#╰ * eddie gluskin : ic ⧽ there’s a devil waiting outside your door.

[finalslay]

@pumpkinstabs / continued from here

there is no response from the one in front of him other than a glance in his direction. as a matter of fact, it's an almost painfully nonchalant reaction. still, eddie can work with this, he thinks, as the other continues to wander further into his domain. perhaps she's just the silent and mysterious type — perhaps she wants to make him work for it, perhaps she wants to play a little game of her own. she could have ran away — that's what most of the others try to do — but she is willingly walking down into the darkness. very interesting.

so, as the other continues along the path, eddie simply falls into step behind him. humming to himself, eddie's eyes never once leave the newcomer. he notices it, the bloodied trail left behind, the hospital gown. this one will need special attention, he's sure of it. thumb brushes along the handle of the knife tucked into his waistband ; it is there and ready for use at a moment's notice. he will play the gentleman, but like always, if things change ...

“ are you hurt, darling? i can help. ” a beat. “ someone as pretty as you should not be walking around in these conditions — it just isn't right. what kind of man would i be if i didn't offer to assist? ”

[finalslay]

@markedprey said : "you're it, okay? i'm never gonna love anybody in the world like i love you."

the  words  are  meant  to  placate,  to  bring  him  back  from  the  edge.  eddie  would  be  a  fool  not  to  see  that  —  but  at  the  same  time,  they  do  the  opposite.  hands  ball  into  fists  at  his  sides,  and  despite  the  way  that  johnny  stands  there  looking  at  him,  the  urge  to  wrap  them  around  his  neck  is  almost  overwhelming.  logically,  he  knows  he  won’t  do  it  ;  eddie  cannot  lose  johnny,  cannot  let  him  go.  not  after  he’s  worked  so  fucking  hard  to  get  him  here  in  the  first  place.  but,  seeing  him  standing  there,  an  uncharacteristically  calm  expression  on  his  beautiful  face  (  or  is  it  fear  he  sees  there?  )  as  he  tries  to  talk  him  down,  eddie  wonders  if  it’s  all  worth  it.  the  words  seem  condescending,  yet  at  the  same  time,  genuine.  which  one  is  the  truth?  which  is  the  result  of  a  cracked  psyche,  twisting  and  deforming  intended  meanings,  and  which  one  is  reality?  he  can’t  tell  —  they’re  bleeding  together,  and  he  doesn’t  know  which  is  which  anymore.  not  right  now.

eddie  steps  forward,  large  frame  looming  over  johnny’s.  standing  this  close  to  him  makes  him  feel  insane.  it  makes  him  want  to  take  this  man  and  throw  him  down  on  the  bed  and  make  him  moan  his  name … but  the  urge  to  sink  his  knife  into  his  stomach  is  also  there,  flashing  behind  his  eyes.  both  involve  laying  johnny  sawyer  bare  before  him,  desperate  and  pleading.  the  two  acts  are  one  in  the  same,  interlocked  hand  in  hand.  two  sides  of  the  same  coin  —  just  like  them.

“  you  know,  ”  he  snarls,  shaking  his  head  slowly,  “  you’re  a  wicked  thing,  johnny.  ”  a  slut,  a  whore.  something  worthy  of  being  crushed  beneath  his  heel.  the  thought  isn’t  a  comfortable  one  ;  johnny  is  perfect.  he’s  the  one  that  eddie  has  been  looking  for,  the  one  he’s  wanted  for  so  long  —  he  isn’t  like  the  others,  the  unworthy  ones.  that  thought  is  the  one  thing  that  his  hand  moving  away  from  the  knife  tucked  into  his  waistband.  instead,  he  reaches  out,  hand  coming  to  roughly grip  johnny’s  chin. 

thumb  strokes  along  his  bottom  lip,  eddie’s  expression  shifting  from  one  of  unbridled  rage  to  something  more  unsettlingly  calm.  “  promise  me,  ”  he  murmurs,  calloused  digit  pushing  its  way  into  johnny’s  mouth.  “  tell  me  you’re  mine  and  only  mine.  ”

[finalslay]

@markedprey sent : Hands come to settle on his waist, feeling the strength of his core as his fingers would hook into his belt loops, closing what little space lingered between them as he met his gaze with a grin. "You did so good out there tonight... Real talented with that knife of yours..."

johnny  closes  the  gap  between  them,  and  eddie  cannot  help  the  smile  that  tugs  at  his  lips.  once  upon  a  time,  this  would  not  have  happened  willingly.  johnny  would  fight  and  resist  ;  he  would  deny  the  love  that  was  so  freely  offered  to  him.  now,  things  are  different.  his  bride  is  here  and  offers  herself  up  like  a  good  wife  should.  it  may  have  taken  time  and  a  bit  of  coaxing,  but  it  was  all  worth  it  in  the  end,  just  as  eddie  had  known  it  would  be  from  the  moment  he  first  laid  eyes  on  him. 

the  offered  compliments  do  wonders  for  his  ego  as  well.  johnny  knows  how  to  play  him,  knows  how  to  keep  his  husband  wrapped  around  his  finger  ...  and  eddie  is  not  an  idiot.  he  hears  it,  the  tone  in  which  the  other  speaks  ;  he  sees  the  wicked  grin  on  his  face,  feels  the  hands  on  his  body.  it  does  not  take  much  to  figure  out  where  this  is  going  (  and  he  would  be  a  fool  to  refuse  his  bride's  advances  ). 

“  why,  thank  you  very  much.  ”  his  own  arms  move  to  wrap  around  johnny's  frame,  holding  him  in  place  there  against  him.  there  is  no  escape,  not  tonight.  large  hands  slip  inside  the  back  pockets  of  his  jeans  ;  an  awfully  forward  gesture,  one  unbefitting  of  a  gentleman,  but  ...  the  time  for  propriety  has  passed,  has  it  not?  “  i  would  so  hate  for  you  to  be  left  unsatisfied,  after  all.  ”

despite  the  tone  of  casualness  he  speaks  in,  the  underlying  meaning  is  more  than  obvious.  the  larger  man  leans  down,  lips  brushing  against  johnny's  jawline  as  he  murmurs,  “  and  what  would  you  say  if  i  were  to  suggest  that  i  spend  the  rest  of  tonight  showing  you  some  of  the  other  talents  of  mine  that  you're  so  fond  of?  ” 

the  words  are  low  and  gravelly,  eddie  punctuating  the  question  by  squeezing  johnny's  ass  through  his  jeans.  as  always,  the  urge  to  take  him  and  lay  him  down  on  their  bed,  to  fill  him  up  and  make  him  scream  his  name,  is  ever  present  —  but  eddie  is  a  gentleman,  first  and  foremost.  and,  after  all,  johnny's  been  so  well-behaved  lately.  he  deserves  to  get  to  call  the  shots  tonight.    “  i  promise  i'll  make  it  good  for  you,  my  darling.  anything  you  want  from  me,  i  will  give  you.  ”

[finalslay]

@lucksparagon

he  has  been  through  so  many  of  the  rooms  of  mount  massive  asylum  by  now  —  most  of  his  attempts  have  been  futile,  opening  doors  to  only  be  met  with  those  that  either  reject  him  or  were  not  worthy  in  the  first  place.  it  doesn't  matter,  though.  eddie  is  positive  that  his  perfect  bride  is  in  here  somewhere.  she  has  to  be.  what  is  the  point  of  it  all  if  she  isn't? 

now, the groom  stalks  through  the  hallways  of  the  asylum,  and  as  he  does,  so  many  of  the  inmates  lingering  nearby  flee.  a  reputation  proceeds  him  —  none  of  them  want  to  be  gluskin’s  next  victim.

another  door  pushed  open,  and  inside  there  sits  one.  eddie’s  head  tilts  to  the  side  as  he  examines  the  situation  :  this  bride  is  bound  in  a  straightjacket,  a  sight  that  has  his  jaw  clenching.  then,  he  realizes  it  — a  damsel  in  distress!  hand  reaches  for  the  knife  tucked  in  his  belt,  the  groom  taking  a  few  steps  closer  to  the  patient  before  him.

“  oh,  darling,  ”   he  hums,  crouching  down  so  that  he  can  begin  to  work  at  undoing  the  contraption  that  keeps  this  one  bound,  “  let  me  help  you.  that’s  what  a  gentleman  should  do,  after  all  —  i  shall  be  your  knight  in  shining  armor!  ”

[finalslay]

@red9

this one is different than the others.

this one, he recognizes.

that face is all too familiar. he's seen it before, so many times during various trips down to the thing in the basement, but he remembers it most clearly from right before everything happened. yes, it is very vivid in his memory ; he had seen it right before he woke up, right before everything became clear like it is now. eddie knows this is the one. all the others that came before do not matter — this is the one that will make the perfect bride, the one he's been searching for all this time.

she is so beautiful, isn't she?

“ i know you ... ” eddie breathes, weaving his way through the tables and shelves that separate the two of them. “ i've seen you before. i couldn't possibly forget that face ; you are so lovely, my darling ... ”

still, it isn't lost on him, the way that his darling scrambles away despite his compliments. the way that more distance continues to be placed between the two of them. the way that he loses sight of his darling, disappearing around the corner.

what a coy minx his bride is, playing hard to get!

no matter. he will play along with this silly little game, if that is truly what she wants.

how is it the old saying goes? happy wife, happy life?

“ i would ask you not to run away from me, love, ” the groom laughs, eyes scanning the shadows in search of his beloved as he stalks through the room, “ but you like this chase, don't you, my dear? ” of course, this game can only last so long. eventually, eddie's patience will begin to run thin. for now though, he will humor his bride. for now, this pursuit will be allowed.

after all, there is nowhere for her to go that he will not find her.

he knows this place like the back of his hand ; a man's home is his castle, is it not?

[finalslay]

@disesteem said : the second you try anything, i will shoot you in the head.

aubrey’s gun is aimed directly at him. there’s no chance of the shot missing if he were to pull the trigger. the thought should make eddie nervous, but it doesn’t. hell, even as he stands, hand still clutching his still-dripping knife, he finds himself unfazed by the weapon brandished. the expression on aubrey’s face is deadly serious, yet there is a part of eddie that wonders if he’d really go through with it if it were to come down to it.

after all, what did aubrey expect to see when he followed him here? had he prepared himself for the gore and viscera, the bloody and broken figure put to sleep beneath eddie’s knife? surely he had to have suspected it to follow him here in the first place. or had he been in denial the entire time? questions, questions.

“ put the gun down, ” eddie murmurs, shaking his head softly. “ you don’t want to hurt me … ” to add incentive, gloved hand drops the knife. it clatters to the ground, the sound disconcertingly loud as it shatters the eerie stillness that had permeated the air. his expression shifts, the ghost of a melancholy smile on his face as he adds, “ aubrey. you know i wouldn’t hurt you. put the gun away and we can talk. ”

the devil is always a gentleman, after all.

[finalslay]

the  moment  that  the  other  stops,  eddie  knows  he's  hit  the  nail  on  the  head.  this  is  the  way  to  earning  this  one's  affections.  perfect.  eddie  steps  closer,  bloodshot  eyes  looking  him  up  and  down  as  he  does  so  —  this  one  is  very  beautiful,  he  must  admit,  with  piercing  blue  eyes  and  almost  angelic  features.  yes,  he  is  more  so  than  any  of  the  others  that  have  stumbled  into  the  spider's  web.  the  realization  makes  eddie  near  positive  that  this  is  the  bride  he's  been  looking  for.  still,  it  wouldn't  be  the  first  time  that  he's  thought  he  has  found  her,  only  for  them  to  turn  out  to  be  just  like  the  rest.  this  could  easily  still  go  that  direction.  for  now  though,  the  groom  is  hopeful.

after  all,  most  of  them  have  to  be  dragged  in  kicking  and  screaming.

this  one  seems  to  be  coming  along  of  her  own  accord.  quite  the  contrast,  if  he  does  say  so  himself.

“  come  along  then,  ”   he  says,  tone  all  business.   “  let  me  take  you  home.  we'll  get  you  all  cleaned  up.  ”   the  delusion  is  already  there,  flickering  behind  his  eyes.  he'll  take  her  home  and  patch  her  up  and  then  she  will  be  so  grateful  —  of  course  this  one  will  agree  to  marrying  him.  of  course. 

the  groom  moves  so  that  he's  in  front  of  the  other  patient,  leading  the  way.  after  all,  a  gentleman  should  lead  in  case  of  potential  dangers!  it's  the  right  thing  to  do.  as  they  walk  through  the  hallways  leading  to  the  groom's  hideaway,  he  adds,   “  wait.  i  haven't  introduced  myself  yet,  have  i,  darling?  ”   a  quiet  laugh.   “  where  are  my  manners?  ”   he  pauses  right  in  front  of  the  door,  hand  reaching  out  for  michael's.  calloused  fingers  wrap  around  his  wrist,  bringing  it  up  towards  his  lips  in  a  flash  and  pressing  a  kiss  to  the  back  of  blood-stained  hand.   “  i'm  eddie.  and,  you  are?  ”

admittedly,  part  of  him  already  knows  he's  not  going  to  get  a  response  from  this  one,  even  before  he  is  met  with  silence.  no  matter.  he'll  find  her  file  later  on.

Michael was hoping him ignoring the other patient would be enough to make him leave him alone. It's how it typically works with all the other patients Michael has had interactions with. Clearly this one is different than the others. He also seems more aware of everything, less dazed and clouded by the influence of heavy drugging. Michael is lucky he has not been affected the same way others have. He is still himself, having only just recently been transferred to this facility from Smith's Grove. He thinks if not for this massive outbreak, the doctors would have tried with all their might to turn him into just like the others.

Accepting help is not something Michael does... but if this man has supplies he can take and use on himself, then he will accept them. Because his feet sting terribly and it is making walking difficult. He also has several other open cuts from interactions with the other patients. The previously pale white gown is now stained with red all over, both from his blood and the blood of others. So the younger man stops in his tracks, looking over his shoulder at the other, expression still steely blank but there is a hint of interest in those baby blues. If this stranger tries anything, Michael will not hesitate to resort to violence. After all, it is the language he is most fluent in.