CONTENT WARNING Twincest / incestuous relationship between twins
He knew he was being followed.
At one time it might have frightened Kaleb — he always had been the more skittish one of the twins. But awakening into a body that no longer experienced pain or illness — a body that was supernatural in strength and power — he was no longer on the bottom of the totem pole. He was an apex predator now, even if his mind still struggled with certain phobias. Still, it wasn't an encounter that Kaleb was totally unused to. Being in the business that he was in with Kaede, they often ran into more pushy customers, ones that had similar strength to back up their arrogance. But such grievances were usually taken care of in the River Styx, with their paid bouncers stepping in to separate the quarreling Level V's.
This? This was different — new. He knew by scent that it was another Level V, which set him more on edge than if it had been some silly human looking to make a quick assault. Kaleb keeps walking at a steady pace, not giving away the fact he knew he was being tailed down the dark and disgusting alley ways of the Devil's Avenue. He hated it here, eyes making quick sweeps of the ground to ensure he doesn't step in something much more unpleasant. The man had gone out earlier in the day to meet some contacts in the Jabberwockies, and had unfortunately lost his way in Stronghold while distracted by his tail.
He definitely wouldn't have gone down here for any normal reason. Ears pick up the sound of footsteps gathering in speed behind him, and Kaleb quickly darts down a side alley, much narrower than the previous street he was walking down. There was no light down the side alley — not like they needed it to see one another.
There's only a couple seconds more of time to breathe before the stranger is upon him. Kaleb doesn't recognize the man — whether or not it was a customer from River Styx, he's not certain, considering he spends a considerable amount of time hiding in the private staff quarters while working. Kaleb is known for his cool head and quick thinking, and he easily dodges sideways as the stranger lurches at him and throws a first punch. The man's gone feral, eyes glowing an ethereal gold with fangs protruding from his gums. Was he that determined to give himself away?
"You took her from me!" the man snarls in a crazed fashion, throwing another punch Kaleb's direction which is once again easily dodged.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, sir," Kaleb replies in a cool voice, lips twisted in a grimace as he takes quick steps back to avoid the attack. "But come closer again, and I'll have no choice but to—"
He's not even able to finish his sentence before his heels meet something solid, and his mistake of taking his eyes off his surroundings send him falling backwards with a harsh thump. While covered in a heavy coat and leather gloves to match, he can immediately feel something wet soaking through his clothes, and immediately irrational fear takes hold of him. He can't see what he's touching, but almost like looking at the world through a haze, his mind begins to imagine something dark and twisted reaching out from the shadows and wrapping him in its grasp. As if alive he can feel the disgusting germs crawling across his skin and he dry heaves, a scream ripping through his throat just seconds before a weight lands on top of him and forces him flat against the ground, dirty ground water splashing across his hair and face with the motion.
"You forced Katie to work at that— that disgusting place of yours! I'm gonna kill you for that!" the man screams above Kaleb, even if his words are a muted blur now that Kaleb is frozen in fear and disgust. He's not even able to fully comprehend the situation until claws fingers begin ripping at his chest and his face, and with a vicious snarl he does his best to fight against the attacks, all the while struggling to sit up and get himself away from the dirt and the mud. He struggles from sheer panic — and the world fills with animalistic snarls as blood splatters the alley.
TW: THEMES OF INCESTUOUS LOVE BETWEEN TWO BROTHERS
Quiet and smoke hung in the air of the lounge, broken occasionally by the shuffle of cards or a grunt of displeasure. Poignant and cutting were the gleeful exclamations of the fidgety and drunken human, Bernhard, as his arms enveloped the pile of winnings in the center and he mumbled through a lit cigarette, "Ha! Bernie wins again!".
He could feel the annoyed glances and exasperated groans from his friends and fellow players around him, all seated on a circular booth with a carpeted green playing table shoved in the center. If Kaede were not so confident in his savings, or half as invested in the game, perhaps he would have joined the chorus, slam the fan of cards down from his fingers and give a congratulatory, if not forceful, slap on Bernhard's shoulder. Instead, he let the cards fall half-heartedly from his hand, and glanced down at the leather watch strapped around his wrist.
3:50AM. Kaleb was late. Horribly late. At first, Kaede postulated that his brother may have called it an early night, too tired to even poke his head behind the lounge door and suffer through the pollution of cigarette smoke and Kaede's greasy men. But the more Kaede thought on it, the more he was sure Kaleb would find someone to let his twin know that he had made it home safe. Kaede had hovered over his brother even more since they entered this strange and volatile life together.
Unable to keep his hands still on the cards as the next game commenced, Kaede conceded to his fears and threw down his hand. He addressed the astonished and curious crew briskly, "I'm heading out for the night" and walked with swift purpose towards the door. Before he closed it behind him, he regarded them once more, "Don't forget to throw away your beer bottles for Madison's sake" and shut the door without concern that it slammed.
Finding Cerberus and stating his fears to the tatted giant (to find out alarmingly that he too had not seen Kaede's other half), the two made climbed their way out of the River Styx. It was a deceptively clear night, the stars numerous, blanketing a deep and moonless night. The air was still heavy with the scent of rain. Its beauty and awe did little to bat away the fog of thoughts that invaded Kaede's mind, as his and Cerberus' sharp eyes sought his brother out.
"Something's wrong. I know it," Kaede muttered, like it were an assurance to himself as well. Kaede had a way of knowing when it came to Kaleb- a telepathic link, that unique twinly connection, whatever the hell they'd called it in the Old World.
The scent of blood- his brother's blood- spurred Kaede's legs forward. Shouts split the air, something about "her" and a "disgusting place". The voice was recognizable, but Kaede could not quite put a face to it- not when the fury of trouble having found his brother enraged him. Nothing could have stopped Kaede, not Cerberus, not the threat of the attacker's Infected status. Fangs instinctively protruded from his mouth and his eyes began to show hints of turning. Kaede used all the momentum of his legs and strength in his body to launch himself into the man that had Kaleb pinned beneath him. Then, Kaede began punching the man with fiery abandon.
Cerberus, as any well-trained dog might, followed after Kaede. He'd noticed that Kaleb was suspiciously silent, and when Kaede approached about his twin having gone missing Cerberus followed where Master led.
As Kaede's pace picked up, so too did that of Cerberus. They were on the Hunt, and for the briefest moment he allowed himself to enjoy the experience. It felt like too long had passed since he'd been on the Hunt. His muscles ached with the want of it, and freed now as they were, the beast took full advantage of the opportunity. The scent of blood excited Cerberus - to whom it belonged he did not know, nor did he care. It was rich and while it was not that of a human, it still tugged at the feral, primal threads of the dog's brain.
Prey, it whispered, take it down.
But even while the pure urge of primality called to Cerberus, he knew where his loyalties were. And so when Kaede leapt forward to tackle the man whose fists met Kaleb's flesh with sickening thuds, Cerberus drew Kaleb away from the beating - away from the dirt, muck and blood that coated the Master's clothes and skin. Cerberus let out a soft tsk as he lifted Kaleb in his arms, calling out a low, "Kaede," while hefting the other man in his arms.
The softer Master needed his brother's attention. The Dog would see to the dead man walking, the one on the ground whose body gave way to the furious fists that rained down upon him - if the beast was given permission. TagKaleb WinchesterTagKaede Winchester
Nails dug into the soft flesh of his face and neck, splattering blood across the rest of him and the ground surrounding them. Fists occasionally joined in the attack as well, pounding against a body that was made to resist harm. But the onslaught of another Level V Infected took its toll on Kaleb's body, and he felt pain bursting through what was normally dulled senses.
But he didn't notice — didn't care.
Stuck in a loop of frantic fear, all his mind could focus on was the fact germs were spreading like a disease over his body. He could swear he saw it crawling over his skin like black ink, taking over him and sinking him into a haze. His body freezes and his arms drop from where they had previously been used to protect himself somewhere from the assault, allowing the attacker's hits to land more squarely on his body. An animalistic cry leaves his raw throat—
Then the weight is suddenly gone from atop him.
He barely makes out another body colliding with the man on top of him, flinging the Infected aside. Surrounded by muck, Kaleb doesn't even register the familiar scent of his twin brother, nor does his sensory-overloaded body allow him any sense of recognition by sight. He's trapped in his own mind and he lurches upwards, trying to get away from the grime and dirt. As he does so, fingers suddenly wrap around his body, helping to pull him away from that which tainted him. It oozes as he's pulled away from it — it's still attached to his clothes, his skin, his very being and he dry heaves at the thought.
His body welcomes being pulled away from such a thing, but as he's gathered into strong arms, his mind reels at the fact that he's being touched by someone else and he's still so lost that he can't even recognize his own bodyguard being the one holding him.
"No! Get off of me— Don't touch me!" He's frantic in his shouts now, pushing against the thick, muscular body pressed against his. If he had been in control of himself, he most likely would have welcomed the touch of someone he trusted intimately — someone that, normally, would have been able to break through his germaphobic mindset. But he doesn't recognize Cerberus; doesn't recognize he's being saved from himself. Kaleb almost seems to shrink in on himself, fangs exposed as his body begins to crave blood to heal.
TW: THEMES OF INCESTUOUS LOVE BETWEEN TWO BROTHERS
He felt a bone or two break under his fist, his knuckles getting slick with blood. But before he could pummel the man into unconsciousness, he was thrown off. He stumbled back against a wall, surprised. In his fury, through the powerful and triggering scent of his brother's blood, he had missed that the predatory pheromones' of the other man and stood shocked at the strength that countered him. He barely dodged a fist that came his way, and landed on the wall by his head, creating a crater with slender fissures spidering out of it.
So he's Infected too. Kaede grit his teeth, met the man's eyes over brows drawn in fury, unwilling to be perturbed by the fact of the man's status. He squared his feet in the dirt, ready to lunge, when he heard it. His brother's voice, screaming and aching, as wild as the fury with which he flailed his arms.
"Get off of me!" It was followed by a quieter, steadier voice that murmured, "Kaede", in the familiar, deep baritones of their personal guard. It brought awareness, a grounding back to reality- and a deadly distraction. He felt a fist connect, hard on the side of his jaw. Spittle and blood shot from his puckered lips as the force drove him back into the wall behind him, powerful enough where he felt the concaving of bricks at his back. He was stunned, dazed, pain exploding from where he'd been punched. Through fuzzy, unfocused eyes he saw the man walk towards him, pull him up by his collar, smelt his breath stinking of rot and blood.
Kaleb. I have to help Kaleb. It was this thought that drove his knee upwards into the man's stomach, hard enough to force a hitch in the man's breath and cause him to double over. Keade then swung his foot up, swiveled, where it connected to the side of the man's face and he was knocked to the ground. Kaede took the momentary reprieve to rush to where Cerberus kept a tentative hold on the panicked Kaleb. Kaede looked to the tatted brute and nodded over his shoulder.
"Finish him." He rushed forward to help steady Kaleb. First two hands gently grasping his twin's, not forcefully, though enough to keep them still. His gaze landed on his brother's features, eyes dying embers from the fire of violence, exposing something softer, kinder.
"Hey, Kay. It's going to be alright. You're safe now. Cerb and I are here." He straightened the cuffs of Kaleb's gloves, then tore off the cleanest part of his shirt (though it were still slightly stained) and wiped some of the muck water off Kaleb's cheek. Kaede frowned at how dirty the fabric came back.
Get Those Demons Outta Me
Posted 09-26-2021, 04:19 PM
