[Glass of scotch half empty by now. Ice teetering on the collapse and the left-over collection slides when he motions it to empty table. Arms occupied, but he ushers his nameless guests away with a toss of his fingers. With a promising smile and hushed sort of whisper:] I'll be there in a minute.
[When the two leave, his attentions return. Alec hasn't been the easiest of his possessionsemployees to get along with. Tongue always sharp and dismal, but they've known one another long enough and if anything, his always did come first.]
[So he opens up a hand. Palm churning on the axis of a wrist, beckoning the other with a silent sort of gesture.] But that really shouldn't be a surprise to you, right? Or is it something else you're interest in?
[Because when it comes down to it, he's never been the sort to deny an offer given. Flirtation not lost on him and the Sin spreads his thighs. Slides both heels from their perch at the table, motioning them away with ease. With that slippery notion and it's entirely him; the bar, the setting. Every inch his domain and he reigns as king. Crown of the would-be underworld made in cold-hard cash; with liquor, women, and everything in between. The whole cache his own; to hold with covetous claws, a devil nestled with ill-gotten gains.]
[At least he was honest about the arrangement.]
[Greed reaches beyond; fingers stretching, body moving with the pull of a torso and he's snatching at the remains of a cigarette smoldering away in an ashtray. Butt-end snagged in thick knuckles and Greed takes a drag as he peels eyes away for a moment. Sunglasses shifting from the sickly-yellow overhang, falling back into a cut of shadow. And his smile is wide, grin the Cheshire's favorite moon. Cut thin and sharp.]
Just come out with it - not like I'm about to judge you. But I need to know what you really want, hmn?
[Alec cocks a hip out, but embarrassment always finds itself chased with anger in him, and so his eyes are hard, though whether that anger will be directed at himself or at Greed if it has cause to linger is something yet to be determined.]
[Greed is all the more attractive here, in this space he owns, when Alec himself has never belonged anywhere, not as thoroughly as this. He's always been out of place, tripping over his own limbs and words and all the other people in the world, but that's really as good as he gets.]
I might be inclined to ask if you have all of that.
[Alec shifts towards Greed and into his space, with all the wariness of any bird that's interested in the promise of being fed, or a cat still eager to be pet.]
But I think we both know that that's not really the matter at hand.
[Alec swallows, throat working for a moment.]
I have more to offer you, if you want it.
[Alec reaches his hand out then, fear and wariness overcome by stubbornness, as he ghosts his hand onto Greed's thigh.]
[A slow arching of the brow. As lines become a bit more blurred and the silver-blue haze of smoke drifts across his knuckles. As hand comes to a thigh and he understands. Alec has always been the sort to put on airs; to put up defenses as soon as reality came crashing forth and there's only the truth to stare back at. Mocking every action made and the Sin slides his arm back. Rests an elbow to the shelf of his seat.]
[As if he doesn't need any further explanation.] No, it's not. But you could have said something earlier. Would have made it a bit more easy on yourself.
[Though, he's not about to force it. Not yet, anyway. And that stretched out hand finds the dip of his companion's back. Fans out, knuckle after knuckle, palm flat.]
You and I both know that's a stupid question - [The Sin trails off as the last lick of smoke trails off his tongue. Parting away with that wicked grin and he's too sharp. Too jagged to even remotely be called human and thighs spread as if on instinct. Birthing a place to sit by his side as Greed tilts his head. The heaviness of his gaze obvious. Despite the hollows of his shades that seem to see right through and he snaps his tongue with a click.]
You do and if anything, mine always come first. [Free hand to catch water at the lip of his scotch and he presses it. Sweat between a thumb and an index, slowly moving. As if taunting in every touch and he meets the other half way. Mouth and teeth too close to a throat and he whispers; as if there's a big secret between the two of them and it's all better left unsaid.]
So how about we skip the usual bullshit and get to the point?
[Alec's lips tick up into a smile, because it's a ridiculous thought, and that makes it all the more the sort of thought that he wants to indulge and tease out, until the absurdity is exhausted.]
[He wants to lick the smoke out of Greed's mouth, but he's too slow, still not sure if he's welcome (still wholly convinced that he can't be).]
[Instead he feels Greed against him, and it's only that much that springs him into action, long thin line of his arm reaching out to pull himself onto Greed's lap, trusting that he won't fall -- or that if he does fall it will be no less embarrassing than all the rest of this could be, can still be.]
How flattering.
[But of course, it's not that, it's both more and less. Because Greed is what he is, and it's not the same as finding out that a self-possessed man (or woman, even if Alec has yet no experience with those) is interested in him, because there's a fascination there that flows from Alec to the other man, that makes him want to figure out what makes Greed tick, and how he thinks.]
[It means there's less room to doubt himself, because curiosity always has that effect.]
[When Alec slips in, Greed coils up. A python to its catch and he places the length of his arm to the other's back. Holds him still, adjusting the threat of a slip to right him just so. Spreading his thighs, giving a tilt forward so that foreheads practically knock.]
You really haven't been paying attention at all, have you. [The Sin says and oh, there's that grin. That smile that's sick and jagged; laced heavily with hell-fire and warm just the same. Something that's not quite right, not quite human. The flavor of it similar, but there's the kick at the back of the throat to change the pallet.]
[Greed pushes his forehead to Alec's. Shoves flesh to flesh as his hand opens and spreads. He slides down a back exposed, running the pads of his fingers over fabric. Makes it ripple and twist.]
[By comparison, he's small. Small with enough of a back-lashing tongue to play the devil at his own game. Swimming in water invested with one shark alone and the kid's already made it clear that he doesn't care about the cuts. The bruises or the blood.]
[In fact, that seems to be the only thing he really, truly wants.]
[But things surprise and Greed's not a creature to say no. Especially not when an opportunity strikes his fancy and his teeth open just a crack. Alighting the points, drawing them crooked. An opening maw to swallow and he whispers to a neck as he tips his head lower. To shove himself underneath Alec's eager throat.]
What, were you expecting something else? I thought I made it pretty clear, Alec. Everything in this world is mine, after all.
[The homunculus flicks up his glance and his shades fall. Purple-gaze exposed. Eye to eye, tooth to tooth and his fingers trail back up. To push at the base of the other's skull, sinking his nails in just to bite and scratch. But not to harm, not to leave a mark.]
[Because he knows better and this arrangement's something a bit more than a casual fuck between good ol'chums. Something else, something more and if anything, he's at least built for the occasion.]
[Click and a free hand reaches past the grab at the left-overs of his scotch.] Eh- [Greed says as he shoves a nose to Alec's throat, inhale crisp.] - you're not going to be entirely honest with me, are you?
[Alec's spine is sharp under his skin, as sharp as his cheekbones and his words, all parts of him prickly and not a piece soft, not to a point where he'd even admit that much to himself.
His head tips back, baring his throat and Alec licks his lips, vulnerable and resolute at the same time. He wants this so much, even if the 'this' can be coached in only the vaguest of terms and the 'wanting' is something that Alec himself knows isn't healthy, and can't be too concerned about that fact. Maybe being the moth is never a particularly good call, but fire burns so brightly, and there's no use in being cold or alone in the dark either.]
I should certainly hope not.
[Alec's chin drops then, jutting out, as green eyes connect with purple, Alec's own filled with all sorts of things that he can and can't say, but inside all of that, challenge. The question of if Greed actually thinks he can handle Alec in this way, the expectation that he wants to -- not a hard confidence to have, when he's already admitted that much.]
What would the fun of that be?
[Alec's not exactly experienced in this, but he's certainly going to pretend to be more so, and he's not virginal, for all that a stray comment can sometimes make him react that way if he's not prepared for it, if he gets caught unaware. This isn't that sort of situation, and he imagines that there's not really anyone that could be fully prepared for an encounter with Greed.
That's at least a part of the appeal.]
Unless that's a part of your deal?
[That he will be honest or that he wants honesty... Alec leaves it ambiguous because the scorn in his voice would be there either way.
He trails his fingers across Greed's chest then down to the base of his shirt, to start to pull it up, to let his fingers slip underneath.]
[One heel kicks back to dig into the floorboards as Greed listens with unwavering attention. Even as eyes watch and ears tip in their direction, he keeps his stare on Alec. Taking in every note, every hitch of his breath and bump of his skin. For his age, he is incredibly sharp - bones just under the skin and covered only by a thin layer.]
[Somehow, Greed expects this is the way the kid wants to be. So, he doesn't pry the issue.]
[But he does raise a finger from his glass, when he's asked: whether or not the honesty is needed to seal the arrangement and the Sin chases a laugh over the bare of Alec's throat. Warm and foreboding, a touch of fire at every word he utters:] No, it's not a deal breaker. But I'd prefer it - after all, I've always done you the favor. Seems only fair, right?
[Though, Alec's not one to play by rules. Challenge and it's in his eyes, his voice. His body and every movement he makes; the younger to take on the Alpha and Greed moves his skull when a chin comes down. To round the edge of a neck, teeth parting at the shell of an ear.]
[The glass thuds behind them and Greed momentarily lifts his gaze away. Meeting the dull cough of an intruder and he greets with a growing smile.] Another one of these - [Tap, tap, tap to the rim of the glass.] - actually, make it two.
[The drink drags away at Alec's back. Taken by another of his many possessionsemployees, bringing back privacy. Of which, Greed doesn't waste.]
[Instead, he grabs Alec's chin. Forcing it to tilt with a thumb and an index. Stroking a knuckle to his cheek.] I know you're a liar, Alec. But it doesn't seem right - you don't need to hold anything back, not with me.
[Alec stiffens, goes rigid against Greed as soon as that intruder arrives and stays that way even after he's gone.]
[Stupid, stupid, to think that just because they were gone they would stay that way.]
[Naive, and unjustified as well, and so doubly unforgivable.]
[So Alec won't allow the touch to melt him, even as he does allow himself to moved, permits the touch with a little less enthusiasm, but still more than he should be doing in public.]
We should go somewhere private.
[Alec forces a little of the tension out of his spine, but it's clearly an artificial sort of relaxing now, and then he's moving to slide off of Greed's lap, before the person returns with drinks.]
Somewhere that will allow us to enjoy this a little more.
[And it's a good thing that he hadn't promised not to lie, because he's still doing it with his voice and that studious air of false comfort that isn't actually going to fool either of them.]
[And he knows when to take a hint. It's a tell-tale sign the moment Alec goes stark-still and slides away. Asking without as much as a whisper and it's more of demand if anything else.]
[Greed isn't too bothered by it.]
[Instead, he places one hand to his own thigh, hoisting right up. The other reaches across ashy smoke to clip the two-offered drinks by the lip. They rattle when the bang together, clinking and grinding against each fragile edge.]
C'mon, then.
[Because he's not about to wait; not when what he wants has been sorely interrupted and the Sin births from the outside curb of his table. Side-stepping to find a winding road of more of the same, dipping in and sliding out with the graceful movements of an adder.]
[The music shifts when he moves. From the lull-hum of jazz, to a luscious strum of a single string-guitar. A waltz in step, though the lyrics don't quite fit: "We spoke of was and when, although I wasn't there. He said I was his friend, which came as a surprise."]
[There's enough space between them now and Greed stops at the foot of a winding staircase. Old, rickety - smudged in scuffs and smears from God-only-knew-what. But even that wasn't quite right. No God to harbor, not at these shores, and it's only the wealth of Hell that lines the walls. That keeps the bar holding together and Greed tosses up his free hand. Mark on the backside of his palm practically glowing in the yellowing-haze.]
[Alec can't deny the note of relief that seeps into his voice, the pleasure at the fact that Greed is going along with moving them, rather than simply calling this whole thing off as too much bother.]
[What Alec wanted, he'd said, and it seems as though he might have even meant it.]
[Alec takes the steps the way he's told to, staircase the familiar enough sort for him, given his location and era, as familiar in feel as the opulence and wealth that glitters everywhere he looks.]
[Alec was right, this is the sort of man that his grandmother's ruby belongs with.]
Is one of those drinks for me, or were you just trying to stock up?
[Alec asks it once he's at the top of the stairs, but he holds his hand out for one of the glasses, expectant all the same.]
Or I suppose they could be to save for a toast, after.
[Greed tilts his head up and meets Alec with a warm sort of smile. One that isn't entirely laced with that sickly-nature of his. More of a simmer. Like coal-fire stroked to life and he takes the steps one at a time. The wood underneath groaning and ringing hollow under every heavy clip of solid heels.]
One for you and one for me. Though if it isn't your sort of thing - [His words filter off, slithering away from a tongue-forked. Eyebrows curving to follow his shades and he shrugs his shoulders. As if the rest could speak for itself.]
[Upstairs is far darker. The light from below receding to shadow, the haze drifting up from the bar settling between the floorboards. Other doors stay-half cracked down the splay of hallway, letting in sharp-cut lines of light to break up the constant shadow. Every moment of space undulating: from black to gold and back again.]
[It's fitting, if anything.]
[Greed's slow when he walks. Cutting heel over heel, point over point. It's practiced the way he saunters, like he's strutting all the way to the end. Hips swaying ever-so slightly and his torso moves. Left, right, left to catch up with the other and the Sin bends. Falls over the shelf of his hips, that smiling breaking with a wet-smack of his lips.]
A toast? Sure, if that's what you really want. [It's a weird request, but hey. Whatever the other wants and Greed finds the last door at the end of the corridor. Shoves his elbow to it and the clasp pops, the knob rolls. It's old and the fixings aren't exactly cream-of-the-crop. But he's never been one to judge a book by its proverbial cover.]
[No - avaricious nature finding the value in things most would take for granted and Greed slips right in. To a room that doesn't seem to have a light to its name, save for the slight pitch of moonlight coming in from a cracked window. And it washes earthy-tones in a gray-pitch, similar to that of a black-and-white film reel.]
[He sets the glasses down on a table as he passes through. Leaving them behind, both hands grabbing at the collar of his vest and he slides it from his shoulders. Pulling it until knuckles are thick and he tosses the signature garment onto the backside of an empty chair.]
Eh- you can close the door, if you want. It'll tell the rest of 'em not to bother.
[Alec likes alcohol, although it's been quite a while since he's had anything that might be considered good -- and even then, good by the standards of what his society can produce is hardly anything compared to Greed's -- and he's a little intrigued by what's in the glass, by what he had smelled on Greed's breath. It hardly compares to the mystery and appeal of the man, though.]
[He ignores the glasses for now, in favor of shutting the door with a definitive click.]
They had better not.
[Another interruption would be an interruption too many.]
[Having said that, though, is enough to make Alec let go of the possibility, enough to allow him to watch Greed with greed of his own in his eyes. Alec knows he's not all that much to look at, too thin and too many sharp angles to be considered handsome, but Greed looks prosperous and in control, the sort of person Alec might have hated if he were a lord (or maybe if Greed were a lord Alec would have a reason not to hate all of them). Besides, this room doesn't look like anything that a lord might have in his estate, and that's enough to make Alec relax quite a bit more, not having to feel like he has to be careful with the space or that Greed will kick him out for not looking like he belongs.]
[It's enough to lend Alec an air of arrogance, the assumption that he does belong, and that this space is a throne and he is a king. Arrogance comes the strongest to Alec when he's his most unsure, his most vulnerable.]
[At least it does help now, instead of setting him up to be punched. Alec drops his tattered black scholar's robe onto the floor without caring where it may fall and shifts towards Greed, hand reaching out to touch, to run his fingers along Greed's arm now that he's allowed to touch, to feel the muscle and the power in him. He wraps a pants-clad leg around Greed's own.]
[The leg around his own is enough to bring a smile to his face and it seems to hook and pull the rest of him. His shoulders rising, his eyebrows furrowing together. The last signature to make the whole thing official and Greed doesn't hide his pleasure at the idea. Instead, he places a hand at the thigh that holds him, running pad after pad to chase the outer-bend.]
[Alec's always been difficult to reason with. He's just glad that this time is a bit more simpler than usual.] Oh-? And here I thought you were lacking in ambition. Guess I was wrong.
[Though, his tone isn't mocking. Sincerely through the hisses and despite any notion to the contrary, everything here is just that: it's his. The palace not made from marble, but out of old wood and cigarette smoke. The currency not always gold, but constantly changing. Whether it money or status, glory or sex: Avarice incarnate didn't care the pay-out, in the end.]
[It harks back on something someone told him a long time ago: "A king's nothing without his people." And maybe that's the wealth here - the real jewel in the devil's crown and Greed coils around Alec. Turns his nose to the dip of his neck while one hand comes up to wrap around a hip. Thumb pressing into a pronounced dip as four-fingers follow to snare. One at a time and he's everywhere. Touching his nose down the crook of Alec's shoulder while his free hand hovers just at the edge of his bones. Fluttering down, the touch oddly gentle, considering the owner.]
Is that what you think? Don't sell yourself so short, Alec. I wouldn't have asked you here if I didn't think you were useful. [But that isn't entirely it either and Greed takes the action in reverse. Knocking his heels to walk backwards, the action announced by a series of thuds that clack off his boots. Until the back of his thighs collide with the frame of his bed and he sits. Rather unceremoniously, hands cautioning the other. To ease over his spread thighs and yeah, maybe this is a little better.]
Eh- guess I'll never change your mind on that, will I. [Sultry and slippery and the Sin pulls his face away. If only briefly, to snatch his signature-shades. Exposing an eerie pair that takes the moonlight with covetous abandon. Highlighting purple and they're practically aglow in the dark.]
So why don't you just show me. [Greed's words fall back down his throat as his eyes swivel back. Slipping to watch the other with the cruelty of a grin, with the fever of the Cheshire beckoning a lone wanderer down the next path.]
[And clack go the sunglasses. Earpiece swinging against glass to make it rattle and he tosses them up onto a nightstand with a fling of the wrist.] No need to hold back. Not here, anyway.
[Alec's voice is as lofty as it gets, long vowels and carefully enunciated consonants. Alec mocks because he breathes, but right now the shots he takes at himself are comfortable, a sort of intellectual simulation that falls secondary to his own interest in the situation.]
[The thought that he might be considered a sort of currency would sting if it weren't so ridiculous, that's also been the only reason he'd agree to be used, because he doesn't believe himself worth the effort for anyone to stick with it for very long. He's not paying Greed in sex, though, not any more than he's being paid in sex. This is a part of their interactions, their relationship with each other, but how could it not be? Alec would still believe it an understanding rather than a transaction, and maybe that's naive, but he does still suffer from that sometimes, for all of his assumed cynicism.]
But I'm not here to be useful to you.
[And there's that arrogance, always lurking beneath his skin, in too-bright green eyes and the thin set of his body, in the educated tones of his voice. It surges out because it's part of Alec, and it's not a thing he keeps caged up. It's a defense and an offense, it's who he is inside and cover to help protect everything else. It's him, as much as the long hair tied up with a ribbon and the sharps edges of his nails.]
You're here to be useful to me.
[And oh, what a kind of useful.]
[Alec's lips find Greed's throat and he goes for it, lips gentle and no hint of teeth, but it's a test all the same.]
[Though, he doesn't take the time to reflect on the idea: "A man like you-" There weren't many like him. Very few in fact, six others to count, though he liked to pretend he was still a little different from the collection. Seven-deadlies in one package and he usually made out for the sore thumb.]
[However, there's a laugh. As Alec coaxes lips to his throat and Greed allows. Because the notion is a little bit of a joke: useful, not useful. The labels don't matter and the Sin cuts the shelf of his boot into the floor. Pivots it up as his eyes screw shut.] Am I? That's not how it really works, friend.
[He doesn't, wouldn't, and can't be under any else's thumb. It's a bad combination and all-too-quickly, he's the first to bite. At the chains, at the collar, at even the idea. But Alec's always been one for arrogance - with his too-green eyes that say he wants control and doesn't all in the same hitch.] Eh-
[The homunculus arches a shoulder. Bringing it up as his chin falls part way. Trying to see beyond hair and ribbons, rocking to the opposing palm. He wriggles a hand free while casually flicking the other; opening his fingers and the 'Shield in the same motion. A switchblade with a punch and it's a sharp twinge.]
[But he only guides a talon to snap the ribbon free. To cut the fabric and make to flutter away.] You've still got it all wrong, but all right. If that's what it'll take. [Not that he's about to take the kid's orders or bow under him. But he'll scratch an itch when it's due.]
[So he lets gravity do the talking. Back falling against a mattress that aches with misuse. Groaning, the springs already bent from previous encounters. There's enough clues to know that others have been here. From the claw marks at the wood-work to the smears of lipstick on faded-white sheets. Their signatures fresh and old, telling a story with each twist and turn of linen.]
[But Greed's not paying attention to it. Instead, he hikes up his legs. Hooks his heels into the crisscross of a frame and tosses himself and his company back. Alec on top, he at the bottom. Though that doesn't exactly mean much to him.]
[The headboard bucks when he frees his grip and Greed tosses his hands to the mount. Digs his nails into wood, holding him there with twined-wrists.] This, then? [He says with a mild tilt of his head.]
[It's a bone-thrown and even if it won't last very long, the Sin's not about to complain about the circumstance.]
[Alec's hair spills down onto his shoulders now, fine and long, like a spray of feathers. It could tangle if he's not careful, but the last thing that Alec's concerned about right now is being careful.]
[Instead he lets himself fall with Greed, until he's on top and the last thing he has to be concerned about is the fact that he might crush Greed, because he doesn't have to know how much Greed can take to know that Alec certainly isn't anywhere near the limits.]
[It's the kind of safety net Alec needs, the sort of thing he's much more concerned about than if he himself will get hurt.]
Time will tell. [Still with that perfect arrogance, the sort of blind confidence that he will get what he wants and what he needs. This isn't the sort of attitude that Alec is completely comfortable with, but it is his legacy, what he's been born to succeed at. Whether it amuses Greed or entices him to be more assertive in response, or if it makes him obey, Alec knows that he's the one who's winning. (They both are.)]
[Whatever Alec might ordinarily hold back, his fingers are honest as they smooth over Greed's chest and then slip under the shirt he's wearing, letting his nails scrape sharp over skin, laying his own claim over this man that so many others have had (that has had so many others.)]
[Alec's hips twist against Greed, even though he knows that he himself doesn't need the encouragement.]
[His laughter is smooth and breathless. As his head falls back and he makes no attempt to stop whatever it is that Alec is doing - that'd be unproductive, in the end, and Greed's not the sort of creature to deny anyone what they so rightfully want. So he lets the spikes of his hair hit the headboard, his skull knocking out with a hollow sort of thud.]
Good thing I have all the time in the world, then.
[The dark is thick and dreamy. The light wash of a false-twilight from the street turning things gray, ghostly, and it's a steady sort of air that slips in and out. From the whistling open of a window, coiling curtains that had seen better days.]
[Alec is right, in all of his mental prowess - there had been plenty here, too many faces to count in all the centuries the devil's dwelt. But even if he can't remember the names, the Avaricious has always counted himself pretty good at remembering a face. And even when Alec's time has run out, Greed knows all too well that there will be plenty of other occasions to keep that face remembered.]
[So he moves his wrists. Rotates them so the flats of his lower arms face out and leather bands pile as muscle thickens. A lift sends him part way up, jaws opening with an audible and forced intake of air.] Y'know, for someone your age, you really are pretty demanding. I guess that's why I like you.
[To be liked by the living embodiment of it: it's almost poetry, almost sickening. At least, most people would consider it that way. But Alec is a funny sort - darting this way and that, his clear purpose masked behind a mask, behind a mask. Always hiding something and Greed's grin slowly closes. Making a line of his lips as he nudges his head to his partner's throat. Pressing his nose, his forehead.]
Show me, kid - [The Sin starts, voice like a poisonous purr. Echoing in his throat, rattling his teeth.] - everything you really want.
[Every movement of Greed's body is a reminder of the power that he has on offer and a promise of the way that Alec is going to make him feel, the way that Greed is going to make Alec feel. He's not ordinary, not human, but that just makes him all the more something to explore, and it is good that they have the time they need, because Alec's not inclined to rush this.]
[He's not always a very patient person, bad at picking his timing except when it's aimed to infuriate. But this is different, and he's still a sort of scientist -- if one whose never heard of the scientific method -- intent on categorizing Greed, on understanding his properties.]
If I'm going to be demanding I might like some oil as well. [A cheeky tone of voice, but nothing that he thinks is going to be getting a problem, something that will make his explorations a bit easier.]
[Everything he wants is both simple and complicated, but he's very eager to indicate exactly what it means, ready to show Greed exactly what it is that he's inviting.]
If you want I can promise to be gentle.
[But what does a promise like that really mean? Still, the offer is as much a dare as anything else.]
[It's easy to feel his smile widen when Alec finally gives in. When he finally starts making some demands that can actually be fulfilled and Greed's shoulders raise just a tad from their compromised position. He whispers against the skin of Alec's throat - hot, moist. Stale with cigarette smoke and spiced with good scotch.]
Try under the bed. Keep a few things handy in case someone interesting comes along. [Or in case someone actually wants to have a go and fuck him like the devil. Not like he's one to complain or say no. He's taken the bottom row from time to time and, if anything, it's usually a good ride.]
[He doubts, though, that Alec is seeking out that particular route.]
[Greed retracts and his nails screech as they bite into wood. At his angle, he's looking down at Alec - with those ghostly eyes that are foreign and strange. They widen and settle, thoughts passing through with the jittery motions of his pupils.] Not sure if it's any good, though.
[Though, he knows of a few alternatives and Greed slowly brings one leg up. To set the base of his heel next to Alec's thigh and he nudges the crook of a boot up and down a rigid backside. Coiling that wicked bend, pressing the pointed tip into the small bump at his partner's spine.]
Gentle? Ha - ! That's not really what you're into, is it? [Greed arches himself forward, straining against his own muscles as he makes a snap at the empty air. His teeth click together with a crunch, with a grin that grows in anticipation. Oh, he's a terrible creature: in make, design, and status.]
Whatever you want - I told you. Show me everything you've got for me, lovely.
You have so many other places like this one, then? [Alec's not sure he likes the sound of it not being any good, but they'll figure it out, the pessimist in him not triumphing over his lust and his wanting (and what separate things they are) for the moment.]
[Alec rolls off the bed, awkward limbs and a bit of fumbling as he has to pull away from Greed, from the magnetism of their attraction. He's impatient and yet he wants to relish this, wants to explore everything that Greed's body has to offer.]
[Wants to know him the way Greed seems to already know Alec.]
You'll get to find out all of that.
[Having found what he needed Alec clambers back onto the bed, one hand holding his prize but his attention back on Greed, on shoving the fall of hair away from his own face so that Alec can nip at Greed's lower lip, can show his own teeth.]
No, not really. Just here. [The Devil's Nest, he means. It's his home and his kingdom. To reign as he pleases in the seediest part of town: where crooked alleyways turn that more jagged and where the liquor's too good to pass up. Where people come to get away from it all and he's happy to entertain the company: all walks of life, but it's usually thick with criminals instead. Which, if he were being asked, was much preferred.]
[They often kept things simple.]
[Greed's head falls back with mild disappointment when Alec leaves and his lips pull to the side in a pouting frown. Eyebrows follow, creasing together when he cocks his head slightly to the side. He could almost pass for innocent then - almost being the key word, because as soon as Alec's got the bottle in his hand, those teeth come fanning out. From lips pulled too tight and there's visible interest - in his eyes, in his jaws, and the Sin settles his head comfortably into the back-board.]
Will I now. Glad to see you're finally seeing things from my perspective. [Greed's voice is a humming sort of purr. Sultry like jazz and hard like metal. An intertwining of two harmonies cycling in his throat and when Alec nips at his lip, the homunculus lowers his hands away from the wood anchor behind him. Slipping through the columns holding the straight-piece together instead and he mimicks a prisoner. Shoving his hands between the bars and he fists his hands, keeping them locked there.]
[Because he doesn't want this to be a quick in and out. A slam-bam-thank-you-kid kind of deal. No; he's been doing this song and dance a bit too long and he'll gladly take his time.]
[So a tongue rolls out, chasing the teeth that come bared. As if trying to coax the other on: "C'mon, give it to me. More, more, more." But Greed doesn't say a word - instead, he growls. Something soft, an approval.]
[Greed may find himself surprised by how aggressive Alec can be in the bedroom, when it catches his fancy (and Richard had worked to encourage that, to allow it when it wasn't making an already black mood spiral even worse). There's still no rhyme or reason to the twists of his moods or his mind, but that much Greed should be used to by now.]
[Alec doesn't bother to study what Greed looks like alone on the bed, because he's too eager to return, even if he hasn't determined exactly what he's going to do with what he's fetched, but that's a minor detail compared to the rest of this.]
[Alec finds himself tempted towards the alcohol now, but that would mean leaving Greed instead, and this is a different kind of altering to his mood, and one that he refocuses on, teeth digging in after a nip, not needing too much to be encouraged, not requiring anything more than what he's getting -- Greed's enthusiastic responses.]
[Still Alec doesn't shut up, because there are always words, even when they'll cease to make any particular sort of sense, they still wind up being said. It's just Alec's way, a habit too firm to be broken despite the fact that there's not really any reason for it.]
[He has to pull back to speak, but he takes the opportunity to touch as well, one hand cupping Greed's cheek, nails scraping to leave thin white lines in their immediate wake and then a pivoting of his hand to press his forefinger against Greed's lips, to find out if he will suck it.]
[Or if he'll bite.]
Even I can be taught, if the right teaching methods are employed.
[The lazy drawl of Alec's voice seems particularly suited to this moment.]
[Words are Alec's strong point: probably one of his best features. He's smart, he's resourceful. But Greed's a creature of action and when the other sits up and presents a finger, it's an easy decision. The Sin takes the tip in his mouth first, swiping and dragging it further with his tongue. Swallowing it to the first knuckle.]
[That's when he bites.]
[It's a gentle nip at first. Just to feel the defined hardness of Alec's bones - they're exposed against his thin frame, practically poking out to challenge the strength of his jaws. Greed knows it can't win in the end, so he doesn't test the limits too much. Instead, he just holds the flesh there, bringing his mouth around the knuckle to seal it. A few brief sucks later and his smile ruins the whole thing.]
That so? [Eyes flick up and he retracts his head. Smearing the spikes of his hair across wood, making them bend slightly.] For everything I actually know about you, taking an order isn't really one of your strong points.
[But hey - he's not faulting Alec on it. Orders weren't his strong point either and that's landed him into enough trouble for a few centuries worth of lifetime(s). The Sin tightens the muscles of his arms, tenses to make tendons line out against his skin.]
What is it you want to learn then, kid? [If he wants to learn all the vices, he'll give it to him. If he wants to take a piece of the cake and eat it too, fine. Either way, Greed's getting what he wants out of the deal - this way or that, it doesn't matter to him.]
[So he watches Alec from the cliff of his chin and waits.] C'mon, I told you to show me. No need to second-guess yourself - I'm not like the rest.
What you look like when you're flushed with pleasure.
[If he does get flushed with pleasure.]
[What makes him get that way.]
How you act when you've been riled up.
[He's already getting an idea of how Greed reacts to a challenge, to what he makes of Alec himself. All important things.]
Right now I want these off, though.
[And Alec's reaching for the fastening on Greed's pants to try to get him to buck his hips in a useful way. It's only when he looks at him this way that Alec truly appreciates the power in the other's body, but that's not something to make Alec stop, or to make him wary.]
[He's all too keen to oblige. Lifting his hips, setting his heels down to anchor him. His torso goes up, his shoulders bend down, and his spine arches with a wicked angle. It's a demand - to see just how far his avarice can be pushed until it's all too much.]
[Either way, it's an interesting twist on an evening.]
[Greed's grin is wide as it is sharp. The very idea of having his own world turned on its head is one that he finds incredibly amusing. He hadn't pegged Alec for the sort, though he should have. The kid's not exactly forthcoming with everything and he should have noticed the extra ace up his sleeve. Ready to play when the game came to a boiling point.]
[It's funny: just how unpredictable some humans can be.]
[Greed's fingers open up and his wrists knock against the wood as he back-latches behind the headboard. Hidden there are claws - it's obvious when a splintering-crunch comes calling from the dark.] Not stopping you, kid. But it's a tall order to fill - just remember that.
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[Glass of scotch half empty by now. Ice teetering on the collapse and the left-over collection slides when he motions it to empty table. Arms occupied, but he ushers his nameless guests away with a toss of his fingers. With a promising smile and hushed sort of whisper:] I'll be there in a minute.
[When the two leave, his attentions return. Alec hasn't been the easiest of his
possessionsemployees to get along with. Tongue always sharp and dismal, but they've known one another long enough and if anything, his always did come first.][So he opens up a hand. Palm churning on the axis of a wrist, beckoning the other with a silent sort of gesture.] But that really shouldn't be a surprise to you, right? Or is it something else you're interest in?
[Because when it comes down to it, he's never been the sort to deny an offer given. Flirtation not lost on him and the Sin spreads his thighs. Slides both heels from their perch at the table, motioning them away with ease. With that slippery notion and it's entirely him; the bar, the setting. Every inch his domain and he reigns as king. Crown of the would-be underworld made in cold-hard cash; with liquor, women, and everything in between. The whole cache his own; to hold with covetous claws, a devil nestled with ill-gotten gains.]
[At least he was honest about the arrangement.]
[Greed reaches beyond; fingers stretching, body moving with the pull of a torso and he's snatching at the remains of a cigarette smoldering away in an ashtray. Butt-end snagged in thick knuckles and Greed takes a drag as he peels eyes away for a moment. Sunglasses shifting from the sickly-yellow overhang, falling back into a cut of shadow. And his smile is wide, grin the Cheshire's favorite moon. Cut thin and sharp.]
Just come out with it - not like I'm about to judge you. But I need to know what you really want, hmn?
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[Alec cocks a hip out, but embarrassment always finds itself chased with anger in him, and so his eyes are hard, though whether that anger will be directed at himself or at Greed if it has cause to linger is something yet to be determined.]
[Greed is all the more attractive here, in this space he owns, when Alec himself has never belonged anywhere, not as thoroughly as this. He's always been out of place, tripping over his own limbs and words and all the other people in the world, but that's really as good as he gets.]
I might be inclined to ask if you have all of that.
[Alec shifts towards Greed and into his space, with all the wariness of any bird that's interested in the promise of being fed, or a cat still eager to be pet.]
But I think we both know that that's not really the matter at hand.
[Alec swallows, throat working for a moment.]
I have more to offer you, if you want it.
[Alec reaches his hand out then, fear and wariness overcome by stubbornness, as he ghosts his hand onto Greed's thigh.]
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[As if he doesn't need any further explanation.] No, it's not. But you could have said something earlier. Would have made it a bit more easy on yourself.
[Though, he's not about to force it. Not yet, anyway. And that stretched out hand finds the dip of his companion's back. Fans out, knuckle after knuckle, palm flat.]
You and I both know that's a stupid question - [The Sin trails off as the last lick of smoke trails off his tongue. Parting away with that wicked grin and he's too sharp. Too jagged to even remotely be called human and thighs spread as if on instinct. Birthing a place to sit by his side as Greed tilts his head. The heaviness of his gaze obvious. Despite the hollows of his shades that seem to see right through and he snaps his tongue with a click.]
You do and if anything, mine always come first. [Free hand to catch water at the lip of his scotch and he presses it. Sweat between a thumb and an index, slowly moving. As if taunting in every touch and he meets the other half way. Mouth and teeth too close to a throat and he whispers; as if there's a big secret between the two of them and it's all better left unsaid.]
So how about we skip the usual bullshit and get to the point?
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[Alec's lips tick up into a smile, because it's a ridiculous thought, and that makes it all the more the sort of thought that he wants to indulge and tease out, until the absurdity is exhausted.]
[He wants to lick the smoke out of Greed's mouth, but he's too slow, still not sure if he's welcome (still wholly convinced that he can't be).]
[Instead he feels Greed against him, and it's only that much that springs him into action, long thin line of his arm reaching out to pull himself onto Greed's lap, trusting that he won't fall -- or that if he does fall it will be no less embarrassing than all the rest of this could be, can still be.]
How flattering.
[But of course, it's not that, it's both more and less. Because Greed is what he is, and it's not the same as finding out that a self-possessed man (or woman, even if Alec has yet no experience with those) is interested in him, because there's a fascination there that flows from Alec to the other man, that makes him want to figure out what makes Greed tick, and how he thinks.]
[It means there's less room to doubt himself, because curiosity always has that effect.]
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You really haven't been paying attention at all, have you. [The Sin says and oh, there's that grin. That smile that's sick and jagged; laced heavily with hell-fire and warm just the same. Something that's not quite right, not quite human. The flavor of it similar, but there's the kick at the back of the throat to change the pallet.]
[Greed pushes his forehead to Alec's. Shoves flesh to flesh as his hand opens and spreads. He slides down a back exposed, running the pads of his fingers over fabric. Makes it ripple and twist.]
[By comparison, he's small. Small with enough of a back-lashing tongue to play the devil at his own game. Swimming in water invested with one shark alone and the kid's already made it clear that he doesn't care about the cuts. The bruises or the blood.]
[In fact, that seems to be the only thing he really, truly wants.]
[But things surprise and Greed's not a creature to say no. Especially not when an opportunity strikes his fancy and his teeth open just a crack. Alighting the points, drawing them crooked. An opening maw to swallow and he whispers to a neck as he tips his head lower. To shove himself underneath Alec's eager throat.]
What, were you expecting something else? I thought I made it pretty clear, Alec. Everything in this world is mine, after all.
[The homunculus flicks up his glance and his shades fall. Purple-gaze exposed. Eye to eye, tooth to tooth and his fingers trail back up. To push at the base of the other's skull, sinking his nails in just to bite and scratch. But not to harm, not to leave a mark.]
[Because he knows better and this arrangement's something a bit more than a casual fuck between good ol'chums. Something else, something more and if anything, he's at least built for the occasion.]
[Click and a free hand reaches past the grab at the left-overs of his scotch.] Eh- [Greed says as he shoves a nose to Alec's throat, inhale crisp.] - you're not going to be entirely honest with me, are you?
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[Alec's spine is sharp under his skin, as sharp as his cheekbones and his words, all parts of him prickly and not a piece soft, not to a point where he'd even admit that much to himself.
His head tips back, baring his throat and Alec licks his lips, vulnerable and resolute at the same time. He wants this so much, even if the 'this' can be coached in only the vaguest of terms and the 'wanting' is something that Alec himself knows isn't healthy, and can't be too concerned about that fact. Maybe being the moth is never a particularly good call, but fire burns so brightly, and there's no use in being cold or alone in the dark either.]
I should certainly hope not.
[Alec's chin drops then, jutting out, as green eyes connect with purple, Alec's own filled with all sorts of things that he can and can't say, but inside all of that, challenge. The question of if Greed actually thinks he can handle Alec in this way, the expectation that he wants to -- not a hard confidence to have, when he's already admitted that much.]
What would the fun of that be?
[Alec's not exactly experienced in this, but he's certainly going to pretend to be more so, and he's not virginal, for all that a stray comment can sometimes make him react that way if he's not prepared for it, if he gets caught unaware. This isn't that sort of situation, and he imagines that there's not really anyone that could be fully prepared for an encounter with Greed.
That's at least a part of the appeal.]
Unless that's a part of your deal?
[That he will be honest or that he wants honesty... Alec leaves it ambiguous because the scorn in his voice would be there either way.
He trails his fingers across Greed's chest then down to the base of his shirt, to start to pull it up, to let his fingers slip underneath.]
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[Somehow, Greed expects this is the way the kid wants to be. So, he doesn't pry the issue.]
[But he does raise a finger from his glass, when he's asked: whether or not the honesty is needed to seal the arrangement and the Sin chases a laugh over the bare of Alec's throat. Warm and foreboding, a touch of fire at every word he utters:] No, it's not a deal breaker. But I'd prefer it - after all, I've always done you the favor. Seems only fair, right?
[Though, Alec's not one to play by rules. Challenge and it's in his eyes, his voice. His body and every movement he makes; the younger to take on the Alpha and Greed moves his skull when a chin comes down. To round the edge of a neck, teeth parting at the shell of an ear.]
[The glass thuds behind them and Greed momentarily lifts his gaze away. Meeting the dull cough of an intruder and he greets with a growing smile.] Another one of these - [Tap, tap, tap to the rim of the glass.] - actually, make it two.
[The drink drags away at Alec's back. Taken by another of his many
possessionsemployees, bringing back privacy. Of which, Greed doesn't waste.][Instead, he grabs Alec's chin. Forcing it to tilt with a thumb and an index. Stroking a knuckle to his cheek.] I know you're a liar, Alec. But it doesn't seem right - you don't need to hold anything back, not with me.
But hey - whatever you want.
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[Stupid, stupid, to think that just because they were gone they would stay that way.]
[Naive, and unjustified as well, and so doubly unforgivable.]
[So Alec won't allow the touch to melt him, even as he does allow himself to moved, permits the touch with a little less enthusiasm, but still more than he should be doing in public.]
We should go somewhere private.
[Alec forces a little of the tension out of his spine, but it's clearly an artificial sort of relaxing now, and then he's moving to slide off of Greed's lap, before the person returns with drinks.]
Somewhere that will allow us to enjoy this a little more.
[And it's a good thing that he hadn't promised not to lie, because he's still doing it with his voice and that studious air of false comfort that isn't actually going to fool either of them.]
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[Greed isn't too bothered by it.]
[Instead, he places one hand to his own thigh, hoisting right up. The other reaches across ashy smoke to clip the two-offered drinks by the lip. They rattle when the bang together, clinking and grinding against each fragile edge.]
C'mon, then.
[Because he's not about to wait; not when what he wants has been sorely interrupted and the Sin births from the outside curb of his table. Side-stepping to find a winding road of more of the same, dipping in and sliding out with the graceful movements of an adder.]
[The music shifts when he moves. From the lull-hum of jazz, to a luscious strum of a single string-guitar. A waltz in step, though the lyrics don't quite fit: "We spoke of was and when, although I wasn't there. He said I was his friend, which came as a surprise."]
[There's enough space between them now and Greed stops at the foot of a winding staircase. Old, rickety - smudged in scuffs and smears from God-only-knew-what. But even that wasn't quite right. No God to harbor, not at these shores, and it's only the wealth of Hell that lines the walls. That keeps the bar holding together and Greed tosses up his free hand. Mark on the backside of his palm practically glowing in the yellowing-haze.]
Up here, friend. Less to worry about.
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[Alec can't deny the note of relief that seeps into his voice, the pleasure at the fact that Greed is going along with moving them, rather than simply calling this whole thing off as too much bother.]
[What Alec wanted, he'd said, and it seems as though he might have even meant it.]
[Alec takes the steps the way he's told to, staircase the familiar enough sort for him, given his location and era, as familiar in feel as the opulence and wealth that glitters everywhere he looks.]
[Alec was right, this is the sort of man that his grandmother's ruby belongs with.]
Is one of those drinks for me, or were you just trying to stock up?
[Alec asks it once he's at the top of the stairs, but he holds his hand out for one of the glasses, expectant all the same.]
Or I suppose they could be to save for a toast, after.
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One for you and one for me. Though if it isn't your sort of thing - [His words filter off, slithering away from a tongue-forked. Eyebrows curving to follow his shades and he shrugs his shoulders. As if the rest could speak for itself.]
[Upstairs is far darker. The light from below receding to shadow, the haze drifting up from the bar settling between the floorboards. Other doors stay-half cracked down the splay of hallway, letting in sharp-cut lines of light to break up the constant shadow. Every moment of space undulating: from black to gold and back again.]
[It's fitting, if anything.]
[Greed's slow when he walks. Cutting heel over heel, point over point. It's practiced the way he saunters, like he's strutting all the way to the end. Hips swaying ever-so slightly and his torso moves. Left, right, left to catch up with the other and the Sin bends. Falls over the shelf of his hips, that smiling breaking with a wet-smack of his lips.]
A toast? Sure, if that's what you really want. [It's a weird request, but hey. Whatever the other wants and Greed finds the last door at the end of the corridor. Shoves his elbow to it and the clasp pops, the knob rolls. It's old and the fixings aren't exactly cream-of-the-crop. But he's never been one to judge a book by its proverbial cover.]
[No - avaricious nature finding the value in things most would take for granted and Greed slips right in. To a room that doesn't seem to have a light to its name, save for the slight pitch of moonlight coming in from a cracked window. And it washes earthy-tones in a gray-pitch, similar to that of a black-and-white film reel.]
[He sets the glasses down on a table as he passes through. Leaving them behind, both hands grabbing at the collar of his vest and he slides it from his shoulders. Pulling it until knuckles are thick and he tosses the signature garment onto the backside of an empty chair.]
Eh- you can close the door, if you want. It'll tell the rest of 'em not to bother.
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[He ignores the glasses for now, in favor of shutting the door with a definitive click.]
They had better not.
[Another interruption would be an interruption too many.]
[Having said that, though, is enough to make Alec let go of the possibility, enough to allow him to watch Greed with greed of his own in his eyes. Alec knows he's not all that much to look at, too thin and too many sharp angles to be considered handsome, but Greed looks prosperous and in control, the sort of person Alec might have hated if he were a lord (or maybe if Greed were a lord Alec would have a reason not to hate all of them). Besides, this room doesn't look like anything that a lord might have in his estate, and that's enough to make Alec relax quite a bit more, not having to feel like he has to be careful with the space or that Greed will kick him out for not looking like he belongs.]
[It's enough to lend Alec an air of arrogance, the assumption that he does belong, and that this space is a throne and he is a king. Arrogance comes the strongest to Alec when he's his most unsure, his most vulnerable.]
[At least it does help now, instead of setting him up to be punched. Alec drops his tattered black scholar's robe onto the floor without caring where it may fall and shifts towards Greed, hand reaching out to touch, to run his fingers along Greed's arm now that he's allowed to touch, to feel the muscle and the power in him. He wraps a pants-clad leg around Greed's own.]
You're probably worth bothering, though.
[Is in Alec's opinion, at least.]
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[Alec's always been difficult to reason with. He's just glad that this time is a bit more simpler than usual.] Oh-? And here I thought you were lacking in ambition. Guess I was wrong.
[Though, his tone isn't mocking. Sincerely through the hisses and despite any notion to the contrary, everything here is just that: it's his. The palace not made from marble, but out of old wood and cigarette smoke. The currency not always gold, but constantly changing. Whether it money or status, glory or sex: Avarice incarnate didn't care the pay-out, in the end.]
[It harks back on something someone told him a long time ago: "A king's nothing without his people." And maybe that's the wealth here - the real jewel in the devil's crown and Greed coils around Alec. Turns his nose to the dip of his neck while one hand comes up to wrap around a hip. Thumb pressing into a pronounced dip as four-fingers follow to snare. One at a time and he's everywhere. Touching his nose down the crook of Alec's shoulder while his free hand hovers just at the edge of his bones. Fluttering down, the touch oddly gentle, considering the owner.]
Is that what you think? Don't sell yourself so short, Alec. I wouldn't have asked you here if I didn't think you were useful. [But that isn't entirely it either and Greed takes the action in reverse. Knocking his heels to walk backwards, the action announced by a series of thuds that clack off his boots. Until the back of his thighs collide with the frame of his bed and he sits. Rather unceremoniously, hands cautioning the other. To ease over his spread thighs and yeah, maybe this is a little better.]
Eh- guess I'll never change your mind on that, will I. [Sultry and slippery and the Sin pulls his face away. If only briefly, to snatch his signature-shades. Exposing an eerie pair that takes the moonlight with covetous abandon. Highlighting purple and they're practically aglow in the dark.]
So why don't you just show me. [Greed's words fall back down his throat as his eyes swivel back. Slipping to watch the other with the cruelty of a grin, with the fever of the Cheshire beckoning a lone wanderer down the next path.]
[And clack go the sunglasses. Earpiece swinging against glass to make it rattle and he tosses them up onto a nightstand with a fling of the wrist.] No need to hold back. Not here, anyway.
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[Alec's voice is as lofty as it gets, long vowels and carefully enunciated consonants. Alec mocks because he breathes, but right now the shots he takes at himself are comfortable, a sort of intellectual simulation that falls secondary to his own interest in the situation.]
[The thought that he might be considered a sort of currency would sting if it weren't so ridiculous, that's also been the only reason he'd agree to be used, because he doesn't believe himself worth the effort for anyone to stick with it for very long. He's not paying Greed in sex, though, not any more than he's being paid in sex. This is a part of their interactions, their relationship with each other, but how could it not be? Alec would still believe it an understanding rather than a transaction, and maybe that's naive, but he does still suffer from that sometimes, for all of his assumed cynicism.]
But I'm not here to be useful to you.
[And there's that arrogance, always lurking beneath his skin, in too-bright green eyes and the thin set of his body, in the educated tones of his voice. It surges out because it's part of Alec, and it's not a thing he keeps caged up. It's a defense and an offense, it's who he is inside and cover to help protect everything else. It's him, as much as the long hair tied up with a ribbon and the sharps edges of his nails.]
You're here to be useful to me.
[And oh, what a kind of useful.]
[Alec's lips find Greed's throat and he goes for it, lips gentle and no hint of teeth, but it's a test all the same.]
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[Though, he doesn't take the time to reflect on the idea: "A man like you-" There weren't many like him. Very few in fact, six others to count, though he liked to pretend he was still a little different from the collection. Seven-deadlies in one package and he usually made out for the sore thumb.]
[However, there's a laugh. As Alec coaxes lips to his throat and Greed allows. Because the notion is a little bit of a joke: useful, not useful. The labels don't matter and the Sin cuts the shelf of his boot into the floor. Pivots it up as his eyes screw shut.] Am I? That's not how it really works, friend.
[He doesn't, wouldn't, and can't be under any else's thumb. It's a bad combination and all-too-quickly, he's the first to bite. At the chains, at the collar, at even the idea. But Alec's always been one for arrogance - with his too-green eyes that say he wants control and doesn't all in the same hitch.] Eh-
[The homunculus arches a shoulder. Bringing it up as his chin falls part way. Trying to see beyond hair and ribbons, rocking to the opposing palm. He wriggles a hand free while casually flicking the other; opening his fingers and the 'Shield in the same motion. A switchblade with a punch and it's a sharp twinge.]
[But he only guides a talon to snap the ribbon free. To cut the fabric and make to flutter away.] You've still got it all wrong, but all right. If that's what it'll take. [Not that he's about to take the kid's orders or bow under him. But he'll scratch an itch when it's due.]
[So he lets gravity do the talking. Back falling against a mattress that aches with misuse. Groaning, the springs already bent from previous encounters. There's enough clues to know that others have been here. From the claw marks at the wood-work to the smears of lipstick on faded-white sheets. Their signatures fresh and old, telling a story with each twist and turn of linen.]
[But Greed's not paying attention to it. Instead, he hikes up his legs. Hooks his heels into the crisscross of a frame and tosses himself and his company back. Alec on top, he at the bottom. Though that doesn't exactly mean much to him.]
[The headboard bucks when he frees his grip and Greed tosses his hands to the mount. Digs his nails into wood, holding him there with twined-wrists.] This, then? [He says with a mild tilt of his head.]
[It's a bone-thrown and even if it won't last very long, the Sin's not about to complain about the circumstance.]
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[Instead he lets himself fall with Greed, until he's on top and the last thing he has to be concerned about is the fact that he might crush Greed, because he doesn't have to know how much Greed can take to know that Alec certainly isn't anywhere near the limits.]
[It's the kind of safety net Alec needs, the sort of thing he's much more concerned about than if he himself will get hurt.]
Time will tell. [Still with that perfect arrogance, the sort of blind confidence that he will get what he wants and what he needs. This isn't the sort of attitude that Alec is completely comfortable with, but it is his legacy, what he's been born to succeed at. Whether it amuses Greed or entices him to be more assertive in response, or if it makes him obey, Alec knows that he's the one who's winning. (They both are.)]
[Whatever Alec might ordinarily hold back, his fingers are honest as they smooth over Greed's chest and then slip under the shirt he's wearing, letting his nails scrape sharp over skin, laying his own claim over this man that so many others have had (that has had so many others.)]
[Alec's hips twist against Greed, even though he knows that he himself doesn't need the encouragement.]
This will do rather nicely, yes.
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Good thing I have all the time in the world, then.
[The dark is thick and dreamy. The light wash of a false-twilight from the street turning things gray, ghostly, and it's a steady sort of air that slips in and out. From the whistling open of a window, coiling curtains that had seen better days.]
[Alec is right, in all of his mental prowess - there had been plenty here, too many faces to count in all the centuries the devil's dwelt. But even if he can't remember the names, the Avaricious has always counted himself pretty good at remembering a face. And even when Alec's time has run out, Greed knows all too well that there will be plenty of other occasions to keep that face remembered.]
[So he moves his wrists. Rotates them so the flats of his lower arms face out and leather bands pile as muscle thickens. A lift sends him part way up, jaws opening with an audible and forced intake of air.] Y'know, for someone your age, you really are pretty demanding. I guess that's why I like you.
[To be liked by the living embodiment of it: it's almost poetry, almost sickening. At least, most people would consider it that way. But Alec is a funny sort - darting this way and that, his clear purpose masked behind a mask, behind a mask. Always hiding something and Greed's grin slowly closes. Making a line of his lips as he nudges his head to his partner's throat. Pressing his nose, his forehead.]
Show me, kid - [The Sin starts, voice like a poisonous purr. Echoing in his throat, rattling his teeth.] - everything you really want.
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[He's not always a very patient person, bad at picking his timing except when it's aimed to infuriate. But this is different, and he's still a sort of scientist -- if one whose never heard of the scientific method -- intent on categorizing Greed, on understanding his properties.]
If I'm going to be demanding I might like some oil as well. [A cheeky tone of voice, but nothing that he thinks is going to be getting a problem, something that will make his explorations a bit easier.]
[Everything he wants is both simple and complicated, but he's very eager to indicate exactly what it means, ready to show Greed exactly what it is that he's inviting.]
If you want I can promise to be gentle.
[But what does a promise like that really mean? Still, the offer is as much a dare as anything else.]
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Try under the bed. Keep a few things handy in case someone interesting comes along. [Or in case someone actually wants to have a go and fuck him like the devil. Not like he's one to complain or say no. He's taken the bottom row from time to time and, if anything, it's usually a good ride.]
[He doubts, though, that Alec is seeking out that particular route.]
[Greed retracts and his nails screech as they bite into wood. At his angle, he's looking down at Alec - with those ghostly eyes that are foreign and strange. They widen and settle, thoughts passing through with the jittery motions of his pupils.] Not sure if it's any good, though.
[Though, he knows of a few alternatives and Greed slowly brings one leg up. To set the base of his heel next to Alec's thigh and he nudges the crook of a boot up and down a rigid backside. Coiling that wicked bend, pressing the pointed tip into the small bump at his partner's spine.]
Gentle? Ha - ! That's not really what you're into, is it? [Greed arches himself forward, straining against his own muscles as he makes a snap at the empty air. His teeth click together with a crunch, with a grin that grows in anticipation. Oh, he's a terrible creature: in make, design, and status.]
Whatever you want - I told you. Show me everything you've got for me, lovely.
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[Alec rolls off the bed, awkward limbs and a bit of fumbling as he has to pull away from Greed, from the magnetism of their attraction. He's impatient and yet he wants to relish this, wants to explore everything that Greed's body has to offer.]
[Wants to know him the way Greed seems to already know Alec.]
You'll get to find out all of that.
[Having found what he needed Alec clambers back onto the bed, one hand holding his prize but his attention back on Greed, on shoving the fall of hair away from his own face so that Alec can nip at Greed's lower lip, can show his own teeth.]
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[They often kept things simple.]
[Greed's head falls back with mild disappointment when Alec leaves and his lips pull to the side in a pouting frown. Eyebrows follow, creasing together when he cocks his head slightly to the side. He could almost pass for innocent then - almost being the key word, because as soon as Alec's got the bottle in his hand, those teeth come fanning out. From lips pulled too tight and there's visible interest - in his eyes, in his jaws, and the Sin settles his head comfortably into the back-board.]
Will I now. Glad to see you're finally seeing things from my perspective. [Greed's voice is a humming sort of purr. Sultry like jazz and hard like metal. An intertwining of two harmonies cycling in his throat and when Alec nips at his lip, the homunculus lowers his hands away from the wood anchor behind him. Slipping through the columns holding the straight-piece together instead and he mimicks a prisoner. Shoving his hands between the bars and he fists his hands, keeping them locked there.]
[Because he doesn't want this to be a quick in and out. A slam-bam-thank-you-kid kind of deal. No; he's been doing this song and dance a bit too long and he'll gladly take his time.]
[So a tongue rolls out, chasing the teeth that come bared. As if trying to coax the other on: "C'mon, give it to me. More, more, more." But Greed doesn't say a word - instead, he growls. Something soft, an approval.]
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[Alec doesn't bother to study what Greed looks like alone on the bed, because he's too eager to return, even if he hasn't determined exactly what he's going to do with what he's fetched, but that's a minor detail compared to the rest of this.]
[Alec finds himself tempted towards the alcohol now, but that would mean leaving Greed instead, and this is a different kind of altering to his mood, and one that he refocuses on, teeth digging in after a nip, not needing too much to be encouraged, not requiring anything more than what he's getting -- Greed's enthusiastic responses.]
[Still Alec doesn't shut up, because there are always words, even when they'll cease to make any particular sort of sense, they still wind up being said. It's just Alec's way, a habit too firm to be broken despite the fact that there's not really any reason for it.]
[He has to pull back to speak, but he takes the opportunity to touch as well, one hand cupping Greed's cheek, nails scraping to leave thin white lines in their immediate wake and then a pivoting of his hand to press his forefinger against Greed's lips, to find out if he will suck it.]
[Or if he'll bite.]
Even I can be taught, if the right teaching methods are employed.
[The lazy drawl of Alec's voice seems particularly suited to this moment.]
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[That's when he bites.]
[It's a gentle nip at first. Just to feel the defined hardness of Alec's bones - they're exposed against his thin frame, practically poking out to challenge the strength of his jaws. Greed knows it can't win in the end, so he doesn't test the limits too much. Instead, he just holds the flesh there, bringing his mouth around the knuckle to seal it. A few brief sucks later and his smile ruins the whole thing.]
That so? [Eyes flick up and he retracts his head. Smearing the spikes of his hair across wood, making them bend slightly.] For everything I actually know about you, taking an order isn't really one of your strong points.
[But hey - he's not faulting Alec on it. Orders weren't his strong point either and that's landed him into enough trouble for a few centuries worth of lifetime(s). The Sin tightens the muscles of his arms, tenses to make tendons line out against his skin.]
What is it you want to learn then, kid? [If he wants to learn all the vices, he'll give it to him. If he wants to take a piece of the cake and eat it too, fine. Either way, Greed's getting what he wants out of the deal - this way or that, it doesn't matter to him.]
[So he watches Alec from the cliff of his chin and waits.] C'mon, I told you to show me. No need to second-guess yourself - I'm not like the rest.
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[If he does get flushed with pleasure.]
[What makes him get that way.]
How you act when you've been riled up.
[He's already getting an idea of how Greed reacts to a challenge, to what he makes of Alec himself. All important things.]
Right now I want these off, though.
[And Alec's reaching for the fastening on Greed's pants to try to get him to buck his hips in a useful way. It's only when he looks at him this way that Alec truly appreciates the power in the other's body, but that's not something to make Alec stop, or to make him wary.]
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[He's all too keen to oblige. Lifting his hips, setting his heels down to anchor him. His torso goes up, his shoulders bend down, and his spine arches with a wicked angle. It's a demand - to see just how far his avarice can be pushed until it's all too much.]
[Either way, it's an interesting twist on an evening.]
[Greed's grin is wide as it is sharp. The very idea of having his own world turned on its head is one that he finds incredibly amusing. He hadn't pegged Alec for the sort, though he should have. The kid's not exactly forthcoming with everything and he should have noticed the extra ace up his sleeve. Ready to play when the game came to a boiling point.]
[It's funny: just how unpredictable some humans can be.]
[Greed's fingers open up and his wrists knock against the wood as he back-latches behind the headboard. Hidden there are claws - it's obvious when a splintering-crunch comes calling from the dark.] Not stopping you, kid. But it's a tall order to fill - just remember that.
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