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[fox nods]

I will inform a few others--Joker, Haru, A. North, eventually, but... the topic is upsetting, so I am admittedly a little hesitant. But aside from those who know, you must keep it secret.

[inside the atelier, fox has a large floor-to-ceiling curtain on one side hiding something behind it]

Are you ready?

Edited 2019-11-17 01:44 (UTC)

[. . . upsetting??]

[set his jaw, lifting his chin slightly as they enter Fox's atelier]

I am. Are you?

[fox gives him a fond smile but says nothing.

and then he pulls back the curtain]

[the piece in question is actually not a singular painting--it's a series of paintings, all lined up together from the top of the ceiling down to the floor, in numerous rows, each one no bigger than a sheet of A4 paper. it makes the project look like a massive animation storyboard, if you're familiar. each painting is done with just enough detail to give the viewer a vivid impression of a single moment in time--a hand grasping another, a cropped view of a person's face showing just their smile, a view out of a window--but they're all recognizable, which is impressive considering there's probably over one hundred paintings in this collection.

it's easy to figure out, after glancing at it, that the images all put together tell a story.

it starts with fox painting a portrait of a man recognizable as eichi tenshouin on baritones. the portrait is then brought to baritones.

(the interior of the hellevator)(fox's hand gesturing towards the painting while the real thing stands next to it)(a pair of eyes narrowed into slits)

there's a whole row showing how eichi's expression morphs from pleasant and delighted, to outright devious and sinister. his fingers form strands as thin as a spider's thread, and they connect to fox's limbs. eichi puppeteers fox like he's a marionette, and though fox struggles, he can do nothing to get away.

(a clenched fist)(a fanged grin)(gritted teeth)(a hazy image of someone glancing over their shoulder, expression unreadable)

the background changes: it looks like someone's bedroom. fox's hand outstretches towards eichi, who carries a cane-sword in one hand, but he makes no move to unsheathe it.

(fox's clenched fist, sweating)(another hazy image of someone glancing over their shoulder)

(a silhouette of someone crying out, screaming)

(a bloody handprint)

(blood dripping out of someone's mouth)

(a blood-covered clenched fist)

(a view of someone looking down at themselves and seeing a sword driven through their torso)

from there the narrative becomes less coherent overall, but there's one image that's extremely clear: a view from inside the bedroom, of someone sitting in a corner, pinned to a wall by a sword. the image repeats, one for each day fox spent there, presumably. at this point the rest of the series of paintings are all done in black ink and charcoal only--no color.

(eichi's hand touching his cheek)(eichi's face leaning in, coy and smiling, his tongue forked like a serpent's)(the curve of eichi's jawline to his ear and the pale column of his neck, framed by a few strands of hair)

(an extremely blurry and hazy image of fox's own bound and bloodied hands, through the lens of a pair of eyelids barely open)

(inky black darkness)

the last few images are a cropped image of eichi speaking with someone on the phone, a snarling grin on his features; followed by a portrait of shu looking worried and angry mid-yell, and finally: a sheet of paper with many lines written on it (though it's too blurred to make out what the words are) and a shaky, bloody hand trying to sign it.]

[oh]

[oh wow]

[it's. . . so much to take in at once, and Mars stands absolutely frozen in front of the piece. he recognizes that face, and as his gaze darts from painting to painting, he understands the story Fox is trying to convey]

This is. . .

[his hands curl into fists so tight his fingers dig painfully into his palm]

Fox. . .

[fox stays quiet until mars says his name, not wanting to interrupt. he knows it's a lot to take in, and mars needs time to process it all]

Yes?

[. . . quietly reaching for Fox's hand, grasping his fingers tightly. he is as tense as a board, gaze locked on Eichi's face with a look that could commit murder]

This is. . . when you disappeared-- this is what happened?

[lets mars take his hand, holding it]

I... cannot answer that, but you know I would if I could.

Fox. . .

[a little helpless, a little frustrated, and a whole lot of furious. but it's quiet fury]

[drags him in for a tight hug]

[hugs back, grateful to be holding him for the moment, arms wrapped around his shoulders]

Ren...

[his voice is low when he next speaks, words full of danger and fury]

. . . you only have to say the word and I'd make his life ten thousand times worse than he made yours.

["shut up and kiss me you beautiful fool," fox does not say, but somewhere in his heart he thinks it, albeit not as succinct.

it's not a particularly heated kiss, just a firm one, a shuddering breath escaping fox before their lips meet. his words are all caught up in a jumble, and it's the only thing he has left to convey how much he treasures mars, how grateful he is for his presence, how much an oath like that means to him. it means a lot and he hopes mars knows that.]

[makes a startled noise in the back of his throat, but his hand comes up to curl itself in the front of Fox's shirt immediately. it make take a moment for his brain to catch up, but when it does? he tilts his chin up and drink in that kiss, for everything that it means]

[fox wants to linger in it forever, from the way he maps and delves into mars's mouth, from the soft noises in the back of his throat, from the way his arms tighten around him. he doesn't let go until he needs air, breaking the kiss with an audible gasp]

[pulls back as well, sucking in a sharp breath and ducking his head. why does Fox always have this kind of effect on him. . .]

[. . .]

What are you going to do. . .?

[about Eichi]

[he takes a few seconds to catch his breath, one hand curled at the back of mars's neck, playing with his ponytail]

... I am undecided. I want to exact swift and painful revenge on him, tenfold what I went through... even though I know it will only lead to an escalation, a cycle of violence upon each other neither of us can ever escape from.

I know this desire is a selfish one, borne of experiencing something traumatic and being unable to move past it. Knowing it does not make me stop wanting it.

And... despite everything, I... still want to know him. I still want to understand him, to see the secrets he hides within his black and twisted heart. He wears the mask of monster well, but there is a hurt and scared young man beneath the facade somewhere. I know there is. And I want to meet him.

Edited 2019-11-28 04:16 (UTC)

[. . . . . . . . . .]

[there's a part of Mars that understands it, and a part of him that's disgusted by it. not disgusted by Fox, but. . . by the part of him that understands]

[his mouth curves backwards into a derisive sneer]

Heart has some pretty damn good abilities when it comes to making someone's life hell.

Charm is almost cruel, the way that it works.

I know. It is not as though I am not tempted, but as soon as he is aware others are involved, he will know that the contract is useless. And that will mean any protection we were able to negotiate will be gone.

[his gaze narrows]

Is protection from someone like him really worth it?

[softly]

He is the type who would inflict on Haru what he did to me without any hesitation. And she has suffered so much already... I do not want to even risk putting her through that.

[. . . . . . . .]

Would he dare touch her when he knows we're watching him like a hawk?

[and the moment a single hair on Haru's head is harmed, there will be no holding back anymore?]

[bitterly]

He wouldn't even hesitate.

. . .

Then I think we need to talk to his team.

[get the rest of BARiTONES in on it. let them know that they need to keep their bad dog on a leash]

I... don't know. How to approach them about it, exactly. Whether or not it is even advisable. What would they do, if they knew? Are they even capable of reigning him in?

I don't know. But they have to understand that him acting out like this means that their entire unit is in more danger when it comes to bad games.

[it's shitty to hold an entire unit accountable for one man's actions, but. . .]

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