Under The Skin - Syd March x Misty Davenport (Fem!OC) | Part 1 - The First Contagion
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
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Summary : Misty Davenport, former private investigator, sets out on a self-assigned mission to find out the truth behind The Lucas Clinic as a company. However, a sudden erotic fixation with the new young man who has just moved into her apartment block threatens to thwart her plans. Especially when she finds out, he works there.
Tags : mature content (18+ only), mentions of stalker-like behaviour, (not quite) stealing of legal documentation, mostly build up and plenty of sexual tension, misty being literally all of us, freak for freak bcs I refused to have it any other way
A/N - This idea has been bouncing around in my head for a while (and by that I mean pretty much since the first time I watched Antiviral), and I owe it to my discord server freaks who give me the courage to put out my first proper fic into the world. You know who you are, and I love you guys <3 also I made Misty visually non-descript so self insert away! It's what I would want.
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From the outside, The Lucas Clinic looked like any of the other greying, brutalist buildings that made up the stifling city. On the inside though, it promised the most devoted of fans all that they could ever wish for. A candy store inside an industrial compound - hidden in plain sight.
One foot into the building, and Misty wasnāt certain. Ever the careful skeptic, she took a note of the place. To her, the reception area looked like one at any other doctors office. It created this strange dissonance between the necessary and the desirable. Maybe that was the intention. Regardless, she had her own mission to fulfill - finding out the truth behind The Lucas Clinic. Her motivations? Just sheer, untameable curiosity. That and she missed the thrill her old missions used to give her.
Her first step : experiencing the clinic as a client, to track her experience and gather as much information as possible.
Upon approaching the reception desk, she stared at the array of leaflets. Mostly advertising, for The Lucas Clinic itself and their services. Alongside the occasional celebrity endorsements and recommendations. In an alternate world, these leaflets may have fascinated her, but now they made the perfect piece of possible intel. She managed to sneak out her phone and take a picture of the spread before the receptionist's voice startled her out of her singular train of thought.
āHello. Can I help you?ā
Misty darted her gaze upwards and shoved her phone in her pocket, appearing startled. āOh yes. Misty Davenport, here for Hannah Geist at 2:30ā, she hurriedly replied. āItās my first appointment here, Iām just a little shaky is allā. A perfectly rehearsed response, of course - she knew it would put a dent in peopleās suspicions. The few years of her being a private detective worked in her favour, it turned out.Ā
Not sensing anything suspicious, the receptionist turned to focus on her laptop screen. Misty took it upon herself to grab some of the leaflets and place them carefully into her bag.Ā
āYes. Here you are, let me collect the materials you need.ā The receptionist spoke after a few moments, then disappeared behind the desk and reached for something that looked like a tablet, as well as an additional paper file that was filled with forms of some kind. She then re-emerged and handed these over to Misty.
āWelcome to The Lucas Clinic. This file contains all of the information about the service you have chosen, a client agreement and an information consent form. Please sign the client agreement and information consent form prior to you being called for your appointment. The waiting room is to your left, please wait to be called. Also, if its any reassurance, itās normal to be nervousā. A perfectly rehearsed speech, she thought - not unlike her own after all.Ā
āThank you very muchā. Misty responded outwardly. Inwardly, she thought this was all strange. Not only did this place appear like a doctors office, it ran like one too.
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Entering the waiting room, the harsh light struck her instantly, continuing to resemble the nature of a hospital. However, what set it apart from those was the images of their star celebrities that covered the walls floor to ceiling. Of course, most of them were of Hannah Geist - the most in-demand actress, in more ways than one - in her full, pseudo Marilyn Monroe glory. Misty no doubt understood the allure and the appeal, but the reason for choosing Hannah was the same reason one would choose to eat the most popular dish at a beloved restaurant.Ā
Sitting down on one of the chairs in the middle, and taking a note of the time, Misty noticed that she only had 15 minutes to sift through her documentation. Observing her surroundings, she noticed there was only one other person in that waiting room, standard considering this was a weekday afternoon. Even better though, it meant she could collect information she needed to with little risk of suspicion. Without hesitation, she grabbed the stray pen on the table and signed both of them - she needed to get in, she could worry about the contents later. After signing both of these papers, she made sure to discreetly take photos of the forms - she was not risking getting caught in these circumstances.
In her minutes alone, Misty briefly looked over the kind of package she had chosen. A Hannah Geist taster package, created specifically for those who were new like herself. Featuring all of their best-sellers - malaria contracted on a press tour in Argentina, diphtheria contracted in France and pneumonia contracted on a speedy getaway in Sweden. Strangely intense and lethal for a mere starter pack, she thought, but she was their best seller for a reason. The bigger thing that fascinated Misty was how far the service stretched - in a morbid way, she almost admired how effective The Lucas Clinic were with their collection and procedures, even internationally. Supply and demand, after all.
āI wonder how long these take to developā she whispered to herself, and mentally added it to the questions she would have to ask when the right time came.Ā
Placing all of the paperwork in the file, Misty heard her name called out. Looking up, she noticed a man had entered the waiting room. Unfortunately for her, it was a young man, not to mention one she recognised.Ā
What was Syd March doing here?
He had just moved into her apartment block, and had already developed the reputation of being quite the recluse. Nobody knew what his deal was, nor did anyone care. Well, except her.
On the off chance she stayed up late at night (which was most nights), she would stare out of her window and catch him sneaking out of his apartment at unforgivable hours. Sometimes, it would be just to smoke, when she would stare at him as if she were admiring the Mona Lisa itself. If he went beyond the apartment block, her eyes would follow him as far as distance would allow. She no doubt wondered where he went at these hours, and the thought of following him late at night did cross her mind on the occasion.
Now here he was, looking perfectly put together in his work attire and flame red hair pulled back into his staple man-bun. The harsh lights blaring onto his almost translucent skin forced the freckles on his face into view. His eyes simultaneously carried a focused intensity and a peculiar restlessness, as if he was permanently on a quest for something more. Somehow, he both blended in and stood out here. A person of contrast, much like the place itself was.
You are ever the mystery, Syd.Ā
āYes, thatās meā, she stood up to face him at a distance. His eyes sauntered in her direction - whilst they glimmered with the same sense of familiarity, he still kept his expression largely neutral.Ā
āPlease follow meā, he spoke in a manner that reflected his expression. Misty followed suit, clutching onto the file like it was the only hold on her sanity. At that moment, it probably was.
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Entering the appointment room, which was bathed in the same white lighting as everywhere else, Misty began to feel her stomach turn out of revulsion at what was before her. What replaced the floor to wall photos of The Lucas Clinicās designated celebrity clients, was a singular television in the middle of the wall with a loop of the crudest headlines surrounding Hannah Geist one could think of. On the desk, 3 mysterious black cases. No doubt these contained the vials of the diseases. Hoping her internal disgust did not translate to her face, Misty hurriedly sat down opposite Syd at the table.
The moment she sat down, as if by design, she glanced over at the TV and noticed that it no longer displayed the headlines she was so abhorred by. Instead, it showed one singular video loop of Hannah Geist. She was able to recognise it as the same shoot of the photos that were plastered on the walls of the waiting room. She didnāt realise she had been staring at it for a lengthy amount of time until Sydās voice crackled through the silence.
āI understand your fascination with her. Sheāsā¦perfect, somehow isnāt she?ā
She genuinely is, Misty thought to herself. Even for a hardened skeptic like her, that statement presented itself like it was an undeniable fact.Ā
āMore than perfect, an idealā.
Flitting her eyes over to Syd, he seemed similarly transfixed. His icy blue stare almost penetrated through the screen. It was as if Hannah Geist was the only person in the world for him. This wasnāt an act, she could tell he seriously meant every word he said. Genuine adoration, extreme devotion, undeniable obsession.
Misty, being unsure whether to find this alluring or unnerving, pulled her gaze away from him and darted it downwards to the boxes in front of her. Three consecutive ones, one for each part of the package. These were the kind of boxes one would find in jewellers, to hold a special necklace for a loved one. It was all strangely romantic in its framing, but also hinted at their grand value.Ā
āHer eyes seem to reach right beneath your skin, and touch your organsā
She glanced up again, and found him staring right at her.
Oh dear, that was a stare that could see through to her darkest secrets. One that any sort of guard was useless against. One that could get any secret out of her.Ā
In short, it was one she had to avoid at all costs. Fuck.
āGives me the shiversā
As if the universe was mocking her, Misty felt a chill down her own spine. She could only pray that he didnāt notice that.
Just when she thought it couldnāt get any more tense for her, Syd leaned forward over the table, almost as if he was getting ready to unveil a secret to her. Or maybe, an attempt to observe her closely, like she was a lab experiment. Eye contact was simply impossible to maintain under these circumstances, so she averted her gaze back to the boxes that were on the table, which doubled as an implicit way of forcing herself to refocus her attention on information.
She overheard Syd let out a vaguely amused chuckle to himself - a noticeable break in the performance. āYouāre new here, I have heard. As per your request, we have here with us our Hannah Geist taster packageā.
Back to being perfectly rehearsed, I see, she thought to herself. Down to the soft cadence with which he spoke, the quiet, precise gestures he made, and the intensity with which his eyes studied her. It was all an exercise to lure her into romanticising the concept of a biological communion like this. More than that though, it was a seduction that could be placed in any circumstance - and would be effective. Despite being able to piece together the game quickly, Misty found it hard to deny that it almost worked on her.
Damn, heās good at this, she thought.Ā
āIs there anywhere you would like to start?ā
She sat and deliberated for a few small moments. She knew enough about each of the diseases to know which one was the least lethal, and thought it best to start small, āDiptheriaā.
āSmart choiceā. He grabbed the box on her right, and slowly opened it to reveal a small glass vial. It was just as Misty thought - placed delicately in the middle, as if it were a necklace made out of pure gold, or the most expensive diamond ring imaginable. She craned her neck over to examine the vial itself closer.Ā
āThis was collected from Miss Geist in 2009. After a lack of warning about an epidemic that was spreading through a small village in France, she travelled to that town to visit. Miss Geist loves the smaller joys in life, thus she sought to spread that to others, but she collected a small sorrow alongside this. She had to be flown back two days later for treatment. Now itās your chance to share that sorrow with her. Two souls, conjoined in small misery, for the rest of your life.ā
That was it. The key part of their appeal - human connection. The concept of being connected to another person through a shared vulnerability. Deep down, it was something everybody craved, hence why it was so profitable.Ā Without this desire, their company wouldn't exist.
āIt is recommended for first timers like you so, in my opinion, youāve made the correct choice.ā The sudden, subtle compliment threw Misty off balance slightly. Even if this was part of his script, it felt like a strangely specific and intimate comment to make, especially under circumstances like this. She could not prevent the small smile that made its way onto her face as a result.Ā
āShall we start then?ā
Misty moved her eyes upwards, and directly into Sydās studious stare, as if she was directly challenging him.
āYes.ā
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Misty sat there, transfixed.Ā
How Sydās fingers danced so gracefully across the syringe, the precision with which he extracted the contents of the vial, the elegance with which he arranged the materials in front of him. Most importantly, how effortless he made this look. A method to his madness that indicated just how many times he has done this. Both erotic and strangely calming, it was something Misty could have watched on loop, much like that video of Hannah Geist on the TV.Ā
Once he began to face her again, she moved her eyes to face the wall in front. Because of the nature of the disease, it was to be injected into her neck, and thus she forced herself to relax back into the chair.
āTilt your head back for meā. She felt two fingers gently pressing under her chin, compelling her to follow instructions. She did.
āThatās perfect. Now hold still for meāĀ
Sydās fingers gently traced down her neck, on a quest to find the perfect spot to inject her. Travelling across the right side of her neck, he landed on a point just beneath her jawline. He drew himself slightly closer, until he was eye level with the spot, close enough for Misty to feel his warm breath trickling on the side of her neck. A compromising position, to say the least.
She suddenly became hyper aware of how exposed she felt under his watchful eye. It should have made her viscerally uncomfortable - having a stranger who she had only caught fleeting glances at so close to her like this. It was intrusive, and it would have made any normal person squirm.
Well, it did make Misty squirm. Just not in a way that signalled discomfort.
Syd placed two fingers around the surrounding spot, stretching the skin slightly. Taking full advantage of his intense focus, he aimed the needle perfectly at the patch between his fingers. This did not stop him from noticing how Mistyās breath hitched ever so slightly. Having injected countless people in manners like these, he had always assumed it wouldnāt affect him. There was something about her though, how she so readily listened to him, how a single touch sent her hyperventilating, how she practically whimpered when he pushed the needle in. She sounded so vulnerable, so pliable - the perfect prey, completely under his control. He would be lying if he said this didnāt arouse him.
As he pushed the plunger of the syringe down, he let out a breath he didnāt even realise he was holding. āThere, perfection ā. Misty shakily exhaled as well, feeling the liquid entering into her bloodstream. After a few moments, Misty felt herself returning to her body, questioning whether any of what had happened was real. Leaning back fully into the chair, she opened her eyes to see Syd standing over her. With the hospital lighting blaring overhead, he appeared strangely angelic to her - in her state though, she couldnāt tell whether she was in heaven, hell or purgatory.
āYou should begin showing symptoms in the next two daysā.
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Exiting the building of The Lucas Clinic, Misty was finally able to gather her thoughts back to some sense of normalcy. She still had so many unanswered questions that pattered on the fringes of her mind, ones that she would hopefully find at least some of the answers to within the materials she was able to collect. This deliberating and overthinking was not fit for the rainstorm she would be forced to face on the way home.
If there was one thing she was absolutely certain of however, it was how people kept coming back. The process itself was undeniably alluring, she was frankly shocked that it worked even on her. Was it well rehearsed? Coming from a genuine place? Maybe even both? Her well of curiosity had been dug even deeper. She had to stop herself before the rainstorm soaked her and worsened her already pending symptoms. She hastily reached into her bag and pulled out her umbrella, opening it as she walked away from the building, almost speedwalking back to her apartment.Ā
Little did she know, those same icy blue eyes that were staring into her just 10 minutes ago, were now studying her out of a hidden window as she walked away.
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End of Part 1! Since this is my first fic, any feedback is greatly appreciated.
