chase a couple hearts

Monsters, psychopaths, villains and sycophants dwell within this multi-muse, multi-verse blog. If you fear blood, violence, or diseases of the mind, do not follow this blog.

[zzywrites]

lamentingicarus​:

The protests were usually peaceful. His parents never understood why he had to be here. They worried, that was what Isaiah told himself. They thought he was normal. Isaiah didn’t really care to shed light that would contradict their opinions of him as they sent Alex away while he was still young. Isaiah rarely saw him and when he did, Alex just ignored him. 

“Human rights are everybody’s right!” He chanted with everyone around him. He was on autopilot at this point. Numb. Months had passed since anyone had seen Ira and Isaiah could still remember their last encounter. They fought. And everyone blamed him for why Ira was missing. They never fought, not like that at least. Not in front of the whole school. Ira was just looking out for him. That was it. But Isaiah was afraid he would’ve killed the other teenager if he hadn’t interfered. And Ira took the rest of his anger out on him it felt like. He had never heard those words come from Ira’s mouth before. He was struggling still. 

Therapy wasn’t helping, nothing felt like it was helping. That was until he looked beyond himself at the crowd and saw someone standing there, troubled. But it wasn’t someone, it was Ira. 

Isaiah blinked, hoping this wasn’t a new symptom, seeing Ira in places he wasn’t. He left his spot in the crowd and walked towards the person, towards Ira and allowed himself to believe that this person was Ira. He broke out into a full run and hugged the other teenager, tears coming out of his eyes as hugged him.

@thewriterghoul​

Ira took in a deep breath, preparing himself as he flipped his hood up over head head. It was almost time.

At the corner of his eye, movement coming at him caught his attention, but before he could fully register what was happening, a pair of arms threw themselves around him. Ira found himself stunned, his feet frozen in place as his brain caught up with the moment, and he realized who the person was that had recognized him. 

“I-Isaiah,” he stumbled over his words, overwhelm flooding him like a busted water pipe. He couldn’t help but smile at first; he missed him terribly and had wanted so badly to call him to at least apologize for the way things were left off but... He wasn’t supposed to contact anyone in his old life. Especially Alexander’s little brother.

Ira snapped back to reality, fear and anxiety washing over him as it dawned on him the dangerous situation that this was about to turn into. “Isaiah - I’m so happy to see you -- but you need to leave. You need to leave right now,” he took him by the hand and pulled him to the side, putting himself in front of Isaiah when one of the others glanced back to look at him again. He pretended to act casual, prepared, and as soon as they looked forward again, he quickly tugged Isaiah away and out of the crowd. “Please. I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry for everything. But I really need you to go. It’s not safe here,” he paused, thinking before he corrected himself,” it’s not going to be safe here soon.”

[zzywrites]

lamentingicarus​:

Alexander smiled at Quinn even though he knew the other couldn’t see. 

He wondered how willingly he was here or if this was the boyfriend that Cedric bragged about stealing. Alexander just assumed stole from another person, he certainly never suspected the other of kidnapping someone to force them to be with him. Yet it seemed like it was the point of Quinn’s existence. 

“Freedom,” Alexander answered quietly. “To not be under anyone, to not answer to anyone, to be myself.” He looked away from Quinn and towards his drink in his hand.

He could vividly remember the look on his parents face when they found out he had powers. How they sent him away and the abuse and begging to come home and the hung up phone calls. To the point he stopped talking to him normal family, including his younger brother, hating him for having the life he never had. 

Alexander could feel his powers swell inside of him, begging for a release of emotions but pushed it all down.

“To make sure no one goes through what I had to go through again.”

Which was why the first place he destroyed was the school for metas. He killed every teacher there regardless if they were there when he was or not. Then he searched out everyone who had every harmed him while he was there. 

He could tell Quinn was suffering. That he did not want to be there and it pained him right now that he would have to let this injustice sit. He needed his ducks in a row before he killed every human in Cedric’s gang. Anyone who had any part of this.

Quinn smiled softly at Alexander’s answer. He respected it, but he couldn’t relate. “Isn’t that the motive of most every man here in this room?” He replied, looking over his shoulder to the direction that he knew Cedric would come from to imply that it was not much different than the boss’s motivations. “That’s surface level stuff. You can do better than that. Give me something better.”

He waited patiently, and his patience was well rewarded. Finally, Alexander had revealed something better than the greedy desire for power that he’d become so accustomed to being around. His eyebrow furrowed as his words tugged at his heart strings, noticing the underlying pain in his voice that others blessed with sight might not have detected, too focused on his stoic features to hear it. “And what is that? If you don’t mind me asking,” he asked, leaning in now as he propped himself against the table to hear him better. “Of course, I am a stranger. Don’t tell me if it makes you relive trauma. But you have my complete attention should you choose to.”

@thewriterghoul​

[zzywrites]

thewriterghoul​:

@leavetheminshreds, reposted for obvious reasons

Going to the lounge to meet with Silas was something that Alexander usually looked forward too. It was the one night of the month that he could sit with someone who knew what he did and was okay with it. Outside his usual metas he spied on and manipulated to get them towards him, Silas was none of that. He never heard of the other until he helped him rescue Quinn from Cedric. But he admired the other for what he did and remaining so low reap that even Alexander didn’t know much about the other outside of what he asked about.

It was a fine line he balanced with Silas. He wanted to know more about him, but he didn’t want to overstep his boundaries too much. Alexander liked doing business with the other.

Walking into the lounge he looked around and quickly saw the other as he stood up. “Silas” he greeted with a warm smile, quickly noticing something was not quite right with him. He looked not like himself and looked as though he needed something. Alexander wasn’t one to usually help others who only provided a service to him but Silas was different. And Alexander felt that he owed him the benefit of the doubt in the situation.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Alexander offered right off the bat, concerned for his friend’s health and for his safety. “You know if you need help, all you have to do is ask. I hope that comes without saying.” He commented, as his drink was placed in front of him. “I owe you far more than you realize.“

A look of relief washed over Silas’s tired eyes, shutting the door to their private room behind the man before he sat back into the plush velvet seat. Before Alexander had arrived, he’d nearly fallen asleep in it had he not walked in any sooner.

He offered the man opposite him a weak smile, pleased at how affable he was towards him. Silas knew of the brutality and coldness that Alexander was capable of, and he considered it an honor to be considered vital enough to his operation to ask for help and receive it. “There is something you could help me with, yes. And it’s imperative that you do so that I can better help you,” he said, taking a deep breath before continuing. “You don’t owe me anything. Your business alone has increased my business and profits tenfold. I’ve done more with you in a year than I ever could with Cedric.”

Silas reached for his glass of bourbon, letting the ice clink in the glass as he starred down at it briefly before taking a sip. It chilled his tongue, but burned his throat on the way down. He held the glass to his chest, cradling it almost. “But I do have something that I need to tell you about myself that I have not told anyone,” the fair-skinned Egyptian man adjusted himself uncomfortably in his seat. “There is no one else I trust more than you with this.”

“I’m a meta-human. That may be hard to believe because we don’t have traditional powers. In fact, I am the power,” Silas tensed again, his jaw tightening and the expression on his face twisting in agitation and disgust, as if he wished it weren’t true. “It’s challenging to explain. But I’m the better half of my host. The more efficient, analytical one. I’m the opportunist, between the two of us. I can do more in 4 hours than a normal person can achieve in a month - and that’s what I have been doing because that’s often all the time I have without depriving myself of sleep to push for more of it.”

“I need your help to make my time more permanent, if you understand what I mean. And if you can’t, that’s fine. I needed to tell you so that if he fights back against me and I’m gone too long, you’ll know where to find me.”

[zzywrites]

@lamentingicarus​

Breathe.

Ira took in a sharp breath, doing his best to keep his heart from beating out of his chest. ‘It’ll be easy once it starts,’ he told himself in his head despite the way he suppressed his trembling in the crowd of people surrounding him. 

‘You have nothing to lose,’ his inner dialogue continued, his breathing relaxing a little. ‘You just have to do your part to get your brother. That’s it. That’s it. Focus on that,’ ira tensed again when someone behind him tripped and stumbled into him. His eyes caught the stare of two of the others staged in the crowd, and they had a moment of acknowledgement with their subtle glances at one another. 

Ira cracked his neck, leaning his head to one side then the other to relieve his anxiousness, but it was for little avail. He knew that he could do this. His fear of being arrested were null after plenty of tedious, hard training that proved to him that bulletproof vests, riot shields and guns couldn’t stop him. His powers were strong. Stronger than he ever realized. So strong that when he was pushed past his limit and survived, it scared him a little.

So why was he so nervous? Why did this feel wrong? Everyone else here seemed ready for this. Hell, to some, it was a competition.

Ira took in a deep breath. It didn’t matter. He had orders. 

The muscles in his jaw tensed as he pulled a mask out of his pocket to prepare himself, turning it over in his hands like he did his troubled thoughts.

[ramimedley1981]

[chewbacca]

Oliver Jackson-Cohen as Peter Quint The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020) Creator: Mike Flanagan

[seygabriels]

(●´ω｀●)

[zzywrites]

Control ; Silas & Alexander @lamentingicarus​

Silas hummed to himself. A vacant expression left his facial gestures unreadable, like a thought had such a vigorous hold on his attention that he’d withdrawn entirely within himself, separated from the outside world. His lithe fingertips played thoughtlessly with the seams of the chair he lounged in, waiting patiently for his boss --  his colleague -- no, his friend to arrive at the private lounge for drinks and business.

There was distinctly tired look in his eyes, which was unlike his usual bright and energetic demeanor. Some of Alexander’s needs required him to squeeze out as many hours awake as he could, and at times, meant not resting at all with the means of coffee and caffeine pills to ensure that sleep didn’t risk him slipping away. He had things in order so that he could be gone for a few days without consequence in his operations, but he was met with resistance, now. The other was trying to fight back.

It was time to come clean about it, and ask for help. Silas prided himself for ability to resolve problems on his own -- it was his innate gift, after all -- but in this, if he were to be of full use to Alexander, he needed his help.

When the tall Asian man entered, Silas rose to greet him. “I apologize for my absence the last week,” he said, drawing his lips together into a thin line briefly, personally annoyed at his lack of control over the situation. The expression in his eyes held true remorse and lamentation; this was not an excuse. There was an obstacle in his way. “I’m afraid my time is very limited and sporadic lately.”

[s-k-y-w-a-l-k-e-r]

[rami-malek-yeah]

Wow, it's amazing!

[dawn0fsanity]

Rami Malek - British GQ, December 2020 (2/7)

[zzywrites]

lamentingicarus​:

Earth was nervous as he looked around the hallway. It was empty and he grateful. He could feel the powers under his skin crackling as someone was nearby. Behind a door he hoped as he raised his shaking fist to knock on the door.

He was worried about Theo. He hadn’t seen him online in a few days and that was unusual for the other. At least without warning. Theo at least told him when not to expect him online. One day was fine. Two days he worried. On the third day he felt like it would be a bother to send a message and ask if everything was okay. But it was now day five and he was standing in front of Theo’s apartment ready to make sure Theo was okay.

Earth had rehearsed a speech, justifying his being here without an invitation. But when the door opened and he looked at Theo, not Theo apparently, his mind froze. “I—uh.” He paused tried to collect his thoughts as he stared at the person unsure what to say or do. He wasn’t expecting this.

“Sorry,” He finally settled one. “I was worried about Theo. He hasn’t been online for almost a week and I decided to make sure he was okay.”

He looked away from the other, not sure what to do or say, if anything he shifted his weight trying to get comfortable standing there under the gaze of another.

Silas’s head tilted the the side, looking curiously and intently at the man before him. He’d caught him off guard, but that was to be expected. “That’s okay, no need to apologize,” he said, flashing a charming half smile as he chuckled a little. 

But as Earth continued, his smile disappeared into a frown, and his eyebrows knitted together to feign concern. “I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I’m afraid that he had a mental breakdown. I had to admit him to a mental hospital earlier this week. His... Episodes have been a lot worse lately. I couldn’t let him continue to ignore it and pretend like nothing was wrong. I don’t know how long he’ll be there for yet. I’m so sorry you had to find out like this.”

Silas sighed, his lips pressed together as his gaze fell to the floor with lamentation painted across his face. One hand still on the door, he gripped it protectively, as if wanting to avoid letting Earth get a glance inside.. After a moment, he shook off the lamenting thoughts with a shake of his head, and looked back up at the man to offer another half smile in condolence. “I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure of being introduced before. I’m Silas. Are you a friend of Theo’s?” Glancing over his shoulder briefly, he frowned again. “I’d offer you inside for a cup of coffee, but the place is a bit of a mess. Can I buy you a cup at the cafe downstairs? It’s the least I can do for a friend of Theo’s. You must care a lot about him to come looking for him.”

And how annoying that was.

[zzywrites]

lamentingicarus​:

Alexander smiled. Quinn. He certainly knew more than he let on about the world around him. And it made Alexander only fall for him harder. He half wondered what he should tell the other as he took a drink of his whisky. The truth seemed the best in this case, Quinn already assumed the worst of him, why not make it true. 

“I run a terrorist cell.” He commented with a half smirk. “At least that is what the government calls us. I prefer the term freedom fighter. The take no shit squad. I have more if you want them,” he chuckled as he looked around them. “So I highly doubt your human of a boyfriend will do anything. If he does, I have no problem making an example of him and his thugs.”

Alexander looked back at Quinn, wishing he would be comfortable but what he knew of the other, he was sure Quinn heard plenty and was afraid for himself in this situation. The thought alone was almost enough to make Alexander leave but he couldn’t. He didn’t want to leave Quinn here. “Does that bother you?” He asked. 

Quinn leaned back against the couch to disguise the tenseness in his shoulders. Deep breathes eluded him in the way he sipped on little bursts of oxygen in-between long pauses, when he’d hold his breath to focus on voices and sounds outside of the the two of them. 

Gripping his own elbows as he draped his curiously tattooed arms across his chest, he leaned his head to the side, exposing the swallow tattoo on the left side of his delicate neck. From the look in his eyes, didn’t seem terribly surprised, phased, or impressed by the man’s profession; he was far too desensitized by his own experiences with the company Cedric kept. 

At Alexander’s question, he bit his lip, pausing before answering, listening again in case someone who’d snitch on him was in earshot. “It doesn’t,” he said plainly with a bored tone in his voice, “feel free to make an example of whomever you please. There’s not a person in this room that doesn’t deserve it in some way.”

Quinn leaned forward again, resting his elbow on the table to use his arm as a kickstand to rest his chin on as he leaned in curiously towards the man now. “I don’t care about your power, or what you’re capable of. I’m used to being around powerful men. It’s nothing particularly new to me. What I care about is what’s in a person’s heart and their mind. The things that no one can see- that matter most -- yet, so often ignored for the physical. What keeps your heart beating, Alexander? What songs sings in your soul? If you can answer me that - honestly - I welcome your company. But if not, well... Then I suppose it makes sense that you’d be a friend of Cedric’s.” 

[zzywrites]

[zzywrites]

@orchidwrites​ Existence... Such a fickle, arbitrary thing, isn’t it?

The man hummed to himself as he glanced at the sheet-covered mirror beside the black lounge chair he reclined in. His eyebrows knitted together, casting shadows over his pools for eyes, lost in thought. For a second, he seemed to have made a decision and lifted his hand to gently grasp the sheet as if to remove it from the mirror, but a moment of hesitation crept into him, and he let his hand fall to the armchair once again. 

“You had to make this a messy situation, didn’t you?” the fair Egyptian spoke with a melodious lilt about his voice, sighing as he eyed the covered mirror once again. The man shifted in his seat, pulling out a black leather wallet from his pocket. He flipped it open in one swift motion with his thumb and slipped out the plastic ID card settled in the front pocket. 

Silas Hatem Age: 30 Eye Color: Blue Height: 5′7 Silas turned the card over in his hand, admiring the craftwork of the counterfeiter that helped him exist in this world. 

A knock on the door caught him by surprise, but he stood up at once, tucking away the card back into its slot and slipping his wallet back into his pocket. He looked down at his clothes to make sure he was presentable, tucking in his black v-neck t-shirt in a place that it had come loose, and adjusted his leather jacket. His pants were of high quality, a crease running down the center, all the way to his black pointed dress shoes. When he was satisfied with his appearance, he ended with a quick hand through his slicked back hair, and patted the shaved sides of his head purely out of habit in his ‘for appearances’ sake’ checklist.

Once he was satisfied with checks down the list, he approached the door and peered through the peephole briefly. His buggy eyes narrowed for a second; he recognized the man standing at the door from glimpses of private conversations that he’d see periodically -- before the anti-reflection glass cover went up on all of the devices, the windows drawn shut, and the mirrors were covered.

Silas opened the door, flashing a brilliant smile at the man with a slight head tilt of curiosity. “Hello,” he began pleasantly, feigning ignorance to his identity as if he were someone new, “Can I help you? I’m afraid if you’re looking for my brother, Theo, he’s... Away right now. He may not be back for some time. I was just stopping by to grab him a few of his things and water his plants.”

[zzywrites]

orchidwrites​:

Alexander knew the power of good connections. Human or not. He struggled with the human connections but his needed some of them. This gang was one of them. Alexander like their connections and did what they wanted. Hitting some of their competitors in return for information. They had a good working relationship in Alexander’s opinion.

So when the leader invited him to a party he was hosting, Alexander accepted. Took a few of his metas with him not for protection, but rather to just get out.  They all needed a chance to get out and enjoy themselves. Some more than others. Alexander was highly aware of what they needed, some needed to get out and feel normal sometimes and others needed a different way to cope.

He was looking for the host and found his table, not seeing him there but rather his boyfriend. He rolled his eyes as he walked over and sat down next to the other person. “I’m sure your boyfriend would be happy to see me.” He said not really caring is Cedric got upset or not. “Why is that? Are you Cedric’s secret or something?” He asked, amused as he looked at the other. “I’m sure Cedric isn’t that much of a hoarder of good company. I’m sure he rather keep our working relationship that burn a bridge over me talking to his boyfriend right now.” He smiled. “My name is Alexander. You are?”

“Don’t be so self-assured of your value to him,” Quinn commented dryly as he leaned back against the red velvet seat, moving away instinctively from the stranger that had entered his space, “You’re not the first to make that mistake.”

The sound of a door closing in the room made him flinch. He turned his head, listening closely with tensed shoulders, but after a few voices began to chatter, he relaxed. It was fine. It wasn’t him. The pale young man sighed in relief before he turned his attention back on the man - Alexander. His lips curled into each other, his eyes blinking reflexively at his questions as if startled by them.

“I’m Quinn,” he replied, almost reluctantly. He chose to not answer the first question. “And what are you to him? Weapons dealer? Drugs? Counterfeiting? What deplorable acts did you have to do to get involved with this crowd?” He asked, seeming displeased and resentful with his surroundings as he shooting daggers with his faded eyes back and fourth at the people surrounding them, as if he could see them.

[findx]

[zzywrites]

findx​

[zzywrites]

cruel intentions; Quinn & Alexander

@orchidwrites​

Fear. It ravaged Quinn; paralyzed him. It grabbed him by the back of the neck and duct-taped his pretty mouth shut. There was no running from it because it surrounded him everywhere. A pair of eyes always on him even when his oppressor’s were not and cameras that he could not see focused on him when he thought he was alone. No shackles chained him and he was not restrained to no one room, but a mansion so large that he could not begin to navigate it alone kept him caged on the premises. The one time he’d managed to blindly find his way to the lawn, his fear came and dragged him back in.

Mistakes had been made; he’d been too sweet. Too trusting. A fatal flaw that inevitably ended up being his undoing. Cedric had charmed him, luring him into a false sense of security by becoming a repeat customer. Admittedly, the steady flow of income had kept Quinn entranced through all of the warning signs that flashed in his face. His reliance on his powers clouded his judgement, and one wrong decision left Quinn trapped in a bedroom with the door locked until he became more compliant.

And here he was: compliant. He forced a half broken smile when they entered the party, hanging onto Cedric’s arm like a small child needing guidance. What once was his domain where he’d pull the strings of people surrounding him with his charismatic banter - was now something he dreaded. When his keeper left to have a private conversation with someone on a closed room, the blind young man brooded quietly alone at a table, wishing for the party to end quickly so he could escape from the world and into his dreams.

After some time, Quinn flinched, feeling and hearing the shuffling of the seat beside him. He lifted his head off of his palm, turning it over so slightly towards the stranger. His eyes searched for them, but they never met his eyes. “Might be best for you to move on. My boyfriend won’t be too pleased about anyone sitting here when he gets back,” he warned, but his tone had a pitch of resentment about that fact as he said it. “My company’s not worth that kind of pain.”