Logan's Lair

Simon had been awake for a little while at this point. He'd thankfully slept well. No dreams. No unwanted invasions of his mind.

Rude.

"Don't ruin this." He groaned, rolling over in the nest of tentacles.

You're doing that enough for both of us. It huffed. One of the Shed's veins gently yanked on a stray lock of hair…well. Gentle for a giant eel. It smarted a little.

I promise you that I can be very light handed when I want to be.

"Considering you just did reconstructive surgery on my face, I know." Simon snorted. He firmly squeezed the pulsing tendrils, relishing in the little shiver that ran throughout them.

Cruel man, do not tease me.

"Why not? If I have to hang around you as 'payment' for you carving my face open, I think I'm entitled to entertain myself." He retorted, tightening his grip.

The sound that met him was…odd. It wasn't the distant rumbling thunder of the Shed's laughter. No, it was more…delicate. More along the recordings of sperm whales clicking that he'd once heard. Curious, Simon pursued it. He slid his fingers along the veins, while keeping his hold just as firm.

They immediately became louder, almost buzzing at times.

"Shed."

It didn't reply at first. But when it did, it told him all he needed to know. Strained, faltering, and all too clear. There was desire in the whisper. S-Simon.

"You really are a lonely bitch, huh?" Damn his inquisitive side. The man can't help but want to know just how far this goes. He sits up and starts stroking the gore streaked tentacles in earnest.

There's what can only be called a gasp. It's deep. A sudden rush of pressure and sound that makes his ears pop slightly. He can only imagine how much more it would be amplified if he was in his ship.

You're horrible, how dare you torment me? It whined. I've been so kind to you after our agreement!

"Oh yeah right." Simon rolled his eyes. He followed the veins to where they dipped into the ocean. He uses the blood to lubricate his grip and clearly that was very appreciated by the beast. "You keep complaining and I might just leave you like this."

Don't you even think about it! It snarled, a tremble radiating through its extremities. I don't deserve that!

"C'mon, yes you do." He couldn't help but laugh as it fell further and further apart. "You tried to kill me. Pretended to be a god-"

I am a god! The protest is loud and immediate. The tendrils suddenly going tight, not unlike a snare being tripped. It makes the bones in his arm cry out in alarm. You humans called me divine!

"Break my arm and we're gonna have a problem." He cautioned it.

I'll just put it back together.

He flexed his grip slightly. "Not the point. You do that and this stops immediately. Have I made myself clear?"

At that…the eel whined. Whined like a petulant child. Before it replied, the tentacles loosened, lightly brushing over the certainly bruised flesh. Why are you like this? Why can't I be a god in your eyes?

Simon paused, letting thin veins twine around his fingers. "Because I've seen It."

The energy sobered. Still as the grave, and twice as silent.

"You don't want to be a god." He broke the tension. "You want to be worshiped. That's not the same thing."

So what? The Shed rumbled. It started to drag him off the platform. You will-

The man reeled back. "I won't do anything. You want to be my god? Make yourself worth it."

You tempt fate like it's your job… The pull grew firmer, a threat becoming clear. How can I say no to you? Such beautiful pain you carry…I can help you Simon. I can give you everything…just ask.

He paused, watching the barely visible shadow wavering beneath the rusted steel. "No."

A low, irritated snarl.

"You ask me." He knows this is a stupid idea…but he likes ordering it around. "What do you want?"

It shuddered, but not from rage. A tremble radiating into his very bones. You, Simon. I want you. I want your company and all the things that come with it. I want your pain, your hate, your…your dominance. It all belongs to me. The Void wants you terribly…but you are mine.

"Hm…" The man calmly leaned back, dragging the eel by its sensitive tentacles. "I think that's a little backwards…you want to belong to me. Isn't that right?"

The strangled sound that meets him is nothing short of music to the man's ears. The Shed's veins writhed like live wires, flicking and shuddering suddenly. It speaks in a multitude of languages he doesn't know, all layered on top of one another until they finally condensed back into English.

You awful man! Teasing me with no intention of following through! Evil, loathsome, little worm! Delighting in my suffering! It practically sobbed.

He can't exactly help the cold snicker that bubbled up in his throat. "Yeah? You were so keen on being worshiped…but now you're all bent outta shape. C'mon, Shed where's that patience of yours? I know you can do it."

The eel rose out of the sanguine tide, looming over the platform. It rained blood down upon Simon, gills fluttering as he heard it take in air. You test it constantly, you over confidant beast.

"Yeah, but you seem to like it."

Do not tempt me. It growled, rattling the fillings in his teeth…or it felt like it anyways.

Simon curled a finger around a vein as it strayed close. "Might wanna be careful with your words, Shed." He can hear its breath stutter, so he immediately takes pity, yanking firmly. "You're betting against my patience too."

It let out a sound somewhere between a snarl of frustration and a sob.

God it felt good to do this to something like the eel. "Christ, alright. Show me what you want."

Its surprise is so intense, static dances in his vision. The Shed began to…condense at that. Flesh growing more dense, firm, whatever you want to call it. Eventually, while still over twenty feet long, it reduces its size enough to fully haul out onto the surface. Or at least half of itself.

He must have been staring a second too long, because a vein sharply smacked the backs of his knees. "Careful, Shed."

His warning pulled an irritated hiss from it. But it gently stroked the stinging marks in an silent apology. They'd work on it later. One battle at a time. The man allowed himself to be pulled in. His wrists are snared, guiding him towards its gill plates.

Even with how small it was now, the eel could very easily swallow him whole.

He knows what it's after. At least he thinks he does. Fingertips ghosting along the shuddering structures. "You gotta ask."

It tensed, anger rolling off of it in waves. But eventually, it relented. …Please.

Before he can even ask 'please what?', it growled out a clarification. Please put your hands in my gills.

"And it won't interfere with your breathing?" Simon wondered curiously.

I have many lungs. It tried to lean into him to drive him deeper, but he simply backed off. Even if we were in the blood, no. I can breathe. You're very small, even like this.

Realistically, he probably knew that. But this was already so strange. He was just trying to find things to keep himself distracted from thinking about what he was doing.

Simon moves slowly. Tortuously so if he had to guess from the desperate whines shivering through the voices in his mind. When it got like this, the Shed's collective became more obvious. Unable to focus on simply using the smooth feminine tone it most often fell into. Dozens- potentially hundreds of unique speakers, all with one goal.

M̸̛̞̘̳̿̊̂͋̎̍͐̿͘͜͝͠o̴̳̺̊͑̏̔̽̉͗̈̑́̈́̔̚r̵̡̛͍̈̂̿͘ȩ̷̡̛̖͚̘̟̩̠̯̺̬͈̘̟͂͑̽̔̉̆̐̒̚͝͠.̸̭͒́̉͝͠.̵̧̟͖̞̳̙͖͈͖̝̖͍̹̼͌́̋͗̒̃̀̅̓̈́̎͑̀̋̚͜.̸͇͚͑̎́̈́̌̏̽̚͘

He chuckled. "Can't understand you." He lied. "Get it together…and don't forget your manners."

The man is met by many small hands, gripping his thighs. Careful not to dig into his flesh too firmly, lest they rupture any of his blisters, or worse. It keens as he rasped a finger nail over slick, sensitive veins.

I'm trying.

He knows.

More…please.

That revved his engine more than he cared to admit. Out loud, that is. "Sure."

Calloused palms pressed flat against the rakers before grinding over the filaments. He took a moment to carefully delve between the fibers, like he was rooting out a hidden treasure.

Which he found when the eel couldn't stop itself from gasping. Almost shocked. He knows it just projected words into his head, but he wants to see its mutated vocal cords vibrating out the shape of his name.

"That's it." He rumbled, rewarding it with firmer contact. He begins to rub into its gills like he would with any human partner. In a cosmic sense, it was human once. "…I've got an idea."

It hummed, shivering beneath his hands.

Simon sat back, getting a better angle. He locked eyes with the eel…or at least one eye on its part. With his right arm, he reached towards its maw. "Do not bite me. Even by accident. Draw blood and this all stops. Do you understand?"

Do you trust me?

"No."

The laugh he earned was almost overwhelming at this range. It washed over his organs in the most uncomfortable way. Thankfully fleeting. Good. I will not bite you…unless you get curious, that is.

"You're pushing your luck, Shed." Simon cautioned it. He steeled himself before delving into the dark, dagger lined void it called a mouth.

You like it.

Irrelevant, he'd insist. There they are. The arches that lead into the gills from this side. With a sudden and harsh pull, he dragged it down into his lap fully, the weight of it making his knees howl in pain. Worth it.

He relished in the way it squirmed and whined, but did its absolute best to not make him bleed.

Impressed? It wondered, flinching when he harshly dug his fingers against the other side of is rakers.

"Something like that." As he continued to earn an endless stream of pathetic, needy moans, Simon decided to test his luck a little. "Shed?"

Caution, Simon…

Oh well that changed things.

Not.

"You know you aren't actually a god, right?" He didn't stop firmly circling its delicate internal structures, buying himself some goodwill in exchange for its patience.

…Perhaps not to you. Veins curled around any inch of him they could reach. Kneading his muscles like he was a living stress toy. But what is a human to an ant if not a god?

"Not what I meant." He shook his head, disinterested in proper theological debates. Fingernails digging into the relatively thin membranes. "The Void is a god. Whatever that light is…who knows. But you…you weren't what any of them would call holy."

The Shed rumbled, the vibration singing between them, making the man's vision blur for a moment. …It is often difficult to tell where I end and the Void begins-

The eel cut itself off with a strangled moan as Simon finds the base of one of the veins. There, Simon. Right there.

He closed his fingers around the structure, but didn't move. He rephrased the question. "Do you think you're a god?"

Simon! It hissed angrily, grip tightening. The tips of its teeth grazing the man's skin. This can wait!

He quickly let go. "If you insist-"

Yes! It snapped, everything backing off, desperate to regain his contact. And no. I am all and nothing. The answer and the question. The ally and the enemy. Why can't I be both? Why can't you let me have this?

He mulled it over for a few long moments, slowly returning to the area it wanted him to be. "You can think whatever you want. I spent too much of my life not questioning what called itself divine. Now I'm here."

With me.

He felt it lean into him, a bastardization of affection. "Yeah. With you." A sigh ghosts over the eel's wet skin as Simon laid against it finally. "I'm never going to roll over for you. I'll piss you off, hurt you, potentially kill you. You understand that, right?"

Yes. Blood and slime soaked his lap. And you know I will do the same for you. Rather than forming it like a question, that was a statement of facts.

"Wouldn't you rather someone that blindly submits?" He walked his finger tips down her branching veins, feeling the tension increase with each feather light touch. "I imagine you'll get tired of me fighting you at every angle. Running every chance I get?"

I take no pleasure in an easy hunt. That, I do to survive. Dozens of tongues pressed up against the underside of his right arm. The roughness of their taste buds grinding into his wounds. Rather than distracting him, the sensation is a nice focal point. You are not food. Not anymore.

"Eh." He shrugged, finally finding that sensitive core he was after. "You'll change your mind eventually."

Simon silenced it by getting to work. Gripping and pulling at the tendrils until-

He sees black speckles blotting out his vision. When they clear, Simon sees a laboratory. Small but- no. Not small. Not for what it was. A miniaturized facility housed inside a submarine. Familiar sounds of a hull breach alarm. Proximity sensor screaming to be heard. But no one was listening. Some were fighting one another. But one was at the controls. Holding them in place. Stone-like, unable to be budged even when another broke past the one defending her. Despite her tiny frame, he couldn't gain even a millimeter of progress. Throwing his full weight did nothing.

Then came the rush of blood. Slowly creeping up her face until-

He's back. The Shed was shivering in his lap like it had been swimming at top speed for hours. A pathetic, trembling mess of a pseudo-god…huh. It must have really been out of it because there's not even a hint of anger that rose from that.

Damn, he was either better than he thought, or it was so unused to pleasure that he just broke it. He thinks the latter is far more likely.

When the eel composed itself, it didn't bother to argue over it. Or the previous point he made about what they were to one another. This was rapidly becoming their apparent reality. Always fluxing between predator and prey…