[KH2] - Bad Affection (Xigbar/Xaldin/Replica) (Chapter 6)
The wide metal doors of XIII Corp opened with a soft swish into a spacious, sparsely decorated lobby area. At the far end of this was a large circular desk, behind which sat a man with shockingly bright red hair. He was watching Riku with a decidedly peculiar expression on his face. It was the kindest, most friendly lecherous smirk that Riku had ever seen.
“Hey there, kiddo. I’ll be damned - You’re just as pretty as your daddy says. And here I thought he was exaggerating.” The smirking man leaned forward over the desk to get a better look at Riku. “I’m Axel, by the way. I know your, uh, daddies, so you can call me Uncle Axel.”
Riku hadn’t ever met Uncle Axel before, but it had heard Braig mention “that red-headed sonofabitch” enough times to guess who Axel was. It was funny, but even though the words Braig used for Axel weren’t flattering, Braig always smiled as he said them.
The clone raised its eyes to look up into Axel’s.
“Nice to meet you, Uncle Axel.”
A grin split Axel’s face.
“D’awww… You’re so cute I almost can’t stand it. Hang on a minute and I’ll let your daddy know you’re here.” Axel leaned over and pushed a button. “Hey Braig, your kid’s here. He’s even cuter than you said.”
“Ain’t it just?”
Riku could hear Braig’s purring voice through a speaker. Its heart leapt at the compliment, but it didn’t want to hear its master’s voice over the speaker - it wanted to be with Braig in person.
“D’ya want me to send him down?” Axel couldn’t stop watching the clone. It was just such a cute little thing…
“Naw, I’ll come up. I need a word anyways.” Braig’s voice cut out and Axel leaned back in the chair and grinned over at Riku.
“Your dad’s one of my best friends. Did you know that?”
“No, sir.” Riku continued to study the computer. It hadn’t had much experience with technology before, but it didn’t look all that complicated. Out of habit, it reached up and fingered the simple chain collar that it wore beneath its school jacket and shirt.
“What’s this?” Axel reached out and felt the clone’s throat. He slipped his fingers beneath the collar of Rikus’ shirt and pulled out the chain and the heart-shaped tag. “Mm… Should have expected that. Braig’s got good taste, if nothing else.” He read the inscription on the tag and laughed.
Riku felt vaguely uncomfortable. It wasn’t used to being touched in such a familiar manner by anyone except Braig or Dilan. But Uncle Axel was master’s friend and had to be obeyed and respected as such.
“Hey. Hands off, Red.” Braig walked up behind Riku and draped his arms around it. The possessive tone in his voice had been half in jest and half serious, but Axel immediately pulled away. There were a few base rules which governed Axel’s habits and at the top of the list was “Don’t piss off the cannibal.” Axel had been fortunate enough to avoid seeing Braig angry up to this point and had no desire to stir it up now.
Axel watched as Riku nuzzled into Braig and the cannibal twisted his long fingers in the chain around the clone’s neck. It was like a pet and owner… or a father and child… or a master and slave… He couldn’t decide which.
“So what’s got you in such a good mood?” Axel leaned back in his chair and grinned at Braig and Riku. “Did Even finally suffocate from the lack of air up his ass?”
“Man, I ain’t that lucky.” Braig laughed uproariously. Even got about as much love from his coworkers as ebola. “If that happened, you’d see me skipping and dancing up and down the halls.”
It was Axel’s turn to laugh.
“That’s both awesome and terrifying. So what’s the good news?”
“Dilan’s away on a business trip for the weekend. Means Riku and I get to play hooky.”
“Play hooky from what? You’ve got a pretty sweet deal as far as I can tell. Minus your, uh, interesting diet.”
“Hey, I don’t force my habits on you. People are probably healthier than the shit you eat.”
“I’ll have you know that I eat very well, thank you.” Axel raised a brow over at Braig. “So what does this playing hooky involve?”
“A couple’a eight-year olds, probably. An eight-year-old boy and some eight-year-old rum sounds like the right way to kick it off.” Braig leaned back in the chair and began to pet Riku’s hair. “Wanna come join in the fun?”
Axel paused. As fun as watching Braig drink was (from a distance), he wasn’t quite desensitized enough to enjoy watching the cannibal consume a child.
“That’s okay. I have stuff I need to do.”
“You are no fun at all.” Braig was grinning even through his annoyance. “What if I call you after I eat the kid?”
Axel made a face. “That is the most fucked-up thing I have ever heard. But yeah sure. And no just leaving the body out like last time. I couldn’t stop throwing up for an hour.”
“Mm.” Braig stood up, pulling Riku up with him. “You and Dilan, I swear. If I didn’t give you two things to complain about, you’d never be happy. See you tonight, Red.”
Axel watched as Braig took Riku’s hand and walked out of the building again. He leaned back in his chair and glanced down at the computer. He had been here for far too long and he hadn’t yet accomplished what he’d came here to do… Not one sign of Roxas. Not one.
Don’t worry, baby… I’ll find you soon.
~
“Hmm… Yanno it just occurred to me that I was s’posed to go back and talk to Even before I left work. Whoopsy-daisy.” Braig kicked off his shoes as he walked in the door, letting them fly across the room and remain wherever they happened to land. He tossed his coat over the back of a chair and began to unbutton his shirt as well. “We’ll just have to pay him a visit tomorrow instead. Take off that uniform, Riku. It can’t be comfy.”
Obediently, Riku removed its shoes and stripped down to its underwear, folding its clothes neatly and setting them aside just as Dilan had taught it. After that was done, it reached up to touch the collar instinctively, making sure that it hadn’t been pushed askew by the motion. It liked to look its best for master.
“Awww, what a good boy.” Braig pulled Riku into his chest and nibbled at its hair. “You’ve been very good today, Riku. Would you like a treat?”
“Yes please, Master.” Riku perked up and strained against Braig. It always liked the rewards that its master gave.
“I thought so. Go get a heart from the fridge and bring it over here.”
Riku stood, rubbing its cheek against Braig’s calloused knuckles as it did so. Braig showed his approval of this gesture by playing with the collar. He liked Riku’s actions to be governed by his every command, but he didn’t mind a few random displays of affection from his son. Pet. Toy.
The hearts were kept in a large, opaque container in the fridge at Dilan’s insistence. He didn’t mind the fact that Braig ate hearts. He didn’t even mind Braig keeping leftover hearts in the fridge. What he did mind was Braig just wrapping them in a bit of tinfoil and leaving them to leak all over his fruits and veggies and cake and whatever else happened to be in the fridge.
“And Riku?”
The clone paused as it pulled a heart from the sticky mess of congealed blood inside the container.
“Bring it to me in your mouth. Crawl on the floor.”
Riku placed the heart in its mouth, closed the container and put it back in the refrigerator. It rinsed the blood off its hands (it wouldn’t do to get blood on the carpet, after all) and got down on its hands and knees in the doorway to the den. Master was watching, leaning back in his chair with a smirk on his face. One hand was outstretched, waiting for the heart to be dropped into it.
Obediently, Riku placed the heart into its master’s hand and sat back, looking for approval, or even the next command. Braig bit into the heart like one would an apple and licked up the blood and juices that dribbled down his chin.
“Good boy.”
“Hey, anyone home?”
None other than Axel walked through the door at that moment, carrying a paper sack that obviously contained an ungodly amount of alcohol. He made a face at the sight of the heart and put the sack down on a coffee table.
“I thought you said that you wouldn’t have any “parts” out while I was here.”
“’snot my fault. I didn’t know when you were showin’ up.” Braig licked an aorta profanely and then swallowed the rest of the heart. He stood up and grinned at Axel. “Oh goodie, you brought fun stuff.”
“Yeah. And I see you started the party without me.”
“Hardly. Didn’t have any booze until you showed up.” Braig started to root through the paper sack to see what Axel had brought.
“I was referring to the naked kid on the floor.”
Braig looked down and discovered that, yes, Riku was still sitting on the floor. Naked.
“Riku, get up and put your clothes back on. Clearly your Uncle Axel has no appreciation for aesthetics.”
The clone rose and put its clothes back on as ordered and sat back down on the floor. Master had never invited anyone over to the apartment before. And furthermore, Axel didn’t seem to be too unnerved by any of this. Neither was Riku, of course, but he had been raised this way. Riku wondered what sort of man Axel was.
“So you got him from Even?” Axel cracked open a bottle and sat down on the couch, regarding Riku. “How did you pull that?”
“Ev’s got more shit in his lab than he knows what to do with. He had about a dozen of these things running around in there, so I basically bullied him into giving me one. He’s such a little pussy that he gave me one just to get me out of his hair.” Braig cackled, clearly very pleased with himself.
Axel watched Riku as Braig spoke. It intrigued him that the clone showed no emotion towards anything, not even when Braig spoke so callously about its origins. Did it feel nothing at all? Or did it simply just not care?
“Really? You mean he has other stuff? Not just clones like this guy?” Axel asked. He reached out and touched Riku’s hair. It was so soft…
“Riku, be a good boy and play with Axel.” Braig waved a careless hand.
Obediently, Riku rose and went to sit beside Axel. It leaned its head lightly against Axel’s shoulder. Slowly, Axel reached up and began to stroke its hair. Riku liked Axel’s touch, even if it wasn’t Master’s.
“Yeah, he’s got a ton of experiments in there. I’ve never really asked what he does with ‘em all because I don’t really give a fuck, but it seems to be a lot of kids.”
“That’s weird. I wonder what he uses ‘em all for,” Axel mused. He tried to think about it seriously, but it was very difficult to think of anything serious when he had a little clone nuzzling against him. He stroked Riku’s soft cheek and then fingered the collar. “Wouldn’t the collar make him a little obvious in public?”
“Not at all. Riku’s very good at acting human, aren’t you?” Braig smirked over at his clone. “Why don’t you show Axel, Riku? It’s kinda remarkable.”
Axel looked over at Riku again and felt his jaw drop at the change that had come over the clone. Riku was smiling, its eyes were full of life and light.
“Hey Uncle Axel. Dad told me all about you.” It looked over at Braig. “Dad, I did what you said and behaved at school today. Nobody bothered me.”
“That’s m’boy. No more threatening to eat people?” Braig grinned, amused by how thunderstruck Axel looked.
“No, Dad. I made some friends, though. They want me to be part of their club. It meets after school. Can I join?” Riku snuggled closer to Axel. “Pleaaaaaase?”
“Yeah I guess so. That’s enough, Riku.” Braig leaned back again, popping the cap off a beer bottle. “So yeah. We’ve never had a problem. It’s real convincin’.”
Axel wasn’t sure what to make of this. It just wasn’t right for someone to be able to turn themselves on and off like that. It wasn’t human.
But Riku isn’t human… a small part of Axel’s mind whispered perversely. So it doesn’t matter how he’s treated... I could even get one and use it like Braig does… except for my own purposes.
Disturbed by the direction that his mind was taking him, Axel shook it off and put an arm around Riku.
“I think I like him acting normal better. If I wanted something completely obedient, I’d get a puppy.”
Braig shrugged. “To each his own. Or whatever.” He shook his hair out of its ponytail and tipped a large quantity of alcohol down his throat. “I’m glad you didn’t bring wine. I can’t fuckin’ stand the stuff but Dil loves it.”
“Speaking of which, when are you expecting your boyfriend home? It’s weird being here without him glaring at me disapprovingly.” Axel continued to stroke Riku’s hair and reached for a bottle of beer.
“I have no idea. He left a note on my office door that said he would be gone for the weekend, so I assume he’ll be back Sunday night or somethin’.”
“You miss him?” Axel looked at Braig curiously. The relationship between Braig and Dilan had always interested him, but it wasn’t something he went out of his way to ask about. However, now that Braig had a few drinks in him and Dilan wasn’t around, maybe it was safe to ask.
Braig tilted his head and gestured with his long-fingered hand. The gesture meant nothing to Axel, but apparently it did to Riku as the clone rose and went over to its master and climbed into his lap.
“Naw. I don’t miss anyone. Never have.”
“You wouldn’t miss him if he disappeared?” Axel pointed to Riku. He was annoyed that the clone had left his side, but he knew better than to show even the slightest trace of it. The last thing he wanted was for Braig’s possessive instinct to flare up.
Braig grinned slowly, letting his thin lips part to reveal pink-stained teeth.
“Why do you ask, Red? Are you planning on taking it from me?”
A chill clawed its way up Axel’s spine. This could get very bad very quickly if he wasn’t careful.
“Of course not. I’m not stupid, Braig.”
“Mmm… hope not. I kinda like you, but I don’t keep stupid friends.” The cannibal leaned forward, his eyes shining unnaturally bright above Riku’s silver hair.
“So if Dil’s out of town, is there anything stopping you from murdering the city or anything?” Axel was eager to change the subject.
“Mm…There’s nothing really stopping me from murdering the city anyways. But I’m not stupid, Axel.” His tone imitated Axel’s almost perfectly. Axel blanched a bit, but Braig was smiling. “You seem to think that just ‘cause I eat people, I’m a dumb animal. It ain’t true.” His voice drawled lazily. “I bet I’m smarter than you.”
“Yeah?” Axel bristled a bit. He wasn’t about to pick a fight, but he was a grown man with a healthy ego, dammit, and he did not like being insulted.
“Mmhmm. Think about it. There’s a reason that I’m the scientist and you’re the security guard.”
Axel was silent for a long moment, grinding his teeth with the effort it took not to rise to the bait. Braig lived to cause conflict. Sometimes ignoring him was the only thing to do.
After the long silence, Axel turned to Braig with a smirk.
“Hey. Hey Braig. I just got a great idea.”
“Mm? And what great idea could that be?” Braig was licking Riku’s neck in such a way that was making Axel very uncomfortable. Like his clothing was too hot and too tight. Sure, Axel was deeply in love with someone, but he couldn’t help getting hard when he was directly confronted with something like that.
“I’ve never been in Even’s lab and I’ve always wanted to. But he has it locked on a separate system that I can’t get into. But I bet you can.”
“Mmhmm…” Braig sank his teeth into Riku’s shoulder, prompting a deep moan from the clone. “Yanno, Red, I think you’ve hit on a great idea. I haven’t bothered Ev in a long time. Plus, it would give me an excellent opportunity to see what merchandise he’s planning on trying to push on me…”
“Merchandise?” Axel asked, confused.
“Yeah, don’t worry about that.” Braig waved a hand. In his lap, Riku had gone very still. “We’ll break into the lab Sunday. Even Ev stays home on Sunday. Mostly because the bosses worried about him inhaling too many fumes being in there twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, so they threatened to fire him if he comes in on Sunday.”
“No shit?” Axel looked over at Braig with a raised brow.
“Serious as a heart attack. Of course, they started doing it about five years too late, but whatever. Ev’s been sniffing formaldehyde for years. I think his personality is twenty percent natural and eighty percent chemicals.”
Axel snorted with laughter. “So it’s a date?”
“Oh yeah, baby. We’ll even bring Riku along.” Braig ruffled the clone’s hair. “You’ll like that, right? Nasty ol’ Ev won’t be there to make you feel all uncomfortable.”
“I would like that, Master.”
“Mmhmm. Of course ya would.” Braig smirked. Oh yes. This was going to be very, very fun.
Axel didn’t stay too much longer after that. He had no desire to wear out his welcome and hanging around a drunk cannibal for too long could only end badly.
Once he was gone, Braig slid his spidery hands up under Riku’s shirt and fingered the collar.
“Mm, I bet you think you’re very clever… sneaking in your little club request when you thought I was drunk.” He dug his bony fingertips into Riku’s skin. “Were you trying to trick me, Riku? Hmmmmm?”
“No, Master! I would never!” Riku’s eyes widened slightly. Prior to this, the concept of being dishonest or attempting to trick its master hadn’t even crossed its mind. Master was god… Master couldn’t be tricked.
“What the fuck kind of club is it?” Braig dug his fingernails into Riku’s smooth skin. “Tell me or I’ll go dig out some of Dilan’s toys. I don’t like people trying to trick me.”
“It’s just a gathering. I don’t think that there is any purpose to it…” Riku looked up at its master sincerely.
Braig studied Riku closely, then laughed and twined his fingers in the replica’s hair.
“I don’t really think you were tryin’ to sneak around, Riku. You’re too well-trained for that. You’re a good boy and good boys don’t lie. Isn’t that right?” Braig pulled Riku into his lap and nibbled at the soft skin of the throat and shoulder.
“No, Master… I wouldn’t ever lie to you…” Riku raised its chin and tilted its head back. Braig’s touches, even the ones that hurt…. Nothing would ever be able to compare to them. “I’m good.”
“That’s right… You’re very good.” Braig pulled at the collar and grinned into Riku’s eyes. “I think you and I should go out and have some real fun tonight, Riku. We’ve both been good boys for a while, but now that Dilan’s gone… let’s go tear up the town.”
~
“Like I taught you, Riku… Do you remember?”
The two cannibals stood on a street corner, watching the cars rush by in the street like water in a river. The lights from the signs and the cars and the buildings were reflected in Braig’s glittering eyes.
“Just like I taught you… Pick a target... Pick it carefully. No mistakes.”
“No mistakes,” Riku repeated. Its eyes followed each person that passed, inspecting them in a glance just as its master had taught it to do. Good meat. Bad meat. Too old. A drunk. Drunks never tasted good. Their meat was pickled by the alcohol.
“Got one picked, Riku?” Braig placed one of his spidery hands on Riku’s head, twining his fingers tightly in the clone’s hair. “Which one?”
“The woman in the striped dress… Right there.” Riku pressed its hand against Braig’s side as the woman walked by.
“Good choice…” purred Braig. “Go get her.”
Master had never told Riku to go after meat by itself. A sense of pride welled up in its chest, but then was quickly overcome by the clam sense of purpose. Braig had taught his son well.
It walked after the woman, then ran. The action put color into its cheeks and mussed its hair and made its eyes bright. Perfect for the appearance of a panicked, frightened child.
“Miss! Help me! Please help me!” Riku grabbed her skirt. “Please help me!”
She turned around quickly and stared down at the boy trying to get her attention. It looked flushed and afraid.
“Are you all right? What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
“M-my dad’s hurt… he’s over this way and I don’t know what to do!”
Tears were spilling down Riku’s cheeks now. It was a great trick… it always worked on women. Naturally, this one was instantly concerned, just like all the others. Always prey on their maternal instinct first, Braig said…
“Okay, honey, why don’t you show me where your Dad is and we’ll call an ambulance. Don’t panic, okay?” She grabbed its hand and squeezed it comfortingly.
Riku led her by the hand to the alley. “He’s back here… Thank you…”
“It’s okay… I just want to help. Where is he?” The woman looked around, still not seeing anyone.
“He’s just back here…” Riku turned to her and pulled her down to its level. “Thank you for helping me.”
“That’s no problem, honey… Are you sure he’s back here?”
“No.” Riku grabbed her hair and threw her down to the ground. Long hair was an asset when killing. It was just something else to grab and use against them. It pulled a switchblade from its pocket, flicked it open and slit her throat. Blood bubbled up from the gash and gushed over his hands as he stepped away from the kill. Master got the first taste.
“Good boy. Very good job, Riku.”
Braig stepped from the shadows. He had watched the whole thing, pleased and aroused at how his pretty little protégé was progressing down the path he had set up for it. His movements were languid, almost liquid as he ambled over towards Riku and kissed the clone deeply. He pulled away after only a moment and crouched on the ground. The light hadn’t even yet left the woman’s eyes as he ripped open her skin and bent back her ribs until they broke.
The heart was hot, still steaming and just how Braig liked it. In the heat of the moment, he buried his face in the gaping cavity and ate the heart right out of the chest. Satisfied, he sat back, licking the blood off his lips and fingers.
But it was only a momentary pause. Braig returned to the fresh cadaver, ripping it apart to get to the guts that he so loved. Upon reaching the stomach, he paused, his hands still wrist-deep in the gore.
“Riku,” his voice was neutral and questioning. “Were you aware that this woman was pregnant?”
“Yes, Master… I thought you might like it.” Riku stood on the edge of the scene, watching hopefully.
“…Riku, you’re brilliant.” Braig beckoned his son over. “Come here.”
Riku walked over and joined him on the ground over the corpse. Braig ripped the uterus out with his teeth and pulled it aside for himself. First kills were important and although he was entitled to the best bits of his son’s prey, it was only fair that Riku have the bulk of it.
“Eat. It’s yours.”
Stunned by its master’s great generosity, Riku crouched down and began to eat hungrily. It had done good… It had pleased Master. If it was lucky, it had even redeemed itself in Braig’s eyes.
“Thank you…” Riku left the body and rubbed against Braig, almost overflowing with the need to express its gratitude.
The bloody smile that Braig gave it was all that Riku needed. The night was far from over.
~
“Riku?”
Namine looked at him shyly as it walked into the art classroom the following day. She was glad to see her new friend… But Riku looked different today. There were bags under Riku’s eyes and it looked tired. Concerned, Namine leaned forward and smiled at him a little
“Did you have a long night?” She asked him sympathetically.
“Yes…” Riku took its seat across from her and smiled a little. “I was up late babysitting.”
~
To Be Continued...
“Hey there, kiddo. I’ll be damned - You’re just as pretty as your daddy says. And here I thought he was exaggerating.” The smirking man leaned forward over the desk to get a better look at Riku. “I’m Axel, by the way. I know your, uh, daddies, so you can call me Uncle Axel.”
Riku hadn’t ever met Uncle Axel before, but it had heard Braig mention “that red-headed sonofabitch” enough times to guess who Axel was. It was funny, but even though the words Braig used for Axel weren’t flattering, Braig always smiled as he said them.
The clone raised its eyes to look up into Axel’s.
“Nice to meet you, Uncle Axel.”
A grin split Axel’s face.
“D’awww… You’re so cute I almost can’t stand it. Hang on a minute and I’ll let your daddy know you’re here.” Axel leaned over and pushed a button. “Hey Braig, your kid’s here. He’s even cuter than you said.”
“Ain’t it just?”
Riku could hear Braig’s purring voice through a speaker. Its heart leapt at the compliment, but it didn’t want to hear its master’s voice over the speaker - it wanted to be with Braig in person.
“D’ya want me to send him down?” Axel couldn’t stop watching the clone. It was just such a cute little thing…
“Naw, I’ll come up. I need a word anyways.” Braig’s voice cut out and Axel leaned back in the chair and grinned over at Riku.
“Your dad’s one of my best friends. Did you know that?”
“No, sir.” Riku continued to study the computer. It hadn’t had much experience with technology before, but it didn’t look all that complicated. Out of habit, it reached up and fingered the simple chain collar that it wore beneath its school jacket and shirt.
“What’s this?” Axel reached out and felt the clone’s throat. He slipped his fingers beneath the collar of Rikus’ shirt and pulled out the chain and the heart-shaped tag. “Mm… Should have expected that. Braig’s got good taste, if nothing else.” He read the inscription on the tag and laughed.
Riku felt vaguely uncomfortable. It wasn’t used to being touched in such a familiar manner by anyone except Braig or Dilan. But Uncle Axel was master’s friend and had to be obeyed and respected as such.
“Hey. Hands off, Red.” Braig walked up behind Riku and draped his arms around it. The possessive tone in his voice had been half in jest and half serious, but Axel immediately pulled away. There were a few base rules which governed Axel’s habits and at the top of the list was “Don’t piss off the cannibal.” Axel had been fortunate enough to avoid seeing Braig angry up to this point and had no desire to stir it up now.
Axel watched as Riku nuzzled into Braig and the cannibal twisted his long fingers in the chain around the clone’s neck. It was like a pet and owner… or a father and child… or a master and slave… He couldn’t decide which.
“So what’s got you in such a good mood?” Axel leaned back in his chair and grinned at Braig and Riku. “Did Even finally suffocate from the lack of air up his ass?”
“Man, I ain’t that lucky.” Braig laughed uproariously. Even got about as much love from his coworkers as ebola. “If that happened, you’d see me skipping and dancing up and down the halls.”
It was Axel’s turn to laugh.
“That’s both awesome and terrifying. So what’s the good news?”
“Dilan’s away on a business trip for the weekend. Means Riku and I get to play hooky.”
“Play hooky from what? You’ve got a pretty sweet deal as far as I can tell. Minus your, uh, interesting diet.”
“Hey, I don’t force my habits on you. People are probably healthier than the shit you eat.”
“I’ll have you know that I eat very well, thank you.” Axel raised a brow over at Braig. “So what does this playing hooky involve?”
“A couple’a eight-year olds, probably. An eight-year-old boy and some eight-year-old rum sounds like the right way to kick it off.” Braig leaned back in the chair and began to pet Riku’s hair. “Wanna come join in the fun?”
Axel paused. As fun as watching Braig drink was (from a distance), he wasn’t quite desensitized enough to enjoy watching the cannibal consume a child.
“That’s okay. I have stuff I need to do.”
“You are no fun at all.” Braig was grinning even through his annoyance. “What if I call you after I eat the kid?”
Axel made a face. “That is the most fucked-up thing I have ever heard. But yeah sure. And no just leaving the body out like last time. I couldn’t stop throwing up for an hour.”
“Mm.” Braig stood up, pulling Riku up with him. “You and Dilan, I swear. If I didn’t give you two things to complain about, you’d never be happy. See you tonight, Red.”
Axel watched as Braig took Riku’s hand and walked out of the building again. He leaned back in his chair and glanced down at the computer. He had been here for far too long and he hadn’t yet accomplished what he’d came here to do… Not one sign of Roxas. Not one.
Don’t worry, baby… I’ll find you soon.
~
“Hmm… Yanno it just occurred to me that I was s’posed to go back and talk to Even before I left work. Whoopsy-daisy.” Braig kicked off his shoes as he walked in the door, letting them fly across the room and remain wherever they happened to land. He tossed his coat over the back of a chair and began to unbutton his shirt as well. “We’ll just have to pay him a visit tomorrow instead. Take off that uniform, Riku. It can’t be comfy.”
Obediently, Riku removed its shoes and stripped down to its underwear, folding its clothes neatly and setting them aside just as Dilan had taught it. After that was done, it reached up to touch the collar instinctively, making sure that it hadn’t been pushed askew by the motion. It liked to look its best for master.
“Awww, what a good boy.” Braig pulled Riku into his chest and nibbled at its hair. “You’ve been very good today, Riku. Would you like a treat?”
“Yes please, Master.” Riku perked up and strained against Braig. It always liked the rewards that its master gave.
“I thought so. Go get a heart from the fridge and bring it over here.”
Riku stood, rubbing its cheek against Braig’s calloused knuckles as it did so. Braig showed his approval of this gesture by playing with the collar. He liked Riku’s actions to be governed by his every command, but he didn’t mind a few random displays of affection from his son. Pet. Toy.
The hearts were kept in a large, opaque container in the fridge at Dilan’s insistence. He didn’t mind the fact that Braig ate hearts. He didn’t even mind Braig keeping leftover hearts in the fridge. What he did mind was Braig just wrapping them in a bit of tinfoil and leaving them to leak all over his fruits and veggies and cake and whatever else happened to be in the fridge.
“And Riku?”
The clone paused as it pulled a heart from the sticky mess of congealed blood inside the container.
“Bring it to me in your mouth. Crawl on the floor.”
Riku placed the heart in its mouth, closed the container and put it back in the refrigerator. It rinsed the blood off its hands (it wouldn’t do to get blood on the carpet, after all) and got down on its hands and knees in the doorway to the den. Master was watching, leaning back in his chair with a smirk on his face. One hand was outstretched, waiting for the heart to be dropped into it.
Obediently, Riku placed the heart into its master’s hand and sat back, looking for approval, or even the next command. Braig bit into the heart like one would an apple and licked up the blood and juices that dribbled down his chin.
“Good boy.”
“Hey, anyone home?”
None other than Axel walked through the door at that moment, carrying a paper sack that obviously contained an ungodly amount of alcohol. He made a face at the sight of the heart and put the sack down on a coffee table.
“I thought you said that you wouldn’t have any “parts” out while I was here.”
“’snot my fault. I didn’t know when you were showin’ up.” Braig licked an aorta profanely and then swallowed the rest of the heart. He stood up and grinned at Axel. “Oh goodie, you brought fun stuff.”
“Yeah. And I see you started the party without me.”
“Hardly. Didn’t have any booze until you showed up.” Braig started to root through the paper sack to see what Axel had brought.
“I was referring to the naked kid on the floor.”
Braig looked down and discovered that, yes, Riku was still sitting on the floor. Naked.
“Riku, get up and put your clothes back on. Clearly your Uncle Axel has no appreciation for aesthetics.”
The clone rose and put its clothes back on as ordered and sat back down on the floor. Master had never invited anyone over to the apartment before. And furthermore, Axel didn’t seem to be too unnerved by any of this. Neither was Riku, of course, but he had been raised this way. Riku wondered what sort of man Axel was.
“So you got him from Even?” Axel cracked open a bottle and sat down on the couch, regarding Riku. “How did you pull that?”
“Ev’s got more shit in his lab than he knows what to do with. He had about a dozen of these things running around in there, so I basically bullied him into giving me one. He’s such a little pussy that he gave me one just to get me out of his hair.” Braig cackled, clearly very pleased with himself.
Axel watched Riku as Braig spoke. It intrigued him that the clone showed no emotion towards anything, not even when Braig spoke so callously about its origins. Did it feel nothing at all? Or did it simply just not care?
“Really? You mean he has other stuff? Not just clones like this guy?” Axel asked. He reached out and touched Riku’s hair. It was so soft…
“Riku, be a good boy and play with Axel.” Braig waved a careless hand.
Obediently, Riku rose and went to sit beside Axel. It leaned its head lightly against Axel’s shoulder. Slowly, Axel reached up and began to stroke its hair. Riku liked Axel’s touch, even if it wasn’t Master’s.
“Yeah, he’s got a ton of experiments in there. I’ve never really asked what he does with ‘em all because I don’t really give a fuck, but it seems to be a lot of kids.”
“That’s weird. I wonder what he uses ‘em all for,” Axel mused. He tried to think about it seriously, but it was very difficult to think of anything serious when he had a little clone nuzzling against him. He stroked Riku’s soft cheek and then fingered the collar. “Wouldn’t the collar make him a little obvious in public?”
“Not at all. Riku’s very good at acting human, aren’t you?” Braig smirked over at his clone. “Why don’t you show Axel, Riku? It’s kinda remarkable.”
Axel looked over at Riku again and felt his jaw drop at the change that had come over the clone. Riku was smiling, its eyes were full of life and light.
“Hey Uncle Axel. Dad told me all about you.” It looked over at Braig. “Dad, I did what you said and behaved at school today. Nobody bothered me.”
“That’s m’boy. No more threatening to eat people?” Braig grinned, amused by how thunderstruck Axel looked.
“No, Dad. I made some friends, though. They want me to be part of their club. It meets after school. Can I join?” Riku snuggled closer to Axel. “Pleaaaaaase?”
“Yeah I guess so. That’s enough, Riku.” Braig leaned back again, popping the cap off a beer bottle. “So yeah. We’ve never had a problem. It’s real convincin’.”
Axel wasn’t sure what to make of this. It just wasn’t right for someone to be able to turn themselves on and off like that. It wasn’t human.
But Riku isn’t human… a small part of Axel’s mind whispered perversely. So it doesn’t matter how he’s treated... I could even get one and use it like Braig does… except for my own purposes.
Disturbed by the direction that his mind was taking him, Axel shook it off and put an arm around Riku.
“I think I like him acting normal better. If I wanted something completely obedient, I’d get a puppy.”
Braig shrugged. “To each his own. Or whatever.” He shook his hair out of its ponytail and tipped a large quantity of alcohol down his throat. “I’m glad you didn’t bring wine. I can’t fuckin’ stand the stuff but Dil loves it.”
“Speaking of which, when are you expecting your boyfriend home? It’s weird being here without him glaring at me disapprovingly.” Axel continued to stroke Riku’s hair and reached for a bottle of beer.
“I have no idea. He left a note on my office door that said he would be gone for the weekend, so I assume he’ll be back Sunday night or somethin’.”
“You miss him?” Axel looked at Braig curiously. The relationship between Braig and Dilan had always interested him, but it wasn’t something he went out of his way to ask about. However, now that Braig had a few drinks in him and Dilan wasn’t around, maybe it was safe to ask.
Braig tilted his head and gestured with his long-fingered hand. The gesture meant nothing to Axel, but apparently it did to Riku as the clone rose and went over to its master and climbed into his lap.
“Naw. I don’t miss anyone. Never have.”
“You wouldn’t miss him if he disappeared?” Axel pointed to Riku. He was annoyed that the clone had left his side, but he knew better than to show even the slightest trace of it. The last thing he wanted was for Braig’s possessive instinct to flare up.
Braig grinned slowly, letting his thin lips part to reveal pink-stained teeth.
“Why do you ask, Red? Are you planning on taking it from me?”
A chill clawed its way up Axel’s spine. This could get very bad very quickly if he wasn’t careful.
“Of course not. I’m not stupid, Braig.”
“Mmm… hope not. I kinda like you, but I don’t keep stupid friends.” The cannibal leaned forward, his eyes shining unnaturally bright above Riku’s silver hair.
“So if Dil’s out of town, is there anything stopping you from murdering the city or anything?” Axel was eager to change the subject.
“Mm…There’s nothing really stopping me from murdering the city anyways. But I’m not stupid, Axel.” His tone imitated Axel’s almost perfectly. Axel blanched a bit, but Braig was smiling. “You seem to think that just ‘cause I eat people, I’m a dumb animal. It ain’t true.” His voice drawled lazily. “I bet I’m smarter than you.”
“Yeah?” Axel bristled a bit. He wasn’t about to pick a fight, but he was a grown man with a healthy ego, dammit, and he did not like being insulted.
“Mmhmm. Think about it. There’s a reason that I’m the scientist and you’re the security guard.”
Axel was silent for a long moment, grinding his teeth with the effort it took not to rise to the bait. Braig lived to cause conflict. Sometimes ignoring him was the only thing to do.
After the long silence, Axel turned to Braig with a smirk.
“Hey. Hey Braig. I just got a great idea.”
“Mm? And what great idea could that be?” Braig was licking Riku’s neck in such a way that was making Axel very uncomfortable. Like his clothing was too hot and too tight. Sure, Axel was deeply in love with someone, but he couldn’t help getting hard when he was directly confronted with something like that.
“I’ve never been in Even’s lab and I’ve always wanted to. But he has it locked on a separate system that I can’t get into. But I bet you can.”
“Mmhmm…” Braig sank his teeth into Riku’s shoulder, prompting a deep moan from the clone. “Yanno, Red, I think you’ve hit on a great idea. I haven’t bothered Ev in a long time. Plus, it would give me an excellent opportunity to see what merchandise he’s planning on trying to push on me…”
“Merchandise?” Axel asked, confused.
“Yeah, don’t worry about that.” Braig waved a hand. In his lap, Riku had gone very still. “We’ll break into the lab Sunday. Even Ev stays home on Sunday. Mostly because the bosses worried about him inhaling too many fumes being in there twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, so they threatened to fire him if he comes in on Sunday.”
“No shit?” Axel looked over at Braig with a raised brow.
“Serious as a heart attack. Of course, they started doing it about five years too late, but whatever. Ev’s been sniffing formaldehyde for years. I think his personality is twenty percent natural and eighty percent chemicals.”
Axel snorted with laughter. “So it’s a date?”
“Oh yeah, baby. We’ll even bring Riku along.” Braig ruffled the clone’s hair. “You’ll like that, right? Nasty ol’ Ev won’t be there to make you feel all uncomfortable.”
“I would like that, Master.”
“Mmhmm. Of course ya would.” Braig smirked. Oh yes. This was going to be very, very fun.
Axel didn’t stay too much longer after that. He had no desire to wear out his welcome and hanging around a drunk cannibal for too long could only end badly.
Once he was gone, Braig slid his spidery hands up under Riku’s shirt and fingered the collar.
“Mm, I bet you think you’re very clever… sneaking in your little club request when you thought I was drunk.” He dug his bony fingertips into Riku’s skin. “Were you trying to trick me, Riku? Hmmmmm?”
“No, Master! I would never!” Riku’s eyes widened slightly. Prior to this, the concept of being dishonest or attempting to trick its master hadn’t even crossed its mind. Master was god… Master couldn’t be tricked.
“What the fuck kind of club is it?” Braig dug his fingernails into Riku’s smooth skin. “Tell me or I’ll go dig out some of Dilan’s toys. I don’t like people trying to trick me.”
“It’s just a gathering. I don’t think that there is any purpose to it…” Riku looked up at its master sincerely.
Braig studied Riku closely, then laughed and twined his fingers in the replica’s hair.
“I don’t really think you were tryin’ to sneak around, Riku. You’re too well-trained for that. You’re a good boy and good boys don’t lie. Isn’t that right?” Braig pulled Riku into his lap and nibbled at the soft skin of the throat and shoulder.
“No, Master… I wouldn’t ever lie to you…” Riku raised its chin and tilted its head back. Braig’s touches, even the ones that hurt…. Nothing would ever be able to compare to them. “I’m good.”
“That’s right… You’re very good.” Braig pulled at the collar and grinned into Riku’s eyes. “I think you and I should go out and have some real fun tonight, Riku. We’ve both been good boys for a while, but now that Dilan’s gone… let’s go tear up the town.”
~
“Like I taught you, Riku… Do you remember?”
The two cannibals stood on a street corner, watching the cars rush by in the street like water in a river. The lights from the signs and the cars and the buildings were reflected in Braig’s glittering eyes.
“Just like I taught you… Pick a target... Pick it carefully. No mistakes.”
“No mistakes,” Riku repeated. Its eyes followed each person that passed, inspecting them in a glance just as its master had taught it to do. Good meat. Bad meat. Too old. A drunk. Drunks never tasted good. Their meat was pickled by the alcohol.
“Got one picked, Riku?” Braig placed one of his spidery hands on Riku’s head, twining his fingers tightly in the clone’s hair. “Which one?”
“The woman in the striped dress… Right there.” Riku pressed its hand against Braig’s side as the woman walked by.
“Good choice…” purred Braig. “Go get her.”
Master had never told Riku to go after meat by itself. A sense of pride welled up in its chest, but then was quickly overcome by the clam sense of purpose. Braig had taught his son well.
It walked after the woman, then ran. The action put color into its cheeks and mussed its hair and made its eyes bright. Perfect for the appearance of a panicked, frightened child.
“Miss! Help me! Please help me!” Riku grabbed her skirt. “Please help me!”
She turned around quickly and stared down at the boy trying to get her attention. It looked flushed and afraid.
“Are you all right? What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
“M-my dad’s hurt… he’s over this way and I don’t know what to do!”
Tears were spilling down Riku’s cheeks now. It was a great trick… it always worked on women. Naturally, this one was instantly concerned, just like all the others. Always prey on their maternal instinct first, Braig said…
“Okay, honey, why don’t you show me where your Dad is and we’ll call an ambulance. Don’t panic, okay?” She grabbed its hand and squeezed it comfortingly.
Riku led her by the hand to the alley. “He’s back here… Thank you…”
“It’s okay… I just want to help. Where is he?” The woman looked around, still not seeing anyone.
“He’s just back here…” Riku turned to her and pulled her down to its level. “Thank you for helping me.”
“That’s no problem, honey… Are you sure he’s back here?”
“No.” Riku grabbed her hair and threw her down to the ground. Long hair was an asset when killing. It was just something else to grab and use against them. It pulled a switchblade from its pocket, flicked it open and slit her throat. Blood bubbled up from the gash and gushed over his hands as he stepped away from the kill. Master got the first taste.
“Good boy. Very good job, Riku.”
Braig stepped from the shadows. He had watched the whole thing, pleased and aroused at how his pretty little protégé was progressing down the path he had set up for it. His movements were languid, almost liquid as he ambled over towards Riku and kissed the clone deeply. He pulled away after only a moment and crouched on the ground. The light hadn’t even yet left the woman’s eyes as he ripped open her skin and bent back her ribs until they broke.
The heart was hot, still steaming and just how Braig liked it. In the heat of the moment, he buried his face in the gaping cavity and ate the heart right out of the chest. Satisfied, he sat back, licking the blood off his lips and fingers.
But it was only a momentary pause. Braig returned to the fresh cadaver, ripping it apart to get to the guts that he so loved. Upon reaching the stomach, he paused, his hands still wrist-deep in the gore.
“Riku,” his voice was neutral and questioning. “Were you aware that this woman was pregnant?”
“Yes, Master… I thought you might like it.” Riku stood on the edge of the scene, watching hopefully.
“…Riku, you’re brilliant.” Braig beckoned his son over. “Come here.”
Riku walked over and joined him on the ground over the corpse. Braig ripped the uterus out with his teeth and pulled it aside for himself. First kills were important and although he was entitled to the best bits of his son’s prey, it was only fair that Riku have the bulk of it.
“Eat. It’s yours.”
Stunned by its master’s great generosity, Riku crouched down and began to eat hungrily. It had done good… It had pleased Master. If it was lucky, it had even redeemed itself in Braig’s eyes.
“Thank you…” Riku left the body and rubbed against Braig, almost overflowing with the need to express its gratitude.
The bloody smile that Braig gave it was all that Riku needed. The night was far from over.
~
“Riku?”
Namine looked at him shyly as it walked into the art classroom the following day. She was glad to see her new friend… But Riku looked different today. There were bags under Riku’s eyes and it looked tired. Concerned, Namine leaned forward and smiled at him a little
“Did you have a long night?” She asked him sympathetically.
“Yes…” Riku took its seat across from her and smiled a little. “I was up late babysitting.”
~
To Be Continued...