#⌜ p. ⌟ ✧ ━ ʸᵒᵘ'ʳᵉ ᵐʸ ᵏⁱⁿᵍ ᵃⁿᵈ ⁱ'ᵐ ʸᵒᵘʳ ˡⁱᵒⁿʰᵉᵃʳᵗ

[fcgwise]

❛ i can’t not care about you. ❜​

         THAT WAS A LOADED STATEMENT.   one that held, what he was certain, was more questions than either of them had ANSWERS FOR. though, there was a time and a place for everything... and standing in the middle of what he would assume was some morbid psychiatric ward, while THE SHAPE wandered about, was certainly not one of them.   ❛   ─   may we, perhaps, have this conversation later, amore?   ❜   he asked, peering back over his shoulder while he moved to crouch down behind a generator, the clutter within the room they were in ; shielding him from a direct line of sight. not only from david, but hopefully, from the killer as well.   ❛   ... baciami. poi colpiscimi. ora ti importa? i can't keep up with you, bello.   ❜  he then grumbled.

concern meme   |      @ncmither

[fcgwise]

the silence, for the time being, gave him time to merely reflect on what had taken place. and the sacrifice that had been made. though, he had gotten the sense that it wasn't something that david was overly WILLING to settle on for very long. in truth, it wasn't anything that vittorio hadn't done countless of times himself, when he felt as if the situation warranted it. some that he had come across within the fog picked up on their roles quickly, others did not. death, while deliberating, wasn't permanent for them ; though that did not mean it was without it's cost.

       ❛   ─   ahh, yes... i have heard of you before, a time or two... you have amassed quite the reputation for yourself, bello. ❜ he responded, tilting his head slightly to get a better look at him, before lifting one corner of his lips. everything that he had heard, from meg, jake, and dwight, the appointed leader of the group, was that david had a tendency of throwing himself into DANGER. sometimes, needlessly, while other times for the benefit of the team. though it had also been stressed to him, how rough around the edges, the man could be.

               ❛   vittorio toscano. most that i've come to know here call me VITTO. ❜

Purposefully, he brushed Vittorio’s response aside and chose not to reply to him. He had been greatly appreciative of the man that he had been willing to distract the Ghostface. David had felt a sense of calm even in the light that soon he would have to once more enter a trial; this time weaker than he had been before. Eyes focused on the man and he wondered if he had been a new arrival or simply had been there this entire time.

David shifted and brought himself closer to one of the logs to rest his back against. Gratitude, he wanted to laugh at the words uttered by Vittorio. There was nothing in this realm or any other that gratitude would get anyone far before it would falter and break. A fragile thing the word had been made with; glass that shatters so easily after one mistake.

❝ Name’s David by the way. ❞

[fcgwise]

         at david's responses, there was a part of the man that wanted to make a quip, to do anything but watch as david also stood from the ground ; looking as if he was ready to go another TEN ROUNDS. he had seen rage before, this was not a new concept for him, though the reason behind it had been vastly different. in his time, sexual preference that deviated from what was considered the norm was shamed, spoken about in whispers, very much like the knowledge of magic. had things not changed ANY since the fog had taken him? surely, it had? or had something in the man's prior life done this? seemed the most likely culprit.

                  ❛ ─   you're not wrong, therefore, i refuse to become a pawn in yours too, you see... you think the worst thing here, is if you merely gave in to what you clearly want? so be it, it's going to be an incredibly long eternity for you...   ❜ he responded, before glancing down at the hand as it was pressed against the core of his chest, all while listening to the undertone of a threat as it was spoken. ❛ ... and become your punching bag, again? i think not. ❜

there was part of him, that wanted to step back away from it, but another ( more stubborn ) side that remained rooted in place. even after the shove, while he watched david begin to remove himself from the situation. ❛ you needn't dare me, bello... contrary to popular belief, david, i don't sit around the campfire gossiping like a mere hen.   ❜ he called back, shaking his head. ❛ ─   that is your cross to bare, it is not my business nor my right, to speak freely amongst anyone else.   ❜

it was called BASIC RESPECT. while this man seemed to lack such connotations, and tended to lean more towards the angsty side of things, it was rather bold to just assume that everyone else did. what transpired in the dark, between the two of them, would not pass his lips ; unless it was with david himself.

         with a slight shaking of his head, vittorio turned on his heel, only then letting his face express the pain that he felt resonating along his jaw ; and headed off in the other direction. past the opposite side of the fire, and out reach of any of the other's that came along his path, he didn't stop until the fog gave way and he stepped out onto the familiar square. greeted by DESTRUCTION, but at the very same time, a sense of familiarity. that's where he would stay, until the sting of the kiss and the aftermath had subsided, or mother entity beckoned him back.

END.

Rage started to broil beneath the skin. HER domain was a dangerous one, cloaked in mystery that no one seemed to have understood. Few of the others transverse the darkness to learn its secrets but not many find anything tangible. Vittorio had been one of those unsolved relics that found its way to the group who huddled for survivor. Magic had been seen before in the domain but not on the scale that Vittorio could wield. He had no idea if the man in front of him, bleeding because of his OWN actions. SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP. He clenched his jaw. The stress that it put on his teeth remained him of the way the lake would crack once the warm months started up again when he was a young brat growing up on the estate.

When Vittorio stood ━ he moved forward. His hands had curled into fists. Bloodied knuckles, shattered from their continuous violence against the other man had been readied to bleed the man. Yet, he moved only a foot closer before he had stopped. The name that Vittorio said had been a saving grace for him. Suddenly, he was reminded of his encounter with the Hell Priest. It had ripped into his very soul. Vittorio had been right, a voice purred near seductively in his mind. David hated himself. He hated himself because when he looked at Vittorio, Chris, Leon, or any of the other men, all he could think about was how warm they would be to have his hands on them.

The way their lips would feel against his own. How they would drive back the loneliness he felt inside. ❛ The only pawn in this fuckin' game is you, mate. ❜ He spat on the ground, close to Vittorio's boot and released the tight grip that his fingers had curled into. That rage that had once been churning inside of his gut dissipated. It left him feeling empty and hollow. A feel that he never liked and would often fill with the closest high proof of alcohol in his reach. ❛ I'm not a fuckin' poofer. ❜ He stepped into the man's personal space. His bloodied knuckles pressed against Vittorio's chest, knocking on the expanse of it over his heart. David tilted his head to the side and nearly growled the words. ❛ I fuckin' dare you to 'ell anyone 'ere differently. Fuckin' dare you. ❜

He didn't need a response. His body turned away from Vittorio after a slight shove and he walked away. Away from the fire and deeper into the Fog. By time he reached the tree line, David ignored the warmth of tears that had started to stream down his cheeks.

[fcgwise]

         ❛  ─   A PEACH, huh?  ❜   he responded, eyes willfully wandering over the male for a moment or two, before he let his gaze venture out   ;   watching the others as they anxiously awaited their numbers to be pulled. that's usually how this entire thing worked. one trial would end, the next group would be selected, so on and so forth. though, as the trend went, those who made it out of their realms of torment tended to have a bit of a grace period. he liked the THEORIZE that it was because the entity didn't want them taking any luck they'd had in previous trials with them   ─   hence, a cooldown so to speak was doled out.

once the other had moved to sit up, the older man's eyes flicked back in his direction, sucking at the back of his teeth briefly at the snide response   ;   and of course the sneer that he had been met with. an expression that actually made him laugh lowly.   ❛   ...i merely asked a question, you may call that whatever you like, however, the only one that appears to be ─bitching─ as you so articulately put it, is well...   ❜   vittorio paused, drawing his knees closer to his chest, arms draping over the top of them while his eyes veered up towards the sky.   ❛  ─   had not been for you, our roles likely would have been reversed... so for that, and for what it is WORTH, bello   ;   you have my gratitude. ❜

Are you always so vulgar?

David had been asked that before by someone. His name … he could not remember but he had meant a great deal to David. Despite not being able to remember the man, Vittorio drew out the memory of emotion he had attached to him. He had asked David the same question. The inquiry hung between them for a moment — - lingered there to soak in the silence between them. ❝ I’m a fuckin’ peach is what I always am, ❞ he answered.

He raised up slowly and allowed his body to be balanced, made steady by his elbows pressed into the compacted dirt underneath him. Why? The question had been an easy one to answer — - yet David’s answer was not so simple. It wasn’t simply that he had a wish for death or believed he had deserved each one that had been given to him. He could have said he deserved it but he wasn’t some bleeding heart that looked for sympathy from anyone.

Finally able to sit up with his legs crossed, David rubbed the back of his neck to ebb away the headache that had started to throb so noticeably there.

❝ I did it because you weren’t hurt. I would be a limp fuckin’ sod and put all of you at risk. ❞ There was a pause, and David looked up at him and sneered. ❝ If I knew you'd be bitchin' about it, I would have let the little gobshite hook your arse. ❞

[fcgwise]

after he had shaken the fog from his mind, vittorio's eyes flitted across the various others near the fire, before landing squarely upon the man who had literally given up an OPPORTUNITY to make it safely out of one of the entity's games. he let out a deep breath, before moving to take a seat next to him, in front of the fire   ;   brows furrowing slightly as he stared into the embers.   ❛   ─   are you always so vulgar?   ❜   he inquired, glancing towards the man from the corner of his eye, before looking up when he saw the remaining of their team join them in short order.   

         ❛   while we have the benefit, or misfortune, of deaths not being permanent in this realm... it does not make the aftermath any easier to deal with.   ❜   and that wasn't even factoring in the manner of death.   ❛   ─   i made it out,   ❜   vittorio added, though he remembered that way the knife had felt against his back, it wasn't nearly as deliberating as dying and being spat back out. an ultimate HA HA from their captor.   ❛   as did the others... though i must ask   ;   why?   ❜   he paused, searching for the words that bounced around in his overly curious mind.   ❛   ─   you could have MADE IT OUT and spared yourself another trial so soon.   ❜

The siren was a herald of the end. She wouldn’t be pleased with the outcome & he grinned at the thought. Ghost Face turned him over onto his back & continued to plunge the knife into him. Once, twice, & a third. A repeated bombardment that left David choking on his own blood. The warmth of it covered his face as he sputtered & wheezed. He had died so many times that it started to feel numb & normal to feel the pain. Yet, each death was different. This time he felt cold, despite the warmth of the blood that soaked his skin. David didn’t fight it, there had been no point. When there was a flash of photography, he knew that Ghost Face had finished his tantrum.

He took his last, struggled breath & let the darkness consume him.

Suddenly, he gasped awake by the warmth of the firelight & clutched at his chest. He felt weaker. Thinned out like he had been on a bender the night before & hadn’t slept for a week. His body ached & he tried not to move too much. His clothes were bloodied & torn to pieces from where Ghost Face had landed their blows. David clutched at his chest & closed his eyes. It was hard to relax but he welcomed the warmth of the campfire beside him. David knew with his death, that meant he would be forced into another trial soon & he needed all the strength he could muster.

❝ Fuckin’ hell, ❞ he breathed. You better have got the fuck out, pretty boy, David thought.

[fcgwise]

         there had been plenty of instances, in his already long life, that he had wanted to literally shake a person. though, that feeling   (   to his recollection   )   had never been quite as prominent as when david literally refused to listen to reason. vittorio had every intention of taking the chase in the opposite direction to give david perhaps a chance at being mended by one of the other two. he could hear the alert of the doors, letting them know that they were PRIMED AND READY to be opened. one door behind them, while the other, was directly across. it was loud enough that he could have followed it's sound to the ends of any realm they had been DOOMED to. he'd had a plan, not that it mattered now.   ❛   ─   you are certifiable.   ❜   the older man said, before feeling his body toppling over an object. he scrambled to make it up to a vertical base, eyes landing on the back of the man's head, before he spoke a silent curse underneath his breath.

                   he only lingered a few brief moments, though, it had felt like an eternity before he essentially   (   in his eyes   )   tucked tail and bolted with everything in him towards the closest gate   ;   lever being slammed down with haste the second he reached it. eyes clenching shut tightly. it didn't matter how long he had LIVED IN THIS TORMENT, seeing the brutality right before his eyes, had never gotten easier to stomach.   ❛   ... come on, come on, come on ...   ❜   he grunted, looking up at the gate, just as it started sliding open   ;   oh sweet merciful escape. he paused, for a moment, remembering david's words, and barreled his way out the exit just as the knife grazed his back   ─   the roar of the campfire greeting his ears in the next moment.

♛ˎˊ˗     the  blood  is  warm  against  his  skin,  dripping  down  his  side  in  a  heated  wetness  that  soaks  through  the  fabric  of  his  shirt.  his  hand  presses  against  the  wound,  depsite  the  pain  it  sparks  in  him.  dazed  from  pain,  he  is  aware  of  the  strength  in  the  hand  that  pulls  him  from  the  ground.  the  killer  would  recover  shortly.  precious  seconds  between  them.  vittorio  was  not  hurt,  had  a  better  advantage  to  win  yet  directed  him  to  run.  seconds.  that's  all  they  had.  he  pulls  vittorio  close,  hand  grasps  the  arm  that  lifts  him  &  stares  him  down.  ❝  get  the  fuckin'  gate  opened  or  i'm  goin'  to  kick  your  arse  when  i  come  back.  ❞

he  puts  all  the  strength  he  has  in  the  push.  all  his  body  weight  slams  into  vittorio  &  knocks  him  over  a  beam  &  onto  the  other  side  .  they  were  gonna  live  forever.  bound  in  this  hell.  he  turns,  fist  balled  as  he  cracks  the  bones  in  his  neck  &  stares  GHOST  FACE  down.  ❝  alright,  ya  gobshite.  let's  show  you  what  i  can  fuckin'  do,  mate  !  ❞  he  charges.  his  first  swing,  ghost  dodges  &  is  quick,  david  cries  out  in  pain  as  the  knife  ripped  through  his  side,  dragged  up  inside  of  him  &  has  mouthfuls  of  blood  that  threatens  to  drown  him.  he  spits  it  on  the  white  mask,  grabs  the  other  by  the  head  &  slams  theirs  together  which  causes  his  vision  to  blur,  all  while  the  ghost  face  contintual  stabs  into  david's  sides.  once,  twice,  &  on  the  third  david  is  fading  fast  but  he  brings  them  both  to  the  ground.

[fcgwise]

         ❛   ─   i have the utmost confidence in your abilities to handle it.   ❜   vittorio merely called back over his shoulder, before huddling up behind the totem, and worked with haste at it's bindings. with a sound of bones grinding together, the object fell to shambles. before he could spend much time REVELING in his work, however, or even think to do much other than stand   ;   he felt a body colliding into his own, an audible   '   OOF,   '   coming from him. eyes dropping down to the knife that had collided into the man's side.   ❛   ... what is in your head, right now, bello?!   you could have gone!   ❜

                   in his mind, every bit of internal monologue, was hurled out in his native tongue while he looked behind him. there was a series of walls, formed in an intricate design. they would have to make a run for it, though, with david already injured, he was certainly FRESHER MEAT for the one with a ghost's face. surely to become fodder for a hook, then at the mercy of the others, or himself.   ❛   ─   you, you're a special one for sure.   ❜   vittorio commented, reaching forward to yank on david's arm sharply   ;   pulling him back towards the structure.   ❛   ─   ay, don't just stand there gawking at me. i'll be right behind you!   now go on!   ❜

♛ˎˊ˗    speak  the  fuckin'  queens  english  ,  you  tosser  .  he  merely  glares  at  the  man  instead  of  speaking  his  mind  .  he  straightens  up  &  narrows  his  eyes  further  as  vittorio  slinks  away  from  the  generator  .  ❝   oi  ,  pretty  boy  where  you  goin'  ?  you  fuckin'  leaving  me  'ere  to  do  this  meself  ?  for  fuck  sakes  .   ❞  david  glances  back  at  the  generator  .  wires  ,  plugs  ,  &  everything  between  a  mess  .  he  once  wondered  why  or  how  he  knew  how  to  repair  these  things  but  it  seemed  less  &  less  important  when  it  opens  a  gate  away  from  being  murdered  on  repeat  . 

then  he  thinks  of  him  .  on  the  plane  to  new  york  &  a  better  life.  he  looks  over  at  vittorio  &  feels  the  boil  of  rage  inside  of  him  start  to  threaten  the  rim  .  the  GENERATOR  pops  to  life  but  david  sees  the  killer  coming  .  quiet  ,  stalking  his  prey  .  it's  the  one  with  a  ghostface  .  he  thinks  about  leaving  vittorio  but  he  finds  himself  running  towards  him  inside  .  fuckin'  pretty  boy  .  fuckin'  wanker  .  he  slams  into  the  other  man  as  the  killer  brings  DOWN  his  knife  .  it  stabs  into  david's  side  &  he  cries  out  before  he  shoves  the  ghostface  away  ,  using  his  body  to  block  vitto  from  harm  .  ❝   get  the  hell  outta  here  ,  pretty  boy  !!   ❞

[fcgwise]

         at david's words, the arcane wielder merely lifted a brow, a low chuckle resonating from him.   ❛   ─   i have been called many things in my lifetime. PRETTY BOY, however, is a new one...   ❜   he merely commented, before halting what he was doing at the sound of the blood curdling scream that seemed to echo out in all directions. it was then that he could see the aura of the killer, some distance away, though not nearly enough for it to be a comfort. he could tell that his current partner, was uneasy, given the fumbling of his hands   ;   a quick save.

                   ❛   ... you are doing most of the chattering, bello. ❜   vittorio merely commented through gritted teeth. once he had gotten the generator mostly finished, he scooted back entirely, looking over his shoulder to keep his focus on the direction he had seen the killers aura before a glowing light catches his attention. A TOTEM. with a deep breath, he moved slowly, in it's direction to cleanse it   ;   not wanting there to be any surprises when they were attempting to deal with the blasted gate.

♛ˎˊ˗   he   would   never   be   used   to   the   magic   .   it   was   hard   to   get   his   head   AROUND   THAT   IT   EXISTED   .  yet   ,   here   they   were   in   possibly   hell   .   ​​​​​​​give  him  his  fists  any  day   .   vittorio   had   been   one   of   the   new   ones   that   they   had   found   in   the   f o g   .   he   wasn't   sure   if   he   could   be   trusted   .   last   one   he   trusted   had   turned   out   to   be   part   of   legion   &   he   got   a   knife   to   the   gut   .

❝   cautious   ,   ❞   david   laughs   .   a   soft   sound   that   is   muted   by   biting   his   lower   lip   .   he   moves   towards   the   gen   ,   and   his   hands   move   to   rewire   the   connections   &   try   to   get   the   machine   to   start   .   ❝   fancy   PRETTY   BOY   ​​​​​​​with   ​​​​​​​your   ​​​​​​​glowin'   'and   tricks   ,   ❞   he   wants   to   laugh   ,   but   a   scream   cuts   him   of   &   he   tries   to   work   faster   .   his   fingers   nearly   cause   an   explosionive   reaction   but   he   saves   it   ,   breathing   a   sigh   of   relief   .   ❝   'top   fuckin'   talkin'   .   nearly   fucked   up   ,   fuckin'   hell   ,   ❞   he   mutters   at   vittorio   .

[fcgwise]

         HE'S SLIGHTLY WINDED.   after having spent a decent amount of the trial running, that was to be expected, though, once they had made it out   ;   vittorio looked towards david once the other two wandered off. fully intending, on picking up their previous conversation where it had been LEFT. before he could get the words past his lips, the older man let out a grunt, feeling his back being pressed against the wall behind him. brows furrowing out of confusion, both of his hands being held up in a way of surrender, almost as if he had expected another pummeling.   ❛   ─   i...  ❜   he paused, feeling the pressure of the other's hips against his own, biting back a groan.

for a moment, he was WORDLESS, merely searching david's expression before he heaved out a deep breath when the younger male had settled his forehead onto his shoulder.   ❛   ...   okay,   ❜   vittorio responded, relaxing for the moment against the surface he was being held against, while he brought one hand up to cup and gently squeeze that back of david's neck.   ❛   you needn't be, bello... though,   ❜

                  when david pulled back, hazel hues followed him, before vittorio's brows knitted together.   ❛   ─   at the risk of being punched... again... i am not quite certain that that is how one determines such things.  ❜   he said with a considerable amount of hesitance, before looking down at the other's hand once it had been rested against his chest. the words resonated through him, causing a spark to ignite within his being, while the tip of his tongue idly traced along his lower lip.

without warning, he reached up, curling his fingers around david's wrist before pulling him back in ; both hands then moving to cup the man's face. ❛   ─  this means nothing, unless, you want it to.  ❜ vittorio whispered, searching the man's features before he leaned in and kissed him this time. the groan that he had kept at bay previously, leaking out into it.

there was a vague 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 that he had dealt with this before. small bits of tattered memory, shredded to pieces and left to fade away. david remembered a smiling face and a dark alleyway. he could feel how cold the concrete pressed to his back had been and how bright the stars overhead were that night, despite the light of the city trying to drown them. he recalled that even 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐍 & 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐍 in the dark, that he was starting to be whole again.

it distracted him for the rest of the challenge. 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐄 ignored him. 𝐍𝐄𝐀 & 𝐊𝐀𝐓𝐄 cursed at him when they saw him for not doing anything while they did all the work. david’s mind was static. they barely won the trial. the incessant need to win driving him to finally doing 𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 and opening the gate. they ran into the abyss together having lived & causing the entity to hunger. nea and kate walked off. and david ?  david grabbed vittorio by the front of his jacket & pushed him back against one of the ruined walls within the realm. his hips pinning the older man as he leered at him. 𝐈'𝐌 𝐒𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐘, is the words that he had wanted to utter but instead all he did was rest his forehead against the man’s shoulder. it made his skin crawl, albeit, in a different way. vittorio’s warmth and the feeling of his heartbeat.  ❛    —    not to good with this,    ❜   the truth almost passed his lips.  

❛    i’m not a fruit, innit ?  got  a cock & all.    ❜   he let vittorio go and moved away, his hand pressed against the man’s chest as he stared at him.   ❛    i want you.    ❜  words  uttered and admitted despite the storm that raged in his head.

[fcgwise]

       ❛   ─   what is high school girl... shite?  ❜   he asked, a few moments after david had removed his hand from his thigh, and allowed vittorio to think clearly once more. in the midst of all of it, his hands had idled on the generator, having not wanted to cause an explosion. though, once david had walked away, he furrowed his brows   ;   eyes following the male's movements. ❛   truly, honestly, david... what is it that you are doing now? your very BEST imitation of fresh meat?   ❜ he asked. this was something that he was quickly coming to recognize with the younger man. do something slightly edgy, then follow that up with something incredibly reckless. rinse and repeat.

when vittorio saw the white mask off to the corner of his eye, abruptly, he pulled back from the generator   ;   catching the shape's immediate attention. a few steps having already been taken in his direction at that point.   ❛   ... my apologies, amore, perhaps you can explain that to me later.   ❜   he said before he used the fact that the killer had seen him FIRST, to his advantage as he left the room with haste, hoping that would prevent the focus from being shifted towards david. the swipe of the knife he heard, as the blade narrowly missed his back, indicated that yes ─ he was currently the focus.

I  can't  keep  up  with  you.  There  was  a  frustation  that  had  started  to  build  inisde  of  David.  After  they  had  kissed.  He  felt  that  this  had  been  done  before  but  with  someone  else.  A  push  and  pull.  David  felt  that  he  had  lost  someone  close  to  him  due  to  his  inability  to  grasp  who  he  really  was  inside.  It  had  been  ten  years  since  the  fog  had  claimed  him.  Hyperaware  of  their  situtation,  David  crouched  down  on  the  other  side  of  the  generator,  next  to  Vittorio.  He  started  to  reach  out  to  touch  him,  but  drew  his  hand  back,  only  to  finally  rest  it  on  the  older  man's  thigh.

❝  Pretty  boy.  ❞  He  said  it  softly.  Above  a  whisper  while  he  looked  over  his  shoulder  and  kept  an  eye  out  for  the  Shape.    ❝  I'm  ──  not  fuckin'  perfect.  But,  I  can't  help  this  shit  of  a  person  I am.  I  wanted  you  to  know,  that  I  care  about  you.  It's  been  a  short  time  but,  I  ──,  ❞  he  trailed  off.  I'm  gay  and  lonely  and  you  don't  make  me  feel  lonely  anymore.  He  didn't  say  it.  Instead,  he  took  his  hand  away  and  rubbed  the  tip  of  his  nose  with  his  thumb.  ❝  Fuck  this  high  school  girl  shite.  ❞  He  stood  up,  walked  over  and  grabbed  a  clipboard  from  the  table  &  flipped  through  the  pages.  Playing  bait.

[fcgwise]

         OH HERE COMES THE RATIONALIZATIONS.   the flagrant excuses and spiteful words. very much like the people of his own time, it was entirely way too easy to pass the buck off on magic. with a grunt, the italian pushed himself up from the ground, and sucked at the back of his teeth   ;   the back of one of his hands then moving up to catch the stray blood that rolled down along his cheek.   ❛   ─ that would make things very convenient for you, now wouldn't it? ❜ vittorio responded, with a fair bit of bitterness to the depth of his voice, eyes still refusing to make direct contact with david.

                   ❛ would give you the exact out that you need ... wash your hands clean and just say the MAGIC did it. much easier than admitting to yourself what you know to be true.   ❜ that david, had been enjoying himself, just as much as vittorio had been ; before he had allowed his head and anger over that fact win out.

                   ❛   ... i don't wish to be a pawn in whatever twisted game you play with yourself, david.   ❜   he added a few moments later, a weak laugh coming from him as he motioned around the area that they were all FORCED to reside. prisoners DOOMED to their respective fates.   ❛   ─ but i would implore you to look around... there are far WORSE things at play here, than being queer. or as you so charmingly referred to it, a poof...   ❜

finally, at that moment, he dared to let his eyes briefly skim over to the other man, his own lips pressing into a firm line before he maneuvered his body to stand up from the ground altogether. it didn't take much to realize that david was at odds with himself. just like it didn't take much to fully understand and comprehend that while he may have taken the beating   ─   the person that david had most wanted to hurt... was HIMSELF.

         ❛   ... i don't know who this TRISTAN person is, that you apologized to, but if i were to place my bets? i'd say that was your past life, speaking to you...   ❜   vittorio rationalized,   ❛   ─   but you needn't apologize to me. what's done, is done.    ❜

Hands raised to his head while fingers clung tightly the strains of his dark hair. He stared down at the damage he had done with warm tears that threatened to spill out down his cheeks. There was a chance that he could have killed Vittorio — - and had they been in the real world, that would have carried a heavy consequence. Heavier yet not as drowning as it had in that moment. Knees creak as he lowers himself, hovered over the ground & shook his head. This was not the man he wanted to be. This was not the man that he had fallen in love with and for a mere moment, rare as it was in the forsaken landscape, he forgot himself. He was a young boy again — - denying who he was because he had been ashamed of himself. Of how the world would look at him.

David fucking King. A man who would rather be baptized in the blood of someone else simply because he could not handle — - he was queer. That the man laid recumbent on the ground after he had attacked was someone he desired. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, he chanted. A desperate prayer that he was afraid the Entity would hear — - or the Cenobite would relish in if it could hear him in the hellscape it found its own solace in.

❝ I’m — - I’m sorry, Tristan. I’m sorry. I mean, Vittorio. ❞

Who was Tristan? Why did the name seem to rip his heart from his chest? He shook his head, heel of palm pressed against his forehead while his eyes closed tightly. It won’t happen again. The words cut deeper than any of the monsters that stalked them in the trials ever could. It pierced like a thousand needles. He took an unstable breath and cleared his sinuses as he straightened up and blinked away the tears that still refused to fall.

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, rested it on his lips and stared through Vittorio as if he had been nothing but the very air that he breathed in that moment. David’s eyes were wide with confusion and fear. ❝ You’re a fuckin’ liar. ❞ The words were venom that poisoned him as they were uttered. ❝ You got all that fuckin’ magic shite on you. You put a fuckin’ spell on me. Had to of. I ain’t no fuckin’ poof. ❞

Liar, whispered a voice in his head.

[fcgwise]

         DAVID'S AFFECTION   (   OR MORE IMPORTANTLY DESIRE   )   WAS HEAVEN.   or at the very least, a marginal sliver of it, in place that was always so shrouded in torment and death. he allowed his body to be pulled closer, the grip that he'd had on the mans face having shifted into something with a tighter foothold to it, fingertips curling ever so slightly into the gruff skin of the other man's cheek. he made zero effort to stop it, though, as it progressed vittorio would have been a fool to not feel the mood shift. desperation had bled so quickly into something a little less so, fueled by something else, to the point that he could TASTE the disdain as it potently as it was being felt. even as the focus had shifted, downward, he felt as if he could choke on the disgust. a feeling that was not his own but belonged to DAVID. 

that was exactly why, when there had been a backward jerk, more akin to a deliberating shake of the senses   ;   he wasn't surprised when he was met with a gaze that if it had the power to KILL it would have. ah, there he was. the lion that would rather engage with his FISTS, and in anger, than allow himself a modicum of release. vittorio had seen this before, in various stages ( with plenty of others ), a man ashamed of himself   ─   of what he craved to feel alive. 

and so went the moment, and in the very NEXT, david was on top of him   ;   fists his biggest talking point while the older man merely brought up enough to guard himself from severe   (   temporary   )   damage. the ringing in his ears, he could not tell if was due to the punches or the screaming, but he could taste the blood in his mouth as each impact sent a message that he was almost certain was not meant for his own ears. A MESSAGE OF HATE AND LOATHING. after third punch, he'd had enough, and wedged his hands between their bodies to assist in shoving david back   ;   the man's own actions doing more than ample amounts of the lifting.

                   at the faintest of tickles to the back of his throat, vittorio coughed   ;   the sound slightly strangled while the blood found it's way up to the surface. slowly, he turned his body, to spit the liquid out onto the ground next to him, while making it a point to not look at david.   ❛   ... no grazie ...   ❜   he paused, dropping himself back onto the ground with a low groan.   ❛   ─   i'll save myself the humiliation of another ─how is it put... beat down?   ❜   vittorio's voice was weak while he stared for the moment, up at the sky, before finally letting his eyes fall closed when both the pain, and the raw emotion beckoned him to do so.  ❛   it was my mistake... won't happen again, however, for sake of clarity... you kissed me first. ❜

He was lost to the intimate caress of their lips together, & David wanted to stay adrift in the sensation. His mouth opened to him, the weight of his tongue and Vittorio’s so present that it sent a chill down his spine. A kiss returned that made every fiber of David ache. It was a pain that reached deep inside, twisted, & threatened to destroy him. The pain was hope. It was from not being alone anymore … not being alone in a place of constant death and darkness. David brought his hands down to rest on the other man’s waist & pulled him closer, so close that the heat from both of their bodies became an inferno that he desperately desired. For a brief glimmer David King was happy. In that moment, his lips & tongue in passionate exploration of Vittorio’s own made him feel ─── alive.

It never lasted, the feeling of life. Like a crashing wave, the doubt started to filter in. The spark of arousal that ignited in him from the way Vittorio’s lips felt against him started to become a bitter burn. Acid to the skin. As the kiss drew out, David began to feel a sickness twist at his gut that poisoned the feeling of elation that had so consumed him. It was replaced by disgust. Disgust in himself & a vileness that he found himself kissing another man. A sickness in his gut that he wanted nothing more to kiss him further. Lips trailing down his throat, further down until he was on his ─── David jerked away as if burned by the very fires of Hell.

No, no, no. David wiped his lips of the kiss as if it was a toxin he meant to rid himself of & stared up at Vittorio. The handsome man who his body desired. He felt a sudden rage broil his skin as the same hand that had wiped the kiss away formed into a balled fist. Everything began to move in slow motion. His arm drew back, his body lunged forward, & the fist connected with the jawline. It struck with such power that David felt the knuckles ache & the momentum carried him onward to crash into Vittorio’s form & bring them both to the ground.

Someone was screaming while Vittorio’s jaw was assaulted again. He heard them yell until his voice was raw & torn. It wasn’t until the third punch, delivered to Vittorio’s face that David had realized he had been the one yelling. All the hate for himself, all the disgust with himself compiled into one target: the object of his affection. He screamed because he wanted it, because he desired & needed it. As he fell back until his back hit against a surface, he stared at his victim with his hands shaking & mingled with both their blood. Stop it, stop it, stop it. He stared down at his legacy ─── unable to even face it himself. I’m sorry, he shook his head and stared down at his bloodied knuckles. ❝ Fuck you, ❞ David breathed, weakly.

[fcgwise]

         in this place, vittorio had seen so many emotions, amongst so very many, from killers and survivors alike. though nothing had struck him quite as deeply as the fit of RAGE, followed oh so very closely, by the breakdown, that he had watched overtake david. it had felt so primal, driven from a place so DEEP within the other man, that even he had felt as if he could feel it within his own soul. and it was in that moment, that he couldn't merely sit back and do nothing. he had grabbed onto the man's chin, uttering the words    '   look at me,   '   with more conviction that perhaps he should have   ─   but at the time, he hadn't cared, the only thing that had mattered, was pulling the man from his current mindset and trying to get him to focus on anything else.

when david's clouded eyes had focused upon his own, at first, he could still see the anger, and feared that he had misgauged the situation. that he had overstepped a boundary that had gotten so many SNAPPED at in the past. vittorio had seen with his very own eyes, and had experienced firsthand, just how quickly the man could react. and in such an UNPREDICTABLE AND VIOLENT manner.

though just as he had had the thought to retract his hand, and his lips had parted to utter an apology for his own foolish actions   ─   vittorio saw something else shift in david's eyes. it was almost as if the man was seeing for the very first time. the expression awarded david a furrowed brow, something that only became more and more pronounced when the VIOLENCE that he had been expecting never came.

                   ❛   ─   mi dispiace, bello... i shouldn't have...   ❜   he murmured, just before the accumulation of things spiraled forward, and he had been pulled into the kiss. at first, he remained unmoving, mostly confused by the progression. however, once his mind had caught up with his current position, vittorio kissed the man back   ;   fingers splaying ever so slightly against the side of david's face while his thumb remained idle underneath his chin. his kiss, lacked the desperation that he felt within the other. it was all-encompassing and threatened to swallow them BOTH whole, and quite frankly, at present, he really didn't care in the slightest if it did.

@fcgwise said ❝ look at me . ❞ from meme .

Their grip is tight on his jaw. He can feel the strength in those fingers as they force him to focus. Both their eyes meet and it weighs heavily on him. David had been upset over something. A piece of paper being destroyed during the last trial. So thin and worn that it was a fragile thing. It had meant something to him but he couldn’t remember. Had it been from someone he loved? Someone who had loved him? All that had been left was a scrap with elegantly written handwriting, faded almost to unreadable measures. Forever yours, T. It had been destroyed and David had a fit of rage that had broken down into him on his knees and sobbing. Why was it so heartbreaking that something so stupid was gone? He couldn’t even remember why it had been so important. Then Vittorio had taken him so firmly and forced him to look at him.

He looked into those wise eyes and saw his own reflection. David saw the years he had wasted pretending to be straight because society couldn’t handle a star athletic being anything but homosexual. He could drink, party, and make the evening news for anything else but curse him for loving another man. David’s father had caught him with someone back when he was in university. The man had threatened to disinherit him and cut off his access to money. Who was the guy again? He couldn’t even remember their face but it had been someone so important to him. Yet, he had denied who he was for so long. All the anger and rage and here was Vittorio, a man who had spent centuries in this place. A true survivor.

Look at me. David was tired of being someone he wasn’t. None of the others in this place knew who he had been. They cared more about trying to survive and trying to get back to where they had come from. Yet, where would that leave him? Alone. He was tired of being alone. He was exhausted from being angry all the time. Broken bones and bruised ribs meant nothing to him. He was so tired and was done fighting himself. Rik had called him a circus lion. Maybe it was time for him to break out of his cage. Maybe that’s why he did it. With Vittorio’s grasp so firmly on him, maybe that’s who he reached up and held the man’s face in his hands. He wasn’t a circus lion. He was David-fucking-King and he was done pretending. That was the real reason why he pulled Vittorio forward and kissed him. A trembling and desperate kiss. A baptism overseen by the Entity that trapped them in her realm.

[fcgwise]

         ❛   ─   my deepest apologies, wasn't my intention to poke your sensitivities.   ❜   vittorio responded. seemed that more and more individuals he came across in the fog, the more surly they became. with good reason of course. NOTHING like getting hunted to make an individual especially cranky. it was one never ending game of cat and mouse. survivors and killers. nothing more than endless torment   ;   he should know... for centuries he had seen them come and he had seen them go.

                   once they had approached the next gen, vittorio kept his eyes on a swivel. keen focus, to make certain that they hadn't been tracked, that the others were still doing a sufficient enough job of keeping the killers attention. when he was certain, he too crouched down, mumbling a few words before a blue hue eminated from his palms   (   merely one of his greatest assets in these trials   )   ;   speeding up the progression in an INSTANT.   ❛   ... i have heard that before. time and time again. i prefer to be cautious... ❜

♛ˎˊ˗    oh  ,  he  was  going  to  fucking  deck  the  guy  .  one  generator  was  down  ,  he  had  been  sure  he  saw  someone  trying  to  find  the  other  ones  &  one  other  had  been  keeping  the  KILLER  busy  while  they  tried  to  open  the  fucking  gate  .  david  grinds  his  teeth  ,  because  the  deeper  into  the  fog  they  all  go  the  more  people  they  find  .  people  who  david  really  wanted  to  punch  because  they  acted  like  he  was  brain  dead  when  he  had  been  furthest  from  .

he  crouched  down  by  the  generator  ,  flashlight  gripped  tightly  in  his  fist  .  the  roar  of  the generator  kicking  on  drew  his  eyes  up  at  the  lights  &&  he  took  off  after  vittorio  (  the  new  one  they  had  found  )  .  he  glances  AROUND  after  they  came  to  the  next  generator  &&  he  cautiously  kneels  beside  it  .  ❝  don't  know  if  you're  bloody  aware  of  this,  but  i've  done  this  before  .  we  just  got  'o  get  the  gate  opened  .  ❞