by Emrys Apollo
The hero made his demands, and the villain listened.
-
Nicholas looked so pale compared to when he’d first been captured. Once a ball of fire and spit, he was now docile and quiet as he spent his days alone in his room in the compound. Sebastian watched him through the monitors as he got to work sending emails and notes to the others in the Order. He liked to direct and control the network, and it was a role that suited him well. Nicholas was a fun distraction when he needed a break.
Right now the former hero was needle felting some kind of dinosaur toy. He stabbed the material with the needle to shape it while Baron looked on to make sure he didn’t try anything funny. Sebastian smirked at the tablet screen in his hands as he continued to watch Nic. Seeing Nicholas so concentrated on this one thing was a rare gift. Most of the time he looked so listless and forlorn, but now he seemed to have a sort of energy that he’d been missing for months.
Nicholas liked the weights too, and he would deadlift and swing the kettlebells and do dumbbell presses until Baron told him to stop. On some days Baron wouldn’t let Nicholas work out at all save for stretching and some yoga. It wasn’t wise to allow Nicholas to become strong again, not to where he used to be. Nicholas was a good little prisoner, but sometimes he managed a sad look right at the camera and Sebastian’s heart would break.
“Alright, you’ve finished with that. Go read something after you put your supplies away.” Sebastian sat back in his office chair and exhaled as he held the tablet in his hands. He watched the forlorn, broken look return to Nic’s face as he got up from the desk and carefully put his supplies away. The dinosaur toy came to rest on a big armchair, and it fit right in there. Nic was still weak and shaky from being poisoned, and he slowly made his way over to the big bookshelf to grab something to read.
Sebastian took a sip of his coffee. His gaze was firmly fixed on Nicholas and the way his fingers brushed over the books while he tried to choose. Nicholas was quick so he wouldn’t upset Baron, and he pulled down a copy of ‘Moderate Stoicism’ to read. He hurried back over to his desk and got started immediately, and Sebastian watched, completely fixated as Nic slowly got into the book.
Sebastian resumed his emails and occasionally checked to see if Nicholas was alright. He was pale and weak still, but he ate his lunch and finished reading through the afternoon. Nicholas put his book away when he was done. Baron, satisfied with his assessment of Nic’s behavior, left the room. Nicholas dragged himself over to his bed and he flopped down and fell asleep instantly. He curled up with his shark and Sebastian watched him bury his face into it.
He’s lonely , Sebastian thought. He’s afraid.
He doesn’t know what he wants. I could change that.
Do I dare inflict my dreams on him that way?
Nicholas was dead asleep. Sebastian watched him for a while longer before sending a text to Baron telling him to make sure Nicholas wasn’t disturbed until dinner time. He checked his notes and patted himself on the back for sending the cooks a note earlier to add extras to Nic’s tray. It was true that the boy needed calories, and Sebastian almost regretted keeping him locked up for a year. Almost.
He still had no idea what Nicholas Wren was. Sebastian knew he was powerful. Sebastian also knew that there were some individuals who believed in higher powers, and Nicholas Wren’s abilities fell into that very realm of possibility. What was it that Heisenberg said?
“The first gulp from the glass of natural sciences will turn you into an atheist, but at the bottom of the glass God is waiting for you.”
Nicholas Wren was a veritable mystery, and Sebastian couldn’t help but wonder what he might find at the bottom of this particular glass of juice. The young man slept on, his brown hair neatly trimmed from yesterday. His olive skin was light now, as Nic missed out on spending summer in the sun. He shifted a little in his sleep. Sebastian thought he had the prettiest long lashes ever seen on a man. There was no real way to deliver that compliment to your enemy, however, and have it go over well with them.
Sebastian watched and waited as his prisoner slept. At dinner time Baron brought in the tray and set it down, and to even Sebastian’s surprise, he went and gently woke Nicholas up so he might eat. Nic lifted his head and swiped at his eyes with the back of his hand while Baron gently rubbed his back. The large man gave encouragement to the younger, and Nicholas seemed to drink it in as Baron spoke to him. He looked almost childlike with his big wide eyes, like he was still innocent to his own trauma. If only that were the case.
Nicholas ate his dinner alone, as it was less pressure on him. Sebastian watched him as he also ate dinner alone, his spread much fancier than Nic’s. Nic chewed on his sandwich as he sat back in his chair. His eyes looked tired still, dark circles around them that grew more prominent whenever he looked up and away from the camera. With a flick of the fingers Sebastian had a new note in his phone. He took note of Nic’s physical state, his appetite, his interaction with the environment.
Nicholas ate all of his food, but he ate slowly and with little visible drive for food. Sebastian noted this as he forked up some tartar, and in between bites he typed away at his phone. He savored his own food as he got a report in on the weapons deal.
“I’m gonna rule this damn planet one day,” Sebastian muttered to himself as he stared at the man on his screen. Nicholas went and changed into linen pants and a soft sweatshirt before climbing back into bed. He clutched his shark to his chest and wrapped his arms around it, and Sebastian found himself leaning in to watch.
Nicholas dozed off against his pillows as he fell asleep with his shark, and Sebastian took a screenshot because he was so cute. It was creepy, but there was no one going to tell him otherwise. Sebastian finished his food and chuckled to himself as he watched Nic sleep.
“I see carrot cake is a no in his log, but spice cake and pumpkin spice are a yes,” Sebastian said to himself as he flipped through Nic’s food charts. He had long periods of consuming very little, and he didn’t eat much for several days during his initial recovery from essentially being poisoned with benzodiazepines. Oh, and Nicholas had developed an allergy to those medicines, so they were out of the arsenal now. Sebastian sighed to himself as he checked the last weight log. His eyes flicked to the screen and he noted how thin Nic really was now. The hero could stand to gain some weight.
You can stop this at any time, a voice in the back of Sebastian’s head said. You can set him free. You can change everything.
But he wouldn’t.
CHAPTER IV
Nicholas had been living in the compound, or rather his studio apartment/bedroom for about a month and a half when he was asked to kill. “The man’s a pedophile,” Baron said. “Don’t feel guilty when you take care of him.”
It was a test, he was sure of it. This absolutely had to be a test, because how could it not be? Crane wanted to see how far he could get his hero to go, surely. He wanted to see Nic break, that was his whole gig. Nic straightened himself and nodded before following Baron out of his room. Baron was far kinder than Nic had ever expected, and they seemed at ease with each other now. Nic had no intentions of running off and Baron knew this, so he didn’t move to put Nic in his place. This worked out just fine for the both of them.
The courtyard was in pristine condition. There was not a single bruised flower or fruit, not a leaf out of place, not a stone unturned. Everything was perfectly in its place, nature brought to a level of chaos that it looked to be of the greatest order. There was something about the plants here and how they were all arranged, how they seemed to quietly speak to each other in a language just outside of being understandable. It made Nic feel like he was somewhere truly special.
A man in a dirty, grimy tan button up was on his knees. The top strap on his right sandal was broken. He lifted his head, trembling and angry. “He preyed upon Alyson’s niece,” Baron said plainly as they approached. Nic looked up to see Alyson watching him with a blank expression from just beyond the succulent b
ed, and he looked back to the prisoner. In some ways they were similar in their situations, but Nic could never commit such a crime. He was grateful not to be wired for it or however else someone like this ended up.
“Do it anyway you like, but don’t take too long,” Baron said. Nic knew Crane was watching him too, one because of course he would be, and two because there were fucking cameras everywhere. He was almost on the verge of referring to Crane as ‘the paparazzi’ with all these damn cameras all over the place. More than anything it’s what got to Nic, because it was the one thing that truly took away any little freedom and privacy he had for himself. Even the little joys hidden from everyone else weren’t actually hidden, and Nic was essentially an open book to all.
This terrified him, but he couldn’t dwell on it now. His gaze locked onto the man’s face, and Nic realized he was about to execute a man whose name he didn’t even know.
“Tell me your name.”
“Fuck you!” Nic blinked. He could hear Crane smirk. He inhaled and released, letting all emotion go with it. This man was about to die. Nic had no right or place to judge him. Am I not passing judgement by acting as his executioner? He didn’t have time to ponder.
Nic made no motion that would indicate the activation of his powers. In a blink there was a popping noise, and then a flower grew from the man’s eye socket as he screamed. More flowers sprouted from his mouth and nose, and the screams turned to gurgles turned to nothing at all. The man fell over dead, his flesh slowly withering until there only seemed to be a pile of soil with flowers growing in it. Nic exhaled. He wasn’t sure if he was drained more from the physical aspect of his powers, or from the mental aspect.
What if he didn’t do anything? How do I know he’s guilty of that crime? Crane’s laugh plowed through his thoughts like a freight train in an action movie. Nic slowly looked up, his gaze finding the man’s eyes. Crane looked back at him with sheer satisfaction glistening off his eyeballs, and Nic thought he might be sick.
“You did well,” Baron said calmly. The sound of his baritone voice brought Nic back to earth a little. He looked away from the pile of dirt and flowers. “You could have just killed him, though. I’d recommend it for next time.”
Nic nodded. Baron was telling him not to make such a mess. He was easily Nic’s favorite person in this damned place, for some fucking reason. Probably because Baron seemed like the only one who was doing his job.
Nic blinked. There were more people in this courtyard than he’d first realized, and all of them wore the same sort of overly satisfied smirk. Ah, the Order of Darkness. No doubt they’d come to watch the hero kill a man without knowing if he was actually guilty or not. Judging by the laugh coming out of Alyson’s mouth, Nic was starting to believe the guy wasn’t guilty at all.
“Come now,” Crane said as he took Nic by the arm. “You’ve done well. I thought you would hesitate, but perhaps I was wrong.” Nic listened to the honey in his voice, and despite all logic telling him to ignore it, he couldn’t. He craved it. He craved it and he didn’t know why.
“What am I, to you?” Nic knew. He already knew, but he needed to hear the answer again. He needed to know what Crane wanted from him, why he was being kept in this place.
“You’re a weapon,” Crane said simply. It felt like a slap in the face. “And you’re mine.”
-
Nic’s room was cold. It was cold and lonely and particularly grey tonight. He supposed he was grateful to be able to know the time now, unlike the year he’d spent in that hospital bed. His legs ached from his workout, but it was well worth it. Baron forced him to stop after an hour, but Nic was still satisfied that he’d got enough time in. He didn’t have much choice otherwise.
Mr. Business sat next to him on the bed in all his shark glory. Nic gently stroked his head as he flipped through his book on stoicism. It helped him feel a bit better about his situation, but it wasn’t enough. Nothing in this room could soothe the unending ache that sat in Nic’s chest. Whether it was the profound loneliness or the guilt from killing a nameless man, he didn’t know.
He sighed and set the book on stoicism aside on the side table. There was no way Nic was going to be able to focus tonight. He laid back and wondered where all the cameras were. Every time he’d dared to look, he was certain they were moved again. The whole thing unnerved him so much that he simply pretended they weren’t there.
To the next key lime pie… Nic held his hand out as he stared up at the ceiling. He wondered how long he’d be able to make himself live with only a simple goal as that, but he was curious. He was curious to live. Maybe someday he’d dare to even dream again, as foolish as that seemed. Nic let his hand fall. He rolled over and resumed petting his toy shark, which was admittedly his most prized possession now. A soft sigh broke from his lips and he curled up with it.
There was a hand on his back then, someone to soothe him. Nic looked up in shock but Crane soothed him. “Shhh, little dove, it’s just me.”
“Why are you here?”
“Because you’re lonely,” Crane said as he lay down next to Nic and pulled him close. Nic rolled back over so they were facing each other, his eyes blazing as he stared into Crane’s.
“You took me.”
“From a League who doesn’t seem to care or want for you, yes. From a world that didn’t care when one of their heroes vanished, yes. I took you, and now you’re here with me.” Nic didn’t have a response. Sebastian Crane was right, of course. He was right, and Nic couldn’t bring himself to hate him for it.
“I’m lonely,” Nic admitted. He had no idea what he wanted. He had no idea what he even needed , but Crane’s presence made him feel better. Nic wasn’t sure what that meant, but he felt better. Maybe it was the Emperor's ability to will things into being. Maybe it was his charisma. Or maybe it was the soft look in Sebastian Crane’s eyes as he gently stroked Nic’s face.
“I know you are,” Sebastian said. The sweet, gentle look in his eyes didn’t fade. “I think you have been for a long time, even before me.”
Nic blinked and nodded. Crane was right. He had a knack for that, it seemed.
“Will you stay with me tonight? At least until I fall asleep?” Nic wasn’t sure why he was asking. He liked the way Sebastian took his hand and held it. He liked how warm Sebastian felt, and the way he smelled like fresh baked pie.
“I won’t leave you until you wake, little hero,” Sebastian said. Nic nodded and he fell asleep in his enemy’s arms.
It felt like he belonged there.
-fin?-
Hello! Thanks for reading! Book two will be coming out soon, so please check our Immortal Elements World Series in the meantime and hit the follow button on my page. Thank you!