointed him.

This is just a business transaction, after all. Like any other.

Ho- The guy folds in on himself like a kicked puppy, but nods. Cub fixes him with another stern look, before picking up the chair and turning to leave, doing his best to ignore the way Ho-the guy stumbles and then half plasters himself to his back as he heads to his lab at a rather brisk pace.

Already Scar feels the gap between them widening, feels Vex pulling away from him again. That coldness, like before he vanis- No. No no no. Vex is here, he's right here. Scar forces himself not to stumble, to keep up. Leans a bit more heavily on Vex than he means to when his legs try to take this moment to give out on him, but it's thankfully only a brief spell of weakness.

Vex grumbles impatiently and only moves more quickly.

Vex can't- He can't just leave Scar again. Why doesn't he want Scar, everybody wants Scar!

No. Everybody wants Hotguy. Scar isn't anyone to anyone at all.

Scar stays close for as long as he can while Vex gets the chair situated, before reluctantly allowing himself to be peeled off. And then he's left with absolutely nothing but his own thoughts, as Vex does... something. Who knows. He could be taking measurements to cut Scar's hand off, for all Scar knows.

They're supposed to be archrivals. They're supposed to fight- No he doesn't fight Vex right now. But. They're supposed to be a pair. Doesn't Vex want him? Sometimes, in brief flickers, Scar thinks he sees Vex want him. But it always gets tucked away somewhere deep, always vanishes like a mirage.

The broken skin of Scar's lip isn't a mirage. He flicks his tongue over the small wound. That's real. Vex did that, with his teeth. It stings and it speaks to at least a physical desire if nothing else.

So why is Vex fighting so hard to separate them? Scar doesn't get it. It's stupid! Stupid and bad! Why does Vex need to get away from him so badly? What if he vanishes again as soon as the cuff is off, melting into the floor, or wall. Somewhere Scar can't follow.

Vex needs! To stop being stupid and awful! Stop paying attention to his dumb little machines! Pay more attention to Scar!

Scars hands flex and curl, and he ends up sitting on his free hand because he doesn't know how else to keep it to himself. It's not enough. He's trying so so so hard to be good, but he's not enough.

"Are you okay?" Scar hadn't even noticed the tears streaming down face until Vex's words pull him out of his own mind. Hastily, he wipes them away. Only to notice, his hand is free.

He is no longer cuffed to Vex. Scar bursts out crying, sobbing, face in his hands.

An awkward hand is placed on his shoulder. Vex. Seemingly trying to comfort him. Scar throws himself at him, hoping he'll be caught. If not he can cry sprawled on the floor. That works too.

Vex does catch him, hold him against his chest. Stiffly pat his hair and ask whats wrong.

Scar doesn't answer. It's not like he has one that won't make Vex laugh at him. Like that he needs to stay with Vex. Can't handle loosing him again. And he couldn't have lost him when they were still cuffed together now could he?

And now Vex has gone and taken that away from him. Sure, it's nice to have the use of his main hand back, but does he really need it that much? More than he needs Vex right now?

Scar is such a pathetic excuse for a hero, unable to function without the attention and touch of his archnenesis. Maybe that's why Vex disappeared on him. He realized how pathetic and needy Scar was, and now he'll go and get himself another hero to be his archnemesis. Leave Scar to be forgotten by the wayside.

Every sob from Hotguy tears clean through Cub's chest. He's never seen Hotguy like this, not even during his sniffly crying moments when a movie they were watching got sad. No, this is a completely different beast, something far worse.

What did he do?

Nothing about the collar or the cuffs should have done this. It doesn't make any sense. Has he destabilized Hotguy's mind that much?

Then it's vital that he get the collar off before-

Cub finds himself shoved down, a wild-eyed Hotguy standing over him, before he can do any more than touch the collar-clasp.

Scar can't let anyone take the last-only piece of Vex he has from him, his only ticket to stay here, not even Vex himself.

Cub is having difficulty focusing on what he was doing. The way Hotguy is looming over him, feral snarl on his face and wild gleam in his eyes has all his blood rushing south. This has no right being this hot, what with Hotg-

Pain blooms in Cubs shoulder, right where it meets the neck. Hotguy has sunk his teeth there, biting savagely into the flesh. Cub can feel hot blood running down from the bite.

The pain flares as Hotguy growls and thrashes his head, tearing at his mouthful. Cub fists his hand hard in Hotguys hair, squeezing until he releases, then yanking him back, ready to chew him out.

Again, Cubs thoughts are knocked right out of his silly little head. Hotguy, face smeared with Cubs blood, looks rapturous. Divine. His eyes are closed, mouth still open. Inviting Cub to lick the blood off his teeth.

Instead, Cub shifts out of phase, and lets himself fall through the floor, away from the temptation. It's the only way this won't end in disaster.

#hero for sale cinematic universe #nowhere else to go #writing crimes #sorry not sorry for decimating your dashboards

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