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                       “… Oh….?”

⇛罪┇ He nonchalantly turned in place, just S C R A P I N G the sinister pipe against concrete && grime till - within a heartbeat - their eyes finally met; clashing together like Siberian waves. There was no falter from either side. No stopping. Only one, intense && seemingly GLACIAL stare which overtook even the room itself, never to blink… – least from ‘HIS’ side. One out of two fateful killers. 

          “Hah, so that’s where you’ve been hiding…~ Nice.”

Indeed, they were an unlikely pair which in strangeness seemed to be also comparable, for unlike Envy, Nero could still very much lose E V E R Y T H I N G && that’s precisely ‘WHAT’ made them both so fierce. Absolutely incapable of withholding each-other’s trust, regardless what sweet words their lips can say.  “Hold on. Does that mean you ‘ACCEPT’ my proposal..? Wonderful! You have no idea how long it’s been since anyone actually understood me. It’s… It’s rather refreshing, really..” 

&& yet, Envy couldn’t simply ‘stop there’, could he? No, no…~! These CARNAL IMPULSES  relentlessly kept tearing away at the thought of playing it safe, once again making our little killer fall victim to emotions ruled by own twisted M A D N E S S. Alas the longer they stared, the harder such impulses struck, soon luring him back into soundless movement towards his dazed acquaintance, thoughtlessly tossing the pipe off some crumbled ledge. “Although…  do kindly tell, how exactly do ‘Y O U’ know of my mother…? Can you see her too…?” 

Not even in the slightest aware how he sounded or looked meanwhile opening both arms wide as if a delusional circus performer.  “Hear her beautiful voice same as ‘I’…?” All whilst gradually closing-in. “Well? Can you..?” 

Now lastly reaching our vulnerable Hitman, the little killer exhaled && touched his pale face. “Ahhh… Just what kind of secrets do you hide?” His cheeks feeling  W A R M, real, tender as rose petals. “Will you tell me if we do become good ‘F R I E N D S’, hmmm…?  Furthermore sliding the black-nailed fingers towards the chin where Envy moved it up to establish a deeper connection. “I find myself falling into temptation here…. wishing to figure…” Soon gracing his bottom lip with a caress of a thumb. “Please… don’t tease so much…”

It was already far too late to regret his choice, though Nero couldn’t help but do so as their eyes met; black voids meeting venomous yellow. While his gaze remained steady—don’t show weakness, don’t show emotions—he could still feel a chill running down his back, goosebumps forming on hidden arms as the other killer began moving forward. Even through the remaining haze, a part of his mind was screaming at him to retreat, to avoid this obvious danger. However, that part of his mind has been one he had long learnt to ignore, an instinct at this point after so many years being forced to do so.

He would not back down.

But he would raise an eyebrow as the other male spoke. Accept? It seems the sarcasm in his reply had been completely missed; his sardonic comment being taken sincerely. While he might have been tempted to speak up and clear the misunderstanding, he ultimately decided that it was probably for the best that in remained uncorrected. It certainly seemed to please the other, and someone who is happy is usually easier to sway into a favourable position than someone who is angry. If he played his cards right, there was a chance that he could get out of this without any unneeded trouble.

However... perhaps he didn’t think this quite through, as he was forced to stare up at the other as an ice cold hand was placed on his cheek. It was through sheer willpower alone that Nero stopped himself from flinching at the touch. As affectionate as he could be with his brother and his precious signorina, having other people touch him wasn’t something the hyena really enjoyed. Too many times those touches were painful, so much so that even the gentle hand on his cheek right now felt like a burning hot poker against his skin. The finger running down to his chin felt like a knife, poised to dig a bit deeper and draw blood.

It was quickly becoming too much now that the effects weren’t dulled by drugs.

As the feeling of the other’s thumb run over his lip, Nero found that he could not stand it any longer. Finally moving, he raised a hand to grab at the wrist of the hand on his face, moving it slightly to the side to break the contact. With the overwhelming touch gone, it was easier to focus on the conversation between them, finally allowing him to reply. “Tease you? I can assure you that I had no intention of doing such a thing. My secrets aren’t anything worth learning, so you need no bother yourself with such a thing.”

chxra:

“Mn…thank you.”

Chara’s voice was soft and quiet, just loud enough to be heard by his captor—no, his lover. ‘Captor’ wasn’t the proper word for the way he viewed Envy now; not anymore. He didn’t realize it, nor could he have properly explained it if he were asked, but there was only one word to accurately describe him after being with Envy for months on end—broken.

Their first moment of shared intimacy, now many long months in the past, had been the final catalyst to his downfall. He’d realized it the day after, once his body recovered enough that he was no longer delirious from blood loss, but by then it was far too late. What had been done could not be undone, and from then on, he’d remained trapped in the little spider’s web, right where Envy wanted him. Lack of control over his arms made escape impossible, leaving him with no choice but to either rebel in other ways or simply submit.

At first, he did rebel…but even then, he couldn’t find the will to remain consistent. It became something of a pattern—he wouldn’t eat, would try not to sleep, would resist in almost every way possible until the last second and accept any punishment, but then if Envy wanted him and began touching him again, his body would remember…

…And he would fall all over again, surrendering and sinking further and further each time until he could no longer find his way back to the surface. Eventually, he no longer cared to see that surface again, even when his mind was what he deemed to be perfectly clear. It was as if the one thing inside him that had, until recently, remained unbroken his whole life had been shattered into microscopic pieces—and by none other than Envy. Now, the only time he displayed any of the original fire he’d possessed was when his captor wanted to see it; allowed it without the threat of repercussions.

He looked up at Envy now, eyes shining with adoration the very second he heard the praise. To Chara, there was something holy about the killer’s presence. Envy was everything to him—his caretaker, his lover and friend, and the master he adored—and he was completely smitten.

Though he’d protested being tied up months ago, it didn’t bother him as much anymore—he understood the necessity of it. The muscles in his shoulders had only just recovered and finally healed up a few weeks ago, and keeping his arms still most of the time had been an important part of recovery. Besides that, the killer still hadn’t trusted him to behave and be good without restraints, and though that thought had begun to sting a little over time, he’d stopped complaining about it.

“You’re taking off the wires? You don’t have to, but…thank you.” He was excited to hear that Envy saw fit to untie his wrists. Being confined and tied up didn’t faze him at this point, but after being unable to use his arms for so long, having his bonds removed was a special moment. Not only would he be able to start using his arms and hands again, but this meant that Envy actually trusted him! Relief washed over him, and his face lit up with happiness, his eyes bright and his lips forming a broad smile.

He quickly nodded to assure Envy that it did indeed feel better to have his wrists free, and shifted a little on the bed, gently flexing and rubbing at each wrist to soothe the irritated skin. “I’ll be good, I promise. I’ll be right here when you get back. Oh—but since I can use my hands now, could you bring me back something new to read…please? N-Not that you have to, but…it would give me something to do when you’re not home.”

Yes, home—because Envy’s house was his home now. Memories of his bedroom at the Amphisbaena base in Rome were hazy and scattered, part of a life he didn’t care to remember anymore. “I’ll miss you.” Those three little words sounded so simple; so normal, but under the circumstances, they were anything but.

He watched Envy leave the room, then waited until he couldn’t hear the sound of receding footsteps anymore and let his body sink into the bed, closing his eyes with the intent of taking a nap to rest up and pass the time.

Chara had just begun to drift off when the sound of more footsteps awoke him, but he was certain they weren’t the same ones he’d heard minutes ago. Instantly on edge, he sat up and looked around at the crosses covering the walls as if for guidance, unsure of what to do. Although he could function and move, he was in no condition to fight, nor did he want to leave Envy’s bedroom to hide elsewhere. Thankfully, he didn’t have to worry about it for long, as a familiar face soon appeared in the doorway. It took him a moment to process his brother’s presence, as he couldn’t help but wonder if he was dreaming or imagining things, or if some rogue ghostly presence wandering around had decided to play a trick on him.

He blinked several times, completely bewildered, and couldn’t bring himself to believe what he was seeing until the sound of his twin’s voice saying his name reached his ears. “Nero… Is…that really you? It’s really you, right? i-I’m not dreaming…?” Emotions he hadn’t felt in months welled up inside him, and he immediately fought to repress them. This wasn’t good—he couldn’t get attached. And despite believing that, the special bond he’d always had with his twin was fighting to resurface, making his newly freed arms ache with the need to embrace his older brother, if only for a few seconds.

He forced himself to settle for grabbing Nero’s hands with his and giving them a squeeze, but even that felt like a risky mistake. “Nero, don’t apologize. I’m sorry, but…you probably shouldn’t have come. I’m not going anywhere. I can’t; I won’t. I don’t want to leave. It’s… It’s wonderful to see you, but I’m not leaving, and I don’t know how Envy will react if you’re still here when he comes back. I’m his, and I’m with him now. If he tried to hurt you, I… He might not let me stop him. If you won’t leave now, promise me you won’t try to fight him in this house if he gives you the chance to walk out instead. Promise me, please.”

⇛罪┇Meanwhile, unaware of the events which occurred within his very own home, Envy strolled through the grocery store in complete EUPHORIA; a cloud nine. It was like he could finally B R E A T H E. Like he could just suddenly turn around, extend both arms && enjoy life as it is, unaffected by madness nor its twisted ways. If anything…

        He felt NORMAL again.

Is this the blessing of being in ‘love’….? He did not know. Didn’t even care, thoughtlessly placing various items into the shopping basket as if a wholly different person; someone he perhaps once ‘was’ but became forgotten in a maze. Blind, lost && in dismay with no light to guide him home. Well, until a certain little Robin came down to show him the way.

       && now? They were BOTH there.                  Stuck together with BROKEN wings.

Do you perhaps see the tragedy now? Envy was ‘n e v e r’ going to let him go, no matter how much he flaps, wiggles && sings.  “Huh, I wonder if he likes manga…?”  It was all sweetly staged inside that ‘D I S T O R T E D’ head. “There’s way too many…. Hmm…” A perfect wonderland where TEARING OFF feathers && CRUSHING some bones didn’t mean he didn’t actually LOVE Chara! In fact, it WAS all because of it!! “I’ll just take a few then, yeah. Can’t go wrong with that….”

After all, everything felt better with Chara around. That much was clear. It wasn’t just him && mother anymore, no. The non-existent family has finally gotten bigger thanks to him! See?? No reason for ill intent! Envy merely did what was ‘necessary’ for them both to lead a fulfilling relationship, regardless of their rather ‘rocky’ beginning. “Ahhh… I probably should be getting back now. I’m getting reckless….” 

Thus making sure that he got everything - counting up the money - a small realisation eventually nudged the young serial killer; he absolutely FORGOT to dress-up today! Now slowly glancing at the store cameras, pitch-black eyes engraved their putrid sights into the security guard’s tv screen && merely STARED. Didn’t least ‘b l i n k’ as the camera kept rolling. “Far too reckless.. “

That’s when he slowly begun sinking back into the earlier mentality of a KILLER, widening the once loving smile into a DEVILISH && most TWISTED one. The poor security guard didn’t even have the chance to recognise this strange kid before the lights in his small room started to wildly flicker. Going off/on constantly for couple of seconds, followed by an odd ‘buzzing’ noise from the security radio. He didn’t know WHAT was going on, but, it felt quite eerie.

         Now looking back at the screens ahead…..

They were suddenly all obscured by widened eyes, like someone was RIGHT in front of EACH camera &&  ‘s t a r i n g’  directly at ‘HIM’ - which was literally impossible. THEY WERE  LOCATED WAY TOO HIGH! Thus screaming on top of his lungs && falling off the leather chair, the panicked man completely froze in place, unable to tear own gaze away from the countless eyes that followed his movement. They were just so BLACK, so INTENSIFIED… wide….  that you could almost FEEL their MURDEROUS INTENT. 

Oh, how he wanted to call out for help! How he wanted to m o v e && use the radio upon the belt, but, then the all lights fully turned off…. 

     && something told him deep inside…               ‘Don’t look back.’ He wasn’t alone anymore.

Alive. Alive. Alive! His brother was alive! That fact alone brought some lightness to his chest, removing a weight that Nero hadn’t notice was there until it was lifted away. After months of a Schrödinger situation, he had finally been able to remove the box, revealing his twin alive rather of dead. Badly battered, but ALIVE! 

Nero would have liked nothing more than to bask in the presence of his brother, but he also knew that their time was limited. Nero doubted that Envy—or anyone really—would enjoy coming home to find that someone had broken into their house to rescue their captive. How much longer they had until Envy returned was unknown, but Nero wasn’t planning to stick around to time, so he pushed down the relief he felt and focused back on task: assessing Chara’s injuries.

Doctor, he might not be, but Nero hardly needed a medical degree to realize just how hurt his brother was. The signs were all there: the scars, the bruises, the rigidness of motion—and all that was simply on the surface. Those could be healed and forgotten, but there was no way to measure what mental scars might be present as well, and Nero personally knew that those could be worse than anything that could be physically done. Every small scratch on the younger twin’s skin brought a slight tug to Nero’s heart, and every hesitant word added heat to the boiling rage within his gut.

This was Chara! HIS little brother, HIS twin! How DARE someone cause such harm to him?! Rules and procedures aside, he wasn’t simply going to let someone get away with doing such things to his baby brother! 

But he couldn’t focus on that right now; his anger has no target at the moment. He could only assume that the culprit was the killer whose house they were currently in, but said individual was not currently present. Not to mention that—if his assumption was correct—he would rather not stick around for when Envy returns. Even though punching the person who had hurt his brother would be very satisfying, the point remained that his brother was hurt and needed medical attention without being forced to see his captor once more.

Speaking of which, they should probably leave soon to avoid such a thing. While Nero was unaware of where Envy left to, he wouldn’t imagine the other would be gone too long. The elder twin had started to move again, glancing around to see whether there was anything of Chara’s he would need to grab along the way, but he froze when Chara spoke again. While the sound of Chara’s voice was music to his ears, the words themselves stopped his blood cold. His hands—previously lightly squeezing his twin’s hands in return—slackened and hung loose in his grip.  

Chara was... Envy’s? And refusing to leave.

“Chara...? What... what do you mean? I don’t understand...” Shouldn’t Chara be happy to be able to go home? Even if he can’t feel the pain of whatever torture he underwent, the injuries were still there, and they would be much more easily treated at the Amphisbaena base. The younger should be jumping at the chance to escape, yet he was refusing to do so. While the older hyena struggled to understand the behaviours of most people, his twin was usually someone he could easily predict, yet this was proving to be quite the opposite at the moment. 

Was he wrong in his assumption? Was Envy perhaps Chara’s saviour from his true torturer? Is that why he refused to leave, finding comfort in the older killer? It was possible... but something about the idea nudged at him in a weird way. If that was the case, why hadn’t Chara been allowed to call in to report that he was still alive? Surely a saviour would allow Chara to inform his famiglia—or at the very least his brother—that he was still alive. Was he prevented from doing so? 

Or... or did Chara decide to do so? Did Chara want Amphisbaena—want Nero—to think him dead so he could remain here?

Golden eyes widened slightly, a knot forming in Nero’s throat as a flood of possibilities that he hadn’t thought to consider before rushed through his mind. Taking a seat on the bed, the dark haired twin took a moment to just sort through all those thoughts as blank golden eyes stared at intertwined hands, before taking a deep breathe and glancing hesitantly back at his brother. He didn’t understand at all, but that wasn’t an unusual thing. At times like these, it was usually Chara who would explain things to his brother,—regardless of the topic—so it made sense for him to refer to his twin once more.