Disclaimer: Weiss and all related characters do not belong to me.

Warning: slight yaoi, language

Again, it just attacked at random. There are so many things I should be doing right now. Oh well. Not much to say about this one, it's a bit messy cause I did all the editing myself. Set when they're still a new team, not used to each other yet. Still young and not quite in full control of their talents. Let me know what you think.

Thwarted

"Shit!" Crawford bolted upright and rolled to his feet, still half asleep. "Nagi! Get Schuldig's door!"

A sleepy murmur from the cot and the brunet burrowed deeper in his blankets. He still refused to sleep in his own room, clinging to Brad's waist with arms and talent when he tried to leave the boy alone. The American's hand landed hard on the small bottom, jerking its owner awake with a cry. "No, please, not again!"

"Get up, Nagi." Brad tried to soften his voice but he was in too much of a hurry to sooth his youngest charge. "Schuldig needs us."

"Yes, sir." Dark eyes were shuttered now, the fear stomped down ruthlessly at the reminder of their teammate. The telekinetic slid from under his blanket fully dressed, talent fixing his hair and smoothing wrinkles as he followed his leader.

Farfarello was in the hall, both hands planted on the wall by the telepath's door. His head hung between his arms, shaggy white hair covering both eyes as he shivered and dry heaved. "Farfarello, what is going on?" A hard shudder and one amber eye rolled up to stare at them.

Quiet snickering. "Why, our angel has come to destroy the mindless sheep, of course. Their foolish, hypocritical devotion makes him as ill as I, and he will aid me in eradicating the vermin from this world." The mocking grin was slapped away, slamming the pale head against the wall. Soft, fanatical laughter eased through the sudden silence, bursting to a full throated scream as the blond launched himself at Brad, silver shining in his hand.

The scarred body froze, hovering in the air. Nagi glared from behind his tall protector and lifted the Irishman higher, watching with cold eyes as the blond fought his hold. Crawford moved quickly around the floating body, ignoring the grunts of effort as his fanatic tried to reach him. The door didn't move under his hand, the knob pinned in place. "Nagi."

"Yes, sir." Farfarello was thrown down the hall, crashing into the far wall with a loud bang. The youngest shifted his attention to the door, moving the tumblers in the lock with a thought. It still refused to budge.

Farfarello crawled back towards them, giggling away. "You won't open it. My angel wants nothing to do with you and your little plans. He speaks only to me, his blood stained devil." The blond hauled himself to his feet, leaning heavily against the wall. "I will be his assassin forever."

Brad stormed over and gripped the thin shirt, feeling the pull of cheap thread absinthe his skin. "Tell him to open the door." Hot breath caressed his face, cinnamon and ginger hinting of a gentler soul. "Or he'll die."

"So? He wants to. We will go to the corrupt God together, drown him in our hatred." Nagi's eyes rolled and he continued to push on the door, trying to get a feel for what had been jammed in front of it from the other side. Unless he figured it out, he couldn't move it.

A hint of sound and the boy pressed his ear to the thick wood. "Sir?" Ragged sobs slipped through, the sound of fists hitting a wall or the floor muffled but still audible. "Sir, he's"

"Get that door open!" Deep blue glared at the still laughing blond before tossing him aside. "Schuldig, open this damn door."

A flash of pain sent the dark-haired boy to his knees. ::You can't get in.:: Crawford rubbed his eyes, flinching from the increasing ache. ::Get away.:: The mental voice was steady, cold, a contrast to the audible screams from beyond the door.

Brad growled and banged his fist against the wall. Nagi increased his efforts, opting to just force the door open by shoving. The hinges creaked and started to warp but the door held firm, not moving from the frame. "You'll never get in."

At the calm voice, Nagi turned to look, watching Farfarello glide to his feet and approach slowly, weaving slightly, one hand on the wall for balance. "Why not?" Brad balanced on the balls of his feet, ready to bring the blond down if necessary.

White gleamed, eerie against the pale skin and paler hair. A study of white. A study of death. "He told you you couldn't." Blue blinked slowly at the quiet proclamation, backed by absolute conviction. "We will slaughter the innocent to please ourselves and the guilty to please no one." The free hand reached out and slipped into Nagi's long dark hair, brushing it aside.

The boy remained frozen, a crippled bird before the cat. Long fingers trailed his forehead as they moved over his face before reaching past him to the wall. The lean body seemed to roll from hand to hand around the smaller form, a graceful transition to lean on the locked door. Yellow drifted closed as the pale head leaned against the wood. ::Schuldig, my Schuldig, let me out.::

::No!:; Blood dripped from pale skin, fists ripped open from where the redhead had pounded them to the floor in an effort to drown out the voices. ::Leave me alone!:: Hours, it had been hours since he had blocked anything. Them, he hated them all, every sneaky voice that slid under his shields, pressing in his mind. Stealing his identity, warping his vision and his soul. Turning him into a heaving mess on the floor, blood pounding in his head.

::Never. You belong to me, my charming pet.:: Farfarello grinned and leaned more heavily against the door. There was no danger of it opening, not the way it was wedged closed. After all, he'd given the telepath the idea. ::Let me out.:: He'd started this, focusing his attention solely on the redhead, pushing him to his limits, lending him ideas and weakening his shields.

A soft whimper broke through as Schuldig bit deeply on his arm, containing the screams of pain in his head. ::Make it stop, make it stop. Please, Far, make it stop.:: He was the only one who could.

White hair shook in disgust, with both himself and the older man. He'd gone too far; once begging started, his partner would be useless for the night. ::Open the door. I'll make it stop.:: And he'd been looking forward to a good night too. It was always best when Schuldig couldn't handle the voices; he was ten times as vicious.

His plans thwarted, he shoved away and rolled his shoulders, shaking the kinks of being thrown around out. This was pathetic. How was he supposed to have fun when Schuldig was being a whiner? The scramble of flesh on wood, a frustrated cry, and he smiled. Maybe all was not lost. ::What's the matter? Locked in?::

::Farfarello, get me out.:: The tiniest trail of panic and Farfarello grinned. Now.

Pale skin moved over the door, a mockery of a caress. ::Why? You won't come play with me, you won't let me out. Why would I want to give you anything?::

::Far!:: Pain echoed in the cry, so much so that tears threatened the blond's eyes and he laughed, triumph close now. ::I promise, we'll go out tomorrow. Just us. We'll slaughter anything you want.::

::You promise?:: A pale hand waved in a circle. ::We both know what your word is worth. Swear it, forfeit Bradley's life to me.:: The only one who could get more of the silencing drugs, sparingly though he handed them out, was Crawford. Schuldig would never, ever risk that. ::Swear.::

"YES!" Terror and pain echoed in the yelled word and Farfarello yelled back at him.

"Done!" His knife slid between the warped hinges and the heavy wood. It was used as a lever to pop both hinges in seconds, free fist slamming to the wall with each pull. "Pull it away, little one. Release him from his pain."

A snort of disgust at his showing off and Nagi yanked the door forward, fighting the drag of wedges. It finally popped free and clattered to the floor as the redhead spilled out and into scarred arms, clinging desperately. A look of relief flashed before the fevered blue eyes rolled back and he collapsed, fingers dug tightly enough to leave bloody grooves as he fell.

"Farfarello, what the fuck happened?" Brad pushed forward but was shoved away as Schuldig swung up to rest over a slender shoulder. He hated admitting he didn't know but he only Saw pieces of the future, not the past or even the cause of the future.

White gleamed as silver flashed, twirling slowly between lean fingers. "Why, our pet had a minor attack. You've read the manual, they do that sometimes."

Dark eyes narrowed; yes, he had read the literature on telepaths. He'd also shared with Nagi and Farfarello as a precaution. But... "That was no minor attack. He's was going to kill himself."

"No." A sluggishly bleeding hand was lifted and licked gently. "He was going to kill others and let me kill him." That single eye glared dangerously. "But you ruined it."

Brad glared right back. "You are forbidden from killing him, just as you are from killing Nagi or myself."

Thin lips tipped in a smirk. "And will you punish me? Lock me away and leave your precious darling alone?" The bloody hand was dropped and a slim finger flipped the two brunets off. "Not even your pride will allow that, sin though it is."

The blond turned and walked away, leaving the stunned pair staring after him. Nagi's cheeks pinked and he eased away, sneaking back to his cot to pretend he hadn't seen anything. Brad breathed deeply to calm himself; it was so unlike him to snip back at the fanatic. Usually, he was ignored easily. The only excuse he had was how close they'd come to losing Schuldig. He needed the redhead, volatile and delicate as he was, and he would do anything to keep him sane enough to work.

Dead didn't cut it.

::Far?:: A soft cry, wanting, needy.

The blond shook his head as he set the thin body down, tugging the bright blue shirt off. ::Yes?:: He had made the voices stop, cut them out with his own. Created a safe haven to hold his telepath. ::What do you want now?::

A full lip tucked out in a pout, cute if he was in the mood for it. Which he wasn't. ::Why did you tell Brad you were going to kill me?:: Slender hands reached up, tracing scars over nearly white skin.

::I wasn't?:: Loose pants slid over trim hips before the blond turned his attention to his own clothing. ::Get settled. If we aren't killing anything, I'm at least getting a good night's sleep.:: Quiet rustling and the telepath was curled in the blanket when the blond knelt on the bed. "Get over."

"I hate you."

"So?" Schuldig was yanked to lay on his back, the younger man leaning over him. "You need me more." Gold shone as its owner smirked down. "And you'll kill for me until I say stop."

Cool lips pressed to the redhead's and he closed his eyes, tasting the sweetness. Fear shivered down his back. Of his partner, of his talent, of cities and people and Bradley Crawford.

Because what is left after your soul is no longer your own?