#until i get my hands on topaz this is whatcha get

[courtchip]

November 7th, 2006 ; Extreme Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match CM Punk vs Mike Knox

[grandthorkiday]

Mob AU! “Playthings” Part 5

[Link to mob!au anon’s “Playthings" fic tag]

[Start at Part 1]*

(*Note: Link is editable for other parts, just change the number. For mobile users, tag is “playthings part1”)

Thor swiped through his phone idly. They were finally making their way back to New York after the week away. Grandmaster was beside him in the back seat of the town car, also on his phone, speaking quietly to a business associate. Which business, legal or otherwise, he really didn’t care. He was being ignored for the time being; a thrilling and devastating respite from the man’s near constant attention over the week.

He thumbed through his gallery once more, stopping on a picture of Loki he had taken a few months ago. Unlike the numerous ‘fun’ photos he had of his brother, where the younger man smiled or posed or sent the camera a funny face, this picture was quiet. He probably didn’t know it had been taken. He was sitting in their private room in one of numerous hotels they called home. He was at the window, the evening light pouring in behind him as he read. No Grandmaster or his entourage peeping just barely within frame. No opulent sign of wealth. One could hardly tell it was in hotel at all. In this picture, his brother was freer than he had been in the last ten years. It took all Thor’s strength not to kiss the treasured picture.

Gast was concluding his phone call. Thor quickly switched albums on his phone to screenshots of items he ‘wanted’. He was supposed to be one of a pair of dumb sugar babies most of the time, after all. ‘His bimbo,’ as Grandmaster liked to cheekily remind him. ‘My spoiled little Princesses.’

“At least ‘the shipment’ is coming in on time. 'The batch’ is going to be delayed another three days because, I dunno!” Gast threw his head back dramatically as he put away his phone. “I give clear instructions and I am just surrounded by…” he drifted off. He did this often, when inconveniences happen. He would forget about it seemingly, never bring it up again. Until inconvenience led to incompetence.

He leaned over and put his head on Thor’s shoulder, glancing at his phone. “Whatcha looking at?” It was said flirtatiously, a hand once again creeping to his thigh.

Thor showed him the VR headset and controller he had saved. He made his eyes as wide and clueless as possible. “It’s only 199.”

“For everything? All the bits and bobs?”

He shrugged.

“Hmm, I could get you that, if you wanted. Or, or I could take you boys to the Caribbean again.”

“I think we’d prefer Disneyworld.” It was veiled sarcasm, but anything would be better than being in New York.

[read more cut]

“Well, maybe if my boys are good…,” he shrugged. They would probably get both, and the trip to the Caribbean so Gast could do his offshore banking. He doted on them when business was good, mostly to spend some of over accumulating wealth. Don’t want the IRS sniffing around.

When they finally made it back to the Gladiator Hotel, the doorman greeted Gast with his customary jolly manner. As always, the Grandmaster told him a joke and slipped him a twenty as he held his sides with laughter. The doorman spared not a glance at Thor. Even when Thor left on morning runs or to perform some errand, he barely seemed to register he existed. He was just 'one of the boys’.

The penthouse as always was already full of people. The usual group; the top Lieutenants and a few of their mistresses, a few people hoping to get some sort of favor, and of course the penthouse crew. Bodyguards and delivery men that practically lived on site. Most did. Who wouldn’t want to live in a penthouse? Or even under one?

“The gang’s all here!” Gast called. Everyone greeted him warmly and with loud cheers. A few of penthouse crew were on one of the numerous game consoles 'the boys’ owned. They waved and called like the rest but continued to play. Thor felt a strange possessive need to rip the controller out of their hands. That was his and Loki’s! It was a gift! A gift for…

For being good.

He settled in on one of the chairs at the drink bar that was along the opposite wall and tried to ignore the sound of gameplay.

“It’s good to be home!” Gast smiled as one of the women in the room pressed a drink into his hand. Then he frowned. “Something’s not right.”

Everyone went tense. They didn’t move a single muscle. They barely moved their eyes.

“Where’s Lo Lo?”

Thor’s mind snapped to attention. He began to look around the room. By now, Loki would have come out from their private room. No matter how beaten, no matter how scared, he would have come. He would play his part, leaping into the Grandmaster’s arms, asking if he had been brought a treat. Sometimes he would shyly walk out of the room, needing to be tugged into the embrace. Other times, when Loki was feeling bold, he would walk out wearing one of the numerous 'outfits’ that they had. Costumes that either left little to the imagination or clothing from Thor and the Grandmaster’s closet.

But Loki was not here. He quickly glanced at Gast. Gast had a bemused look of puzzlement on his face. Clearly, Loki not being here was not part of the 'punishment’. He tried not to leap up and pace or show any visible sign of distress, but his capacity to hide such things was nonexistent now. Immediately, Gast caught him beginning to panic. Quickly, as though he was comforting Thor (but it was comforting, wasn’t it?) he pulled the young man into his embrace.

“My Lo Lo better come soon. My Sparkle is loskng his shine,” he tutted, his voice an exaggerated tender parody.

Thor snorted pathetically, curling into his Grandmaster for comfort. He always knew what to say.

“Well? He was your responsibility?” This was directed at Mario, one of the lieutenants and head of the penthouse crew. “What happened?”

“Well we were going to give him the works, like you wanted,” Mario said nervously. “Then we got a call about 'The Batch’ and I went to deal with that for you best I could. So we wouldn’t be delayed a month on that.”

“And?”

“So I left the kid with Tommy,” he motioned to the couch to one of the men playing games. Tommy was fairly new to the penthouse crew and he was, to put it mildly, an idiot. He was a jumped-up relative of someone, and like anyone in a position because of nepotism, he had a certain attitude of invulnerability. He was still playing the game, ignoring all the attention in the room shifting to him.

Gast moved quietly to stand behind Tommy. He watched the screen and the flashing lights of the game. His face was calm. He even smiled slightly. “Tommy, um Tommy.”

Tommy didn’t pause the game but threw a glance over his shoulder. “Yeah?”

“You took care of Loki for Mario?”

“The brat? Yeah, we roughed him up. Like yah said. Gave him the dock side special!” He laughed and elbowed one of his companions. The companion was catching on to what was happening and did not laugh back.

Thor began to advance on the man, seeing red. Loki wasn’t some nosy harbor agent or business owner who was late with his protection money. He didn’t deserve…

The Grandmaster put out a hand to stop him. “So after that. After you gave him this dock side special.”

“We went out for a bit I think. Dunno. Smoked a few bowls.” There was a shrug as he continued to play.

“We went to the hospital,” one of the other men said.

“Oh yeah! Fucking brat was moaning and not moving. Did a roll stop at Mercy.”

The room began to tilt. Thor stumbled back. It had been years since either of them had been beaten so badly to warrent the hospital. Gast had become more cautious and they had become more obedient. Usually though, they were back within in a few days. Hospital officials could be bought off to release patients early and their many a doctor who would be willing to treat them here in the penthouse. There would be only two reasons why Loki wasn’t here then.

“So, he’s dead?” It was asked casually, like he was asking if someone had a nice weekend. Likw Loki’s existence was nothing more than just a simple matter, like a chore off the list.

“I dunno!” Tommy continued to play the game.

“You didn’t go to the hospital to check?”

“Fuck, that ain’t my job!”

“Actually, that is.” The television was turned off. The man was suddenly keenly aware of the danger he was in. Tommy was dragged quickly from his seat by Mario and several of the other penthouse crew members. They quickly gagged the man and frog marched him to the maid’s elevator, the way to the basement and scene of operations.

Gast rubbed his face and pulled at his lips. “Well I-I can’t say that doesn’t change a few things.”

Mario had returned. “Grandmaster I’m sorry. He’s Lenny’s boy-”

“I know.”

“His Mother is going to want to at least bury him. She’s a proper broad. But I can talk to her if you want.”

“No it’s fine. Keep him alive and intact until I hear back from the hospital. Call Lenny. He has other kids?”

“He’s Catholic, so yeah.”

“Well, one less son is nothing to fret over. Someone fetch me Topaz.” He finally turned back to Thor. Thor knew better than to leave before being dismissed. “Poor Lo Lo, isn’t that right my love?”

“I-I want to go to the hospital to find him.”

“No, no! I want you here. Here at home. Right where I know you’re safe.”

He wanted to shake his head and ask again. He wanted to run at the man to either tear him limb from limb or to plead on his knees. He felt fear that Loki was gone, that he was truly alone now. That it was just him, the Grandmaster, and a memory he had no one to share it with. But there was a thrill of hope.

Loki could be free…one way or another���.

“May I go to my room?” To be alone. To mourn, to pray, to rage, to laugh, to scream….

“For a few hours. Then we’re going to go talk to Tommy.”

Thor nodded and left. If there was silver lining to all this, it would be one of the few times he got to kill someone who had hurt his younger brother.