Mr. Fix It
Sylus strode into his “Tinker Workshop” as you’ve lovingly noted it with a hand made sign on printer paper and some crayon (sourced: Luke and Kieran) taped right onto the door.
It was one of many “Sylus cave”s that he used to sort his various hobbies and this one just happened to be where he typically messed with mechanics and electronics as it was located just off of the main underground garage space and several bikes and vintage fixer-upper cars filled out the area, too include the bike covered in your pink decorative painting.
Any thoughts Sylus had on starting a new vintage watch repair job that would require such delicate work died when he saw Valko in his seat, crunched over his desk, with his mechanical crow disabled and pried open like some horrible artificial-avian vivisection.
Sylus sat the small box containing an ancient and rusted time piece on the broad metallic table with an unimpressed ting.
Valko looked up then, at least having the decency to look a little sheepish with his glasses having slipped low on the bridge of his nose, high precision soldering tools in either hand.
“Hey.” Valko greeted simply.
“Hey.” Sylus- well, walking wasn’t quite accurate so much as he stalked over. An uncanny grace to his movement as he positioned himself just over Valko’s shoulder until the younger man was tensing slightly, the tools gripped just a hair-width tighter.
Valko felt the heat of Sylus at his back and every slow, measured exhale brushing the short hairs on the back of his neck.
“Why…” Sylus started, carefully quiet, as if the next few moments would decide how badly Valko crossed the leader of Onychinus. “Is Mephisto so… distastefully dismantled on my table right now.”
The emphasis of “my” was brought home when Sylus placed a single hand on the table, blocking Valko in on one side before seemingly thinking better of it. Both hands on the table, leaning fully over Valko, forcing the wolf to feel small despite the fact that technically Valko was a bit more built than Sylus.
Valko felt his face heat, unknowingly giving off every signal of a submitting wolf with the way he shrunk into himself slightly, neck turned just a fraction. His eyes stayed glued on the mechanical crow in front of him. Valko had not fully turned off the crow. He didn’t think it was possible, actually. Instead, he just… got as close as possible considering the strange components, the vaguest hints of biological material, and the undeniable presence of incredible protocore manipulation and application. Some of this stuff he’s never seen before in his life. An incredible marvel!
“I heard a quiet catch in the motor.” Valko mumbled slightly, setting a tool aside to instead grab a tiny motor that would act as an analog to an avian air sac.
“Had some debris in it. Wanted to make sure it wasn’t from other components. Found some non-vital damages… started repairing them… and some upgrades… this circuit board here should allow better hardware control for his flight feathers…”
The more Valko spoke, the more flustered he felt as Sylus supplied the occasional hum as reply. Finally, Sylus let his chin settle on Valko’s shoulder.
“I don’t like it when people mess with my things.” Sylus murmured before turning his head in and ghosting his lips over Valko’s pulse.
“Ask next time; I’ll prep him for… tinkering. Mephisto hates being effectively paralyzed and torn open like this. You’ll have to face the consequences and make it up to him.”
A whine peeled from Valko unabashed, squirming from the promise of a tease while also swimming with a little guilt.
“S-shit… he shouldn’t be ‘conscious’. I thought-“
“You thought you knew all of what you were working with. You don’t. Mephisto is one of a kind.”
“I’m sorry-“
“Mm… you don’t have to apologize to me. I’m… rather impressed, actually…. Don’t be surprised if your life suddenly becomes more difficult though. He holds a grudge.” With that, Sylus moved back.
Valko sucked in air like he’d been deprived of it. Sylus, meanwhile, simply flicked his wrist to send a vinyl to the record player and start it while picking up his new toy again and grabbing the various supplies and tools he needed for it.
“I suggest you start putting him back together, puppy.”
“How the hell am I supposed to do that when you got my dick all hard pulling that shit!”
“Hm… sounds like a difficult situation to be in. Too bad. Make a mistake and I’ll simply have to punish you- without giving you kitten support.”
“What the fuck… that’s so evil…” Valko whined, but picked his tools back up as Sylus merely laughed a very definitely evil laugh (according to Valko).
Valko luckily (or unluckily) didn’t make any mistakes, but the moment Mephisto was returned to full functionality, he was chased from the office by a very angry crow with better optimized hardware and repaired motor while Sylus only watched and laughed.
