#imperium lasko go brrrr

[beewithknee]

pretty toy

imperium spoilers below

(also im so sorry I post so much I got a lot of writing saved up lmao)

imperium lasko x freelancer angst

t.w - abuse, abusive relationships, power imbalance

A snap was heard and you were by his side instantly. It was humiliating and degrading, but you had to survive, had to obey. Had to find a way out, a way to get you and Vindemiator out, away from the ‘sanctuary’. Your ‘home’ had become one long torture session. Each day was hell and you were slowly giving up, the torture was a lot for anyone, but you thought you’d be safe at DAMN and to have that ripped out from underneath you was... You wondered how Vin was doing, what he had to put up with. You imagined it was nothing good.

A tap to your cheek brought you out of your thoughts.

“Off in the clouds again pet?” The poisonous voice smirked. You nodded, gaze locked to the ground. Harsh fingers gripped your jaw, the hold was sure to leave bruises but you didn't care anymore. Your face was yanked up, eyes meeting the cold blues you’d quickly learnt to hate. “I think an apology is in order. You’ve been so disrespectful to our guest pet.” Lasko spat, fingers tightening around your chin. It wasn’t a suggestion. Meeting the other business man’s eyes, you bowed your head for a moment. “Please forgive me Sir. I was extremely rude.” The other man hummed and jerked his head up, finally the unrelenting hold on your face loosened. Your eyes immediately met the ground again. Your face burnt with shame. For a man who loved freelancers, you sure didn’t feel the love. “That one’s cute. What’s your price?” Your stomach dropped. Oh god, please no. You couldn't be sold. You weren't some little plaything to be passed around to all the rich assholes in Dalia looking for a blood bag or a slave.

Before you could utter a word in defence, the white haired man stepped in. His arm wrapped around your waist, pulling you into a punishing grip. You shivered, and not in a good way. “This one isn’t for sale.” He hissed, fingers pinching at your side. You sucked in a breath, breathing slowly through the pain. Fucking hell. The older man sighed. “What a shame. Mine’s getting slow. For an empathy daemon, he sure doesn’t know how to relieve my stress, if you know what I mean.” The two laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world and you had never wished to punch someone more. Taking a breath in, Lasko sighed, finally releasing you. Your ribs ached and you had a sharp pain in your torso. Silently, you brought your eyes up to look at the man that sat before you. In his mind, you were a thing.

Not a person.

A toy to be used and abused until he got bored of you and found another freelancer to fawn over. But to you, he was merely a pawn. A piece in your game. A, sadly, necessary, means to an end. Since you had become a glorified butler/punching bag for the headmaster, you had been saving up your power, practicing silently in your room and growing stronger everyday. You just needed to buy your time and figure out a way to get out, preferably without getting killed. “Go fetch us some drinks, my dear.” he instructed, waving his ringed hand towards the drink’s rack. You went to move, but a grasp in your hair stopped you. Your whole body jerked back and onto the floor. Letting out a cry, your hands fisted around the one attached to your scalp. Your head throbbed something fierce and you could feel the anger that radiated from Lasko. “That wasn't very nice pet. What do we say after someone gives you an order, hmm?” Calm. That’s the only way you could describe his voice. He was deadly calm and you knew what would happen if you didn't get the answer in the next 5 seconds. Hands still trying to give your scalp a break, you struggled to breathe.

“Yes Sir. I’m sorry Sir.” You rasped, voice breaking slightly. God, the pain that radiated through you brought tears to your eyes. Your mind was a jungle and you were desperately trying to save your skin. Literally. “Good. Drinks, now.” He snapped his fingers, the personality shift scared the fuck out of you. The way he could go from calm, to terrifyingly protective, to angry in mere seconds was awful. You never knew what might set him off. Walking on eggshells was a normality at that point and you hated every second of it. You scrambled up, brushing off your clothes. “What drink would you like Sir?” You asked the newcomer, already familiar with Lasko’s drink order. “Whiskey.” He grunted, head jerking again, but this time towards the bottle. You poured them both drinks, placing them delicately between each. Bending over, you leant down to stabilize yourself. A hand went to your back and you tensed.

Oh god.

You could feel your anger bubbling up. You could handle Lasko manhandling you, but this stranger, no. Lasko’s groping was necessary, but this. This you wouldn’t stand for.

Your heart thunderted in your chest and you were moving before you could stop yourself. Being a freelancer on the streets meant you had to learn how to protect yourself or you were left for dead. Your right hand snuck up, grabbing the hand that still stroked your back. Twisting it, you moved behind the old man and pressed his chest to the table. You leant down, leaning into his ear. “I may be Lasko’s plaything, but I am not yours. You do not touch me and if you ever do again I promise you will not want to know what hell I can rain down on you.” You hissed, anger pulsing through you. “O-okay. Jesus, let me go.” He moaned in pain. You released him and he rubbed at his tender shoulder. Moving away from him, you smirked to yourself. “Pet. Here, now.” Lasko smiled.

Oh fuck.

You had forgotten he was there. You were screwed. You walked slowly, trying to prolong the punishment. Your heart slammed against your ribs at a bruising pace and you had all the curse words imaginable running through your mind. “Here. Now.” He demanded, patience wearing thin. His polish shoes tapped against the ground gently and you could see his fingers clenching and unclenching. Glancing back quickly, you could see the man you harassed looking curiously between the two of you. You stopped in front of Lasko’s feet, head down.

“Look at me.” He sighed, sick of your bullshit. You raised your eyes slowly, already regretting your action, no that's a lie. You only regretted it a little, it felt fucking great to put that asshole in his place. As soon as your eyes met, the familiar pain radiated through your face. Your head snapped to the side painfully and you could feel the blood building up in your mouth. “Ow.” You whispered, eyes glistening with unshed tears. Another slap hit your cheek and your neck cracked with the force, it was burning, hot and sharp as your blood dripped down your chin. Fuck that hurt. A harsh hand fell to your shoulder and you obediently hit the floor. Your knees were already aching against the cold tile and you had to fight hard to not let the tears drip down your cheeks, to be fair, it’d probably soothe the agony.

Lasko had a heavy hand and when you fucked up, he didn’t hold back. Leaning over, elbows resting against his knees, he sighed. “You know I don’t like hurting your pet, but sometimes you force my hand. What you did to Mr. [quinns last name] here is inexcusable. We treat our guests with respect.” This time you couldn't help yourself, you muttered the words so quietly, but by the inhale he held, you knew he heard. “Oh yeah? Like how you treated me and Vin, right?” Oops, you thought. You couldn't help yourself. You knew you had to play ‘pretty, helpless pet’ but sometimes a little disobedience was worth it.

“I treated you and your companion kindly and fairly and you should do well to remember that.” It was both a threat and a promise. “Bullshit.” You whispered. The older man chuckled, breaking some of the tension in the room. Sneering at you, he glared angrily. “Y’know. You really do look better with your pretty mouth shut. Maybe you should’ve trained your pet better, Lasko.” He chuckled, and… the tension was back. It was thick and it fogged up your head. “Mmm, I thought I had. But I guess not. Well you know what they say, bad dogs get punished.” His grip on your shoulder was unrelenting as you glared right back at him. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see a small whirl of wind slowly getting bigger and more aggressive. You knew what was coming, knew you couldn't avoid it.

What was the point?

If you tried, Lasko would just find a new way to torture you. Like the crack of a whip, the atmosphere broke. The air propelled at you, hitting you squarely in the chest. Knocking the breath from you, you flew into the wall. Your head hit the brick with a sickening crack and the older man cringed. “Lasko, was that needed? I mean, I do enjoy the sight of blood, but y’know.” He laughed, teasing the wind elemental. Your consciousness was quickly fading and you fought to stay awake. The click of shoes filled your mind as he entered your vision. You felt his hot breath against your ear, tongue sliding up to lick a stripe across it. “Sleep well my dear, I’ll wake you up in your favourite way.” He smirked, the smile villainous and terrifying. You were completely fucked. You only hoped that Vindemiator wasn't being subjected to the same fate.