Author's Note: There's some, ah, abuse in this. It is not for light audiences and fully deserves its M rating.
He lifted her by her neck, forcing her Dip bruised and battered body against the wall, his lips parted in a smile that seemed more reminiscent of a growl. His other hand rested against her lips - soft now but with the promise of pain should she attempt to open her mouth.
Dip - not much, but enough - sat therein, melting her soft paint tissue. Only a few seconds, but already she couldn't feel her tongue. No - that was a lie - she could still feel it somewhere, hidden beneath layers of Dip, the sewer ooze that she felt in the way one felt the heat of a plate just out of the microwave - slow at first, but spreading until she needed to move, needed to get rid of it, needed to spit it out, needed to-
He pushed her back again, thumb stroking her throat, searching for a way to make her swallow.
Her eyes met his, hazy emeralds meeting coal and fire, and saw exactly what she hoped he saw in her - nothing of importance. His thumbnail dug into the paint of her neck but pulled away with little more than flakes. She didn't lash out - that would make things worse, it always did - but how it could be made worse in a situation like this-
She glanced over to Rocco, who sat on a padded velvet bench. He leaned forward, hands clasped together with fingers entangled, elbows on his knees and face just behind his hands, watching her with a singular expression - one of amusement and disgust. He sighed like a king on his throne. "Finish her, Dominick."
His brother thrust her back, banging her head on the wall until any other Toon would see stars. The Dip sloshed in her mouth, dangerously close to slipping back and trailing down her throat. Still she gave no sign of fighting back. To do so would be to tell him he was close.
He couldn't know.
Her head rammed against the wall again - again - again - and it didn't matter that she couldn't say anything, that she wouldn't do anything, it was sinking and she couldn't stop it, and none of this made sense, to kill her now, she hadn't done anything, she hadn't-
The door exploded open - did someone knock? She hadn't heard anything - and a Toon gorilla entered. Its red eyes grew cold, and it slammed a fist into Dominick's back. Jessica dropped to the floor, immediately spitting out the Dip, but the fire was still there, the fire was there and it was eating her alive it wasn't coming out she was going to die. Then Betty was there, running her fingers along the Dip cuts and bruises and mumbling comfort, her black eyes wide as she dragged her out and away and it hurt and it hurt and it hurt.
But she'd saved her. Jessica hated her, and she saved her.
Why?