Fiction: Ruling in Hell - Part 9 April
Nov. 6th, 2008 02:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kethniName: Part 9 - April
Rating: 18 (Possibly disturbing) Sex and violence!
Pairings: Matt/Haitian, Matt/Monica (implied)
Matt almost drops the cold cup of coffee he’s holding. “Now?”
“Now.”
Matt puts the cup down and stands up, wiping his palms on the back of his pants. “Okay.”
The doctor and nurse both look up as Matt is brought into the room.
“She’s over there,” the nurse says, waving a hand at the table.
“That’s it?” Matt mutters walking over the huddled, blood-soaked shape on the table. “Some fucking Hippocratic oath you’ve got there. Oh god.” He manages to scoop the shape up carefully and walk back toward the door. The Haitian holds the door open for him, pausing to pull the sheet over an exposed leg, and leads him back to the suite.
Claire opens her eyes. She’s propped upright in the shower as Matt rinses off the blood.
“Oh, you’re awake. Okay, you need anything?” he asks gently.
She shakes her head and then leans her forehead against the cool tiles.
Matt takes the showerhead down and swills the water down the plughole. He turns off the shower, puts the showerhead back, and takes a towel from the rail. “I’ve run you a bath. Uh, I hope that’s okay.” He wraps the towel around her and picks her up. “If we’d had a bath then I’m sure Adam would’ve wanted one.” Claire lets her head fall against his shoulder as Matt turns around and carries her over to the bath. He adjusts his grip on her and measures the temperature of the water with his elbow. He lowers her into the water awkwardly removing the towel as he does. He looks away as he squeezes out the sodden towel and then heads for the door.
She stays in the bath for hours. Every now and then Matt can hear her let some water out and add fresh.
“Din dins,” Elle announces, as she the Haitian carry in a tray each. “Where’s your roomie?”
“She’s in the bath.” Matt stands up and accepts a tray from the Haitian. “Thank you.”
The Haitian nods and leaves.
Elle throws the tray she’s carrying down on the table. “That’s her dinner.”
“Please don’t chuck her food around,” Matt says quietly.
Elle reddens. “So, you and the cheerleader are getting on, huh?”
“It’s not like that.”
She folds her arms. “Well, okay then. I guess I’ll leave you two love birds to it.”
“What do you want Elle?” Matt asks.
“You could be nice to me.” She rocks on her heels. “I could find something… something that you want?”
“I’ll think of something,” Matt says.
“Could I like… get it on account?” Elle says hopefully. “I just… I had a really bad few days. I’m really stressed and I have like nobody to talk to and…”
“I’m not your friend Elle. Offer me something I want and I’ll let you hurt me, or I’ll make you come, or if you give me something really good I’ll fuck you.”
Elle colours. “Right, sure, of course,” she stutters. “I’m sorry, I just…I was out after this firestarter and…”
“Elle…”
“It wasn’t my fault that he got away! It’s not like I wanted him to set fire to those school kids! The way my dad was talking you’d think that I did it on purpose.” She leans her head against his chest.
Matt sighs and pats her back. “Elle, look, I don’t want this to get confusing. I’m not your friend…”
“I know, I know,” she sniffles.
“But hey, if you want my time and you’ll pay for it then fine. You wanna waste it chewing my ear off then okay.” He waves a hand in the direction of his bedroom. “Just, let’s not think this is something that its not.”
“Sure, sure.”
Matt mutes the television when Claire’s door creaks open. He starts to get up off the sofa and then pauses.
“Hey,” she says awkwardly, coming around the side of sofa.
“Uh, hi.” Matt gets up and shuffles to the kitchen area. “I put your dinner in the oven. Do you… should I warm it up?”
“Are you my mom now?” she asks, smiling slightly.
“Apparently,” Matt says, smiling back. “You want a coke?”
“That’d be great. Do we take it turns or what?”
“Oh, I didn’t make dinner,” Matt says quickly, turning on the oven. “I can cook but…”
Claire nods as he brings her a coke. “But you don’t.”
“Not if I can avoid it, no.”
“So… you’re sleeping with Elle?”
“Wow, that was kinda blunt,” Matt says, raising his eyebrows. “And, no. Not exactly.”
“Not exactly?” Claire takes a sip of her coke.
The oven chimes. Matt jerks a thumb over his shoulder. “I’ll get your dinner.”
“You don’t have to look after me you know,” Claire says quietly.
“Actually, I kinda do.” Matt puts her dinner on a tray with cutlery and takes it over to her. “Part of the deal.”
“Okay, so you know that’s bullshit right?” She waves a forkful of her food about. “They could give me a real nurse.”
“They could. Of course you’ve met the nurses they have here…” Matt says with a shrug as he gets himself a coke.
“Yeah!” Claire shovels food into her mouth. “But come on.”
“Come on what?”
“Offic… Matt, Maya told me the gossip. Is that why I’m here? So you can get me pregnant?”
“No, no, absolutely not,” Matt says quickly.
Claire looks at him silently.
“It’s not! I swear. I wouldn’t do that to you Claire.”
“Is that what you’re doing to Elle?” she asks doubtfully.
“No,” Matt says firmly. “Believe it not, she just wanted someone to talk to.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously, she screwed up today, really badly, and she doesn’t actually have any friends she can vent to.” Matt takes a gulp of his coke. “Which is pretty pathetic really.”
“Am I supposed to feel sorry her?” Claire asks wryly. “Poor Elle, she had a bad day?”
“That wasn’t what I meant.”
“Good.”
Matt wakes first and is already drinking coffee when Claire drags herself out into the living room.
“Morning.”
“Yippee, another day of torment,” she says sourly. “Where’s the sugar?”
“In the red jar.”
“So what do they do with you?” she asks, stirring three sugars into her coffee. “How’d they do horrible things to you with your power?”
Matt raises his eyebrows. “Uh, a guy called Claude hit me with a big stick. That was kinda it, really.”
“Does he turn invisible?” Claire asks, launching herself onto the chair next to him.
“Yeah.”
“He used to work with my dad.” She raises her eyebrows. “Of course so did the Haitian and that’s not helping me much either. Is there anything to eat?”
“Any minute now.”
After breakfast, Elle marches Claire off to the medical unit. The Haitian follows Matt into his bedroom.
“Can you help her?” Matt asks.
“Perhaps,” the Haitian says calmly.
“And perhaps not?”
The Haitian inclines his head in agreement. He cups Matt’s face in his hand. “Undress for me.”
Matt strips off, piling his clothes on one side. At a gesture, he lies face down on the bed.
Cool fingers caress his neck and slip down his back. It's not meant to be a massage, uncoiling tension and knotted muscles; rather it's a surveying of property, a taking of possession. Matt closes his eyes and barely reacts to his legs being parted.
The drawer of the nightstand squeaks as it’s opened. There’s the old familiar sound of hands rubbing together to warm lube. Matt drops his head down onto his pillow as he’s prepared slowly.
“Cutting right to the chase, huh?” Matt asks, as he’s shown into the propagation suite.
The Haitian smiles, and presses his thumb to Matt’s lips before he leaves.
Matt edges closer to the door. Footsteps are drumming along outside, getting closer and louder. It stops right outside and someone taps in the room code.
Matt backs away from the door as it opens. Claude swaggers in pulling Monica, hands cuffed behind her, with him.
“Well aint this sweet? Young love.” He shoves her to Matt who just manages to catch her before she falls. “Have fun won’t you?” he asks, turning back to the door.
“Hey! Take off the cuffs!” Matt snaps.
“You what?” Claude turns back to them. “Are you giving me an order?”
Matt licks his lips. “I’m telling you how it is, you take off the cuffs or this doesn’t happen.”
Claude shoves him against the wall. “Who the fuck do you think you are? You’re nothing. You’re less than scum and you don’t call the shots with me.”
“Make you feel all macho does it, shoving around women?” Matt asks. “Don’t like dealing with someone who talks back?”
Claude smiles, a slow threat of a smile. “One day, sunshine, you’re gonna be mine.” He presses his mouth to Matt’s ear. “I’m going to beat the shit out of you and fuck you raw. Every day.”
“Sounds tiring,” Matt says casually. “Sure you’re up for it?”
“Oh yeah,” Claude promises. “Count on it.”
“Her cuffs,” Matt says flatly. “Take them off.”
Claude removes her cuffs and shoves them into his pocket. “Maybe I’ll use these on you.”
“Maybe you’ll try.”
Monica waits until Claude has left before turning to Matt. “Thanks!”
“No problem. I’m Matt.”
“Monica,” she says holding out her hand.
“Hi.” He shakes her hand. “What’s with the cuffs?”
“They don’t want me opening the doors,” she says with a shrug.
“I thought you were a… muscle mimic? How can that open the doors?”
“Because I see the movements.” She mimes punching numbers on a number pad. “Then I can mimic them. If they didn’t keep my hands behind my back I’d walk right out of here.”
Matt raises his eyebrows. “They don’t make you take the medication?”
“Sure but they give me the serum so they can test me.” She cautiously walks around the bed.
“Why don’t they change the codes?”
“Every day?”
“Good point,” Matt admits.
Monica rubs a hand up her arm. “How’d you know I’m a muscle mimic?”
“It was in your file.”
“You read my file,” she says flatly.
“It doesn’t matter,” Matt says quickly.
“Easy for you to say.” She sits down on the bed. “You been here long?”
“Nine months,” Matt says, sitting down near here. “You?”
“Six weeks. They picked up when they were looking for my cousin. He escaped from here pretty recently.” Monica draws her knees up to her chest. “Claude really is pretty violent in bed and if he says he’s going to hurt you, he will.”
“He’ll have to join the queue. My handler likes to electrocute me.”
“Damn, sounds bad.”
“I’m sure it could be worse,” Matt says with a shrug. “Not entirely sure how…”
Monica laughs with him. “How’d we end up in this mess?”
“I have no idea.” Matt rubs his forehead. “Who’s your cousin?”
“Micah Sanders?”
Matt turns suddenly. “Micah? Had you see him, were they… all together? Was there a girl and a pregnant woman?”
“I just dropped off some money to a hotel room,” Monica says with a shrug. “I’m sorry. Was there someone…?”
“My daughter, Molly,” Matt says with a smile. “She went with them. God, I miss her.”
Monica puts her hand over his. “How old is she?”
“Eleven, apparently she and Micah had a bit of a thing going,” Matt says rolling his eyes.
“Change of plan,” Bob says cheerfully, looking across at Matt.
“In what way?” Matt asks cautiously.
Bob folds his hands and smiles at him. “We’ve had a stroke of good luck. A very special young woman whom we’ve been hoping to… introduce you to is apparently just about ready. So you won’t have to make your second selection.”
“I see,” Matt says suspiciously.
“I’m not sure that you do,” Bob says, leaning forward. “We believe that you and Daphne will be extremely well matched. We’re very excited about this Matt. I hope I can rely on you to treat her with appropriate kindness and grace.”
“So, you’re not going to force me onto Claire?” Matt checks.
Bob raises his eyebrows. “I thought we were clear on that. Use of Claire’s body is entirely at your discretion. Sleep with her, don’t sleep with her. It’s your choice.”
Matt licks his lips and looks away. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the way you people talk about us.”
“It doesn’t have to be a ‘them and us’ situation, Matt,” Bob says smoothly. “This can be a partnership.”
Matt plucks at his white jumpsuit. “Doesn’t feel like it to me.”
Tonight Claire doesn’t stir until Matt is putting her in the bath. She grips his arms fiercely for a split second before realising where she is.
“Sorry,” she mutters.
“Nah, it’s fine.” Matt removes the towel and heads for the door.
“Matt?”
“Yeah?” he asks, not turning around.
“Would you stay? Just… talk to me?” she whispers.
He backs up until he reaches the toilet. He sits down awkwardly so his back is still to her. “What do you want to talk about?”
“You can turn around,” she giggles, although it sounds as there’s tears mixed in there as well.
“That wouldn’t be right,” Matt says firmly. “What kind of gentleman would I be then?”
“Matt, you see me naked every night,” Claire says quietly.
“That’s different.”
“Why?” She’s definitely crying now.
Matt turns around and kneels by the bath. “Hey, come on,” he says gently. Her legs are drawn up to her chest and she’s sobbing. “Why would you want an old fart looking at you anyway?”
She laughs slightly and slaps at his arm. “Talk to me?”
“About what?”
“I don’t know.” She leans her forehead against his. “Just something… anything. My dad always kept everything from us. What did you do today?”
“Uh…” Matt trawls his memory for something he can share.
“This morning Elle said you were going to be, um, ‘screwing the broodmares’. The women they’ve got you sleeping with,” Claire says quietly.
“Oh shit,” Matt says, briefly closing his eyes. “Claire…”
“I’m not six and I know the gossip, remember?”
“Yeah, I spent the day with uh… yeah.” Matt flicks her nose with his finger. “Which I can’t talk to you about.”
“Do they… hurt them?” she asks.
“How do you mean? Do I hurt them? I try not to.”
“No.” She lifts a hand out of the water and strokes the back of his hand. “Do they cut them up the way they do me?”
“Oh, no. They’re very careful with them,” Matt says sourly. “Until they give birth at least.”
“Matt?”
“Hmm?”
Claire lifts her head and smiles. “Would you rub my back?”
Daphne stands in the middle of the office, head bowed and body slumped. Bob circles her.
“She seems rather less… effervescent than advertised,” he says slowly.
“She was rather too effervescent on the ride over. I had to bring her back into line,” the other man says. “She’ll return to herself in the morning.”
“Angela made the mistake of thinking he’d respond best to someone wholly reliant on him,” Bob says lifting up Daphne’s chin. “That appeals to him of course but he also needs someone to challenge him. Someone to inspire him to go further, faster.”
“She will,” Maury promises. “It took a lot of time to find her and I’ve done a lot of work on her. She’s perfect.”
Rating: 18 (Possibly disturbing) Sex and violence!
Pairings: Matt/Haitian, Matt/Monica (implied)
Matt almost drops the cold cup of coffee he’s holding. “Now?”
“Now.”
Matt puts the cup down and stands up, wiping his palms on the back of his pants. “Okay.”
The doctor and nurse both look up as Matt is brought into the room.
“She’s over there,” the nurse says, waving a hand at the table.
“That’s it?” Matt mutters walking over the huddled, blood-soaked shape on the table. “Some fucking Hippocratic oath you’ve got there. Oh god.” He manages to scoop the shape up carefully and walk back toward the door. The Haitian holds the door open for him, pausing to pull the sheet over an exposed leg, and leads him back to the suite.
Claire opens her eyes. She’s propped upright in the shower as Matt rinses off the blood.
“Oh, you’re awake. Okay, you need anything?” he asks gently.
She shakes her head and then leans her forehead against the cool tiles.
Matt takes the showerhead down and swills the water down the plughole. He turns off the shower, puts the showerhead back, and takes a towel from the rail. “I’ve run you a bath. Uh, I hope that’s okay.” He wraps the towel around her and picks her up. “If we’d had a bath then I’m sure Adam would’ve wanted one.” Claire lets her head fall against his shoulder as Matt turns around and carries her over to the bath. He adjusts his grip on her and measures the temperature of the water with his elbow. He lowers her into the water awkwardly removing the towel as he does. He looks away as he squeezes out the sodden towel and then heads for the door.
She stays in the bath for hours. Every now and then Matt can hear her let some water out and add fresh.
“Din dins,” Elle announces, as she the Haitian carry in a tray each. “Where’s your roomie?”
“She’s in the bath.” Matt stands up and accepts a tray from the Haitian. “Thank you.”
The Haitian nods and leaves.
Elle throws the tray she’s carrying down on the table. “That’s her dinner.”
“Please don’t chuck her food around,” Matt says quietly.
Elle reddens. “So, you and the cheerleader are getting on, huh?”
“It’s not like that.”
She folds her arms. “Well, okay then. I guess I’ll leave you two love birds to it.”
“What do you want Elle?” Matt asks.
“You could be nice to me.” She rocks on her heels. “I could find something… something that you want?”
“I’ll think of something,” Matt says.
“Could I like… get it on account?” Elle says hopefully. “I just… I had a really bad few days. I’m really stressed and I have like nobody to talk to and…”
“I’m not your friend Elle. Offer me something I want and I’ll let you hurt me, or I’ll make you come, or if you give me something really good I’ll fuck you.”
Elle colours. “Right, sure, of course,” she stutters. “I’m sorry, I just…I was out after this firestarter and…”
“Elle…”
“It wasn’t my fault that he got away! It’s not like I wanted him to set fire to those school kids! The way my dad was talking you’d think that I did it on purpose.” She leans her head against his chest.
Matt sighs and pats her back. “Elle, look, I don’t want this to get confusing. I’m not your friend…”
“I know, I know,” she sniffles.
“But hey, if you want my time and you’ll pay for it then fine. You wanna waste it chewing my ear off then okay.” He waves a hand in the direction of his bedroom. “Just, let’s not think this is something that its not.”
“Sure, sure.”
Matt mutes the television when Claire’s door creaks open. He starts to get up off the sofa and then pauses.
“Hey,” she says awkwardly, coming around the side of sofa.
“Uh, hi.” Matt gets up and shuffles to the kitchen area. “I put your dinner in the oven. Do you… should I warm it up?”
“Are you my mom now?” she asks, smiling slightly.
“Apparently,” Matt says, smiling back. “You want a coke?”
“That’d be great. Do we take it turns or what?”
“Oh, I didn’t make dinner,” Matt says quickly, turning on the oven. “I can cook but…”
Claire nods as he brings her a coke. “But you don’t.”
“Not if I can avoid it, no.”
“So… you’re sleeping with Elle?”
“Wow, that was kinda blunt,” Matt says, raising his eyebrows. “And, no. Not exactly.”
“Not exactly?” Claire takes a sip of her coke.
The oven chimes. Matt jerks a thumb over his shoulder. “I’ll get your dinner.”
“You don’t have to look after me you know,” Claire says quietly.
“Actually, I kinda do.” Matt puts her dinner on a tray with cutlery and takes it over to her. “Part of the deal.”
“Okay, so you know that’s bullshit right?” She waves a forkful of her food about. “They could give me a real nurse.”
“They could. Of course you’ve met the nurses they have here…” Matt says with a shrug as he gets himself a coke.
“Yeah!” Claire shovels food into her mouth. “But come on.”
“Come on what?”
“Offic… Matt, Maya told me the gossip. Is that why I’m here? So you can get me pregnant?”
“No, no, absolutely not,” Matt says quickly.
Claire looks at him silently.
“It’s not! I swear. I wouldn’t do that to you Claire.”
“Is that what you’re doing to Elle?” she asks doubtfully.
“No,” Matt says firmly. “Believe it not, she just wanted someone to talk to.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously, she screwed up today, really badly, and she doesn’t actually have any friends she can vent to.” Matt takes a gulp of his coke. “Which is pretty pathetic really.”
“Am I supposed to feel sorry her?” Claire asks wryly. “Poor Elle, she had a bad day?”
“That wasn’t what I meant.”
“Good.”
Matt wakes first and is already drinking coffee when Claire drags herself out into the living room.
“Morning.”
“Yippee, another day of torment,” she says sourly. “Where’s the sugar?”
“In the red jar.”
“So what do they do with you?” she asks, stirring three sugars into her coffee. “How’d they do horrible things to you with your power?”
Matt raises his eyebrows. “Uh, a guy called Claude hit me with a big stick. That was kinda it, really.”
“Does he turn invisible?” Claire asks, launching herself onto the chair next to him.
“Yeah.”
“He used to work with my dad.” She raises her eyebrows. “Of course so did the Haitian and that’s not helping me much either. Is there anything to eat?”
“Any minute now.”
After breakfast, Elle marches Claire off to the medical unit. The Haitian follows Matt into his bedroom.
“Can you help her?” Matt asks.
“Perhaps,” the Haitian says calmly.
“And perhaps not?”
The Haitian inclines his head in agreement. He cups Matt’s face in his hand. “Undress for me.”
Matt strips off, piling his clothes on one side. At a gesture, he lies face down on the bed.
Cool fingers caress his neck and slip down his back. It's not meant to be a massage, uncoiling tension and knotted muscles; rather it's a surveying of property, a taking of possession. Matt closes his eyes and barely reacts to his legs being parted.
The drawer of the nightstand squeaks as it’s opened. There’s the old familiar sound of hands rubbing together to warm lube. Matt drops his head down onto his pillow as he’s prepared slowly.
“Cutting right to the chase, huh?” Matt asks, as he’s shown into the propagation suite.
The Haitian smiles, and presses his thumb to Matt’s lips before he leaves.
Matt edges closer to the door. Footsteps are drumming along outside, getting closer and louder. It stops right outside and someone taps in the room code.
Matt backs away from the door as it opens. Claude swaggers in pulling Monica, hands cuffed behind her, with him.
“Well aint this sweet? Young love.” He shoves her to Matt who just manages to catch her before she falls. “Have fun won’t you?” he asks, turning back to the door.
“Hey! Take off the cuffs!” Matt snaps.
“You what?” Claude turns back to them. “Are you giving me an order?”
Matt licks his lips. “I’m telling you how it is, you take off the cuffs or this doesn’t happen.”
Claude shoves him against the wall. “Who the fuck do you think you are? You’re nothing. You’re less than scum and you don’t call the shots with me.”
“Make you feel all macho does it, shoving around women?” Matt asks. “Don’t like dealing with someone who talks back?”
Claude smiles, a slow threat of a smile. “One day, sunshine, you’re gonna be mine.” He presses his mouth to Matt’s ear. “I’m going to beat the shit out of you and fuck you raw. Every day.”
“Sounds tiring,” Matt says casually. “Sure you’re up for it?”
“Oh yeah,” Claude promises. “Count on it.”
“Her cuffs,” Matt says flatly. “Take them off.”
Claude removes her cuffs and shoves them into his pocket. “Maybe I’ll use these on you.”
“Maybe you’ll try.”
Monica waits until Claude has left before turning to Matt. “Thanks!”
“No problem. I’m Matt.”
“Monica,” she says holding out her hand.
“Hi.” He shakes her hand. “What’s with the cuffs?”
“They don’t want me opening the doors,” she says with a shrug.
“I thought you were a… muscle mimic? How can that open the doors?”
“Because I see the movements.” She mimes punching numbers on a number pad. “Then I can mimic them. If they didn’t keep my hands behind my back I’d walk right out of here.”
Matt raises his eyebrows. “They don’t make you take the medication?”
“Sure but they give me the serum so they can test me.” She cautiously walks around the bed.
“Why don’t they change the codes?”
“Every day?”
“Good point,” Matt admits.
Monica rubs a hand up her arm. “How’d you know I’m a muscle mimic?”
“It was in your file.”
“You read my file,” she says flatly.
“It doesn’t matter,” Matt says quickly.
“Easy for you to say.” She sits down on the bed. “You been here long?”
“Nine months,” Matt says, sitting down near here. “You?”
“Six weeks. They picked up when they were looking for my cousin. He escaped from here pretty recently.” Monica draws her knees up to her chest. “Claude really is pretty violent in bed and if he says he’s going to hurt you, he will.”
“He’ll have to join the queue. My handler likes to electrocute me.”
“Damn, sounds bad.”
“I’m sure it could be worse,” Matt says with a shrug. “Not entirely sure how…”
Monica laughs with him. “How’d we end up in this mess?”
“I have no idea.” Matt rubs his forehead. “Who’s your cousin?”
“Micah Sanders?”
Matt turns suddenly. “Micah? Had you see him, were they… all together? Was there a girl and a pregnant woman?”
“I just dropped off some money to a hotel room,” Monica says with a shrug. “I’m sorry. Was there someone…?”
“My daughter, Molly,” Matt says with a smile. “She went with them. God, I miss her.”
Monica puts her hand over his. “How old is she?”
“Eleven, apparently she and Micah had a bit of a thing going,” Matt says rolling his eyes.
“Change of plan,” Bob says cheerfully, looking across at Matt.
“In what way?” Matt asks cautiously.
Bob folds his hands and smiles at him. “We’ve had a stroke of good luck. A very special young woman whom we’ve been hoping to… introduce you to is apparently just about ready. So you won’t have to make your second selection.”
“I see,” Matt says suspiciously.
“I’m not sure that you do,” Bob says, leaning forward. “We believe that you and Daphne will be extremely well matched. We’re very excited about this Matt. I hope I can rely on you to treat her with appropriate kindness and grace.”
“So, you’re not going to force me onto Claire?” Matt checks.
Bob raises his eyebrows. “I thought we were clear on that. Use of Claire’s body is entirely at your discretion. Sleep with her, don’t sleep with her. It’s your choice.”
Matt licks his lips and looks away. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the way you people talk about us.”
“It doesn’t have to be a ‘them and us’ situation, Matt,” Bob says smoothly. “This can be a partnership.”
Matt plucks at his white jumpsuit. “Doesn’t feel like it to me.”
Tonight Claire doesn’t stir until Matt is putting her in the bath. She grips his arms fiercely for a split second before realising where she is.
“Sorry,” she mutters.
“Nah, it’s fine.” Matt removes the towel and heads for the door.
“Matt?”
“Yeah?” he asks, not turning around.
“Would you stay? Just… talk to me?” she whispers.
He backs up until he reaches the toilet. He sits down awkwardly so his back is still to her. “What do you want to talk about?”
“You can turn around,” she giggles, although it sounds as there’s tears mixed in there as well.
“That wouldn’t be right,” Matt says firmly. “What kind of gentleman would I be then?”
“Matt, you see me naked every night,” Claire says quietly.
“That’s different.”
“Why?” She’s definitely crying now.
Matt turns around and kneels by the bath. “Hey, come on,” he says gently. Her legs are drawn up to her chest and she’s sobbing. “Why would you want an old fart looking at you anyway?”
She laughs slightly and slaps at his arm. “Talk to me?”
“About what?”
“I don’t know.” She leans her forehead against his. “Just something… anything. My dad always kept everything from us. What did you do today?”
“Uh…” Matt trawls his memory for something he can share.
“This morning Elle said you were going to be, um, ‘screwing the broodmares’. The women they’ve got you sleeping with,” Claire says quietly.
“Oh shit,” Matt says, briefly closing his eyes. “Claire…”
“I’m not six and I know the gossip, remember?”
“Yeah, I spent the day with uh… yeah.” Matt flicks her nose with his finger. “Which I can’t talk to you about.”
“Do they… hurt them?” she asks.
“How do you mean? Do I hurt them? I try not to.”
“No.” She lifts a hand out of the water and strokes the back of his hand. “Do they cut them up the way they do me?”
“Oh, no. They’re very careful with them,” Matt says sourly. “Until they give birth at least.”
“Matt?”
“Hmm?”
Claire lifts her head and smiles. “Would you rub my back?”
Daphne stands in the middle of the office, head bowed and body slumped. Bob circles her.
“She seems rather less… effervescent than advertised,” he says slowly.
“She was rather too effervescent on the ride over. I had to bring her back into line,” the other man says. “She’ll return to herself in the morning.”
“Angela made the mistake of thinking he’d respond best to someone wholly reliant on him,” Bob says lifting up Daphne’s chin. “That appeals to him of course but he also needs someone to challenge him. Someone to inspire him to go further, faster.”
“She will,” Maury promises. “It took a lot of time to find her and I’ve done a lot of work on her. She’s perfect.”
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Date: 2008-11-06 07:03 pm (UTC)Remember Elle, Matt is not your friend.
I like Matt / monica, and were able to talk about their families.
Is it possible Matt / Claude?, But that does not damage Claude.
Matt need to lie down with Peter, and thus opened up in bed with the Petrelli brothers and mother.
Cada capitulo que pasa me gusta más matt/Haitiano.
Acuerdate Elle, Matt no es tu amigo.
Me gusta Matt/monica, y pudieron hablar de sus familias.
¿Es posible un Matt/Claude?, pero que Claude no le haga daño.
Falta que Matt se acueste con Peter, y de esa manera abría acostado con los hermanos y la madre Petrelli.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-06 07:43 pm (UTC)Matt need to lie down with Peter, and thus opened up in bed with the Petrelli brothers and mother. Creepy! Bit late to introduce Peter I'm afraid. Have to work with who we've got already.
Thanks!
no subject
Date: 2008-11-06 08:11 pm (UTC)Come albeit a small scene please! Matt / Peter. It has already been in bed with 2 brothers, one does not mind
Sí Matt/Claude, no para que Claude haga daño a Matt, es para que tenga sexo invisible, una nueva experencia para Matt.
Venga aunque sea una escena pequeña ¡por favor! Matt/Peter. Ya se ha acostado con 2 hermanos, uno no le importa.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-06 09:24 pm (UTC)No, no, that won't work :) Claude's a violent bully in this and if he was going to be with Matt it'd be rough, violent sex.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-07 06:16 am (UTC)So creeped out that it's Maury "doing a lot of work" on Daphne to make her ready FOR HIS SON! It's not incestuous but it's still so oogy. (In a good, I read this for my oogy-fix kind of way)
Continuing to very much enjoy the Claire and Matt relationship and the Elle and Matt relationship even though they're so very different.
I was intrigued by Bob's insight that Matt doesn't need/want/desire someone he can take care of. I don't often associate Bob with insight but he did run teh Company for a bit and wasn't totally terrible at it so... :D
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Date: 2008-11-07 02:51 pm (UTC)I was wondering who to have as Monica's handler and Boudecia7 suggested Maury for Daphne's :) It is a very 'euw, creepy' situation, especially as Matt is Maury's son.
I think Bob was pretty good at manipulating people that he knew reasonably well, he screwed up with Sandra but he had Elle and Mohinder wrapped around his little finger. I like the idea that he was a reasonable observer of other people.
Thanks for reading and commenting :)
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Date: 2008-11-11 01:26 am (UTC)<3<3<3
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Date: 2008-11-11 04:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-16 05:45 am (UTC)I’m loving the Elle and Matt, it makes me wish they had a scene together on the show.
Another great chapter!
no subject
Date: 2009-02-16 06:14 am (UTC)I can't take credit for it, it was Boudecia7's idea. Worked out great though :)
I’m loving the Elle and Matt, it makes me wish they had a scene together on the show.
I've done quite a bit of Matt/Elle, I think they fit really well for some reason. It's a shame they didn't have any scenes together.
Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying it!