take me back to my boat on the river

I was going to wait until you found me, but you took too long. I'm disappointed. {RP blog for Against The Tide.} {Extremely selective activity, as nearly all of this blog's activity is focused on the 'verse it was created for. I will write outside of...

[rxverstyx]

oh shit

[rxverstyx]

penrosexsteps:

There’s no open offer – and Arthur isn’t one to beg. Until he gets desperate, he’ll remain in limbo. Just barely restraining himself from rolling his eyes, he lets his glare flicker to the corner of the room, mouth twitching. Breath leaves him in a soft snort of derision.

“Am I grounded?”

“-- I’m not your father.”

Styx vaguely recalls Arthur, bloodied and bruised yet so self-assured, telling him how much he reminds him of the guy. Something about empty threats. Something. That conversation was a long time ago - and though his memory is great, things like that tend to slip through the cracks.

The fact still remains, though, that Styx very much resembles Arthur’s father.

“I’ll do worse than ground you.”

[penrosexsteps]

“Surely you’re smart enough to figure that one out.”

He’s being stubborn about this, he knows, but he can’t help it. What else is there to do? Not like Styx has given him anything to look forward to. No escape, no compromise, no nothing. 

[rxverstyx]

Styx will consider a compromise if Arthur asks, but only if Arthur asks. A compromise, Styx feels, would hardly be of any tangible benefit to him. At this point he doesn’t even care about getting information from Arthur. He just keeps him around for the fun of it.

Kind of like a pet.

“-- drop the attitude.”

[rxverstyx]

penrosexsteps:

“I’m saying fuck off, not fuck me.”

And here comes the long-running fantasy of breaking his jaw.

“I’m not a circus animal.”

“------ of course you’re not. Unlike you, circus animals display a capacity to learn.”

He doesn’t know why he still bothers with Arthur. He should get rid of him - bury him alive in a pool of cement or something.

“Tell me, Arthur-- are you stupid, are you a masochist, or are you just woefully forgetful?”

[penrosexsteps]

“Why not?”

“Compared to you I’m a fucking bucket of sunshine.”

[rxverstyx]

“Oh, you’re just begging to be sodomized again, aren’t you?”

[penrosexsteps]

“Actually, I’m trying to stay out of trouble.”

[rxverstyx]

“That isn’t an option for you, I’m afraid.”

[rxverstyx]

{ new icon! courtesy of penrosexsteps uvu <3 }

[catchthatregenerator]

Really.

Eh.

“I’m here for Mr. Cohen. You have him, I want him back. I’m willing to negotiate.”

He heard this man’s people nearby and he was caught in the moment of it all. Listening to who to cut down if necessary. 

“Peacefully,” he added. 

[rxverstyx]

Was Arthur one of his? Now that was interesting. Last he checked, Arthur was one of Neel’s employees. Obviously, there was a lot of information he was missing. A gap that he’d overlooked, somehow. He’d have to remedy that later.

For now, though, he had more pressing matters to attend to.

Namely, this guy.

“Come inside, then. This is something best discussed behind closed doors,” he responded, gesturing vaguely. “We don’t want anyone else overhearing, do we?”

Already, he was opening the door for his new... ‘friend’.

[catchthatregenerator]

rxverstyx penrosexsteps

Adam walked into the light. 

Heavy outside the warehouse. This was where that man was holding Arthur Cohen, assumed to no good end. He hadn’t taken his time out of pleasure for the hunt, the tracking signal was weak. Was weak. Had strengthened. Obviously he was going to be expected company. He had planned for that. 

His followers were nearby. Some of them, victims of this man. 

He sighed and held up his hand, face still covered. 

“I believe you were expecting me.”

[rxverstyx]

What the fuck. 

Adam’s sudden appearance nearly made Styx drop his cigarette. He slowly pulled it out of his mouth, silver wisps of smoke passing through his lips as he regarded him with a slight tilt of his head.

“No, I don’t believe I was.“

Whoever this was, he had plenty of employees on site. If anything were to happen, this stranger would do well to expect one Hell of a fight. He was cautious, if not more than slightly curious. Silence overtook him. He paused, contemplative. Then:

“State your business.”

[penrosexsteps]

He’s too close too fast, so swiftly situated within Arthur’s space that he gives an abrupt inhalation, lurching futilely backwards – and anger twists his gut so suddenly it almost makes him nauseous. He’s never taken kindly to anyone getting up in his face, that much has been true since childhood.

Judging by the way his jaw pales and molars press, a shadow passing over his eyes, it’s especially true now. 

“–Because I hate you,” Arthur bites out, a slow snarl curling around the word, and with teeth bared, shoves hard against Styx’s chest.

 "Now don’t fucking touch me.“

[rxverstyx]

Given Arthur’s track record with piss-poor temper control, Styx has come to expect this sort of reaction from him. Verbal defiance, physical retaliation - it’s all there. It’s normal behavior for Arthur, and yet Styx still finds it within himself to be offended by it. Typical or not, Arthur’s behavior is still rude. The lack of respect was endearing up until this point. Now Styx is just sick of it.

He’s hardly knocked off balance by Arthur’s rough shove. His grip on Arthur’s shoulders only tightens, and his feet remain firmly planted on the floor beneath him. Apart from a small backward jolt, he seems largely unaffected, and immediately recovers by way of grabbing Arthur by the front of his shirt and pulling him very close.

“Excuse me?“

“I will fucking touch you whenever and however I want,” he snaps, quick to jab his fist into the direct center of Arthur’s gut. He watches him drop to the ground like a dead weight, immediately descending upon him like a hawk descending upon its prey. “Now hold still.”

[penrosexsteps]

 Eyes wide and red and glassy, diaphragm heaving without regard, he twists his face away. Turns his unfocused gaze towards the floor, swallowing a painfully pathetic noise. Arthur knows what’s to happen if he fails to please Styx, but he’s not sure what infuriates – and terrifies him more: the fact that he’d be powerless to stop him or the fact that at this point, he can barely bring himself to try. 

“…–Mikhailov,” he bites out, but his voice is an unsteady tremor. He tries again.

“His arms dealer. His name’s Daniel Mikhailov. Operates in –  the heart of the city.”

[rxverstyx]

 Styx could choose to be cruel, here. Strike him, shove him, act violent towards him and give him the excuse that it’s not good enough, but he doesn’t. He lets his hands drop away from Arthur’s face, crosses his arms and regards him with a tilt of his head.

“Daniel Mikhailov,” he repeats slowly, wolfish smirk settling on his lips. He slides a hand under Arthur’s chin, forcing him to turn his head to face him. This time, he doesn’t lean in to kiss him. He only continues to smile at him, reaching up with his other hand to squeeze his arm.

“Good boy. Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

[rxverstyx]

( penrosexsteps​ ) ( x )

“Shh.”

Styx doesn’t need to bite, manhandle, or push him around to get what he wants anymore. Sometimes, he only needs to dote on him with the gentlest of kisses to draw out a much-desired reaction. Amid Arthur’s protests, his panicked and desperate pleading, Styx reaches up to frame Arthur’s face with his hands, drawing away from him with one last soft press of his lips. He looks down on him with an expression of mock pity, stroking the rise of his cheekbone with his thumb.

“-- Tell me why I should stop.”

[im-still-listening-crl]

Untitled | via Tumblr on We Heart It - https://bnc.lt/l/5_GNlAU1-U

[rxverstyx]

penrosexsteps:

rxverstyx said: lights styx on fire

[JUST GONNA STAND THERE AND WATCH ME BUR N]

[penrosexsteps]

“You’re losing your touch.”

Though the intrusion upon his air makes his skin crawl, he stands his ground, chin tilting up in petty defiance. Getting on Styx’s side and staying there are the only chances Arthur has of getting out, but in all his stubbornness, he has no intention of cooperating. Suffering physical violence is much easier than all this psychological back and forth – and the faster he struggles and shouts and bleeds for his troubles, the faster he can be alone again.

“If I wanted a little bit of pain, Styx, it certainly wouldn’t be from you.”

[rxverstyx]

“I’m your only option, Arthur, so it looks like you’re going to have to settle.”

With God as his witness, Styx is going to make Arthur’s life a living Hell. Information isn’t important right now. He doesn’t want his loyalty, his compliance, or whatever knowledge or skill he possesses. All he wants is his blood - splattered across his skin, pooling at his feet on the floor. The urge to pound him to a bloody pulp goes stronger, still. His fingers twitch, impatient to do harm. He reaches forward, hands tightly grasping Arthur’s shoulders. He pulls him in, so uncomfortably close that Arthur can probably feel his hot breath on his face.

“Why are you making this so much harder for yourself than it has to be?”

[rxverstyx]

{ quick heads up that i’m usually over on my other rp blog more often than this one. }

[penrosexsteps]

His mouth twists into a bitter little smile, lip stinging. Neither Styx’s expression nor tone bode well for him, and though Arthur often finds his place in logic and reason and rational thought, all he does is give a reckless, spiteful huff of a laugh, ready to taste iron.  

‘Hold your tongue.’ As if. 

“Y’know, you kinda remind me of my father,” he says.

“I fucking hated that guy. He made empty threats even more than you.”

[rxverstyx]

“Arthur, you know as well as anyone else that my threats are not empty.“

He moves closer, just enough to invade Arthur’s space. It’s hard not to just beat him into submission right here, right now. Really, he’d love nothing more than to knock a few teeth out of Arthur’s skull. There’s a time and place for everything, though. They’re not quite there yet.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you want me to hurt you.”