Cousins Sebastian and Ben absolutely hate each other. Fate gets cruel when they both end up falling in love with you. They fight for your love, try to one up each other constantly and even attempt to destroy one another’s reputation playing very dangerous games just to get you in the end.
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Summary: Determined to get back to work, Camille is eager to return to Epomis as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Benji dreads his future role in the group.
Contents: descriptions of past abuse; caretaking; Benji really having a time of it; vore - mentions of non-fatal unwilling, mentions of digestion
Wordcount: 2,398
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Benji wants to take things slow. He wants to give Camille ample time to recover before she does anything too energy consuming. He wants her injuries to heal, her cheeks to fill out again. He wants the light to return to her eyes.
But Camille will have none of it. She wants to get in contact with McMullen as soon as possible. She wants to dive back in and pick up right where she left off. Her stay at the Facility had only doubled her drive to further Epomis' goals.
Benji convinces her to take at least one day of rest before she does any of that. Besides, he tells her, even if she reaches out to McMullen right away, it's doubtful he'll get back to her immediately. He is a very busy man. So instead she agrees to let Benji attend to her. She agrees to let Benji reach out to Oscar and let him get in contact with McMullen.
And so Benji makes the most out of this single day of having Camille to himself. He feels like having her back in his life has reenergized him. He pulls back the curtains and lets the sunlight in. He cleans the house and waters the plants. He plays music while he works. Camille doesn't do much else besides watch, but he doesn't mind. It's more than he could have ever asked for.
When meal times come around, Benji cooks her whatever she wants. He has to make a quick trip to Sprockets, the local grocery store, as their food supply is woefully lacking. He hates leaving her alone, but she assures him she'll be fine. She's tired anyway.
Camille does a lot of sleeping that day. More than Benji expects. It's during one of her naps that he makes a call to Oscar. He's too afraid to say much, but Benji explains that he needs to see McMullen face-to-face right away, that he has insider information about the Facility that he can only pass on in person. Oscar is suspicious at first, but eventually he gives in and says he'll get back in contact as soon as McMullen is available.
Once Camille awakens, Benji relays the news. He can't tell how she feels about it. She simply nods and moves on, for which Benji is grateful. They have no more discussions about Epomis or the Facility for the rest of the day. Felix's name is never mentioned. There is absolutely no arguing over the private contract.
In between cooking and cleaning and Camille napping, Benji convinces her to let him look over her injuries. He pokes and prods at her. She winces and grits her teeth. He puts antibiotic on any of her open wounds and makes her hold an ice packet to anything swollen or freshly bruised. He's quite sure she has at least one cracked rib and possibly a sprain in her ankle. Her left shoulder doesn't have as much mobility as her right, and she admits that at one point it got dislocated and she had to reset it herself.
"You really need to go to the hospital for most of this," Benji tells her gently after he finishes wrapping her ankle.
Camille shakes her head. "I can't. I'm legally dead now," she explains. "If I do anything to put me back on the Facility's radar, we'd both be at risk. Besides, there are doctors in Epomis. When I return, someone there can take care of me."
Benji doesn't like it, but he agrees with her nonetheless.
Benji doesn't hear back from Oscar the next day. Or the day after that. Camille starts to get restless. Benji reminds her McMullen is a busy man. At least, Benji thinks, Camille has more time to recover. Even only a few days have shown much improvement in her. He only worries she might end up permanently injured in some way the longer she holds off on seeing a real doctor.
The only reprieve they get from the ever pressing tension of waiting for Oscar to call back, is when Benji's phone rings and it's not Oscar but Brandon calling. Breathless, the oldest Marotta explains that Sarah has gone into labor. Within 24 hours, Brandon is the proud father of a beautiful baby girl named Isadora Marotta.
Of course, Camille insists on seeing the baby as soon as possible. She waits for Brandon and Sarah to bring her home. Then she works to make herself look as decent as possible before heading over with Benji. Everyone is surprised to see her, although they're worried at the state she's in. She and Benji insist that she merely took a bad fall during her retreat. It's not a perfect excuse, but everyone has grown used to the vague explanations and are so distracted by baby Isadora that the story isn't questioned too deeply. Besides, Benji can't say he's unhappy by the way Camille lights up holding her new niece.
It's almost a week later before Benji's phone goes off, and this time it really is Oscar on the other line. He quickly gives a time and a place. Camille is looking at Benji expectantly as soon as he's off the phone.
"Tomorrow," he says. "Tomorrow we can see McMullen."
Camille tilts her head back and lets out a sigh of relief. The corners of her mouth rise as she lets her eyes flutter shut.
"Finally," she murmurs, "something is going right."
Despite the circumstances, Benji smiles as well. All he's wanted since Camille's return is to see her happy again. This is the closest he's gotten so far. He'll take it no matter the reason.
The location Oscar gives turns out to be a cute little cottage in the woods just outside of town. Benji wonders if the cottage is on loan from a friend to Epomis or if Epomis itself bought the building for small, quiet meetings like this one. Either way, it feels secluded enough to be safe.
Benji and Camille arrive early in the morning. Benji stops at the door, not sure if he should knock, but Camille shoves right past him and pushes her way inside. Oscar and McMullen are already waiting for them in the sitting room. They both jump to their feet as soon as they see Camille.
"Camille?" Oscar says in surprise, his mouth gaping.
"Camille, my dear!" McMullen cries. He crosses the room and Camille falls into his arms.
"I don't understand," Oscar says as he watches the two embrace. "No one's ever escaped from the Facility." He turns his attention to Benji. "There's only one way out of that place."
"I know," Benji responds.
Camille pulls away from McMullen. "And it's exactly how I got out," she explains.
Oscar and McMullen exchange bewildered looks.
"What do you mean by that, Camille?" McMullen asks with such intensity it makes Benji squirm.
Camille glances to her brother.
Before Benji can lose his nerve, he raises his right fist and says, "I made a deal." He tugs his sleeve down his arm.
A horrified silence falls over the room. Benji doesn't move.
"Does that contract belong to who I think it belongs to?" McMullen asks once he's recovered from his shock.
"Lux Feuerbach," Benji answers and holds out his wrist.
McMullen approaches and delicately takes Benji's hand in his own. Benji tries not to flinch at his touch. McMullen turns Benji's wrist about, inspecting the band at every angle, running his finger over the engraved name.
"I told him he could have my life for hers," Benji explains. He hopes no one notices the way his voice shakes ever so slightly. He'd gone over this cover story with Camille dozens of times before leaving that morning. "I've always suspected that he still wanted to consume me, even after all these years. And I was right. His desire to have me outmatched even his dedication to his work. He consumed Camille under the guise of disposing of her then smuggled her out. As far as the Facility knows, she's gone and no longer being actively searched for."
McMullen finally tears his eyes off of Benji's wristband. "How long does this contract last?"
Benji hesitates for only a heartbeat. "He didn't say."
That much is true, though it had been Benji's understanding that there was no expiration on their contract.
"So he could come for you at any moment," Oscar concludes.
"I suppose he could," Benji replies.
McMullen loosens his grip just enough that Benji takes the cue and pulls his hand back.
"Did Lux give you any sort of way to contact him?" McMullen asks.
Benji shakes his head. "If he wanted to, he could come to me, but he didn't leave me any instructions on going to him."
"What do you imagine he'd do if you did go to him?"
Benji shifts and pulls his sleeve down as far as it will go. "I'd rather not find out."
McMullen regards him for a long moment. Then finally he says, "I understand." He eases back from Benji then sweeps his hand to encompass the rest of the sitting room. "Why don't we all sit down? I think we have quite a bit to talk about."
Everyone does as McMullen suggests, and the Marottas spend the next two hours answering every one of his pressing questions.
There aren't many more for Benji, but Camille... Camille is a different story. McMullen wants every last detail she can remember of the Facility. Benji starts to become physically nauseous hearing all the tortures Camille had to endure. A few times, Camille herself chokes up and can't continue her story until she's had a few minutes to calm herself. McMullen tells her to take her time but to continue when she's ready.
Her extractor had been a man named Cecil Scarberry. From what Camille had gleaned, he's relatively new to his position as an extractor, and he loves his job far too much. Camille goes on at length about all the times he'd beat her nearly unconscious, hold her face underwater, squeeze her throat so she couldn't breathe, or chain her up in uncomfortable positions for hours at a time.
Sometimes he'd consume her and let her suffer through the beginnings of digestion before releasing her again. Afterwards, he'd hold her close and tell her how excited he was for the day when he could finally digest her for real. But not yet. She'd been much too fun to be done with so quickly.
Other times, he wouldn't visit Camille for days at a time. He'd leave her alone in complete darkness, the cold room and the pressing silence her only company. She wouldn't even be brought food. She'd be left with a single bucket of water in the corner and no way of knowing how carefully she needed to ration it.
Cecil had apparently let it slip a few times that he'd been mentored by Lux Feuerbach himself.
"The way he talked about Lux," Camille says at this point, "it was clear he basically idolized him."
McMullen and Oscar nod like this makes complete sense. Benji simply drops his eyes to the floor. He can't let himself believe that Felix is the one responsible for the monster who put Camille through so much hell.
"Thank you for sharing all this with us, Camille," McMullen says after she's shared every last grueling detail. "I know several other people in Epomis who would be most interested in everything you've just told me."
"You mean, you're going to make her repeat all that?" Benji asks in disbelief. Hearing Camille recount everything she went thought had been almost worse than living those few weeks without her. He couldn't imagine what it had felt like from her end.
"Camille has valuable information that needs to be shared," McMullen explains to Benji like he's a child. "It's possibly the most valuable information we've ever gotten. We've never had an insider's account of the Facility. Camille needs to share her story with as many people as possible so that it might never be forgotten."
Benji can feel his insides begin to boil. "The only thing Camille needs to do is rest and try to move on from everything the Facility has put her through."
McMullen scowls, and Benji feels someone grab his arm. He looks back and realizes he's halfway out of his seat with only Camille holding him back.
"It's okay, Benji," she assures him. "This is something I want to do."
Benji gapes, searching for a response. But what is his supposed to say? That Camille doesn't actually know what she wants? Defeated, he sits back down and closes his mouth tight.
Camille turns back to McMullen. "I have one condition, though."
McMullen raises a brow. "Name it."
"I want Benji by my side through everything."
Benji glances up in surprise. McMullen simply looks pensive.
"Everything?" McMullen asks. He says the word as though it encompasses something horrible.
Camille nods. "He deserves it," she goes on. "After what he gave away for me. After doing something no one has ever accomplished before. He deserves it. And besides that—" she pauses to turn her attention to her brother, "I feel safer... stronger when we're together."
Benji doesn't expect the rush of affection that comes over him. "Camille..." he mumbles but can't think of any more words sufficient enough to respond.
McMullen is already nodding. "That's a condition I can agree to." He stands suddenly. "Now I think that's enough discussion." He nods towards Camille. "You need some real medical attention. I have some contacts in Epomis who have the skill to help and the ability to keep their mouths shut. I'll call someone in and we'll get you patched up good as new in no time."
Benji wants to argue that it will take much longer than "no time" for Camille to heal, but he bites his tongue. Camille's already vouched for him. He shouldn't press his luck.
McMullen leaves the room to make a call. Oscar turns to Camille and starts updating her on the more tedious and boring day-to-day happenings at Epomis she's missed out on. Benji simply tries to imagine he's somewhere else.
Once McMullen's contact arrives and starts tending to Camille's wounds, things begin moving very quickly, and Benji gets very good at imagining he's somewhere else.
