anaaa

To say the two of you fucked when you got back to the tower- would be an understatement. The two of you destroyed the place- or at least.. Loki’s room, practically covering every single surface you got your hands on and switching to every position known to man. 

Or god.

It wasn't a hard decision to go back to his room- after the little private dance you had given- little also being an understatement- your body didn't want to just stop there. You had been crushing on him for so long, and after he had discovered your little secret as a side hustle stripper.. You almost felt a bit closer to him. 

Yet a fling was just a fling, and you had already told yourself as you lay in his arms right after that there'd be no expectations when the sun rises. He, however, seemed to have a different opinion.

‘’Exhaustion might affect your awareness out there in the field- perhaps just choosing one profession would be better..’’ Loki continued to ramble, following close behind you while you made your way down the halls, waving a hard at him with a harsh ‘shh’ while you scanned to make sure the coast was clear.

‘’You want to talk a bit louder so people can hear you?” you asked sarcastically, keeping a tight hold on your large bag containing items for your ‘other profession’ while walking barefoot in only a large t-shirt that belonged to Loki. 

Normally when you arrived stupid late after the club, people were still asleep where you could easily get to your room undetected. Having crashed with Loki for the night, you didn't exactly have a spare outfit and after much debate- you figured one of his t-shirts would be more appropriate- rumors and all- than wearing something flashy and someone discovering what you did in the middle of the night.. Besides Loki..

‘’I’m just saying,’’ Loki sighed, his voice lowering drastically while he crossed his arms over his own soft t-shirt, having already gotten ready for the day and he presumed that's where you were heading off to do while he continued to follow. ‘’Working day and night isn't healthy for you humans.’’

‘’Im gotten way used to it Loki, i used to do this late night thing way before Stark offered me this job.’’ you sigh with a shrug, deciding to book it across the hall and practically yanking open your door, rolling your eyes when you hear it stop from closing before Loki’s presence could be felt behind you; then and only then did the door close.

‘’Why do you even feel the need to work two jobs? I'm sure being ‘an Avenger’ pays far better than a regular occupation.’’ Loki noted, his words tasting like bile with any mention of his former enemy’s title- as long as it’s been already but he distracts himself from the memory by looking around your room.

You took this opportunity to rummage through your drawers to fish out fresh day clothes- having taken the assignment today of finishing disregarded reports and something that could be done in the comfort of your quarters. That is.. Unless you have a certain someone poking about and being a distraction.

‘’My my you do come with quite a bit of surprises darling, anything else i may discover?” Loki smirked, having naturally drawn to your bookshelf to discover your less than innocent book genres but you just were thankful he didn't look in your sock drawer.

‘’Don't you have some community service to do, or something?” you asked with a hand on your hip, holding your fresh clothes in the other with the body language that hopefully indicated he needed to step out.

‘’All caught up and no new assignments until someone decided to threaten the city darling,’’ Loki smirked, as if rubbing in he got the day off compared to you but something told you you weren't gonna get much work done.

‘’Then go do what you.. Normally do during the day. I, unfortunately, have to work.’’ You shook your head and tossed your clothes onto the bed, turning your back to him as if he would already make his way out and gripping the ends of the t-shirt.

‘’Are you referring that i begin taking up my hobbies to pass the time of my day? Because if so, i do believe you have become one of them..’’ Loki’s voice purred against your ear, his presence having made itself known suddenly behind you where his arm snaked around your waist and a hand began to fondle your chest. 

His arousal could be felt pressing up against your ass, making you bite your bottom lip to stifle a moan before you wiggled to turn around and face him- though his grip didn't waver as you stayed pressed up against his front.

‘’I. Have. work. Loki. You need to be a distraction somewhere else.’’

‘’Mmm so i’m a distraction?” he hummed before you gave him another warning look, making him sigh and take a step back. ‘’Alright then, I will give you some time. But I do intend on discussing this further.’’

‘’Discussing wh- wha!” you yelped when he gripped the ends of your t shirt and pulled it smoothly up and over your head, leaving you in the nude with your limbs frantically trying to cover yourself.

‘’It is MY t-shirt after all,’’ he smirked, biting his bottom lip as he looked you over before quickly making his leave when you began chucking pillows towards his head.

Your leg bounced with anxiety, having cemented yourself to the desk in your comfy clothes consisting of sweatpants and an oversized hoodie but the reports didn't seem to write themselves. You knew you had to do it but every time you attempted to complete them, flashbacks of last night- all of it- assaulted your mind. 

Loki knows your secret now.. And although he showed no indication that he’d tell, he did seem quite concerned with you being there. Why else was he stressing the matter of exhaustion, distraction and all the other cons of working two jobs? But it didn't seem like working the two jobs was the problem.. You were beginning to get the feeling that working THE job was the problem. 

Why? 

The two of you weren't a thing- as much as you might have liked to be.. But things were way too fresh, and having a one night stand wasn't exactly the perfect start to a new relationship. You knew each other, yes, but only amongst the tower.. What if Loki had secrets of his own you haven't discovered like he had discovered yours? He even admitted he followed you, was stalking something you wanted in a boyfriend?

Huffing, you leaned back and stretched, feeling the need to take a break from.. Not getting much work done. Crossing your room, you opened the door to step out just to pause, squinting to feel the faintest breeze caress your face while you looked out into the empty hallway. Strange.. 

You heard the faint sounds of the others throughout the tower, everything seeming relatively normal while you shrugged it off. Perhaps some reading instead.. With an open window. Turning around with the door closing back behind you, you nearly jumped out of your skin when you saw Loki standing there, hands clasped behind his back and eyeing you like you were something to devour.

‘’What are- how’d you get in??” you demanded, having no idea how he got into your room- or how long while your back leaned against your door in recovery. 

‘’Are you finished darling?” he asked, nonchalantly without even glancing behind him at your unfinished paperwork.

‘’Almost- just needing a break.’’ you said quickly, clearing your throat and straightening up while he smiled and you walked past him calmly, already feeling his eyes on you while you ventured to your window and opened it.

‘’Perfect, so I've done some extended research and have discovered you make far more than enough where you only need to reside here. With Stark allowing no form of rent to stay, you need not push yourself to resume a second-’’

‘’Loki,’’

‘’Darling..’’

‘’..i like dancing.’’ 

Your statement was quiet as you looked at him, a hand still on your window frame from where you gripped it to have it open. He watched you carefully, almost as if the two of you were trying to read each other’s minds when you were far past playing games.

In a moment, he played it off by spreading his arms casually. ‘’And you are very good at it darling, but really, having to work two jobs is completely unnecessary-’’

‘’Loki. What's this really about?” you watched as he stilled, still having his arms out but this time his expression falling into the unreadable trickster you were accustomed too. Taking a few steps closer, his arms slowly descended to his sides. ‘’You have spoken practically the whole time when we werent fucking about the down sides of working two jobs- specifically.. My night job. You’ve hardly cared about what my life is functioned with, but after that.. Night.. Why suddenly give a shit?” 

Your words were a bit harsh, but he hardly flinched or seemed bothered by your crude language. You didn't mean it as so, he knew you demanded the truth. The fact of the matter was, he struggled to give it while he clasped his hands behind his back again and looked about your room instead. 

‘’It's dangerous territory.. In what you do..’’

‘’And being an Avenger isn't?"

‘’You are protected by those.. Teammates. Being in danger there at least has you surrounded by backup than a room full of men that would take advantage of you within a second’s heart beat.’’

‘’You paid for a dance.’’ you countered and watched how his eyes sharply moved back to you in warning. 

‘’In all honesty, I was hoping you’d reconsider your gig all together when you were filled with my presence. I do not regret a single moment darling, im glad i could confirm my suspicions on how you really feel about me that night, as pleasurably thorough as it was.’’

Your cheeks reddened as you looked away, moving within your room towards the bookshelf to try to resume what you were doing and subtly be done with this conversation, but he stepped in front of you when you neared him. 

‘’Dare i say the more i’m in your presence, the harder it is to leave darling.’’

‘’The doors over there.’’ you nodded dryly, your words wavering just a tad and it did not go unnoticed by the way he smirked.

‘’Oh no love, it’s far too late for that. You’ve laid with a god, and it’s something you cannot take back.’’

‘’Sooo what, are we a thing now?” you asked sarcastically, your stomach twisting in nerves all the same while his hand rose and took hold of your chin, raising it a tad and keeping you still to remain looking at him.

‘’I know there is definitely some thing between us.’’

You narrowed your eyes, full denial taking over as you moved your face away. ‘’Look.. I will admit that I find you attractive and what we did was.. Pleasant but.. I don’t know you.. Truly know you.. What we did, was just a one time thing..’’

‘’A one time thing?” he smirked, almost doubting your words that it would only happen once and you stiffened stubbornly.

‘’A one time thing. I like working my two jobs, and have no problem working two jobs. I think, you’re just bothering discovering that other men get to look and touch me-’’

No sooner did the sentence leave your mouth, Loki’s hand moved to your jaw, his quick movement making your back hit your bookshelf and his hand keeping your face in place. It didn't hurt, but your hands did fly to his wrist in a weak attempt to pull him off while his knee inserted itself between your legs. 

‘’You try to let another man touch you, it will be the last time he has hands.’’ Loki said darkly, his nose practically brushing up against yours while your body tensed. He then seemed to take notice how close he truly was to you, his demeanor changing drastically to something of lust while his eyes began to travel down, not at all giving you any distance. ‘’..once, you say?”

‘’Y-yes..’’ you stuttered out, trying to sound firm while you felt your arousal begin to coat your panties with the brush of his knee between your legs.

‘’Mmm we’ll see.’’ he smirked before leasing you, sauntering back towards the door without hardly looking back before he opened the door and paused. ‘’I promise you this Y/N, we are far from done. Like it or not, I am your god.’’ he then left with the door clicking behind him, leaving you taking a deep breath and a shiver.

You scampered around your room to quickly collect your ‘night’ things in a rush. You had to force yourself to sit down and concentrate- even if it took a few Red Bulls to get the reports done before dinner. You weren't satisfied with your work but they’ll do without Roger’s getting on your ass about it. 

At dinner, Loki was late but it didn't stop the rest of you from indulging in whatever concoction Vision had made up tonight. It was something of like.. Pasta and a burger, but it was swallowable and would do from satisfying your hunger throughout the night while you worked. 

Just as you rose from the table to head to your room and sneak in a nap before you’d head out- you passed Loki coming from the halls. Your eyes met as the two of you kept walking, the familiar smirk tugging at his lips that nearly had your cheeks blushing a deep shade. You kept walking- figuring it was better not to poke the snake and deal with him some other time because his behavior was.. Completely uncalled for. 

Like.. seriously! You weren't his now- it was a fling! A one night stand! A lustful, pent up bottle of emotions that spilled over from good music, drinks and.. Emotions..

You sighed and shook your head. How could you have feelings for someone you hardly knew? I mean.. You knew him but.. Not knew him knew him. Should you bother? Could you see yourself being a thing with him? He was better, improved since his ‘rehabilitation’ and admittedly was a great guy.. But his dominance that was beginning to show was something you’d have to think about.. 

He made you lose your mind, your control, your power.. You felt so powerful last night, in charge, and he let you.. Or did he? Was his dominance just a power play? Fake to get a rise out of you? Was he.. No.. you couldnt see him as a bottom.. But you knew he couldn't push you around when it came to your decisions. 

Now the man had you paranoid as you looked around your room as if he’d be there but he wasn't. After double checking, you set an alarm and laid down to nap- planning on slipping out once everyone was asleep. 

Like usual. 

You ignored the slight ache in your limbs from a full night of fucking Loki while you swung yourself again on the stripper pole. It was another busy night but you hardly minded. As disgusting as these men were, the more of them there was, the more cash that would be thrown to you. 

You hardly needed the money.. What you said was true, and if not, you were sure Loki would have called you out on it. You loved to dance. However.. When you thought about the last dance you gave- via Loki and not literally but when the two of you were behind the curtain.. It has been the best moment of your entire ‘career’ here. 

The very man you had been attracted to since day one of his present entered the tower, and you got to do what you had fantasized about it merely daydreams or.. Well, wet dreams. 

Then the two of you had fucked!

The very blush that coated your cheeks now drew the attention of a particular pig in the audience, making kissy faces and winks as if it was caused by him. Quickly getting your mind out of the clouds before you’d accidentally hurt yourself in one of your moves, you heard the song begin to wrap up and spun one more time on the pool, bending and hanging yourself upside down in a pose and a smile before the spotlights went out. 

Finally..

The lights came back on as you righted yourself before you began to pick up the cash that had been thrown, knowing the next performance was going to go on soon and it would leave you perhaps another hour to flip in some curtain grabs. No requests have been made so far and most of the girls preferred just snagging the pole rather than the one on one deals but really, the private rooms paid more.

After leaving your bag with your earnings in your locker and freshening up a bit, you came back onto the floor with a flirtatious smile, swaying your hips as you walked and searched for your next victim. A hundred dollar bill was held in the air between two slender fingers to just beckon you over and you quickly headed over before another girl could even think about snagging your private dance request. 

Getting closer, you stopped dead in your tracks and your face fell when you saw Loki, a leg crossed, wearing the same black- sexy- suit and a smirk of knowing on his face. 

‘’My my, aren't we diligent tonight. If it didnt know any better darling, i’d say this added on effort to your performances was just to spite me.’’

‘’I didn't know you were here, and I always dance like that.’’ you said dryly, resisting the urge to cross your arms while you stood in your skimpy outfit and opted to place a hand on your hip instead. 

‘’I remember you danced quite differently for me darling.’’ he smirked and leaned forward, his chin leaning on his palm while swaying the bill in front of him. ‘’Like it?”

‘’I have plenty. From plenty of others.’’ you said sharply, hardly even getting hundred bills honestly, only ones and fives but.. He didn't need to know that. ‘’Do you plan on making this your hang out now?”

‘’Would you like it to be?” he smirked.

‘’I’d like you to actually give a shit about this stuff like everyone else and not show up just because you’re concerned.’’

‘’Concerned?” he chuckled.

‘’That's all you seemed to focus on all day, why else would you be here?” you demanded, having to pause to lower your voice and glance around to make sure your boss wasn't around. 

‘’Mm perhaps this be the reason, do to us having so much fun the last time i was here.’’ he winked, continuing to sway the hundred dollar bill between you both and it was starting to get annoying while you shifted in place.

‘’I don’t need it.’’ 

‘’Clearly, and yet you still continue to work here.’’ he smirked.

‘’I like to dance.’’

‘’Then dance.’’

The two of you stared at each other, almost like a stalemate before your nails dug into your palms. Clearly this was certainly becoming.. Something between you and you weren't about to let him ruin the night. Take your power. Be a dick. 

Drawing up a breath, you took a step forward and snatched the bill, watching how his smirk got wider before you nodded over your shoulder for him to follow. There was no doubt he wasn't staring at your ass while you led the way to one of the private curtain rooms, glancing at one of the staff members and muttering a few words about which package was going to be performed and the song of choice. Once he nodded and scurried off, you pulled the curtain open and nodded for Loki to go first, still keeping a mildly irritated look on your face.

‘’That's a good girl.’’ he purred, keeping eye contact with you as he passed before disappearing in, you following right after with the curtain drawn closed.

Just like last time, there was a long couch and the room was dark- with some expectations of a few choice colors that grew and faded like red, purple and dark blue. You had chosen the largest package- not because you wanted to perform everything- Loki didn't even know what was included- but because it had the longest time limit. 

Long enough to settle this all. 

Loki walked deeper into the room, seeming to grow settled in the new environment before he began to turn around to face you with a smirk. ‘’So, why dont-’’

*SLAP*

You wouldn't doubt the sound could be heard over the music while your hand stung and hung at your side while you glared at the man in front of you.

His face hardly moved, he probably didn't even feel it, but he watched you with an unreadable expression, you almost took a step back. 

‘’You come into my work place but this bullshit- so now we’re going to settle this. Once and for all. What's your deal?” you demanded, your voice not sounding as confidence as how your slap was while Loki gave you an indifferent look.

‘’My deal?”

You huffed. ‘’Yes- you spend all day convincing me to leave this place. You damn near cuddled me all night as if I'd vanish into the mattress. All evening I felt eyes on me everywhere, even heading over to this place and ironically you’re now here- being the only curtain call I got offered cause everyone ‘magically’ stopped requesting. What do you want?” 

Loki looked more and more amused as you progressively rambled until he had slowly gotten closer to where you stood. Your body hesitated, his mere presence the closer he got grew the butterflies in your stomach just as much as when the two of you shared close contact whenever you’d be getting along. Before sex.. Before that night.. That same feeling when the two of you just talked and got alone.. Before everything got so.. So.. complicated. 

‘’What's so complicated about us Y/N?” 

His words indicated that either he could read your mind, or guess what was going through it. Either way, your heart justed while you held your breath. He was so beautiful.. Terrifying.. And you hardly knew what to do while you felt like wobbling in your heels. 

‘’I don’t know you..’’

‘’I think you do darling, you’re just not used to feeling this way..’’ he said with a whisper.

Your eyes fluttered up to meet his, a few tears pricking your eyes while you bit your lip. ‘’W-what way?”

‘’Protected.’’ 

Your brows furrowed a little, opening your mouth to say something before his hand had risen and the side of his pointing finger pressed against your chin to gently raise your eyes back to him. 

‘’Needed.. Wanted.. Cared for.. Admired..’’

His words seemed to whisper right against your ear, even if the god was right before you. His body was close, his hand closely ghosting against your jawline, across your cheek before bringing his fingers gently into your hair. You leaned into his touch before you could convince yourself otherwise, fluttering your eyes closed while your heart beat just as fast.

‘’i .. i can take care of myself-’’

‘’I know you can darling, but it is no crime to be cared for.’’ he said gently, his body moving much closer now where his chest brushed up against yours. ‘’To be loved.. Wanted.. Just as i want you..’’

‘’You.. Want me?” you whispered, it’s meaning vague but you knew what he was meaning to say. Those four little letters..

‘’Terribly darling.. Far beyond what we’ve shared last night.. I want no other man to indulge.. Not here, not anywhere else.. I’d beg for you if that's what it took.. Fall at your feet.. But a man never got a woman like that no-.. I’m a more desperate man..’’

His hand slowly gripped your hair, its grip just enough to follow his movements, tilting your head back to expose your neck while his lips began to ghost and caress your flesh just below your jawline and trail down. 

‘’I’d claw at your heart.. If a lover is what you seek, then you’d need but ask and I'll do anything..’’ he murmured, feeling his tongue slowly run back up his trail he had kissed before beginning to suck in what spots he knew made you weak. ‘’Even say please..’’

Your hands shakily rose to press at his chest but you hardly made the attempt to push him away. In fact, your fingers curled into his suit jacket, gripping him while you felt his other hand snake around your waist and pull you impossibly closer against him. 

You felt that familiar monster between his legs press up between yours, pulsing with demands but Loki moved slow and controlled. There was no force.. No demands.. Just a confession and a submissive ask by the caress of his mouth. 

Giving you the power.

Your lip trembled, consumed by the man whom you hardly knew, but felt like you had it merely a moment that felt like an eternity. Your god..

‘’Loki..’’

‘’My love..’’

‘’I…’’

‘’If it’s another kind of love you long for.. Ill wear a mask for you..’’

Your eyes fluttered open, tilting your head ever so slightly to gaze at him, even though his hand in your locks protected and a smirk tugged at his mouth. ‘’..i want to know you..’’

Loki’s expression softened, looking you over as if your few words spoke a lifetime of confessions. His heart thumped just as fast below your fingers, even through the fabrics of his clothes, it almost seemed to pulse with yours. 

This was crazy.. But it felt right.. So so wrong in all the best ways, you were willing to discover it in slow increments, even if life felt like it was changing in an instant.

‘’Loki..’’

‘’Mmm?” he hummed, watching you through half lidded eyes while the two of you stood together, pressed closely while the song you had picked in the background seemed almost half way through. That's okay though, this package allowed three songs. 

‘’I.. Want to dance for you..’’

The corner of his mouth pulled up as he looked at you, his grip getting tighter ever so slightly as if to pull you through the only barriers left between you both- being clothes.

‘’Dance for me..’’ he breathed, a step back that pulled you forward, walking with him as he trained his eyes on you still.

‘’Always..’’ you whispered, feeling his strong thighs brush up against your legs as you walked with him, until he paused when the couch came up behind him.

‘’Only..’’ he whispered, slowly sinking down to sit, his hands trailing down your sides until they rested on your hips, his eyes still watching you while his chin tilted up slightly.

‘’You only.. I only want to dance for you.. Here..’’ you whispered, your confidence picking up as the man before you stared up at you with lustful eyes, his pupils were nearly blown. ‘’However,’’

He paused a moment, his jaw tightening as he fought to concentrate while also feeling your body with his hands, having trailed down his slender fingers down your legs, it almost tickled.

‘’I continue to work here.’’

He paused a moment, watching you with a challenging eye before drawing in a breath, exhaling it out heavily. ‘’Work here but.. Only with me.. Here?’’

‘’Yes..’’

*INSERT SLUT SONG HERE*

He considered this a moment, his eyes abandoning yours a moment to watch as you began to sway your hips with the music, his hands instantly coming to rest upon them to feel how you moved. Your power was beginning to flow through your limbs, that surge of energy and excitement you only felt starting from that one dance.. Last night.. The only time when this felt more than just a job..

Because of him..

He swallowed thickly, watching how your arms trailed up and hands roamed your body, feeling yourself while rolling your neck and brushing your fingers through your hair. With one smile, you knew you got him.

‘’Very well darling.. However-’’ his grip on your hips tightened, pulling you forward until you now landed and straddled his lap, supporting yourself on your knees with his hands now firmly gripping your ass. ‘’Expect me here every night you work.’’ His eyes then began to trail down, smirking when he seemed to study your cleavage before his eyes fluttered closed when one of your hands snaked through his hair. ‘’And after…’’

‘’After.. When I clock out.. And we’ve had all the foreplay we want here..’’ you finished and leaned forward, studying his jawline before you brushed your cheek against his, pressing your lips next to his ear, purring out your sentence before biting his lobe.

‘’You can dance for me..’’

DM a song for your own Musical Mischief one shot :D

I never thought of myself as a reckless person. Not necessarily a rule follower, but I did follow wherever life took me because it was easier than swimming against the tide. So I’d like to say this all was a lapse in judgement, an out-of-character moment where I acted purely on emotion.

But no, I’d run the scenario through my head so many times that such a lie fell flat. As I was being walked out after Tyler’s last session, I did my best to get a general layout of Willow Hill. Things hadn’t changed too much from Francoise’s time here, but it was good to note all the nearest exits, as well as where they’d even decided to keep Isaac. Anything I could quickly assess in that moment to help me break the two out of this hellhole.

I waited until night to make any real moves. I shifted first into the skittered weight of a bat— less bulk, less noise— and let the night take me. Flying was awkward still; the years of unuse made my wings clumsy in ways my muscles didn’t anticipate. But flight isn’t finesse so much as focus. I cut low over the perimeter fence, past the cameras’ like nothing. It’s not as if they could catch me.

On the roof, I changed back only long enough to walk to the opening to the buildings air ducks. The vent grates were stubborn squares of metal; I wanted to leave as little evidence I was here as possible. I cupped one of corners with gloved fingers, found the micro-give, and forced one of the corners up large enough for me to squeeze through in bat form.

It was best this way, to crawl through the vents in a smaller more lightweight form. Only trouble was with such a small space I couldn’t make this quick, perhaps a more experienced flier would have been able to make do with the narrow space but I was not one of those talented bunch.

It’s not like there many opportunities for me to be adept with this form, if anything it was a trip to try and deal with being being five times smaller. The world looks so big and scary from this size, especially since I found myself in a mental instution at the dead of night for creatures and freaks alike.

Where was I going to keep the two boys if I managed to pull it off? Was it even a long-term solution to breaking them out? These were things I should have asked myself before I stepped off campus for the weekend, but the nature of breaking the law meant there would be variables outside of our control, and such things would need to be addressed when they came.

Yeah, this was a smart. Being here. I’m actually the dumbest person alive, holy shit.

With only one walk-though with Fairburn escorting me out last time, it was not as if I had the opportunity to map out the entire facility, only a few twisting hallways of the second level, before I had to go back down to the main floor. Which meant getting the maze of vents, fans, and filters through classic trial and error.

Vents smell like everyone who has lived beneath them— bleach and stale coffee, the ghost of cheap disinfectant, and the old animal musk of the place. I wriggled forward, every muscle coiled and ready. From above, I could watch the guards’ patrols, see their shuffle patterns, where they paused check on inmates, how they hunched at the dull jokes they told each other. That was the useful part, gave me a chance to watch where they would walk could finally make out where the outer edges of the building were, allowing me to find my way down a level or two.

I crawled over insulation warmed by the building’s breath, and used the echo of my own footsteps to mask the scrape when I had to force a metal bracket free. My heart kept a steady, irrational tempo— part fear, part adrenaline, part the stupid exhilaration of right now.

The patient blocks were arranged like teeth: small rooms in rows, observation windows, the corridor lights dimmed like theater cues. I counted doorways I saaw as I eased along a vent that ran parallel to the block. Then I found it. Seven. Lucky number.

When I found the grate that led directly above his cell, it felt like a weight was released from my chest. I was only able to get a passing glance at him through the metal slide that was cracked open just enough for me to catch a glimpse of his decaying face. 

He was chained by the neck, tied like a dog to the wall. Forced to stand upright in the corner, a restraint jacket kept his movement limited. Seeing Isaac again was a relief; but I did not let myself celebrate long.

Allowing myself to transform back, the metal groaned at the change of weight, nothing too suspicious thankfully— but the change in size made it so it was now a rather tight squeeze, any movement I made had me fighting to not make any noise as my body hit the walls of the vent. 

At least now I could say I understood why claustrophobia was a thing.

The metal bent out of the way as I ripped it gently, careful not to drop it, only force it open so I could drop down, not so much that it would fall down and make a lot of noise. Then I moved over the opening in a way that allowed me to drop feet first down below.

The moment my boots hit the tile, the sound was muffled by a layer of dust and rot. I stood up from my crouched position and walked toward him, brushing the grime off my clothes as I did. I was actually quite giddy in all honesty, shocked I managed to pull this off and get to him.

Isaac didn’t look up at first. But he did lurch forward at the noise of me dropping down, chain rattling, reaching forward I gave the metal a sharp pullpull— the iron shrieked, and the links snapped like brittle wire. That was easy enough. My pace in moved back away from him slowed without meaning to. For a second, I forgot to move.

He was…different.

Last time, he’d looked like a corpse still halfway in the grave— slack-jawed, patchy hair, his skin rotted so thin I could count every bone in his face. But now… both eyes were back, dark and sharp, studying me from under a mess of curls starting to grow in again. The color hadn’t returned to his skin yet— it was still corpse-pale, bruised with gray and blue— but the shape of him was starting to come back in, the strength in his shoulders and jaw, it was all coming back.

He was standing taller again. Almost like the boy I remembered. Thirty years gone, and somehow that old magnetic pull hadn’t died with him. God, why was I suddenly nervous? Was he always that much taller than me?

That small flicker of surprise in his eyes as he saw me snapped me out of it. I forced a crooked grin and broke the silence before it could get too heavy.

“You’ve been healing up nicely,” I said, moving behind him to undo the buckles on his restraint jacket. My fingers worked fast, though they trembled. “Sorry it took me a while to visit. Couldn’t exactly make this a school night thing.”

He let out a quiet noise— not quite a laugh, not quite a sigh. It was enough to make the back of my neck prickle.

Halfway through undoing the last strap, I noticed movement in the corner. Another figure— someone I hadn’t accounted for.

The man sharing Isaac’s cell was bald, pale, and wide-eyed, like someone had carved the concept of “insomnia” into his face. He was watching us with the kind of grin that made my stomach turn. Just strangely stiff but also nodding along as if my presence in the cell was amusing.

“Ah, young love,” he chirped. His voice was high-pitched and too bright, like a balloon about to pop— it was strange mix of something almost comedic but strangely terrifying. “Nothing says romance like breaking your partner in crime out of a mental institution.”

I froze mid-knot. “Oh. I didn’t know he had a…roommate.”

He giggled— an honest-to-God giggle. “I just moved in early today— is this your first asylum breakout? How exciting!” He tapped his feet against the tile, eyes glinting. “You probably didn’t hear my heartbeat with those bat ears of yours. I’ve trained myself to be as quiet as a mouse.”

He leaned forward, conspiratorial. “Best way to stalk people, you know.”

“...That’s impressive,” I said cautiously, still working the last strap loose. “I haven’t met many who can do that.”

I haven’t met anyone who could do that.

“You flatter me.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Creeping’s just a hobby.”

Wow. I’m incredibly uncomfortable. But at least he didn’t seem like the type to snitch— or maybe he was just too entertained to care.

Before I could fully pull off the jacket from Isaac, the door hissed— a soft electronic beep followed by the click of a keycard reader. My body moved before my mind did. I shrank back into my smaller form, wings folding tight, claws catching on Isaac’s shirt as I peeked up over his shoulder.

The door slid open. I held my breath.

A small figure stepped through— black attire, black braids, eyes sharp enough to cut through the dark. Of course it had to be Wednesday Addams. She walked in like she owned the place. I would have rolled my eyes if I wasn’t so confused on why she was here.

The bald man lit up instantly, turning around as she quickly undid the straps of his restraint jacket. He pulled it off of himself before folding up the jacket casually in his arms and placed it down on his bed, offering a pleased smile to the girl, “That was less than ten seconds! New family record!”

Family? I blinked. That explained the matching homicidal energy.

“We don’t have much time,” Wednesday said flatly, looking down at the watch at her wrist. “We have to find Lois.”

Without another word, she turned and left. The bald man followed, humming cheerfully to himself as if this were a casual Sunday stroll and not a breakout from a high-security psychiatric facility.

Who the hell was Lois? Actually, I didn’t care.

I really shouldn’t question fate too much, at least their interruption gave us the chance to get out ourselves, I thought I was going to have to break that metal door to get us out of here and risk causing a scene. This was probably more convenient.

Silence settled again — heavy, strange. Isaac hadn’t moved through any of it. He’d stayed still, pretending his restraints were still in place, observing the entire exchange with that unnervingly calm expression of his. Only when the sound of their footsteps faded did he finally exhale and glance down at me.

I met his gaze from where I clung to his shoulder, my small body tense, wings folded tight. He was horrifying from this size, like he could eat me in one bite if he really wanted to.

Then, slowly he reached up with one cloth-wrapped hand and brushed his fingers across the top of my head.

A gentle scratch. Careful. Tender in a way that didn’t belong in this scenario. My ears flicked back without my permission, normally I probably would have nipped at someone for petting me like I was some sort of pet, but honestly I can see why animals like this shit so much. This feels great.

He tilted his head slightly, the faintest something akin smile tugging around his rotting mouth. Setting his arm down, clearly amused by the situation before he began to peek out at the hallway checking for guards.

And when he saw a few he was quick to hide around a corner. In moment, he was still, and the next, he was gone. His body jerked forward in a blur of motion that made the air shudder. I barely had time to dig my claws into the fabric of his shirt as he lurched out of the room.

He didn’t hesitate. Didn’t even look.

The first guard in his path barely had time to scream. Isaac grabbed him by the neck, this mouth unhinged grotesquely, and crunched. Bone and brain gave way with a wet, crushing pop that echoed down the corridor.

Oh okay— so we are going with making a scene. Got it. Fuck.

We hit the ground together, the force of it slamming the air out of my tiny lungs. I scrambled up his shoulder, dazed, my heart thundering so loud I swore it would burst out of my chest.

He was feeding.

Not the restrained, haunted Isaac I’d known— but the other one. The one that had always been buried deep down. A mindless, gnashing monster that tore into the man’s skull like it was fruit. The sound was unbearable— wet, rhythmic, primal.

I wish I could say I was surprised. But this whole thing with cracking skulls open seems to be a new part of his brand. We’ll work on that when we aren’t mid escape-heist I guess.

The alarm blared before I could even think. Red light flooded the hall, the siren’s wail stabbing through my ears like needles.

Guards poured in. Shouting. Gunfire. Chaos. Somehow the power in the whole building blew out and only the red lights from the sirens above provided light for all the guards and patients to run around aimlessly in the dark halls. It was all very overstimulating.

Isaac lifted his head slowly, gore dripping from his chin, eyes black and wild with hunger. Then he moved again— too fast, too brutal. He ripped through them like paper, like a goddamn hurricane made of teeth and muscle. I watched six men go down in the span of like three minutes, their screams swallowed by the constant, shrieking siren.

And then he moved quicker than he ever had before— stalking down the corridor, straight into the gunfire, disappearing around a corner in a blur of movement and crimson. Some droplets even getting on me as I held onto his back for dear life.

I had one thought left through all the static in my head: Tyler. Take advantage of the chaos and grab Tyler.

Adrenaline shoved me off his shoulder. I folded my wings and launched, beating into the chaos, clumsy and panicked in the small dark. My bat-tips sliced rain and smoke; the siren lights smeared into halos. I remembered the floor plans — the vents, the corridors — the map was a faint chalk under the adrenaline. I darted above the mayhem, teeth clenched, trying to orient myself. I had one other monster to free.

Was I fucked up to have found this weirdly threaputic? In the traumatic way exposure therapy could be. I don’t know I’ve never gone to therapy and probably should be medicated for some form of a stress disorder if this somehow was the most terrified and free I’ve felt in years.

Speeches and schoolwork wasn’t as bad as I thought it was now that I saw how awful life could really be if it really tried fucking with me.

Down the side corridor, wards had either emptied or erupted; people were running or being hauled off by medics. Sobs, shouts, the metallic scrape of gurneys— it was all a wrong symphony. 

I dove lower, skimming past a toppled cart, past abandoned clipboards, and then— caught in a sickening, bright way— there was another scene I had not wanted to imagine.

Laurel Gates' body— or what used to be Laurel Gates— lay crumpled against the white wall. Blood pooled around her like spilled ink, her face fucked up from last time. Tyler loomed over her, Hyde-made and monstrous: pale, hunched, limbs too long and ending in dark, wicked claws that still dripped. He had thrust her into the wall, and the force had left her with the final look of somebody who'd been surprised to find her end.

The scene was awful.

It was not as if I was grieving the loss of her, if anything this fate was too good for her, but moreso the horror of what Tyler had done.

The curse that hung over any Hyde who outlived the thing that controlled them: a Hyde that kills its master severs whatever thread kept it anchored to whatever humanity remained. The monster becomes a quick, self-consuming spiral. No master meant no anchor. Insanity steeped and finished the work. 

It meant Tyler had signed his own death certificate. His life, already frayed and short, would flare and snap.

For a second, I could not breathe at all. Numbness boxed me in; my wingbeats faltered. The tiny bat-body felt absurdly useless, like trying to stop a sinkhole with cotton. The sight of Tyler there— unchained in some inner madness, blood on his claws— made my vision go hot at the edges. He looked up, and his bloodshot eyes met mine. There was something animal in it, something horribly aware and not aware at all.

My instinct did something stupid and absolute: I wanted to fix it. I knew better than anyone how stupid that was. I also knew I couldn't let him rot into whatever came next without trying.

I dropped from the air and re-solidified into human form— a rough, breathless wrench of movement that left me dizzy and shaking— landing in the blood-slick puddle that seeped just beyond the metal bars that had this hallway on lockdown. I staggered forward and gripped the bars. 

He bared those too-sharp teeth of his, but I forced my voice into something steady, into the tone people use when giving instructions in a crisis. 

“Tyler. Listen to me,” I said, not understanding how my throat didn't break. “Don't stay here. Go down the left corridor. After the second opening— make a right. That leads to the main hall where you can go either way to find a fire exit, you can get outside and lose yourself in the pines. Avoid the main gates. Avoid the towns or houses. Hide in forest. Do not stop. Do not turn back. Don’t even be seen. Run. I’ll go out and find you later I swear it.”

He cocked his head like a hunting dog that was trying to decide if a thrown stick meant food or death. The Hyde made a sound— a low, hunted rumble— and for an instant the creature seemed to weigh my words. Something flickered in his expression: confusion, recognition, then rage. He snarled, claws scraping iron. Then he turned, limbed and wrong, and ran. He moved like a shadow tearing a seam in the world, and when he passed the last light I had of him, I felt the silence like a window closing.

And then reality slammed back in. Laurel's body at my feet, her eyes glassy, her mouth still open in a hole where breath used to be. My hands— my human hands— were trembling. My palms were clean with gore from tonight, though I had not partook with the horrors Isaac and Tyler caused, it was like I could still feel the tack of it under my nails. I hadn't screamed. I hadn't fainted. I didn’t even cry. I was on autopilot: go, find Isaac, get the hell out of here, do not let the threads unravel.

But the sight of Tyler tearing Laurel in half had cut a line through whatever calm I had been clinging to. For a moment, I hovered at the edge of breakdown: images, thirty years of grief compressed into a single screamless second, the knowledge that I'd just sent Francoise’s baby into a fate I couldn't undo. 

Fear for Tyler didn't override my other fear: Isaac was loose, Isaac was a killing thing in the halls, Isaac could be taken, captured, killed. I had to get back to him before they corralled him— before they dumped sedatives or strangling leather over him and took him somewhere more icy and clinical and permanent.

I ran. Fast, boots on tile, the world a blur of white-painted walls and discarded IV lines. The corridor seemed a hundred times longer on the way back, as if the hospital itself were stretching to swallow me. The alarms shredding the air, the distant screams— blurred into a single, suffocating roar. Willow Hill had turned into a maze of red lights and shadow, bodies and broken doors. I didn’t even know where I was on anymore. The air was hot and metallic, thick with gunpowder and blood. Every corridor looked the same: white walls smeared red, fluorescent bulbs flickering like dying stars.

“Isaac—” I tried to call out, but the word cracked halfway out of my throat. My voice was too young for this place. Too small.

I rounded another corner, nearly tripping over a dropped baton, my pulse loud enough to drown the sirens. Then I saw him— half-crouched in the hallway ahead, his hands and chest painted in someone else’s blood. He looked wrong and perfect all at once. Still breathing, still standing. Relief hit me so hard it almost buckled my knees, but the feeling didn’t last long.

Before he could even turn, I grabbed his wrist and dragged him toward the nearest open door. We stumbled into what looked like an office—b ig, dark, the smell of wet paper and dust lingering in the air. I shoved the door shut and leaned against it, chest heaving.

Lightning flashed outside, throwing the room into brief, violent clarity—file cabinets, books, an overturned chair. Then darkness again. Of course there was a fucking storm right now, as if to match exactly how my night was going.

The only sound was our breathing, ragged and uneven. He was close enough that I could feel the heat radiating off him, though it wasn’t quite human warmth.

My lungs burned. The air felt too thick, the space too small. Every heartbeat in the building felt like it was pounding directly into my skull. I tried to steady myself, to think, but everything was blurring together—sirens, thunder, gunfire, Isaac’s breathing, my own.

I pressed a trembling hand to my mouth, trying to hold the panic in. I couldn’t even form words. My chest felt too tight. The world was tilting. I really fucked things up, didn’t I?

Isaac shifted in front of me, lowering his head to meet my eyes, studying me with an expression that didn’t belong to the creature he’d been a few minutes ago. His brows knit, that strange, quiet concern flickering through the monstrous stillness. His hand twitched toward me but stopped short, like he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to touch.

“I-I’m fine,” I lied, or tried to. The sound came out jagged, breathless. “We just— we need to get out of here—”

The door creaked.

Isaac’s head snapped toward the sound. I froze.

Dr. Fairburn pushed Stonehearst in front of her, the dazed and groaning as she pushed him safely by her desk. Rain blew in from the window, streaking the light across her face as she rounded the table. Her expression was carved from stone. When she opened the drawer and pulled out a handgun, the metallic click of it chambering echoed like a thunderclap in my skull.

My pulse spiked. I clamped a hand over my mouth to muffle the sound of my breathing.

Before I could even think about how we could get out of this, Isaac moved. A shadow cutting through the dark— fast, feral, soundless. He lunged toward them, the air around him snapping with energy.

“Isaac—wait, not her—!” I lurched forward, reaching for him, grabbing at his sleeve—

Fairburn had screamed. Then gunfire tore through the room.

The first shot felt like fire. The second is like drowning. By the third, my brain stopped keeping count.

The world shattered into light and pain. The impact spun me halfway around, my body jerking against the wall. My chest exploded with heat, like my ribs had turned to molten glass. The sound of my own heartbeat was gone— replaced by a ringing so sharp it felt like it was drilling through my skull.

Something wet ran down my cheek, and I couldn’t tell if it was blood or tears. I tried to look—tried to see—but my right eye wouldn’t open, and everything else was a blur of shadows and movement. My knees buckled. My hands came away slick when I tried to press them to my chest. And reaching for my right eye, I could only find a large drenching hole, so deep I could stick my fingers deep into my own skull, feeling my own gray matter.

Oh god, I can’t see. There was only that damned color. Red.

I couldn’t think. Not in any way that made sense. It was like my mind had been pulled out of my skull and dropped into a storm of fire and static, a buzzing so loud I could feel it in my bones. Every inhale was a stab to the lungs, each exhale tasting like burnt iron and smoke. My senses screamed at me, sharp and overwhelming, but I couldn’t make sense of them.

I tried to call Isaac’s name. My throat worked, but the sound didn’t reach me. My ears were deaf to it. The only thing I could hear was this defending, pounding in my own head that felt like someone was bashing my head with a sledgehammer, over and over again.

The only thing that existed was the red, deep and alive, pulsing in the corners of my vision, staining everything.

Red. That color, what a pretty shade of red.

And then there was the hunger. Not normal hunger— not a gnawing or craving— but a fire, a twisting, clawing, unbearable need that consumed every thought. My stomach tied itself in knots, my throat dry and aching. My teeth hurt in anticipation, longing for the metallic, intoxicating taste that taunted me just in front of me.

When my body lurched forward, I think I ran into something, dropping to my knees, pinning it to the ground. My hands moved as though possessed, grasping blindly for what called to me, pulling that thing towards me. I could feel the warmth, the life pulsing in front of me, and I sank into it without thought, without reason. Warmth rolling down my dry throat, enough to sedate but not satisfy. I just ate. It was dizzying, euphoric, terrifying. The red still smeared across my sight, the world collapsing into a haze of smell and sensation and need.

Time didn’t exist. I had no idea how long I had been like that. Eating. The ringing in my ears faded only to reveal my heartbeat, frantic and loud, hammering in my chest. My mind was trapped inside my own reflexes, moving, consuming, acting without thought.

And then…cold. My body shivered violently, shaking from head to toe. Leaves crunched beneath my boots—or maybe they weren’t leaves. Maybe I was outside. But when had I finally stopped being hungry? I leaned against a solid weight, something steady and warm. My arm looped around it, letting it guide me, letting it be my anchor.

My head throbbed with a dull, monstrous ache, like someone had split it open and stitched it back together wrong. The world came back in pieces— colors first, then sounds, then pain. My skin was still finishing knitting itself together, the raw edges sealing, nerves sparking as they reconnected. Every blink dragged like sandpaper against my eyes.

Blinking, my eyes finally began to focus, just barely. There he was—Isaac. His face pale, still marked by the horrors of his confinement, but human again in a way that made my chest tighten. His eyes found mine, sharp and assessing, and for the first time since the chaos. My breath came in ragged pulls, the panic and exhaustion spilling out in shallow gasps.

He didn’t speak, but his presence was enough, a steadying force in the storm of my mind. Even as I came back, wobbly and unsteady, he guided me, supporting me, letting me lean against him as though we were the only two left in the world. The rain outside hit the trees in steady drumming, cold droplets trickling in, and I shivered, still disoriented but slowly aware of the world around me.

I leaned into him, letting myself be led, my senses still raw and trembling, still tasting the fire in my veins. My body was mine again, but my mind still rattled, still unsure. And yet, with him there, with him steady and grounding, I could begin to pull myself back from the edge.

I blinked again, my voice barely finding its way past the dryness of my throat. “H-Huh? Isaac… weren’t we just—ah!” The motion of speaking sent pain knifing through my skull. I clutched at my head, trying to keep it from splitting open all over again. “Weren’t we just at Willow Hill? Where—where are we going? Have you seen Tyler—”

I looked over my shoulder, my eyes searched the rain-heavy horizon. The institution was gone. Just trees, mud, and fog. My confusion twisted into dread as I noticed the drag marks behind Isaac— slight grooves carved into the mud. And then I saw what he was dragging.

It was a person, wearing what should have been an all white jumpsuit. One arm was bent the wrong way.Head lolling with every step, at least I think that was. It’s whole front was completely caved in, something cracked the ribs open, insides carelessly hallowed out like a beast ate at the mess. From chest, to throat, it was all one giant hole of red and pink.

The thunder gave me just enough to make it undiable who face was stuck in that still, horrified expression. Fairburn.

My stomach turned. “Oh my god…” I whispered, stumbling back, my hand slipping from his arm.

Isaac stopped. The corpse fell into the mud with a sick, wet thud. The rain hissed around us, pooling at our feet. He head tilted slowly upward, his face unreadable in the storm’s half-light. I wanted to ask him what happened, but I looked down at myself before I asked such a foolish question. 

I looked down at myself. My hands. My shirt. Everything was soaked red. The blood clung to my skin in tacky layers, thick even under the rain. I wiped at my lips, but I felt as more blood smeared across my jaw. 

My mouth tasted of iron. Oh my god.

I still had bits of tissue and organs all over me. On my chest, hands, face, my hair. I was shaking too much to pick it off. I didn’t even want to scream, I don’t think I could even if I wanted to.

Fairburn’s face stared back at me through the rain—blank, slack, and wrong. The water slid over her eyes, but she didn’t blink. The rain was washing her clean, but not fast enough. I couldn’t stop staring.

I felt full.

Not satisfied—just full. Heavy in the gut, thick in the throat. The taste of metal clung to my teeth, sweet and rancid at once. Every breath brought it back again.

I thought, distantly, that I should be sick. That people were supposed to cry, scream, do something when they saw what I was seeing. But I couldn’t move. My stomach twisted, but nothing came up, I didn’t want it to. To taste the blood as it crawled back up from my throat and to my tongue, I couldn’t handle that again. I just stood there, rain pooling at my feet, the cold crawling up my bones.

Isaac didn’t say anything at first. Just reached out— slowly, deliberately— until his gloved hand cupped my face. The rubber was damp and cold against my skin, grounding me just enough to feel the tremor in my jaw. He tilted my head up, making me look at him instead of her.

“Shh,” he murmured, the first word I’d heard from him in thirty years. His voice was rough and low, his vocal cord unused for decades made the sound of his voice gurgle deep in his chest. “It’s alright now.”

The sound of it cracked something in me.

“You’ve been through enough,” he said softly, almost soothing. His thumb traced my cheek, then paused to pick away a clotted strand of something from my temple— slow, meticulous, like he was tending a wound. The motion made my stomach tighten again, but I didn’t stop him.

“There we go…” His tone was gentle, careful. “You really do wear this color so beautifully.”

The rain ran in little rivers down his face, cutting through the grime, glinting off the exposed bone under his jaw where skin had begun to peel. The faint, mechanical tick of his heart filled the silence where mine should have been.

He brushed his fingers along my hairline, tugging loose another bit of congealed meat. The motion was oddly tender—too gentle for what it was. My body didn’t know how to react; I just stood there, cold and trembling, while he worked like someone cleaning up after a meal.

When he finished, he leaned closer until his forehead rested briefly against mine. “You’re safe,” he whispered. “With me. I’ll handle this, just leave it to me…”

His rotting mouth brushed the crown of my head—a faint, deliberate press, not warm but steady. The contact left a trace of blood between us that the rain couldn’t quite wash away.

I didn’t answer. Couldn’t. The only thing I could feel was the weight of his hand at the back of my neck, keeping me steady, keeping me here.

And for the first time since waking up, a single clear thought passed through my mind:

What have I done?