Hey, it's a new story. Danny's willing to do anything to stop Neville from beating him.
Un-beta'ed, so quibble away.
- o – o -
(Innocence is the First) Casualty of War
Captain Neville really doesn't believe his ears when Danny Matheson offers him anything he wants, just so the beating will stop. The kid's not a fighter—not much of a survivor either, in Neville's opinion—but he's got to admire the kid's guts. The militia captain can't feel much else but shock when the kid repeats his promise. Anything Neville wants, if the man will just stop hitting him.
Either the kid can't stand much pain, or he thinks something worse will come if he resists. (Given Danny's threat to Private Richards a few weeks ago, Neville can understand that.)
Neville laughs at the kid, grabbing a handful of shaggy blond hair and forcing Danny to look up at him. Blood is still streaming down the boy's face from his broken nose, staining his already filthy shirt. Danny's eyes are wide and impossibly blue, pupils dilated in fear. Neville can practically taste the desperation rolling off the prisoner.
"And what's to stop me from taking whatever I want from you in front of my men?" Neville asked, smirking. He doesn't imagine Danny's little gasp of fear and despair, he's sure of it.
"Because…because I can make it better," Danny replies, almost too softly for even Neville to hear, and he's practically nose-to-nose with Danny at this point. At that point, Neville decides to take it easy on the kid.
Danny's almost pathetically grateful when Neville drags him into what used to be the office of the bank's president. Captain Neville is pretty sure Danny is about to sob in relief when he shuts and then locks the door. No one can see through the frosted glass, Neville knows from experience. It gives them a sense of privacy.
When Neville turns around from making sure the door is secured, Danny's already taken his shirt off, and is fiddling with the button on the waistband of his trousers. He finally stands naked in the middle of the room, looking lost. Neville thinks that Danny's shy looks, embarrassed blush, and steadfast refusal to look anywhere but the floor, is cute. There is truly no way anyone can still be that innocent, not in this day and age.
He does feel a bit of guilt as he pushes Danny to his knees. There's still that one last shred of innocence in the world, and he's destroying it.
All thoughts of guilt and telling the kid to stop, he was just joking, go out of his mind in less than a second. Danny's mouth is warm, and wet, and...ohgodyesrightgoodboy, and everything else goes blank in his mind. Danny is inviting and acts eager to be in the position he's in. Neville can't think coherently enough to do anything else at this point, so he just tangles his hands in Danny's hair, rubs the kid's temple with his free hand as comfortingly as possible.
Neville doesn't last long—it's been far too long since he's been with his wife, after all—and he finishes with an unintentional thrust of his hips and a low groan. Danny almost gags, and does as Neville puts himself to rights.
Captain Neville lets Danny rest his forehead on his hip as the kid makes choked sobs, petting the boy's hair. He still feels guilty, but he hopes it'll wear off. Trying to convince himself that Danny wanted this doesn't work. The teenager's sobbing quietly into the fabric of Tom's trousers now, and that's tearing the captain apart.
Neville lets Danny stay like he is for several minutes, murmuring words of encouragement and praise as the boy's sobs quiet down. After a few seconds, Danny takes a deep, shuddering breath.
"Do…do I pass?" he asks, voice quivering slightly, rasp more prominent. Neville can practically see the tears welling up in the teen's cornflower blue eyes, even though he can't see Danny's face.
"Good boy," Neville replies, rubbing the side of Danny's face. He regrets locking the teen in the bank vault after that, since he could just as easily keep him in his quarters.
Neville looks at Danny's stained shirt as he leaves, and promises to himself that he'll get the boy a new one in the morning. Blue, to match the color of his eyes.
It's not Danny's already broken and vanishing innocence, but he can't give that back.
No matter how much he wants to.
- o – o -
So, what did you think? Good? Bad? Feel sorry for Danny? Drop a line and let me know.
Also...I think I just wrote porn.
