Yet again, old fanfic
So uh incest warning guyz.
HAPPY FAMILY
Truth be told, they got careless after a while. It wasn't their fault. Anyone would. Because they lived in a situation where society's normal rules didn't apply, they assumed they were above those same rules. That was a mistake.
When Lloyd and Linus were growing up, the Black Fang thought of themselves as a family. Nobody said it, because it was sappy, but it was true nevertheless. So the logic went: if everyone was family, that made the Reed Brothers no more family than anyone else. Which meant that their relationship was no more wrong than a relationship between two other Fang.
Of course, not everybody accepted this as an excuse. Occasionally some rookie would make a snide remark about Lloyd taking it like a bitch, and someone would have to preemptively send for a medic. That would end things. In an assasin's guild, might makes right. Occasionally Uhai would make an offhand remark about not being quite so obviously attatched, or Ursula would put someone up to prepositioning them. This was ignored.
"Mother would *cry* if she could see you now," murmured Lloyd once, as Linus kissed his shoulders savagely. That was the closest they ever got to condemning themselves.
There was only one obstacle, and it was easy to surmount.
Brendan Reed was a man of principles. Those principles presumably did not include incest, which meant that the brothers attempted to keep him in the dark regarding their private life. It wasn't difficult. They enjoyed playing the dutiful son game; they were good at it, because it was mostly the truth. They didn't argue in front of him. They kept their affection to themselves.
If they chose to sleep together, even on nights when they were too tired to fuck, they really didn't care what anyone thought. At least until Sonia came.
ooo
"I feel like there's someone watching us."
Linus looked up from where he was working furiously to unzip Lloyd's pants and grinned. His teeth gleamed in the semidarkness of the bedroom. "Well, we're giving them a hell of a show, aren't we?"
It wasn't as though Lloyd actually pushed him away, because Lloyd never did that, but signs of his arousal were getting decidedly less prominent. "I mean it. Someone is watching. Not just for fun, either."
"You worry too much," Linus replied between kisses. His hands brushed lightly against Lloyd's cock before traveling back up his bare chest. "Just forget about it."
That settled it. Lloyd's hips jerked up towards him. As he groaned into his mouth, he grabbed a handful of hair at the nape of his neck and pulled him down fiercely onto the bed. "Fine," he muttered, against his better judgement,"but if it's Nino there, you're going to have to explain in the morning."
"Sounds like a plan." Now Linus was trying to undo his belt buckle and stay on top of Lloyd at the same time. It was difficult.
"Although I hate to think what that explaination will entail." Lloyd smiled wryly, an expression at odds with the gleam of sweat on his naked body.
"It can't be worse than anything Sonia's taught her already." Linus managed to pull off his pants and throw them on the floor in a pile with the rest of his clothing.
After that, they pretty much followed Linus' advice.
ooo
Before the marriage, the Four Fangs ate in the mess hall with everyone else. Brendan Reed felt it was important to allow himself and the commanders of his forces no more luxury than the lowliest servant of the guild. Not because they weren't in charge; because they were, and it was their responsibility to be different from the nobles who wallowed in luxury while letting others starve.
The mess hall was crowded, dirty, and so noisy you could barely hear the guy next to you shouting. Thick smoke from the fires and pipes filled the air. You had to look around carefully and make sure you weren't sitting down on last week's dinner.
Secretly, everyone had enjoyed it.
Sonia had notions about family which didn't include the rest of the Fang. Bowing to her will as he usually did, Brendan Reed had secured a room in which the family could dine undisturbed. Without Sonia, this might have been fairly pleasant. With her, it became a tiresome chore.
"Good morning to you *all*," she announced, sweeping in through the door, manicured toenails gleaming from behind her sandals. As usual, she wore a dress that brought out all the greatest assets of her appearence. As usual, and somewhat eerily, she seemed unaffected by the mountain cold.
"Good morning, mother!" replied Nino cheerfully, putting down her spoon and carefully wiping her mouth with a napkin.
"Good morning." Brendan Reed turned to watch her, a smile lighting his scarred face as she kissed him passionately on the mouth.
"...Good morning, milady," said Lloyd finally, eyes cast downwards on his meal so as not to meet her eyes.
"Good morning," echoed Linus, glancing towards her with a plain expression of mistrust.
And so they settled down to eat. Sonia, who had an appetite fitting her looks, picked at her food like a bird and flirted with her husband. Nino chattered on with conversation that was intended to impress her mother but mostly made the Reed brothers try not to laugh.
"What did the cat do then?" asked Linus with mock gravity, biting into a sausage.
Nino laughed, pleased by his interest. "She fell over on her face! In the snow! She was so lucky that she didn't freeze." Her expression grew a bit more wistful. "Of course, when she had the kittens, I had to drown them... we were travelling, and they never would have survived without a warm place to stay."
Lloyd looked up, thoughtful. "Where were you travelling?"
"...I don't remember," said Nino, not meeting his eyes. "It was before we came here." She changed the subject quickly to something about the magic users in the ranks of the Fang.
They went along with it. Often, although she seemed a genuinely happy and loving little girl, she would avoid answering questions about herself or her mother. They assumed Sonia had instructed her to do it. She was too guileless to keep secrets of her own perogative, and seemed unhappy when she did.
Sonia smiled artfully at a presumably amusing comment from Brendan Reed. As her clear laughter filled the room, her eyes shifted from her husband to Lloyd, who was sitting next to her. "You're certainly quiet today. Does your mother bore you?"
"Of course not," he responded quietly, as her foot brushed against his under the table.
Another laugh. "You don't seem to find me *fascinating,* certainly. Then again, I suppose there are more interesting things in your life..."
Lloyd raised an eyebrow. His eyes shifted towards Nino and Brendan Reed, who were engaged in conversation, before coming to rest on his breakfast again. "I'm not sure what you're referring to."
"Oh...!" said Sonia, quite loudly, attracting the attention of everyone else at the table. "I'm sorry..." The Reed brothers looked slightly nervous. Sonia never apologized unless she was going to say something terrible. "...I couldn't sleep last night, and... you brothers are *very* close, aren't you?" She smiled, and her foot traveled the length of Lloyd's pant leg. "Such a display of affection... I was very... touched."
Brendan Reed turned to look at them, puzzlement on his face.
Surprisingly enough, it was Linus who came up with their response. "Oh, that?" he asked, sounding a little sheepish, smoothly knocking Sonia's foot back under her chair with his own. "...Yeah. Well, Lloyd stole some money off me, and I got sort of carried away..." He ended up squinting a little to hide the utter rage in his eyes. "But I guess that's what they call tough love, huh?"
"The Black Fang does not attack its own sword arm," said Brendan Reed with a deep frown. He lay down his fork. "Lloyd, Linus, I would expect that from new recruits, not you. Family is no excuse. I will not tolerate two of the Four Fangs engaging in petty brawls."
Lloyd bowed low over the table. "Yes, father. I understand. If you'll excuse me." He pushed out his chair and stood up.
"You're not going to finish your breakfast?" asked Nino, sounding a little bit disappointed but mostly confused. She looked back and forth across the table, searching faces for clues as to what was happening.
Linus shook his head. "Don't worry. I'll stay and keep you company." He turned to Lloyd and gave him a very quick look. "We'll speak later. I want to apologize for last night."
"...Thank you."
Walking out the door, Lloyd could still see the way Sonia had smiled. There was nothing of compassion in it. It was an inhuman smile.
ooo
"That *witch.*" Linus' fist slammed against the wall with the force of a sledgehammer. "That malcious, scheming, damnable *witch!* She was touched? I'll show her touched! I'll kill her myself and rape her dirty corpse!"
"No, you won't." Lloyd's voice was icy calm, but he was pacing back and forth across the room, and his hands were clenched so hard they were trembling. "Now calm down. Someone will hear you."
Linus growled in frustration and flopped down across the bed. "She was laughing! She threatened us in public, and she enjoyed it! What in hell are we going to *do?*"
"Nothing," Lloyd replied bleakly. He sat on the bed beside him and rested his head in his hands. "She has us exactly where she wants us. Now, if we don't consent to doing her will, she'll tell father what she saw. And he'll believe her. Maybe he wouldn't have before, but you've seen how much control she has over him."
Shifting to an upright position, Linus managed to look somewhat guilty. "And if even if he doesn't believe her, all he has to do is threaten someone into confirming it. It's not as if many people don't know we're boning." He sighed. "I'm sorry. I should have payed attention to you last night."
"If it hadn't happened then, it would have happened some other time." Lloyd moved closer to him and took his hand. "Neither of us were as careful as we should have been. We were both fools."
Linus clasped his hand gratefully. "Should we... stop?" he asked, throat a little hoarse.
Lloyd shook his head. "It wouldn't serve her purposes to tell him now. I don't think it makes much difference if we stay this way." He paused. "Of course, I'm not exactly in the mood."
"Yeah?" A false grin spread over Linus' face. "Maybe I should buy you dinner first."
Very tense laughter filled the room for a moment, before they both settled into a dismal but comforting silence.
"I love you," said Lloyd finally.
Linus leaned in a little closer. "You haven't said that since we were kids," he replied, then coughed to clear a sudden lump from his throat.
Lloyd nodded. With anyone else he might have been nervous. "I thought that now might be a good time to say it."
"I love you too." Linus grinned, weakly, but for real this time.
Suddenly holding hands wasn't enough. They moved to hold one another, stretching across the length of the bed, like when they were younger and shared a bed out of necessity and not desire. Linus wrapped his arms around Lloyd's shoulders and closed his eyes. Lloyd pulled the blanket over them with his free hand.
Another silence. This one lasted until the next morning, because when Nino came to wake them up up in the afternoon she didn't have the heart.
END
(I OFFICIALLY APOLOGIZE FOR THIS FIC ENDING ON A REALLY SAPPY NOTE. Only after I first uploading this fic to the Pit o' Voles did I realize it should have been "A Family Affair," but, uh, what's done is done, I guess it's too late to rename it now. It's funny because I'm not neccesarily even that fond of the Black Fang, I just happen to really love Legault, Nino, and... well, everyone else, which I guess means I am fond of the Black Fang after all. Sonia gets all the best lines, because she's so evil, and that makes for fun writing. I like to think of her as a Borgia. Or one of those really bitchy late Roman matriarchs. I could go on like this for a *long* time. ...I was embarrased about writing the word 'cock' in the narrative but I think this fic is okay.)
HAPPY FAMILY
Truth be told, they got careless after a while. It wasn't their fault. Anyone would. Because they lived in a situation where society's normal rules didn't apply, they assumed they were above those same rules. That was a mistake.
When Lloyd and Linus were growing up, the Black Fang thought of themselves as a family. Nobody said it, because it was sappy, but it was true nevertheless. So the logic went: if everyone was family, that made the Reed Brothers no more family than anyone else. Which meant that their relationship was no more wrong than a relationship between two other Fang.
Of course, not everybody accepted this as an excuse. Occasionally some rookie would make a snide remark about Lloyd taking it like a bitch, and someone would have to preemptively send for a medic. That would end things. In an assasin's guild, might makes right. Occasionally Uhai would make an offhand remark about not being quite so obviously attatched, or Ursula would put someone up to prepositioning them. This was ignored.
"Mother would *cry* if she could see you now," murmured Lloyd once, as Linus kissed his shoulders savagely. That was the closest they ever got to condemning themselves.
There was only one obstacle, and it was easy to surmount.
Brendan Reed was a man of principles. Those principles presumably did not include incest, which meant that the brothers attempted to keep him in the dark regarding their private life. It wasn't difficult. They enjoyed playing the dutiful son game; they were good at it, because it was mostly the truth. They didn't argue in front of him. They kept their affection to themselves.
If they chose to sleep together, even on nights when they were too tired to fuck, they really didn't care what anyone thought. At least until Sonia came.
ooo
"I feel like there's someone watching us."
Linus looked up from where he was working furiously to unzip Lloyd's pants and grinned. His teeth gleamed in the semidarkness of the bedroom. "Well, we're giving them a hell of a show, aren't we?"
It wasn't as though Lloyd actually pushed him away, because Lloyd never did that, but signs of his arousal were getting decidedly less prominent. "I mean it. Someone is watching. Not just for fun, either."
"You worry too much," Linus replied between kisses. His hands brushed lightly against Lloyd's cock before traveling back up his bare chest. "Just forget about it."
That settled it. Lloyd's hips jerked up towards him. As he groaned into his mouth, he grabbed a handful of hair at the nape of his neck and pulled him down fiercely onto the bed. "Fine," he muttered, against his better judgement,"but if it's Nino there, you're going to have to explain in the morning."
"Sounds like a plan." Now Linus was trying to undo his belt buckle and stay on top of Lloyd at the same time. It was difficult.
"Although I hate to think what that explaination will entail." Lloyd smiled wryly, an expression at odds with the gleam of sweat on his naked body.
"It can't be worse than anything Sonia's taught her already." Linus managed to pull off his pants and throw them on the floor in a pile with the rest of his clothing.
After that, they pretty much followed Linus' advice.
ooo
Before the marriage, the Four Fangs ate in the mess hall with everyone else. Brendan Reed felt it was important to allow himself and the commanders of his forces no more luxury than the lowliest servant of the guild. Not because they weren't in charge; because they were, and it was their responsibility to be different from the nobles who wallowed in luxury while letting others starve.
The mess hall was crowded, dirty, and so noisy you could barely hear the guy next to you shouting. Thick smoke from the fires and pipes filled the air. You had to look around carefully and make sure you weren't sitting down on last week's dinner.
Secretly, everyone had enjoyed it.
Sonia had notions about family which didn't include the rest of the Fang. Bowing to her will as he usually did, Brendan Reed had secured a room in which the family could dine undisturbed. Without Sonia, this might have been fairly pleasant. With her, it became a tiresome chore.
"Good morning to you *all*," she announced, sweeping in through the door, manicured toenails gleaming from behind her sandals. As usual, she wore a dress that brought out all the greatest assets of her appearence. As usual, and somewhat eerily, she seemed unaffected by the mountain cold.
"Good morning, mother!" replied Nino cheerfully, putting down her spoon and carefully wiping her mouth with a napkin.
"Good morning." Brendan Reed turned to watch her, a smile lighting his scarred face as she kissed him passionately on the mouth.
"...Good morning, milady," said Lloyd finally, eyes cast downwards on his meal so as not to meet her eyes.
"Good morning," echoed Linus, glancing towards her with a plain expression of mistrust.
And so they settled down to eat. Sonia, who had an appetite fitting her looks, picked at her food like a bird and flirted with her husband. Nino chattered on with conversation that was intended to impress her mother but mostly made the Reed brothers try not to laugh.
"What did the cat do then?" asked Linus with mock gravity, biting into a sausage.
Nino laughed, pleased by his interest. "She fell over on her face! In the snow! She was so lucky that she didn't freeze." Her expression grew a bit more wistful. "Of course, when she had the kittens, I had to drown them... we were travelling, and they never would have survived without a warm place to stay."
Lloyd looked up, thoughtful. "Where were you travelling?"
"...I don't remember," said Nino, not meeting his eyes. "It was before we came here." She changed the subject quickly to something about the magic users in the ranks of the Fang.
They went along with it. Often, although she seemed a genuinely happy and loving little girl, she would avoid answering questions about herself or her mother. They assumed Sonia had instructed her to do it. She was too guileless to keep secrets of her own perogative, and seemed unhappy when she did.
Sonia smiled artfully at a presumably amusing comment from Brendan Reed. As her clear laughter filled the room, her eyes shifted from her husband to Lloyd, who was sitting next to her. "You're certainly quiet today. Does your mother bore you?"
"Of course not," he responded quietly, as her foot brushed against his under the table.
Another laugh. "You don't seem to find me *fascinating,* certainly. Then again, I suppose there are more interesting things in your life..."
Lloyd raised an eyebrow. His eyes shifted towards Nino and Brendan Reed, who were engaged in conversation, before coming to rest on his breakfast again. "I'm not sure what you're referring to."
"Oh...!" said Sonia, quite loudly, attracting the attention of everyone else at the table. "I'm sorry..." The Reed brothers looked slightly nervous. Sonia never apologized unless she was going to say something terrible. "...I couldn't sleep last night, and... you brothers are *very* close, aren't you?" She smiled, and her foot traveled the length of Lloyd's pant leg. "Such a display of affection... I was very... touched."
Brendan Reed turned to look at them, puzzlement on his face.
Surprisingly enough, it was Linus who came up with their response. "Oh, that?" he asked, sounding a little sheepish, smoothly knocking Sonia's foot back under her chair with his own. "...Yeah. Well, Lloyd stole some money off me, and I got sort of carried away..." He ended up squinting a little to hide the utter rage in his eyes. "But I guess that's what they call tough love, huh?"
"The Black Fang does not attack its own sword arm," said Brendan Reed with a deep frown. He lay down his fork. "Lloyd, Linus, I would expect that from new recruits, not you. Family is no excuse. I will not tolerate two of the Four Fangs engaging in petty brawls."
Lloyd bowed low over the table. "Yes, father. I understand. If you'll excuse me." He pushed out his chair and stood up.
"You're not going to finish your breakfast?" asked Nino, sounding a little bit disappointed but mostly confused. She looked back and forth across the table, searching faces for clues as to what was happening.
Linus shook his head. "Don't worry. I'll stay and keep you company." He turned to Lloyd and gave him a very quick look. "We'll speak later. I want to apologize for last night."
"...Thank you."
Walking out the door, Lloyd could still see the way Sonia had smiled. There was nothing of compassion in it. It was an inhuman smile.
ooo
"That *witch.*" Linus' fist slammed against the wall with the force of a sledgehammer. "That malcious, scheming, damnable *witch!* She was touched? I'll show her touched! I'll kill her myself and rape her dirty corpse!"
"No, you won't." Lloyd's voice was icy calm, but he was pacing back and forth across the room, and his hands were clenched so hard they were trembling. "Now calm down. Someone will hear you."
Linus growled in frustration and flopped down across the bed. "She was laughing! She threatened us in public, and she enjoyed it! What in hell are we going to *do?*"
"Nothing," Lloyd replied bleakly. He sat on the bed beside him and rested his head in his hands. "She has us exactly where she wants us. Now, if we don't consent to doing her will, she'll tell father what she saw. And he'll believe her. Maybe he wouldn't have before, but you've seen how much control she has over him."
Shifting to an upright position, Linus managed to look somewhat guilty. "And if even if he doesn't believe her, all he has to do is threaten someone into confirming it. It's not as if many people don't know we're boning." He sighed. "I'm sorry. I should have payed attention to you last night."
"If it hadn't happened then, it would have happened some other time." Lloyd moved closer to him and took his hand. "Neither of us were as careful as we should have been. We were both fools."
Linus clasped his hand gratefully. "Should we... stop?" he asked, throat a little hoarse.
Lloyd shook his head. "It wouldn't serve her purposes to tell him now. I don't think it makes much difference if we stay this way." He paused. "Of course, I'm not exactly in the mood."
"Yeah?" A false grin spread over Linus' face. "Maybe I should buy you dinner first."
Very tense laughter filled the room for a moment, before they both settled into a dismal but comforting silence.
"I love you," said Lloyd finally.
Linus leaned in a little closer. "You haven't said that since we were kids," he replied, then coughed to clear a sudden lump from his throat.
Lloyd nodded. With anyone else he might have been nervous. "I thought that now might be a good time to say it."
"I love you too." Linus grinned, weakly, but for real this time.
Suddenly holding hands wasn't enough. They moved to hold one another, stretching across the length of the bed, like when they were younger and shared a bed out of necessity and not desire. Linus wrapped his arms around Lloyd's shoulders and closed his eyes. Lloyd pulled the blanket over them with his free hand.
Another silence. This one lasted until the next morning, because when Nino came to wake them up up in the afternoon she didn't have the heart.
END
(I OFFICIALLY APOLOGIZE FOR THIS FIC ENDING ON A REALLY SAPPY NOTE. Only after I first uploading this fic to the Pit o' Voles did I realize it should have been "A Family Affair," but, uh, what's done is done, I guess it's too late to rename it now. It's funny because I'm not neccesarily even that fond of the Black Fang, I just happen to really love Legault, Nino, and... well, everyone else, which I guess means I am fond of the Black Fang after all. Sonia gets all the best lines, because she's so evil, and that makes for fun writing. I like to think of her as a Borgia. Or one of those really bitchy late Roman matriarchs. I could go on like this for a *long* time. ...I was embarrased about writing the word 'cock' in the narrative but I think this fic is okay.)