#fic start

"Was this... a set up? Getting me back to Mystic Falls?"

"That was Rebekah's idea, she didn't think Klaus would be impressed." She offered with a shrug.

"I didn't expect you to bring Gia, but she'll have fun I'm sure." Rebekah said casually looking to Gia who was watching in interest rather than worry.

He raised an eyebrow, "your sister, I doubt she's going to hurt you." Elijah raised his hands showing the manacles on his wrists, "you look good in chains." She shrugged and Rebekah laughed.

"See, thought so." Rebekah said easily and moved closer, she stepped closer and moved a hand to Elijah's hair and tugged it back, "are you telling me you feel attacked?" She asked curiously, "that you want Elena to let you go?"

Elijah's tongue ran over his lower lip and drew it between his teeth, "just what are you planning?" He asked her. He wasn't exactly used to looking Up at his little sister, but at this moment it wasn't the worst when she smiled at him the hand going from rough to gentle in his hair. Her smile just widened then rather answer Elena drew him into a kiss and any thought disappeared from him mind immediately as he returned it.

She broke the kiss and pulled him to his feet by the chain then shoved him back onto his back, then... one of them had the chains pulled to loop over a section of the headboard. He tied to push up but it was Rebekah who moved a hand to his chest to keep him on his back.

"Klaus really did set this up really good for you." She said casually as she looked at the way the metal loops trapped the chains making it hard for him to pull the chains up himself from where he was.

"I don't believe he had this in mind." He looked up at her.

"Hmm, I wouldn't put in past him." She told him and moved so she was straddling his waist then her hand moved to his tie, then just ripped his shirt.

"Reb-" she cut off his complaint by kissing him until the jacket and shirt were completely ripped from him. Then she pulled back he tried to follow and she chuckled.

Rebekah reached a hand out to Gia who looked surprised but took the hand. Rebekah drew her into a kiss, careful and learning each other but it quickly turned passionate, Elena moved closer, carefully drawing Rebekah's hair to the side and leaned to kiss over her throat and looked at Elijah through her lashes as he watched them, lips parted and pupils wide. She watched as his hands wrapped uselessly around the chains, then she let her fangs fall and bit down, Rebekah moaned softly against Gia's lips as Elena fed, she pulled back and Gia's eyes fell to Elena then moved to mirror her and kissed then carefully bit down on the other side of her throat.

Rebekah moaned loader as Elena's hand moved to her jeaned as Gia's slipped under her shirt.

Elijah shifted under her and she rocked her hips against him, and Elena's hand. Elena pulled back and dragged Rebekah into a kiss as she moved fingers over her teasingly, swallowing the whines. Elijah watched and bit back a groan, as he shifted against her without thought until Rebekah's hand moved to his stomach lightly, purposefully, and he couldn't stop his slight whine as he fully stilled again even without a word from her. Gia pulled away from her throat. She watched Elijah for a moment before she almost leaned to kiss him as his attention turned to her, eyes hopeful and flicking to her lips and back up, before she did though, Rebekah and Elena's kiss broke and Rebekah pulled her back with a gentle hand on her arm.

"He doesn't get a kiss until he begs." Rebekah told her lightly.

"Rebekah-" Elijah said with a slight groan and pushed up ignoring the twist in his shoulders. "You're teasing me."

"Yes." She said with a smile, "until you give me what I want."

"You're spoilt." He told her as she barely had to touch him to push him back.

"You've never complained about that before I'm sure Elena said as she pushed fingers into Rebekah, which cut off whatever she was going to say.

"Come on, Elijah, are you too proud to just... ask?" Gia asked, her hand tracing over his stomach, down to not quite his waistband.

"Please." He said softly.

"Hm?" Rebekah raised an eyebrow, even as she rocked against Elena's hand.

"Please, stop.. stop ignoring me." He said lightly, "kiss me? Or let me touch? Something."

Rebekah nodded and looked to Gia who immediately leaned to kiss him and he pushed up to kiss her back desperately.

“What? Why?” Tony tossed the cleaning cloth back into the bleach water.  “Rhodey’s the good one, Pep. Rhodey’s the-”

“Rhodey is as big of a human disaster area as you are!” Pepper said, nicking a slice of pickled carrot from his plate.  “He just does a better job of covering it up.  Until he’s in your vicinity.  Then that carefully maintained facade collapses like an undercooked souffle.”

Tony took the coffee cup out of her hand, hoping she had a sip left.  No such luck.  “Is this your way of saying that you want to come out with us tonight?” he asked.  “Because you’re always welcome, Pepper.”

“I’d like to live through the weekend, so no,” Pepper said.  She stole another of Tony’s quick pickles, her eyes narrowed as her teeth sank into the crisp chunk of cauliflower.  “Maybe Sam will-”

“I don’t need a babysitter,” Tony said, “and if I did, I’m pretty sure that I’d be insulted that you think that you can convince Sam to do it.”

“He’d do it just for the blackmail pictures, and you know it,” Pepper said.  

“I’ll stop by Sam’s truck on our way across the road and see if he’s up for a drink, but I don’t need you setting up playdates, thank you,” Tony said. “Besides, any benefit that we might get from Sam’s presence will be immediately negated if Bucky’s hanging around looking for leftovers.”  He braced a hand on the counter.  “Add Bucky to the mix and we might as well hire a PR firm right now.”

Pepper rubbed a hand over her face.  “Why are all of your friends so…” She stopped, and sighed.  “So much like you?”

“Because I attract free thinking, hard drinking, culinary rebels who are ready to throwdown at any time,” Tony said.  “With a wide variety of knives used for a wide variety of purposes.”

“You attract people who need bail money,” Pepper said.  “Maybe Bruce-”

“No,” Bruce yelled back from the other side of the kitchen.  He ducked down, just far enough to meet their eyes under the rows of gleaming copper pans.  “Whatever you’re doing over there, taking my name in vain, the answer, uh, is no.”

“Come out drinking with us!” Tony called back.  “C’mon, old man, you can-”

“No,” Bruce said, and then, a moment later, “Who’s ‘we’?”

“Me and Rhodey.”

“No,” Bruce said.  “Absolutely no.”

Pepper made no effort to hide her smirk.  Tony pointed a finger in her direction.  “Not a word,” he said.  “Fine.  You’re all allergic to fun.  That’s your problem, not mine.”

“Yes, but you are my problem,” Pepper said.  Her foot tapped against the tile.  “Fine.  Last resort.”

“We end up booked there an awful lot,” Tony said.

“More than I like, honestly,” Pepper said.  “Peter!”

“No,” Tony said.

“It won’t work,” Bruce said, shaking his head.  

“Of course it won’t fucking work, it’s PARKER,” Tony said.

“What’s Parker?” Peter asked from the kitchen door.  “Why, what’s happening?”

“You’re going to go drinking with Tony,” Pepper told him.

“He’s not twenty-one,” Bruce said.

“I’m not twenty-one,” Peter parroted.

“Fine,” Pepper said, her eyes rolling.  “You’re going to go out with Tony while he’s drinking.”

“You think that PARKER can keep me in line?” Tony asked, incredulous.  “PARKER?”

“He’ll slow you down, and that’s all I care about,” Pepper said.

“He’s not a speed limit, Pep, he barely qualifies as a speedbump,” Tony said, his eyes narrowing at Peter.  Peter, for his part, took a nervous step back.  “It’s not going to work.”

“I’m not really comfortable with this-” Peter started.

“I’ll pay you a hundred dollars,” Pepper said, and Peter stopped dead.

“Is…  Is this on the clock?” he asked at last.

“It absolutely is not,” Tony said.

“Consider it a side hustle,” Pepper said.  “Fifty dollars cash now, fifty more if you get him back to his apartment tonight without he or Rhodey causing any major disasters.”

Peter gave Tony a sideways glance.  “What…  What are we defining as a ‘major disaster’?” he asked at last.

“If I have to deal with it, it’s major,” Pepper said, her voice dire.  “Keep it out of the papers, and them out of handcuffs and I’ll consider it good.”  She held out her hand.  “Do we have a deal?”

Peter took it.  Bruce shook his head.  “You’re going to regret this,” he said.

“I’m going to regret this,” Peter agreed.  “But I’ll regret it with fifty dollars, and most of the time, let’s be honest, I’m regretting it with zero dollars.”

“Right.  I’m getting my purse,” Pepper said, heading for the staff room.

Tony grinned at Peter.  “You know I’m going to make you work for that fifty bucks, don’t you, kid?” he asked, his arms crossed over his chest.

“Yes, chef,” Peter said. He blinked at Tony.  “So.  Where are we going?”

“Denny’s,” Tony said with a straight face.  “Just in time for a Moon Over My Hammy.”

“I’m trying to imagine you in a Denny’s and, uh, I’m failing,” Bruce said.

“I’m succeeding and it’s terrifying,” Peter told him.  “Maybe this isn’t a good-”

“Knock, knock!”  Rhodey’s voice echoed from the back door.  “Anyone home?”  

“We’re closed!” Tony called back.  “Make a reservation!”

Rhodey poked his head into the kitchen, grinning like the fiend that he was.  “I tried, but your front of house keeps hanging up on me,” he said.  Pepper, coming up behind him, swatted at him with her purse.  Laughing, Rhodey fended her off.  “Hey, Potts, didn’t see you there.”

“You’re a liar and no gentleman, Rhodes,” she said, going up on her toes to brush a kiss against his cheek.  “How’ve you been?”

“Can’t complain,” Rhodey said, tucking his hands in the pockets of his khakis.

“”You could, but no one will listen,” Tony said.  He unbuttoned his chef’s jacket, shrugging out of it.  “You’re late.”

“I had to change out of uniform, and besides, if I’d shown up any earlier, you’d’ve had me scrubbing a station,” Rhodey pointed out.  He reached across the station to Bruce.  “It’s been a long time, Bruce.  You coming out with us tonight?”

“It has.”  Bruce shook his hand with a smile.  “And absolutely not.”

Rhodey laughed, a bright, boisterous bust of sound that never failed to make Tony smile.  “I think I’m hurt, Banner.”

“Look, you’re, you’ve a very nice man,” Bruce said.

“No, he’s not,” Pepper said.  Rhodey gave her a mock hurt look, and she just shook her head.  “Good try, but not a chance.”

“But I learned my lesson the last time,” Bruce finished.  “I, uh, I still have no idea what happened to my shoes or either of my melon ballers.”

“Right,” Pepper said.  She reached into her bag, pulled out a bill and slapped it into Peter’s hand.  “Half now.  Half on delivery of a disaster free night, Peter.”

Peter stared down at the fifty.  “This was a mistake, wasn’t it?”

Month one.

Fenris was brought to his master’s office sometime in the evening. He’d been having trouble keeping the time; Aside from morning and night, everything between had been... Blurry.

He was anxious, nearly shaking. He couldn’t tell if he’d done something wrong without knowing. He’d only just been able to start moving on his own after the ritual. How could he have done something wrong so quickly? He had yet to disobey an order, and they hadn’t given him many physical tasks.

Danarius gestured for him to sit, and he did so.

“Hello, pet.” He smiled. “Don’t worry, this isn’t a disciplinary meeting.”

Fenris felt a wave of relief wash over him. The tension in his shoulders let up somewhat, and he was able to steady himself. Focus on what his master had called him here for. Whatever it was, it must have been important. Everything said by his master was important, in one way or another.

“You’ve been called here because this marks your first month after enacting the ritual which gave you those markings.” He gestured to the lyrium, and Fenris’ eyes followed. “I would like you to report on how you’re feeling. Mostly physically, but if there’s anything else...” He let his words trail off.

Fenris didn’t know what to make of that. He swallowed, readying his marred voice for use. It felt pitiful.

“I... Am not sure,” he frowned, “I feel... Tired.”

“That’s a decent start.”

“Everything hurts,” Fenris continued, “It is hard to stand for long, and my eyelids grow heavy quickly.”

“Hmm...” Danarius writes something down. Fenris hadn’t even noticed the parchment was there. “What else? Are you able to pinpoint any specific things? Physical tension, pain or numbness in certain areas?”

The young elf looked down at his hands. They were trembling, but only slightly. “I’m shaking...”

Danarius rolled his eyes. “Yes, we can see that.” He tapped his quill against the corner of the parchment. “You’ll have to get better at that.”

“Better at what, master?” It was a risk, but Fenris felt a need to ask. Danarius didn’t seem displeased with it.

“Being able to tell when you are hurt, and where the pain is coming from,” he explained, “It’ll make it easier if a healer can’t see any outer wounds. Internal pain requires different treatment.”

Fenris nodded to show he understood.

“Continue.”

He took a breath, swallowed, and tried to think. “It’s hard for me to think. The markings are bright, and they... itch. Burn.”

Danarius wrote something else down. Even if Fenris could see what it was, he wouldn’t know how to read it. “They are still considered wounds, in a way. You’ve been cleaning them to the best of your ability?”

“Yes, master.”

“Good. Anything else?”

Fenris fidgeted in his seat. “I don’t know. I’m sorry.”

“A different approach, then.” Danarius shifted as well, leaning against the arm of his chair. “Close your eyes, and try to imagine yourself piece by piece. Begin with the head, then the shoulders, then the arms, and down from there. Can you do this?”

“I will try.”

It took some time for him to get a hold of all of the sensations. They were still fuzzy, and the burning of the markings was distracting at best. Still, he’d been ordered to do it. Danarius, his master, saw it as necessary. Danarius wasn’t wrong. Danarius was the only ‘right’ that Fenris knew.

“There is a sharp pain in my head.” He brought a hand up and touched the base of his skull. “E...everything is tense, like my body is being... being squeezed.” He shuddered.

He could hear Danarius’ quill moving against the parchment.

“Both of my shoulders are hard to move,” Fenris continued, “as are my elbows, my wrists, and fingers. My stomach feels ill. My legs are shaking, my knees and ankles are hard to move.”

When Danarius could tell he’d stopped, he hummed. “Anything else? Less physical, more... Emotional.”

That made Fenris nervous. It was hard to think of those sorts of things. “I think I’m a-afraid, master.”

Danarius laughed. “Why is that, my pet?”

“I’m afraid to displease you.”

“You should be.” Danarius stood, and Fenris stood in turn. “You are dismissed.”

“Tachibana, seriously?  This is the third time this week,” Rin snaps as soon as the door swings open.  “I just.  I do not have time for this.  Can you maybe tone it down with the necromancy stuff?”

“Ah, Matsuoka!”  Rin refuses to get taken in by those sparkly green eyes.  It was not an indication of sweetness or adorableness at all.  “Was it my neighbors again?  I really wish they’d stop bothering you all down at the station.  They know I don’t cause any trouble.  Just because I studied Necromancy doesn’t mean I practice it at all.”  

“You know I can’t tell you who filed the complaint.”  

“Honestly if they are looking for a Necromancer who is using their skill for nefarious purposes they should look at Minami.  But they don’t.  I think it’s because he’s got such a pretty face.”

Rin sighs and rubs at his forehead.  He needs to remember to stop by Ai’s shop on the way home for some kind of medicine for these headaches.  “I am just getting tired of talking to you all the time because of this.”

“Is there another reason you’d like to speak with me?”

“Yeah he wants to ask you out.”  Rin spins around and glares at his patrol car.

“Haru shut up.”

“Well you do.”

“I didn’t ask for your opinion.”  He turns back to the door with a sigh and a tired smile.  “I’m sorry but unfortunately since this is the third complaint this week I’ll need you to come down to the station and fill out some paperwork.”

“Oh.”  Those sparkling green eyes dim a little and Rin refuses to be pulled in by the innocent kicked puppy look.  “Just let me lock up and I’ll be right there.”  Tachibana steps away and a small grey cat stares up at Rin.  One eye is missing - a wound from an alley fight years ago before she became Tachibana’s cat apparently - and the other is mostly black with little specks of purples and blues and whites.  To Rin it looks a little like the pictures of galaxies he used to see in books as a child.  “Come away from the door, Ghost,”  Tachibana calls out and Rin rolls his eyes.

Because of course he named the cat Ghost.  Not suspicious at all, considering.

Rin heads back to the car and leans against his door.

“He’s gonna run.”

“No he’s not, Haru.”

“I would if I were him.”

“One, you’re not him, thank the Gods.  Two, you wouldn’t run because then you’d leave me standing in your precious kitchen unsupervised.”  Tachibana reappears in the door and Rin grins.  “See.  Told ya.”  When Tachibana reaches the car and starts for the back door Rin shakes his head.  “Nah, you can sit up front with me.”

Haru leans forward and stares at Rin through the window.  “Why didn’t you let me sit up front?”