#apollo fowl belongs to fowl-fox! i love the bastard man

[fissions-chips]

i tire of this human duet

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(Summoned to Valentine’s tower on the pretense of new information, Apollo finds himself with an unsettling and unexplainable new acquaintance) 

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(tw gore, body horror)

   Apollo was no stranger to… interesting acquaintances.

   The criminal underworld, unfortunately, appealed to the oddest of characters- some living up to their chosen roles to a cartoonish degree, and others carrying a genuinely unsettling, uncomfortable aura about them. In a world of conmen, masterminds, murderers and brutes, it made sense that some would rise above the rest in his memory. They usually avoided him all the same- perhaps he himself fit into a similar category in the minds of others, something about his general demeanor enough to drive them, blessedly, away. 

   Not Valentine, though. The preening, sugar-sweet peacock of a man was always throwing an arm around him, offering him cigarettes or, if nothing else, the opportunity to complain about everything (and everyone) else without so much as a sneer. Something within the sinister CEO allowed him to tolerate Apollo’s bitter company with unfamiliar grace, to the point that the forgotten Fowl wouldn’t be surprised if the other saw him as something approaching a friend. 

   He wasn’t sure how to feel about that. 

   Through Valentine, all sorts of other interesting individuals had come to shake his hand- the latest dinner party of Damon Kronski came to mind, Apollo guided from the company of wicked poachers to crooked developers to the head of it all himself. Save for Kronski, their names had slipped from his mind already, the purple-suited man the only individual distinct enough to make a real impression. The amount of animal prints one man could manage to wear in a single outfit would have almost been impressive… were it not for the fact that they were animal prints, mixed. 

   Apollo had to admit, however- this current ‘business partner’ of Valentine’s, seated across from him, was by far the strangest… and the most disturbing. 

   Shifting a little bit further back in his seat, the man watched, unsettled, as ‘Costa’ folded limbs far too long to be human a little bit further, so it could curl itself even closer to Valentine. The movement was accompanied by the quiet click and grinding of bone- Apollo’s frown twisted further, nausea bubbling up in the back of his stomach, as if someone had decided to stir his guts with a stick. 

   “You’ll forgive my friend here,” Valentine drawled, ignoring the monstrous face hidden in the curve of his throat in favor of gesturing idly with his cigarette. “It’s been a long day. How’ve you been, Lo?” 

   His eyes were glittering with amusement behind the darkened lenses of his glasses, haphazardly perched on the end of his nose- his head was tilted slightly by Costa's own, tucked beneath his jaw. The creature shifted, one massive hand reaching up to curl into the front of the businessman’s coat with spindly, taloned fingers, and Valentine laughed a little at the way Apollo’s eyes widened, lips pressed together in a thin line. 

   “It’s been…” Apollo started, before his words trickled off. Swallowing thickly, he took in a deep breath, before hiding his eyes behind one hand for a moment- a flicker of irritation sparked in his chest, and he clung to it, hoping it would burn away some of his discomfort. 

   “Valentine, what the fuck is that?” 

   “Hmm?” The CEO tilted his head further, ignoring the ensuing hiss and the way Apollo flinched at the sound. “Ah, I forgot… well, I’m not sure, really. Something not very human.” 

   Apollo glared at him. Beneath Valentine’s jaw, he watched as the gleam of sharpened teeth appeared as if by magic, a fibrous line of splitting flesh that slit the creature’s neck down the side- bone and muscle rippled beneath, before the gristly split melted back together beneath tanned skin, there and then gone in the span of a few seconds.

   “Yes, I can damn well see that.”

   Valentine huffed, sinking back further against the couch- he tossed one leg over the other, brow briefly furrowing in irritation at the other man’s sharpened tone. Then, his expression softened slightly, back into that of amusement and shallow humor. He was no stranger to Apollo Fowl’s bad moods. 

   “It’s some sort of… doppelgänger? Body-snatcher? The word it gave me my tongue can’t really make sense of, but those are the closest comparisons I can think of.” Glancing down, Valentine lifted a hand, resting it against the creature’s arm and giving it a little pat, like he was comforting a pet. Something in Apollo twisted a little at the sight, and his eyes narrowed. 

   “Its kind picks a person and becomes them over time, I believe? And Costa here has picked my good friend, Jon Spiro, a transformation I am more than happy to facilitate.” 

   “Is it… intelligent?” 

   Apollo’s voice was low, and Valentine’s eyes glittered at the slightest hint of curiosity there, beneath the sharp edge of irritation. “Oh, yes, very much so.” He purred, taking a deep drag of his cigarette and letting a plume of smoke drift over the creature curled against his chest. Apollo heard a quiet hiss, Costa sniffing the air like a dog before turning its face further into the businessman’s neck. There’s nothing, really, to stop it from tearing his throat out, Apollo thought, and for a moment he found himself equally unsettled by Valentine’s nonchalance as he was at the inhuman creature. 

   “It’s as intelligent as you or I, just in an… alien sort of way. I assure you, it’s listening in on our conversation, it just doesn’t talk very much.” Valentine lifted his hand and tilted his head back, revealing one long, pointed ear and the sharp, skeletal curve of Costa’s jaw. Running his finger down the edge of it, Valentine snickered as the air filled with an eerie, rumbling growl, Costa shifting a bit against him, before continuing. 

   “Sometimes, it just takes a little bit of effort to keep itself together. Costa told me once that its kind don’t sense things the way we do, with sight and sound- they’re limited to touch. Taste. So at times its host body is… overwhelming for it. When that happens it gets like this- though it is unusually clingy today, I’ll admit.”

   As he spoke, Costa finally decided to lift its head from beneath Valentine’s own, tilted as if in curiosity. Slowly, the features of a stolen face made themselves known as it swiveled to face him, stretched, distorted- Apollo had seen Jon Spiro’s face before, on magazine covers. What he was met with was like a carnival mirror from hell- save for the fact that the face that met him was devoid of eyes. 

   Not empty, unseeing sockets- where eyes should be, there was only smooth, unbroken flesh, and Apollo couldn’t quite bite back the little shriek that left his throat at the sight, one hand fisting into the fabric of the couch beneath as he leaned back, eyes wide. 

   At the sound, Costa cocked its head, pointed ears twitching- nausea roiled stronger in Apollo’s stomach, bile rising in the back of his throat. He couldn’t look at it- he couldn’t look away. He was trapped in a gaze that didn’t exist. Heart pounding in a fluttering beat-beat-beat, Apollo forced himself to choke out. 

   “Valentine, just what does it like to ‘taste’?”

   The other man was silent for a moment- then he lifted his gaze, looking Apollo dead in the eye. His expression, however, held no fear, only a wicked sort of amusement. 

   “You’re a smart man, Lo. You know perfectly well.”

   Bristling, Apollo shifted back further, half-risen to stand as he eyed the door. “So that’s why you asked me here, then?” He spat- between his head spinning and the violent roiling in his stomach, he could hardly choke the words out. Something’s wrong, he realized. Something’s very, very wrong. “So your stupid new pet could make a meal of me, you s-sick fuck?”

   Brow furrowing, Valentine shot the man across from him a quizzical look- Apollo was shaking against the couch, face drawn and pale, teeth bared. Then, a spark of recognition came to his eyes, and he glared down at the creature curled up in his lap, lightly cuffing it across the shoulder. 

   “Costa, stop that! I told you not to spook him.”

   To Apollo’s surprise, Costa flinched slightly, like a chastised pet- turning its head, it hissed at him. The man watched, sickened, as it blinked, skin splitting and peeling back, revealing eyes that were painfully inhuman, nearly all-black to the edges like a deep-sea shark. The pupils were dilated, unfocused- nonetheless, as soon as it turned away, Apollo felt his heartbeat skip, once, and then pound a little slower. He lifted a hand to his heaving chest. 

   “What… the fuck..” 

   “Forgive me, I forgot to warn you- sometimes it has that effect on people, looking right at them,” Valentine huffed. “It’s supposed to control it around my guests, though. I asked nicely.” Reaching out, he suddenly grabbed the creature by its dust-colored hair, shaking a finger at it like an irate mother. 

   “Behave, Costa. Apollo’s a good friend of mine, I won’t have you giving him nightmares.”

   The image was so absurd that for a few seconds, all Apollo could do was blink, watching for his heart to slow- he failed, in that moment, to fully catch that he had, indeed, been called a ‘friend’ (though this would be remembered, and heavily picked apart, later). 

   Giving Apollo an apologetic look, Valentine lightly shoved Costa off of his lap, ignoring the creature’s ensuing hiss and easily dodging a half-hearted swipe of its claws. “C’mon, that’s enough- go sit over there, naptime’s over.” Valentine muttered, waiting until the doppelgänger had settled down beside him, indignant, before continuing. 

   “To answer your question, Lo- no, I didn’t ask for you here so it could eat you. Don’t be absurd, Costa’s well fed-enough on Fission Chip’s staff…” Waving a hand, he laughed a little- when Apollo’s eyes only narrowed, once more flashing with anger, his voice slowly trailed off. 

   Apollo took in a deep breath through his nose, pointedly keeping his gaze locked on Valentine, and not the creature sitting next to him- he could see its irritation at being moved in the tense set of its shoulders and the curl of its lip, baring a hint of razor-sharp teeth. The look of it was just close enough to a man’s own indignation to be almost comical. 

   It’s pouting, he realized. That nightmare is pouting.

   “Look,” he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Why am I here, then, Valentine? Did you really have me come all this way just to introduce me to… that thing?” 

   Valentine was silent for a long moment. He took a deep drag from his cigarette and leaned against the armrest, resting his head on one hand as he watched Apollo, some of the good humor melting away from his expression. The man was almost sorry to see it go, somewhere deep down. Valentine looked strange without a smile on his face. 

   “You know-“ the CEO began. “Sometimes people can just want to ‘hang out’, though I know you aren’t really familiar with that. Maybe I just like your company.” Heaving a sigh, he gestured idly to the creature sitting next to him.

   “Costa wasn’t originally supposed to be here tonight- something came up, and I wanted to introduce you two. That way it wouldn’t go after you if the two of you happened to cross paths elsewhere. It won’t hurt you, I promise- it’s not my… pet, not really, but we are working together.” 

   He paused- Apollo’s gaze was unfocused, the man still slightly lost at his earlier statement. People don’t enjoy my company, the raven-haired man thought. He told me he had important information. 

   “There’s something… you wanted to tell me?” Apollo offered after a moment, trying to keep the suspicion from his voice. When he saw Valentine’s face brighten, his eyes widened slightly, settling back into the couch properly. 

   “Oh, yeah! I forgot about that- I saw that man you mentioned, a while back.” 

   “Hmm?” Apollo lifted a brow, giving Valentine a sharp look. “You’ll have to be more specific, I-“ 

   “Yes, yes, you complain about a lot of people.” Valentine interrupted, waving a hand. Ignoring the other man’s irritated huff, he continued. “This was the big one, though- I saw your brother.”

   Sudden, furious anger spiked through Apollo, just as it always did at the mention of Artemis Fowl (the First). His lip curled, eyes narrowing at the thought of his brother talking to the man seated across from him, charming and smug. What was Tim even doing in the same social circles- he was supposed to be well out of the criminal way by now!

   Costa let out a quiet bark of a sound- it took Apollo a moment to realize it was meant to be a laugh. Glancing down, he saw that his hands had fisted in his lap, shaking, and he forced his fingers to stretch themselves back out, setting one on the armchair. From the corner of his eye, Apollo saw the creature’s face begin to shift and twist, and hurriedly glanced away, back to where Valentine was talking. 

   “So, I spoke to him for a minute- I wanted a connection, see, so I could get him for a meeting if I asked. He seemed like a pretty skittish fellow.”

   Apollo fought to keep his voice steady. “And why-” he gritted out, Valentine’s eyes widening at his tone. “Would you ever want to meet with him?”

   Valentine tilted his head, and suddenly, Apollo saw a wicked, wicked gleam flicker to life in his eyes, his smile viperine as he leaned forward, took a smoke and purred. 

   “Why, Lo, in case you wanted to come along!“

   Apollo froze. 

   “See,” Valentine muttered, voice dripping with something fake, plasticine. “I know it’s been so hard for you to speak with your dear brother, what with your bad history- surely, a referee would be helpful if you were to meet him and, ah, ‘vent your frustrations’? I’d hate for you to sit in his shadow for the rest of your life, my friend- your silhouette is far more striking.” 

   For a moment, Apollo didn’t speak, gaze fixed firmly on the floor between them as the other’s words processed, mulling over them. An opportunity. He was being offered an opportunity- at the thought of his hands around Tim’s neck, Apollo’s fingers twisted into fists. 

   “That’s… That’s awfully kind of you, Val.” He didn’t ask what the catch was- there was always a catch, but in the moment, he found that he didn’t care. 

   The man across from him brightened slightly at the nickname, crossing one leg over the other and pressing his hands together in a show of wicked glee. “But!” He grinned, all sharp teeth and smiles. “You didn’t let me finish! There’s something else too.” 

   “Hmm?” Apollo, distracted, tried to force himself back into the present. Shaking his head slightly, he glanced up, watching as Valentine stretched, smooth as a cat. 

   “See, here’s where Costa comes in.” The man snickered, reaching across to cup the creature’s chin in his hand- turning his gaze, Apollo stiffened at the sight of raven-dark hair, fire-pitted skin and his brother’s damned face stretched across Costa’s own. Eyes rolled back, jaw slightly slack in a gruesome mask of death, the creature chuckled, the sound hollow and rattling, and spoke.

   “I SaW hIM…”

   The voice was unlike anything Apollo had ever heard, half-hissed and rumbling and higher than he expected. Something in the back of it pulled at some dormant part of his mind, and the man paled slightly. 

   “We went to this gala, last night-“ Valentine chattered like a songbird, unbothered by the taloned hand that settled on his leg, almost possessively, Costa letting him take its head in his hands. “Costa wanted to try out a new skin, you see, some little techy for a bit of variety- and we saw your brother. And I got to talking a little bit about my idea, what I knew about him, the awful things you’ve said- and then I mentioned Fowl Manor.”

   Beside him, Costa stiffened, bristling- Apollo watched, wide-eyed, as its eyes narrowed and its jaw, his brother’s jaw, split, into a wide mouth bristling with fang-like teeth, packed so tightly you could barely see the glittering flesh beneath. The sound of tearing flesh, sinew and twisting, grinding bone filled the penthouse as Costa snarled, loud enough to rattle the windowpanes and pulse through Apollo’s ribcage like thunder. Its limbs twisted, stretched, bent at joints that shouldn’t have been, and for a moment, Apollo saw a flicker of a different creature shift down its body, Costa struggling to hold its shape from splitting down the middle in a mess of teeth, flesh, and sinew.

   Valentine waited until the creature paused, slowly stitching its twisted body back into that of before with a wet, clicking sound. “And that is why I brought him here,” he muttered, leaning away slightly. When he turned to Apollo, however, his expression melted back into one of sinister delight. “There’s something on your estate that Costa wants terribly, though neither it nor I really know what that is, exactly. But… perhaps that means it’s time to call in a visit? It’s been a while since you’ve been home, after all.”

   Apollo felt something cold begin to prickle at the very tips of his fingers- the feeling rose up through his body, setting his shoulders stiff before it reached his chest and sank its teeth straight into his heart. His mind filled with the thought of the loathes one creature stalking the Manor’s halls, tearing down any living thing it came across in its hunt. His sister in law. His nephew. The family’s loyal Butler. His brother. He felt no pity and he felt, oddly, no rage- just a cold, calculating curiosity at what gruesome mess this new creature could make of his old family home.

   There was another, awful splitting sound- Apollo looked up to see that Costa had planted its fingers in the crook of upper and lower jaw, slowly tearing the sight of his brother’s mouth wider and wider, a Glasgow’s smile stretching far beyond the cracked-open snap of the joint. Catching Apollo’s eye on it, the creature smirked, before twisting its features into a distorted mask of Artemis Fowl, terrified, eyes rolling back and head lolling in death.

   Violent, violent death. 

   Swallowing thickly, Apollo blinked visions of terror from his mind, a small, half-sneered smile slowly ghosting over his face. 

   “Maybe… maybe you’re right, Valentine. It’s about time I went home.”