dispatch au where mecha man is employed into the SDN as a backup super (maybe like an agent? without the suit) besides his job as a dispatcher, and of course flambae is pissed about it, complaining all day when he hears the news and robert can only sigh as he prepares himself for what's to come.
because flambae has had some time to get used to the idea, he doesn't throttle mecha man on sight, but there's a lot of dirty looks and snide comments, also because robert has a day off so he doesn't have his favorite chew toy to bully to blow off some steam.
flambae and mecha man aren't dispatched together, so they mostly manage to stay out of each others' way. the only place they run into each other is the SDN gym.
flambae refuses to leave the gym when he was here first, so he settles on aggressively lifting weights as he glares at mecha man across the room, even if the man isn't paying any attention to him. mecha man is just doing dumb stretches and lifting baby weights and running on the treadmill at like 1km an hour like a weak bitch, and flambae doesn't pass up on the opportunity to heckle him, even if it barely gets him a reaction (robert wants to respond, he really does, but he promised mandy he'd behave and ignore it, so whatever).
after some weeks of that, flambae is fed up and challenges mecha man to a sparring match, which mecha man accepts. they go at each other after work hours, and mecha man gets a surprising lot of good hits in, until flambae gets the upper hand after a mean strike to the man's back that seems to take him down a notch, and he manages to throw mecha man down to the mat. they end up with flambae pinning mecha man onto his stomach, but mecha man doesn't tap out and keeps struggling, and it angers flambae to a point he grabs mecha man by the back of his neck and tightens his hand and squeezes—and suddenly mecha man goes entirely limp under him.
for a split second flambae thinks he might have accidentally used to much force and snapped mecha man's neck, before he feels the man move again, muscles tensing like he's going to try to throw flambae off, and ugh doesn't this guy give up?? so flambae tightens his hand to shove him back down, and for some reason that makes mecha man go limp again, this time with a small punched-out breathy noise that is going to follow flambae all week after that.
they stay like that on the mat, and flambae quickly finds out he barely has to use his strength to pin mecha man down, as long as he keeps his hand on the man's neck and squeezes just hard enough.
flambae has a lot of thoughts about this, about mecha man catching his breath and lying pliant under him as long as flambae keeps him pinned the right way, none of which are HR-approved, but he really can't help himself as he leans down to mecha man's ear and goes, "oh? didn't know you liked that, mecha bitch."
that, of course, gets him a furious reaction and mecha man almost, almost manages to throw flambae off with a surge of strength that is kind of impressive, but flambae just shoves him back down.
"ah ah ah, stay. im not done with you yet."
x
or: flambae finds out mecha man has a thing for being pinned down, and robert finds out he has a thing for being pinned down by flambae.
Whumpee ran. Sprinted through Whumper’s camp, feeling the cold, packed damp earth slapping beneath his feet was disgustingly wonderful. A feeling he didn’t think he’d ever miss, no… but here he was, breathless from the run, already exhausted from weeks of being captured and subdued, beaten and grounded and starved. His lungs screamed at him to stop, his muscles clenching as if he was ten sets into a workout, but Whumpee continued running.
A small crazed smile on his lips as he felt the wind on his face, rushing through his damp hair that Whumper kept tied back. The first thing Whumpee did when he got free was take that blasted bobbin from his hair and let his shoulder length raven birds nest free. He felt… oh gods, he felt alive.
He cleared the camp paths, rushing out of the alleyways packed with tents like buildings on either side and when he emerged onto the field that their camp was on he finally— after weeks that felt like years, stretched his white, feathered wings and continued to run.
Damn the ache in his back from spreading them.
Damn the stiffness of his limbs as he stretched them out to their full wingspan. He felt whole again now that they were no longer chained to his back at awkward angles.
He swallowed the cheers, the hollers, the whoops that threatened to spill out of his mouth from the relief, but he wasn’t out for the woods yet. He still had to clear Whumper’s camp before he risked making any more noise than is necessary.
He beat his wings after the stiffness faded to mere pins and needles. He was skinner than before, even if they were a little out of practice, they would hold him in the skies until he was free. They had never failed him before. And with the cool night air on his cheeks, the sable night sky calling to him, the stars winking, beckoning him to the heavens, Whumpee beat his wings, once, twice, then he was up.
He faltered a bit as he tried to steady himself in the air, a single, breath denying moment of a stumble as he fell through the air. But his wings caught and he wasn’t out for flying— he was—
He was FLYING!
He didn’t care as hot tears rolled down his cheeks, whipped away by the wind as he soared high above his prison, Whumper’s vile camp.
He was— he was actually going to be free…
And then he flew straight into a wall. Whumpee blinked, stunned as his body slammed against it— but it was just open air. Open sky.
“No,” he muttered, slamming his hand against it and a ripple whirled against the invisible barrier. The same barriers that Whumper’s sadistic Right Hand could weave. “No! No, NO!”
He pushed and clawed against the barrier and glanced up. He tried to fly above its edge, the impenetrable wall meeting a ceiling and he cursed.
“No! No! No! Come on,” he cried, pushing with all his strength against the barrier. There had to be a weak spot. There had to be.
“Do you know what the real kicker is?” A cold voice asked from below. Whumpee froze physically, while his insides raged against a storm. His heartbeat hammered against his chest, sweat forming on his brow, his chest, his back from the exertion. Whumpee trembled as he tilted his head down to see Whumper directly below him. Whumper met Whumpee’s gaze with a cruel smile as he stepped past the barrier that kept Whumpee trapped within the confines of the camp. “It only works on you, darling. It helps to keep your pesky friends out, and your defiant, ungrateful self in. Exactly how I want you.”
Whumpee snarled. “I’m not coming down. I’m not letting you chain me up again.”
Whumper stepped back into the barrier, all humour gone from his sharp, angular face, but his eyes glinted with a dark promise. “Good thing I don’t need your permission then, isn’t it?”
With a click of his fingers a spear appeared in his hand and Whumpee paled. Whumper tossed the spear in his hand, getting the weight of it in his fingers as he assessed Whumpee above.
“You can either come down here, now, or I’ll bring you down, boy.”
Whumpee glanced around the camp, but there was nobody else out of bed. Only Whumper. He could fly to the opposite end, avoid his attacks and then what? He couldn’t leave! Spelled to remain—
Before Whumpee could finish the thought he felt the whistle of the spear through the air and he rolled, barely dodging the blow in time. The spear ran straight through the barrier like a mocking taunt, but Whumpee couldn’t focus on that as Whumper summoned another spear into his hand.
“This one won’t miss. One last chance, Whumpee,” Whumper sang. His voice like gravel, echoing shards of ice through Whumpee’s ears and sending shivers down his spine. Whumpee knew how good Whumper’s aim was, and he didn’t want his wings to be speared which is exactly what Whumper would do.
Whumpee hung his head, wings beating against the air to keep him up. “Okay,” he said, hands balling into fists at his sides. “Okay,” he said again and let the air catch his wings as he descended.
It was pathetic really. Whumpee had a chance at freedom, at escape, and all it took for his defiance to smoulder was Whumper. Not an army. Not an onslaught of Whumper’s bloodthirsty soldiers, just… just him. With a spear.
Whumpee’s feet had barely touched the ground before Whumper tackled him to the ground. Whumpee’s head hit off the barrier with an oomph as his shoulders took the brunt of the blow to the cold, hard earth below.
Whumper straddled Whumpee’s waist, a cold smile on his thin lips. “You know how much I love your wings, Whumpee,” Whumper cooed, running his fingers over the feathers that made Whumpee squirm. He didn’t want the sensitive spots to be touched, especially by Whumper. That was something that he and his mate would share if he— if he ever got out of here.
But Whumper knew that. Knew how intimate a gesture touching Whumpee’s wings was and did it anyway.
“Which is why I’m so proud you didn’t make me put a hole through them,” he continued, touching an especially sensitive spot that made Whumpee whimper under Whumper. “But you still need to be punished. Right Hand suggested I clip your wings.”
Whumpee’s eyes went wide through his terror, shaking his head as Whumper smiled down his horrible smile at Whumpee. “Don’t worry, darling, I told her I won’t do that. I want you to still be able to fly… but your punishment remains.”
Whumper grabbed Whumpee’s wrist and yanked his hand down until it was parallel to the ground. Whumpee struggled, trying to pull against Whumper’s strength, but his grip was strong, sure. Fed. Whumper wasn’t starved like Whumpee. Whumpee’s resistance was futile and they both knew it.
“Now, since your hands are the actual offenders, getting you out of your chains, I think this will be a fitting punishment.”
Whumper didn’t wait a beat before slamming the spear through Whumpee’s palm and burying it into the ground below. Whumpee screamed and thrashed under Whumper, begging, pleading for him to take it out, take it out, I’m sorry.
Whumper clicked his fingers and another spear appeared. Whumpee kicked and tried to worm his way out from under Whumper but every small movement aggravated his impaled hand and he cried out.
“You got cooped up, little bird, it’s okay,” Whumper cooed. “You wanted to be outside, you should’ve just asked, boy.”
“See? With those manners, I’d give you anything, darling.”
Then he impaled Whumpee’s other palm into the ground, effectively pinning him to ground, arms stretched out wide to his sides. Whumpee screamed as fire raced through his blood, no longer struggling but every breath, every tremor threatened to move his limbs and he wanted to be sick. The stench of dirt and cold and metal from his blood filled his senses which roared like a beast inside him.
Whumper’s smile dropped from his face as he stared down at Whumpee. He stroked a hand down Whumpee’s wing and Whumpee couldn’t stop the knee jerk reaction that tore against his hand and he screamed again.
“Now boy, you’re outside. Just as you wanted. A nice night below the stars might do you some good.”
Whumpee trembled as Whumper’s heat pulled away from him as the bastard stood. His mind only processing Whumper’s words after he walked towards the streets line with tents.
“Wait! You- you can’t leave me here!” Whumpee yelled after him, panic seizing his throat. “Whumper!”
Whumper didn’t answer, just kept walking further and further away. “Whumper! WHUMPER!”
“WHUMPER!”
There was no response. Whumpee stared up at the stars winking down at him, beckoning him to the sky and he sobbed.
