This lovely gem was written for me by the most awesome Jason! This one has two of my fave boys in it, The Hood and Loki! Jason has also wrote me another fantastic story to come soon (after he types it up!) based off of Son of Asgard, and wowsers it's so damn good and canon! I feel so honored I get not only one, but two stories in one week! How freaking fantastic is that! =D So much love from my friends! *hugs and squeezes you tight!* XD
''Sara?''
Parker Robbins turned his head left and right, trying to look over his shoulders as best he could. As best he could with his hands cuffed to their solid oaken bedpost, anyway. He became more aware of his vulnerable nakedness when she did not reply.
''...Sara?!''
It had started out very well. Sara had told him she forgave him when he told her that lie about why he had shaken their infant daughter, something about trying to stop her from choking. The two of them had gone out for dinner, and then things had flared up in the bedroom. Sara had produced a pair of handcuffs with a rueful smile on her face. Parker had never tried the bondage thing before, so he thought, why not?
Parker slammed against the cuffs, but the baseboard he was chained too didn't budge. Parker supposed this was why not.
''What's wrong, honey? Nervous?'' the tone of Sara's voice behind him chilled Parker's blood. ''Don't you trust me?''
Parker managed a weak smile, ''Of course I do, babe, I suppose I just don't much care for these cuffs, though, why don't we take them off?''
Silence was his only answer for several long moments, and then he felt Sara climb onto the bed with him. ''No, dear, I think you and I need to have a talk just like this, so you can't run away from my questions.''
Parker felt his heart leap into his mouth, ''What questions might those be, dear?''
''I know about your whores on the side, what I want to know is do you love any of them, and do you love me?'' Parker could hear the pain in her voice, ''Is our whole relationship a game to you? How much else have you lied to me about?''
Parker's face grew paler with each word, his features becoming a mask of shame and guilt, but he said nothing.
''Very well, when John told me about your nightly visits he did so only after making me promise to punish you with this belt. At first I had laughingly agreed, thinking he was joking. After he said his piece I realized he was not, so I intend to keep my side of the bargain. Besides, I really wanna whoop your ass right now anyways.''
Sara choked as she said this, and Parker felt a pang of regret. But why would his cousin turn on him like that? What did...?
Parker's thoughts were interrupted by a hot lash across his bare ass, ''Ow!'' Parker could only gasp in pain as Sara began a volley of hard blows on his exposed backside, sobbing as she swung.
''B-baby, I love you,'' Parker cried.
''Don't you tell me that, liar!'' Sara's voice cracked with anger, ''I understand we couldn't have sex when I was pregnant, but we could have done other things! You could have at least told me how you felt!''
Sara's fury drove the swatting to new heights, and Parker blinked back tears of pain as his legs twitched under the assault, his reddened cheeks quivering as he passed his pain threshold, ''P-please, stop! This really hurts!''
''Still not as much as you have hurt me!'' Sara continued to lash away, taking no heed of Parker's desperate protests.
A red blaze filled Parker's mind. She humiliates us. We have slain men for less. This simple chain cannot hold us, why do you tolerate this insult?
I love her, I won't hurt her, Parker thought back, and I deserve this.
We cannot allow this obscenity, you are weak, I shall act, that is the role I play in our bond.
Parker pushed Dormammu back with all of his will, No! This wasn't her idea, remember? The one responsible is my cousin, John, Parker's mind raced as he sought to stall the demon, if we kill her now John will find out and disappear. Parker sensed the creature's agreement rather than heard it as the red haze lifted and he once more clearly felt the pain of his beating.
Sara finally stopped whipping him, her arm dropping tiredly to her side as she panted for breath, ''I'm leaving you, Parker, and I'm taking the baby.''
Parker didn't reply, didn't move, and just lay there willing himself to let her go. It was better this way. Sara threw the keys to the cuffs in his open palm and left without another word. He heard the car start a few minutes later, and he wished from the very bottom of his heart that the next man in her life was a better man than him.
Parker slammed John King against the side of a parked van, rocking the vehicle with the force of the impact. His hands wrapped powerfully around his cousin's neck.
Snap it. With my strength, he is but a twig.
Parker shook his head to clear it, ''Cousin, what possessed you to tell Sara about my mistresses?''
John's eyes reflected genuine horror, ''I-I didn't say n-nothin!''
He is lying. Kill him.
''I-I swear!'' John gasped as the grip on his throat tightened, ''I-I d-don't know w-what you're...'' John's face turned violet and his voice trailed off as he struggled for air.
He's not lying, he doesn't know, Parker thought, taking control and relaxing his grip so John could breathe.
How do you know? Surely your Sara would not lie to you?
I just know, I grew up with this guy, I know when he's lying. I'm sure Sara wouldn't lie about this either, so there must be some other factor. I will find it out, whatever it is.
''Sorry, cuz.'' Parker released his grip and strode away as his cousin fell to his knees and watched him leave, dumbfounded.
It was surprisingly easy to acquire the security video tapes from the stores on the block just before the turn-off to his and Sara's house. Being a criminal overlord paid off from time to time. Most of them were fuzzy, had poor lighting or a bad angle, but a few had clear images of the street in the time frame he was looking for. After hours of viewing videos in fast-forward, he finally found the one he wanted. There was John King, walking onto the street after exiting a taxi. Parker noted the taxi then played another tape that he had viewed earlier that night. Same taxi fifteen minutes before hand, but the occupant was definitely not John King. Did the driver not even realize that a woman had hailed his cab and a man had exited it?
Loki stared into an empty corner of her hotel room and a smile crossed her lips, ''Oh, I hate surprises.''
The Hood melted into being as if made of shadows, his red cape billowing about him, ''Sorry to disappoint.''
Loki arched an eyebrow and walked toward Parker, her long black dress brushing the floor, ''I have no idea how you caught onto my game tonight, but bravo on doing it so quickly.''
Parker's face was an expressionless mask, ''You made a mistake staying in my city. There is nowhere here for you to hide from me. Why have you crossed me, Loki?'' His face remained blank, but Parker's voice sang of malice.
Loki moved to within inches of Parker, her expression one of languid disinterest. ''I assure you the mistake is yours. A few nights ago you slew an old ally of some associates of mine, and an agreement between them and me required I punish you.'' Loki's mouth turned up in a seductive smile, ''They wanted you dead, but I convinced them a little humiliation goes a long way. You should be thanking me for saving your life.''
Enough talk.
Loki's eyes bulged in surprise as Parker's hand shot lightning fast to her throat, bearing her to the floor.
''H-how dare you!'' Loki's face contorted in rage as she lifted her hands to blast the Hood with magic, then turned to fear when she realized something was blocking her sorcerer's powers.
Parker smiled, ''What? You think I came here without researching you? An ally of mine has been drawing runes around this room that block most of your powers, but you didn't think I was enough of a threat to scan for her, did you?''
Realizing he did not have much time, Loki attempted to abandon his body to escape, but as his spirit rose he beheld something terrible looming over Parker's shoulder, a fiery horror that seemed crouched in waiting for just this moment. In blind panic Loki raced back into his host even as the wicked claws of the spirit narrowly missed capturing his soul. Returned to the realm of flesh, Loki realized the life was being choked out of him. He struggled as best he could to break the Hood's grip, but whatever monster fueled his might was far too strong. Is this how I am to die?
I can't kill her.
Why not?
The cabal still needs her, and if we kill her she won't suffer as we did. Parker smiled as he thought to Dormammu, I will pay her back in like style; she deserves it more than I did.
Loki gasped as the grip on her neck released. Before she could shout a curse at his attacker Parker flipped her onto her stomach, clasping both of Loki's arms together behind her back while removing his belt with his other hand. As Loki felt air upon her ass, she realized Parker had pulled up her dress, and she venomously spat, ''You would dare do such a thing to a son of Asgard, mortal?! You overstep yourself!''
Parker drew down his brow as he raised the belt over his head, ''Just evening the score. Just so you know; that 'ally of an associate' was killed because he tried to bring heat down on my boys by killing cops. I hope he was worth this.''
Loki's mouth opened to respond but slammed shut in surprise and pain as Parker began swatting her ass with greater than human power. The floorboards creaked and Loki's legs kicked and jerked under the torrent of blows. ''W-wait! Maybe we can come to an understanding?''
Parker did not let up, and tears streamed down Loki's face as she cried out after each swing. ''O-okay! This hurts most severely! I have learned my lesson! We are even!'' Loki strained to peer up into the Hood's face, but saw no pity there, only the red glow of a demon not yet satisfied with Loki's pain. Loki panicked and cried out for mercy many times over the next few minutes, straining to escape this way and that, but unable to break Parker's implacable grip. After a time she simply went limp, his feminine body spasming and twitching to the chorus of each strike.
That's enough. I think she's learned.
Parker stood up, considered saying something to the shuddering prone form below him, than simply vanished instead.
Return evil for evil to everyone.
