doggone

[repeatedprayer]

[In the time following his departure from Tabito and Manabu's company, the alias "Grey" has wound up sticking.

Not that everyone calls him that, he's used a few other aliases since then, but it's what he's wound up thinking of himself as. If Grey had taken the time to think about it a bit more he might have picked something with a little less connection to Rezo's name, but it's still leagues better than thinking of himself as "Rez- wait, no, just a copy." And maybe that's why he's felt significantly calmer since he left Sairaag.

By his own standards, Grey has been laudably well-behaved; sure, he's been mostly doing under-the-table psychic work, often on behalf of criminals, but! He's been trying to keep a low profile so it's usually things like clairvoyant spying rather than anything violent, and he's been making a point of not doing anything that directly impacts the galaxy railways.

It would be extremely awkward if Manabu Yuuki had to try and arrest him, after all.

He's found himself frequently thinking about Manabu, much to his annoyance. He has no serious expectations of ever seeing Manabu again, so it's simply a waste of mental bandwidth to find himself wondering what Manabu is doing right now or where he is, or to reminisince over their incredibly brief acquaintanceship. Grey can only suppose that because Manabu was the first reasonably normal person he got to know after leaving Sairaag that Manabu is going to stick out in his mind for a while.

And it's probably because of the real estate that Manabu is hogging in Grey's mind that he's been very aware of every mention of the SDF that crosses his path. He hasn't exactly been tracking the SDF's activities deliberately, but he does pay attention to the news and the SDF frequently winds up in there, even if Manabu's name in particular isn't normally dropped.

Until the day it does.

SDF Officer Taken Hostage By Pirates]

* * *

[It's taken several weeks of investigating, but Grey has been able to track down The Huntress's client, a Dr. Parish and associates. It must be a small galaxy, because Dr. Parish is someone Grey knows. Sort of.

Rather, Dr. Parish was a colleague of Rezo's who collaborated with the man on chimera research (and other unsavory things) in the past. Not only that, the man was an ardent admirer of Rezo's superior psychic prowess, and desperate to improve his own meager abilities.

He'd had quite a shock when Grey approached him in town, but after the initial surprise it had been sickeningly easy to convince Dr. Parish that he was the real Rezo. Grey can only surmise that the man wants to believe too badly to let himself be properly suspicious. It had only taken a day for Grey to be invited to tour Parish's laboratory.

The lab's located on the grounds of a former Marquess's estate, a ways out of town and secluded by trees, a high wall, and a long drive. Grey's done a little recon before, but actually being here is different, especially since he has to navigate by cane at the moment. Grey is doing his best to politely nod and smile as Parish guides him from room to room, explaining their work and occasionally handing him things to examine himself.

But evidently Parish realizes that "Rezo" isn't entirely interested, because he stops partway through an explanation of some stem cell experiments he and a few others have been working on to say "Of course, the really interesting specimens are kept in the basement floor."

Grey already knows this. He hopes his expression seems the right sort of eager.]

Interesting?

["Something along the lines of what we did in the past. Would you like to see them?"]

Nothing would please me more.

[Grey can practically hear Parish's delighted grin. To soothe the surge of irritation, Grey reminds himself that he's going to kill this man before the end of the day and allows Parish to guide him out into the hall and to the basement entrance at the back of the building.]

Comments

[siriusly]

[Manabu fidgets a little with a mix of confusing feelings, staring at Grey's face. he feels a flutter in his stomach.

at poor thing, he reanimates, letting Grey's wrists go so he can grab at the knot in the cord first.]

It's not because it's not supposed to be there...

[repeatedprayer]

[With his wrists free, Grey not only refrains from grabbing more at Manabu's body, but he actually moves aside and turns around, so that he's sitting next to Manabu instead of crouched in front of him.]

Mm. It doesn't look like a good angle.

[He waits patiently, watching as Manabu loosens the knot... and then once Manabu's tail is finally free he reaches out and starts stroking the fur.]

Any soreness?

[siriusly]

[the tail twitches upon freedom, then starts to curl of its own volition into Grey's hand - an act that sends fresh tingles up Manabu's spine. he straightens up through that wave, then exhales.]

Umh...n-no more or less than before, I don't think. It was just like, um...like if you had to walk around with an arm stuck in your shirt or something.

[repeatedprayer]

[Grey bites back a laugh when the tail curls into his hand. How very cooperative of it.]

No chafing from the cord?

[As casually as possible, Grey circles his hand around the approximate area it had been tied down, then slides his hand down the length of the tail.]

[siriusly]

Not sure iff...fuh...uhh... [his face gets red all over again as he full-body shudders, his ears perking upright before flopping back into place; it wouldn't seem out of place for steam to have come out of them.]

Y-you know that...that winds me up, right?

[repeatedprayer]

[Grey watches Manabu's reaction with keen interest, curling his hand again around the middle of the tail.]

Does it?

[He tries to sound innocent. He definitely doesn't succeed; he remembers how tense and shivery Manabu has gotten when he's handled his tail in the past and, well. In light of some other information Grey has recently obtained...]

I will admit, I had a suspicion. You said it was intense... [Grey gives Manabu's tail a careful squeeze.] And there's a limited amount of things that could have meant.

[siriusly]

[his shoulders draw up; he looks away, embarrassed.]

T-t-tingling, all...up and down my back...

[repeatedprayer]

[Still playing with Manabu's tail, Grey places his spare hand upon Manabu's back.]

Here?

[He strokes his hand up and down Manabu's back, in imitation of the tingling that Manabu described.]

Do you enjoy that?

[siriusly]

Gih!! [he jolts a little, knees nearly bumping into Grey. he brings a hand to his face, mortified.] Are, are you just trying to tease me or what!

[repeatedprayer]

Hm...

[Grey debates whether or not to answer that question honestly as he gives Manabu's tail a little tug.]

Let's say I'm collecting data. Does Manabu like it when I pet his tail? What about if I pull it?

[He leans in a little.]

And how much does he like it?

[siriusly]

[he twists at the torso to turn away, flustered.]

It's--it's really...really good but, [whimper.] but Grey! We have work to do--

[repeatedprayer]

[Merciless as ever, Grey leans in further- and presses a kiss against one of Manabu's soft canine ears. His voice is a low purr.]

Is it good enough to make you hard?

[siriusly]

[Manabu shrinks a bit, almost into the space that is made from the way Grey is leaning. all this touch-attention is making him anxious and warm.

...and yeah. hard. even without saying so, the way his eyes dart back and then away again with embarrassment is telling. open book and all.]

Grey, you...you really...get under my skin. Is that okay? [it's an echo of the uncertainty he uttered in the safety of the dark, but he can't help but feel even weaker out in the light of day, especially under those eyes.]

[repeatedprayer]

[Grey's hands go still.]

I...

[Here is the terrible truth: Grey went into this with a plan.

Not a very detailed one, but a plan nonetheless- he'd get Manabu all hot and flustered and bothered and then, once Manabu was hard and panting for release, Grey would withdraw. Leaving Manabu suitably annoyed and barky, as proper vengeance for throwing a pillow at Grey's face.

But the desire for petty revenge crumbles under the weight of Manabu's soft, uncertain voice. In fact, he feels a twist of unfamiliar guilt for trying to bully Manabu like this.]

Oh Manabu...

[He lets go of Manabu's tail and wraps an arm around him in a loose hug instead, and raise his other hand to gently pet Manabu's hair.]

I think you're far better at getting under my skin than I am at getting under yours.

[siriusly]

[eh...?

Manabu, malleable as ever despite initially tensing, is folded into that gentle embrace, his heart jumping and his scalp tingling again.

if what Grey is saying is true, he's...really good at not showing it. or Manabu's really bad at seeing it? is he not looking properly?

...he's not still teasing him, is he?

his hands have been gripping at the bedding this entire time, but one does let go and lift, coming at rest at Grey's elbow.]

You...didn't say if that was still alright or not, though. [so what is it, crimelord? good or bad to be down bad for a cop dog?]

[repeatedprayer]

[Grey swallows, then smiles.]

Yes. Of course it's still alright.

[It's not. Not really. He's a criminal, a copy, and someone cruel enough to want to bully a vulnerable young man like Manabu. Of course he shouldn't be able to get under Manabu's skin- but since he can, Grey might as well give Manabu that little white lie.

He presses another kiss against Manabu's ear, this one more careful than the last.]

Tell me what you want, and I'll give it to you.

[siriusly]

[Manabu's ear can't help but twitch a little with how feather-light that gesture is, and he gulps against that fluttering in his chest.]

I already did. Remember? [he tilts his head to peek up through his hair at him.] When I told you to trust me...to be able to help you. After all of this, I mean. I want to help you be free.

[his mouth twitches into a hesitant kind of smile.]

You can give me that, right? [trust?]

[repeatedprayer]

[And again, there's that twist in his gut. That aches he gets when Manabu says or does something sweet and earnest and good that Grey knows he can never, ever measure up to.]

Manabu...

[Grey's brow knits together anxiously and he strokes some of Manabu's hair in a mindless attempt to soothe himself. From an outside perspective, he might be in a good position- most of his crimes will be difficult to prove, and not all that serious in the grand scheme of things. And the authorities tend to protect their own, so even the brutal way he killed those laboratory employees might get pardoned- or at least viewed permissively- in light of the fact he did those in order to save an SDF officer.

But they'd still be obliged to investigate who Grey is and where he came from. It wouldn't be hard to work out his connection to Rezo, and for someone clever to discern the nature of that connection. The fact that Grey's really just a copy.

And what would happen when Manabu found out?]

I don't... I don't know.

[siriusly]

[the smile wanes in light of that uncertainty, his heart squeezing in a more pained fashion.]

It's...not easy to ask, is it. I'm sorry. Nothing worthwhile is ever that easy, I guess.

[repeatedprayer]

[Grey sighs, pulling Manabu closer into his arms.]

I wish it could be. But my situation is... I can't just-

[I can't be what you want.]

[siriusly]

[Manabu's arm finally moves around Grey; he scoots himself to the edge of the mattress to press into him properly.]

If it's that bad...I have to do a lot better, myself. I'll try to.

[but it'll be easier to know what he has to improve if Grey would just...tell him!]

[repeatedprayer]

[Grey shakes his head.]

It's not your responsibility.

[Of course, that might seem more convincing if Grey could just bring himself to actually let go of Manabu.]

[siriusly]

It doesn't have to be, but you're someone important to me. So it kind of goes with the territory.

[maybe that wasn't apparent to Grey? he did say he didn't have a lot of people close to him. so maybe it doesn't go without saying.]

[repeatedprayer]

[It did not.

And God, does Manabu keep obliviously saying things that stab Grey in the heart.]

Manabu... You-

[Grey blinks a few times, feeling his face grow hotter.]

You- make people important to you too easily.

[Hell. He could have said that earlier, just from observing Manabu for a few days. Always trying to help other people...]

[siriusly]

Not like this. [he pulls back a little to meet his eye, frowning, his own face hot. Grey says he's an open book, so why does he have to be saying so much all the time?! can't it just be plainly read so he doesn't have to embarrass himself with his stumbling words?

he exhales. his tail twitches a bit.]

Easily or not, I wouldn't get this close to someone and just...just not care what happens to them, or not do anything for them, you know?