Wow, okay, um, where to start?! So, as if my update habits weren't bad enough, they're about to get a lot worse. I just started a summer class online today, and I completely underestimated the workload. This class, along with everything else in my life, is going to completely delay my writing. Not to mention that I'll be gone for two weeks starting Monday, as I'm flying across the country to see family. So, on one hand, I'm totally bummed because I've got all of this school work to do and no time to update. On the other hand, I care more about fanfiction than I do school. So, who knows how this is going to turn out? xD Okay, anyways, here is chapter 37! (I apologize for any mistakes asdfghjkl what is time management idk)

This kid was the Queen of Diamonds, which was almost ironic, considering his girlish features. He had very high, sharp cheekbones. He had very rosy cheeks over pale, fair skin, along with round glistening eyes and ridiculously long, dark eyelashes. The color of his lashes were strange, contrasting his short snow white hair. He wore a black button-up shirt with a red bow-tie and green suspenders that attached to a pair of green pants. When he smiled, a gold tooth sparkled in the light of the bar. He couldn't be more than sixteen years old, and, honestly, his whole getup confused the shit out of Sollux.

"What do you want?" Sollux found himself asking the kid, surprised that his voice was actually strong. The kid's smile immediately faded into a look of pure irritation.

"Wait, are you serious? What the shit, I just told you what I wanted, shit-hat. Do I really have to say the line again? Did your diminutive sack of fuck for a brain neglect to process the very words that pulled up the stakes and left my mouth? Maybe I didn't say it slow enough for you, dumb-shit; I want to play a game," He repeated, his British accent very apparent in his words.

What he said actually filled Sollux with a tinge of fear, though he was really more confused than anything.

"Um, alright, okay. What, um, what game do you want to play?" Sollux played along, slowly moving behind the bar so that there was at least something between him and this strange boy. He glanced down at Carter, worry, regret, and pain filling him at the sight. He better be fucking okay, or Sollux was going to pull some serious shit up in here...

"Oh, what game? Well, it's one that I made up myself, actually. It's called; give Caliborn everything that he wants, or live with the guilt of knowing that Carter Covington has to live the rest of his life without any fingers!" He exclaimed proudly, filling Sollux with a sickening feeling that immediately made him need to grab onto the edge of the bar for support.

"Caliborn? Alright, Caliborn. Hey, I'm Sollux," he introduced, not sure why he was giving this asshole his name, though he only assumed that he knew it anyway. This was no doubt linked back to Eridan, and Caliborn proved it by giving Sollux a dull look and speaking in an annoyed, condescending tone, as if his existence was the only thing that mattered.

"Do I look like a gaumless bag of shit to you, Sollux? I know that shit already. Fuck, I've known that shit for too fucking long now. It's not exactly a piece of information that I want residing within the walls of my cranium, you feel me, bro? I've also known the name of British Dean Winchester here for far too fucking long, too. I'm sick of knowing all of this fuckery. You two are literally so unin-fucking-portant and such a giant waste of space, you make the existence of standardized testing look like a great idea," Caliborn insulted, waving the broken bottle in his hand as he spoke.

British Dean Winchester? Oh, he means Carter. It must have been the blondish-brown hair and the big green eyes that led Caliborn to make the reference. Sollux was a little mixed up right now in the midst of his discomfort and fright. He was playing it off pretty well, though, if he did say so himself.

"You forgot "gay". Gay British Dean Winchester," Sollux added. Caliborn just gave him another look, looking at Sollux like he was the dumbest piece of shit to ever exist on this planet.

"The "gay" was implied. I said "Dean Winchester", didn't I? It's practically a fucking synonym at this point," he stated.

"Alright, look, I know that you're not here to discuss personal interpretations about popular television dramas with me, so can we just skip to what it is that I should be giving you? I'd like to avoid the loss of my dad's fingers, if I could," Sollux admitted in annoyance, though he was much, much, much more nervous than he was annoyed.

"Hey, Sollux, guess what? My game, my rules. I say when we start and when we don't start and what we skip to and what we just fucking trot over, alright?"

"Fine. When do we start?"

"Now."

"Great, so what is it that you want?" Sollux asked, voice nearly growing thin with desperation.

The longer that Caliborn stayed here, waving that damn broken bottle around, the more Sollux's anxiety grew. He didn't know what Caliborn wanted, but he would sure as hell give it to him if it meant getting Carter back to safety. If comparing Carter to Delvin ended up being the last thing that Sollux ever said to his adoptive father, Sollux was never, ever going to forgive himself.

Caliborn then smiled again, that creepy-ass smile that held nothing but deranged anger and hate. Sollux's body grew cold just being the target of that smile, and his heart pounded hard with fright as Caliborn stepped over Carter's body and began to make his way over to the Gemini.

"I want Eridan Ampora dead," he stated.

Sollux grew even colder. Fear sparked in his heart again, igniting an anger that he wouldn't let show. The last thing that he wanted was to upset the crazy Jigsaw Killer puppet thing in front of him. Also, he needed to pretend as though that didn't bother him as much as it did. If these fuckers thought that Sollux didn't care for Eridan as much as they had planned, then maybe they would quit trying to use Sollux to get to him. Hell, maybe they'd just give up on Eridan all together.

"Oh, is that all?"

"Well, no, not exactly. I want a lot of people dead, Sollux. Hell, I want everyone to die. Even I could die, and I really wouldn't fucking give a steaming shit. But Eridan Ampora is at the top of my list. There aren't many ways to get to the prodigious Orphaner Dualscar, but Eridan Ampora is one of those rare things that can weaken that insufferable shit and end his pathetic emulation involving my father," he explained, stopping right in front of the mildly intimidated male.

He definitely would have been more intimidated by Caliborn if the guy would take this thing a little more seriously and wouldn't go off on his dramatic rants. Nevertheless, Sollux was in a terrible position. Carter was vulnerable and now Sollux had just learned that Eridan was wrong about being safe. He wasn't safe at all, people wanted him dead.

"I see, and who's your father?" Sollux tried. This only made Caliborn laugh.

"Oh, you sly criminal, you. You really expect me to admit that my father is Lord English, the most feared and ruthless of all the men that you will ever lay your fucking fucked up eyes on?" He asked.

Sollux cocked an eyebrow, and Caliborn thought over what he had just said.

"...Because if I did, I'd probably try to fuck you over somehow. I'd admit a false name or some shit to completely turn you around and confuse the fucking daylights out of you and your unimpressive brain."

"You totally just slipped, didn't you?"

"Slip of the tongue, yeah," he admitted.

"Alright, forget it, I don't really care all that much. Are you going to hurt me or my da-" He paused, clearing his throat. "Or Carter?"

Caliborn sighed, disappointed. "No, not today. I've been given strict orders not to kill anyone that I don't have to. Which fucking blows, because that takes the fun out of, like, everything. But, it's cool, it's fine. I can make my own fun," he smiled. Sollux swallowed hard.

"Why didn't you just go to Eridan? Why me?"

"Didn't you hear me the first five hundred fucking times I said it, shit-for-thoughts? I like games, Captor. Long, drawn out, games. And I like to play with my victims first," he informed in an amused irritation.

Yeah, no, Sollux was definitely about to be sick.

"Sound's kinky," he managed through his nausea. This made Caliborn cringe, obviously not into that idea, though not saying anything on the subject. Caliborn then looked up at the clock, anger overcoming his features as he saw the time.

"Well, fuck, shit on me. You know, I just wanted this to be a quick, threatening visit? I pop in and scare the living fuck out of you, you cower in the corner, I give you a message to give to Eridan, and then I leave. Is that so fucking hard? I use to be good at that, you know. Then, the more I started doing this shit, the more my victims began to rub off on me. They always try to buy for time, you know? Like, they never fucking shut up. It's like a fucking teacher going on and on about how you're not allowed to take a shit during class and you're suppose to take your fucking bathroom breaks at break time. Like, wow, shut the shit up already! And here I am, going on and on like every other damn person in this doleful world who can't keep their mouths shut," Caliborn ranted, turning and beginning to walk back to the other side of the bar.

Sollux just swallowed hard for the second time. He just realized that when Caliborn talked, there were obvious pauses between each his clauses.

"Sorry I didn't cower. That must have thrown you off." Jesus fuck, Sollux, stop being a smart ass! Now is not the time!

Caliborn nodded. "Damn straight it did. It's not a proper threatening visit if there's no cowering. But, there's always next time," he threatened with a skin rippling laugh. Sollux bit his lip, slowly closing his eyes as he fought back the fear.

"You said that you were going to give me a message to give to Eridan?"

Caliborn huffed. "Don't fucking rush me, ass-shit, what the hell do you think I'm doing? I'm not a super-villain, alright? I know I'm scary and fantastic at what I do, but that doesn't mean that I don't have to walk everywhere like everybody else. What were you expecting? Teleportation? Miserable shit."

Sollux just leaned back against the curve of the bar. How did this happen? Cronus was one thing, but this was something totally different. This wasn't Sollux's world, how did he allow himself to get mixed up in this? He didn't regret agreeing to stay by Eridan's side, but he felt as though he might start feeling that way if Carter got hurt. His family was the last thing that he wanted brought into this.

Caliborn had disappeared a moment, and then reappeared without the bottle in his hand and what looked like an-

Oh shit.

"Hey, hello! Um, Caliborn, I'm sure we can avoid using that, right?" Sollux practically sputtered, his body instinctively moving as far back as possible at the sight of the Tactical AK-74. Caliborn just tilted his head, studying him.

"Why? I was only going to shoot you in the foot or the lower leg, Sollux. I already told you that I wasn't going to kill you or Dean yet. Or were you not fucking listening again? Typical shit," Caliborn muttered. Sollux shook his head.

"No, no, I was listening! I promise you I was listening. Just forgive me if I'm a little nervous right now!" Sollux spat. Caliborn looked bored.

"You know, I've never really been good at this whole "one shot" ordeal. When my finger is on the trigger, I always tend to fire a bit more than necessary," he informed casually.

"Oh, super! Now I can relax!" Sollux snapped sarcastically. His glanced over to Carter, who was still out cold.

"Ha!" Caliborn laughed, seeming pretty amused by Sollux's reaction.

This was obviously what he was looking for. Then again, he still managed to look bored. He must have done this routine a hundred times over by now. Sollux wondered how many people Caliborn had killed with that dull expression on his face. Not giving half a shit at all.

"It's not that bad," he informed honestly. He then held out his foot and pulled his pant-leg up, revealing what looked like a thick, metal prosthetic leg. Sollux couldn't help but to deny the reassurance.

"Something tells me you didn't get that by being shot in the foot," he managed. Caliborn threw his head back and laughed at this.

"Fuck to the no, Captor! No, I wish I had been shot in the leg. Nope, I had to saw it off, after I was shackled to a fucking table," he explained, casual tone returning. "That was thanks to Mr. Ampora and no doubt my sister."

"When you say Mr. Ampora..."

"I mean Eridan, shit-belt."

"Right, and when you say your sister..."

"I mean my actual fucking sister. Fucking bitch. You know, she thinks that she's so much smarter than everyone else! She thinks that she's always right, too. She's got this whole loyal act going on with my dad, though I know full fucking well that shes a damn traitor who works with everyone else against us. Whatever, she'll get what's coming to her. I have every intention of having her killed, if not killing her myself. She's way past her fucking death date."

"Well, I don't envy her," Sollux replied weakly. Caliborn smiled his evil smile, holding his AK up and level with Sollux's eyes, causing them to widen.

"No? She's in a much better position than you are right now," he informed, as if Sollux didn't know that already.

Wow. One day he's eating his honey nut cheerios and watching the same damn x-men movie that comes on tv all the fucking time, and the next day he's cornered in a bar with a seriously intimidating weapon shoved between his eyes. It's funny how things work out. Funny how the one day that he decides to be a complete ass to one of the only people that ever gave a damn about him, both of their lives are threatened. Christ, if he got out of this alive, he was going to grovel at Carters feet.

Before any damage could be done, there was a knock at the bar entrance door. Both Sollux's and Caliborn's head shot in that direction, Caliborn's eyes wide with anger and annoyance.

"I thought that this shit hole didn't open tonight."

"It doesn't."

"Then who's here?"

"I don't know."

"What the hell?!"

"I don't know!"

They whispered back and forth quickly and dramatically to each other a moment before the knock continued.

"Hello? The place is open, yeah?" A voice called. Sollux recognized that voice. It was the voice of one of the regulars that came to the bar practically every other night and played pool. Caliborn huffed.

"What a stupid shit. Everyone else got the memo, so why didn't this fucker?"

"I don't know, but he sounds pretty persistent," Sollux informed, hoping that Caliborn would just leave.

Thankfully enough, this was good enough for Caliborn. He was obviously set on keeping his cover for now. He lowered his weapon, looking at Sollux, irritated once again. Before Sollux could say anything, Caliborn snatched Sollux's wrist and slammed Sollux's hand flat out over the bar, fingers spread. He set his weapon to the side and yanked a dagger out of his belt, causing Sollux's eyes to widen.

"Wow, Caliborn, that's not necessary, is it? I mean, I like to think that we're kind of like friends at this point..."

"I don't have any friends," Caliborn stated simply before reaching out and digging his dagger into Sollux's hand.

Pain shot up Sollux's arm like lightening. He gasped abruptly before snapping his mouth shut, biting his tongue hard against the pain. His other hand gripped hard at the bar, squeezing it tightly to keep from shaking. Caliborn didn't stop there, quickly and sloppily dragging the dagger around in a circle on the back of Sollux's hand.

Sollux pretty much left this world, forcing himself into another one as he tried not to concentrate on the crazy pain erupting through his body and the warmth of the blood spilling over his hand and onto the bar. Jesus Christ, when was this fucker going to stop!? He was more pissed than terrified at this point, angry that Caliborn was adding yet another scar to his body. Sollux swore to himself that he wouldn't allow anyone else to hurt him like that ever again. Yeah, that was in vain.

Sollux could have jumped for joy when Caliborn finally tore his dagger from Sollux's hand, though the pain was fucking ridiculous. If Sollux hadn't had grown accustomed to this kind of pain, he had no idea what kind of state he would be in right now. He looked down at his shaking hand, almost disgusted to see that the carving was a shape.

"Wow, aren't you a fucking artist," Sollux hissed. Caliborn looked almost offended.

"I'm a great fucking artist, and I've been practicing a lot, motherfucker!" He informed in a childish pout. He then composed himself, glancing down at Sollux's hand.

"Eridan will know what that means," Caliborn informed, grabbing his gun and shoving the bloody dagger back into his belt. He then leaned forward, and Sollux swore that his eyes shifted to like 20 billion colors at once. Or maybe it was the pain getting to his head. Either one.

"If you tell a single fucking soul other than Eridan Ampora that I was here, I will carve that symbol into the faces of every person that you love. Then I'll kill them and feed them to a giant undersea monster. Am I clear?" He threatened, causing Sollux to back away in fright.

"Crystal."

"Good. You're not bad, Captor. Which is an impressive compliment to hear from me because I want to shoot everyone multiple times in the torso," he admitted with a chuckle. He then turned away.

"You better get the door," he added. Sollux turned to the door, looking at it a moment before turning back.

"But-" He started, only to find that Caliborn had disappeared.

Sollux wasted no time. He quickly knelt down and grabbed as many napkins as he could, wiping down the bar, then shoving them onto the back of his hand as he hissed in pain. He quickly stood up and made his way over to Carter, first off. Okay, good, he looked fine. He then rose and rushed over to the door, unlocking it and opening it quickly, looking up into the face of his regular.

"Hey! Sorry, DD, yeah, we're closed," Sollux admitted, flicking his hair out of his sweating face. Draco Dig looked up at Sollux above the rim of his black fedora, his clever gray eyes studying Sollux from head to toe. His gaze paused on Sollux's hand, eyebrow raising curiously as he looked back up at Sollux's face.

"You're hurt," he stated. Sollux glanced down at his hand, the blood quickly bleeding through the napkins. He then looked back up at DD, shaking his head.

"Nah, I'm fine, it was just an accident with one of the glasses," he lied, though he was sure that his face was pale. Draco looked at him a moment before glancing up, looking beyond the cracked door and into the restaurant as if he didn't believe a word that Sollux said.

"You sure?"

"I'm good. Sorry about closing and all. We'll be open in a few days. Have a good night!" He called, quickly slipping back in and closing the door and locking it.

He leaned back against the door, letting out a shaky sigh. He stood there a moment, biting his lip and tilting his head back, closing his eyes and forcing his emotions down. He just needed to calm down. It was okay. Caliborn was gone, and it was okay.

Except it wasn't okay. It wasn't okay because Eridan was in danger, and Caliborn had the power and the loose wires in his head to kill Sollux's boyfriend. Sollux couldn't believe this. He absolutely could not believe that this was happening. And his fucking hand...

He bit his lip harder as he looked down and opened his eyes, wincing and hissing in pain as he pulled the napkins away from his hand. Though Caliborn had done a piss poor job at his work of art, the eight ball was still incredibly easy to make out. Sollux didn't understand, and he didn't want to. He didn't want to know the back story of the symbol that would remain on his skin the rest of his life.

This was probably what Cronus was trying to warn Sollux about, and Sollux didn't listen. Fucking typical.