Kristoph adjusted the sleeve of his uniform as he walked briskly by the workers. He had finally figured out just what the prisoners could do with all this meaningless work. He slowed to watch Liese's station, becoming increasingly upset with her domination of Kristoph's decisions.
Liese kept an eye on all the men in her group, her gaze lingering toward Phoenix, of course. It had been getting warmer and they would go around in only their gray pants as they continued their excavating, preparing to strike whenever Phoenix had "fumbled" to take him back and get some well-deserved time alone. After that chaos with the child Kristoph had killed without reason two weeks ago, she'd been splitting much of her time trying to get updates on Kristoph while trying to get as much of Phoenix as possible.
Just a little longer...just one little slip...
It was obvious that what she and Phoenix had was more than a physical attraction, but he probably just kept seeing her as the evil bitch who kept him from his daughter and his freedom. She shook her head and tried to retain her professional nature, thankful that her sunglasses kept her eyes from view.
Phoenix was finally tired of working and noticed Liese seemed a little impatient. He decided to give in and he looked up from his work without reason to the man beside him.
"What'd you say?" Phoenix asked darkly. The man barely looked up before Phoenix punched him hard, making the man stumble back into his friend and cry out before lunging at Phoenix in retaliation.
Kristoph watched, his hands behind his back, and looked at Liese, waiting to see how she dealt with this.
Liese wordlessly found one of the nearest guards and assigned him to keep an eye on the rest of the men while she dragged Phoenix over toward one of the sheds, giving him a gentle smile before it became rather dark as her arms wrapped around his neck, kissing his bristled cheek slowly.
"Remind me to get you shaved," she murmured gently.
Phoenix chuckled softly and pressed her back against the shed wall. "But doesn't it feel nice..." He teased, lowering a hand in between Liese's legs. "Here?"
Kristoph watched Liese take the rowdy prisoner - who suddenly became rather cooperative - behind the sheds. He waited for a gunshot or a scream but he heard nothing.
Strange.
The blond kept his hands leisurely behind his back as he walked quietly towards the sheds, gravel crunching lightly beneath his boots.
Liese exhaled softly when she heard the faint sound of gravel crunching, then gave Phoenix a quick kiss and an apologetic look before kicking Phoenix's knee. It wasn't enough to hurt him, but it was enough to make him cry out in surprise and she forced him to the ground, mouthing the word "guard" so that he wouldn't be upset with her.
Phoenix gasped and groaned as he fell to the ground. He glanced up to see Liese tell him it was a guard and he curled up a little like he was seriously hurt.
Kristoph turned the corner just after Phoenix screamed and he smiled at Liese. "Guten Morgen." He looked at the man curled on the ground. "Ich war nervös, als ich nichts hörte." He shrugged lightly and shook his head, "Sie haben Dinge unter der Kontrolle, ja?"
"Ja." Liese nodded toward Kristoph. "Ich werde noch nicht getan. Er braucht mehr Strafe." Her smile was cold and cruel toward Phoenix, managing to rival Kristoph at his coldest. One hand waved dismissively at Kristoph, keeping her gaze at Phoenix.
Kristoph took one last look at Phoenix then nodded. "Gut." He turned and left the area, continuing to the Captain's office.
Phoenix waited a moment before looking up at Liese, wondering if they could continue.
Liese helped Phoenix up, deciding to head back into the shed, pressing his back against the wall as she kissed him again, running a hand down to grope at his cock, pleased that the kick hadn't stopped his arousal at all.
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were becoming a masochist," she whispered in his ear, nipping at the lobe slowly.
Phoenix chuckled lightly and leaned back against the wall. "I wish. Then this place would be almost too sexy to handle." He murmured before groaning and pressing his hips towards her hand.
"So did you check Trucy last night?" He asked, having asked the woman to check on his daughter as often as possible. Especially since Kristoph patrols the children's side at night.
"Ja...I've been checking on her every day ever six hours for the past two weeks." Liese spoke the truth and kept stroking at a steady pace, gently easing Phoenix's gray pants down to keep slowly exposing him with a slow smile. "Kristoph won't touch her...and Klavier's been watching her during her chores...Trucy's a smart girl. She has what it takes to survive." She was confident, slowly making sure that Phoenix was satisfied mentally before being physically satisfied.
Phoenix smiled and kissed Liese gently. "You've been more than wonderful for me here..." He said softly, still pressing himself against Liese though his eyes showed more concern than lust.
"And that just reminded me... What happens if you're caught?" He kissed her again. If Kristoph walked in on them again and Liese didn't react fast enough they'd both probably be dead. Phoenix felt a little guilty to be putting Liese in such danger.
"If I were weaker, we'd end up dead...but I'm not weak," Liese said with confidence, kissing Phoenix once more and smiling at him. "And I'll prove it to you right now..." She licked her lips and played her free hand along his chest, keeping him pressed against the wall, showing that she didn't want to discuss the subject further.
*********
Daryan passed by yet another protest group with a speaker and he sighed, looking down at Machi walking beside him.
"What are they even upset over?" He asked quietly. "If everyone stopped fighting here it'd be a great place." He was still upset over the rebels trying to burn Machi's place and was convinced they were being stupid. "What's rioting going to do?"
"They arguing over much. Government, society, politics, war..." Machi trailed off a little and glanced around, unsure of what to do except avert the protest groups and try to walk to the restaurant with Daryan.
Daryan sighed and nodded, "Eh, there's nothing we can do." He shrugged, realizing he must have sounded like one of the stoned rebels complaining about 'all the hate in the world.'
They reached the restaurant with little trouble and Daryan opened the door for Machi.
He thanked Daryan for opening the door for him and sat down on one of the tables, Machi ordering a large appetizer for the two of them to share that looked like chips and some sort of greenish dip. It tasted like spinach and some sort of other vegetable that he couldn't place, but it was still good.
Daryan watched out the window as he dipped his chip and took a bite. It felt like he was infatuated with the riots. There were so many and he wanted to get rid of them but just observing how these people were sheep was insanely interesting. Daryan didn't major in psychology or anything but he had been trained to interrogate before he joined the general forces. He knew quite a bit about how criminals followed a leader... Most interesting was that most riots and group organizations froze like a deer in headlights when their leader is killed or removed.
Maybe if he just went around and shot all the ringleaders...
He mumbled something to himself about being psychotic and took another chip.
Machi watched Daryan eating his chips and remained silent, unsure as to what he was thinking about, but moved to get more chips and felt his fingers brushing against Daryan's a little, his cheeks burning red by the time he stopped the purposeful strokes. He wasn't sure why he was feeling so strange with Daryan now, but it was a rather strange feeling and even a little intense. Before he could say anything, the waitress arrived and prepared to ask them for their orders, Machi deciding to order some chicken since he was hungry.
Daryan glanced over at the waitress and ordered a salad - he had taken to eating less when he was preparing to go to the UK so he decided not to bother stuffing himself afterwards - and looked at Machi, wondering why the kid was so red.
"You okay?" He asked, taking another chip. He noticed how Machi acted around him and Daryan could only hope he didn't give in and start something he promised himself never to happen.
"...Yes," Machi insisted quickly, shaking his head and trying to put off the way he had looked at Daryan so that the man wouldn't be too curious, pushing the huge amount of chips (which he'd eaten less than half of what Daryan had eaten) toward the soldier since he had only eaten a salad. "You eating this. You having less."
"Nah," Daryan shook his head and gently pushed the plate back towards Machi. "My boss would kill me. I have to eat less so that I'm not complaining for a turkey dinner out on the field." He smiled at Machi and stirred his drink with his straw. "Thanks, though... you sure you're okay?" He reached forward and touched the back of his hand to Machi's forehead as if checking for a fever.
"I'm fine," Machi insisted, his face flushing to an even deeper shade of red when Daryan touched his forehead, shaking his head. "I not sick...you no needing to worry..." Luckily, the chicken and salad had arrived and Machi focused his attention on his chicken, wishing that the restaurants in Borginia weren't designed to shortchange a person on their food just to get a couple extra bills in their pocket.
Daryan smiled and sat back in his seat as he picked up his fork.
"Of course I need to worry. You're my friend." He stabbed some lettuce on his fork and glanced up every now and then at Machi to make sure he really was okay. Sickness was deadly these days and he didn't want the kid catching anything.
Machi began trying hard not to look at Daryan for the moment and just finished his chicken, shaking his head and managing to eat that pitiful little bird before glancing at his friend. He couldn't stop looking at him for some reason, unable to figure out what it was that made Daryan just easy to look at.
"I...full," Machi lied, still feeling hungry since that damn chicken went through him quickly.
Daryan smiled at the kid and stood to lean forwards.
"Okay." He kissed Machi's forehead, still worried he might be sick, and dropped some cash onto the table, knowing it was slightly more than enough. "Let's go."
*********
"Diederich?" Yuri brushed back a thick strand of dark hair and looked toward the younger of her older twin brothers, noticing the way that he was glancing off to the side as he entered the room. This was the first time she had seen him since her recovery and he looked to be really out of it. "Is something wrong?" She turned her head a little and coughed, not needing to stay in bed, but she was still forced to rest in the room and sat in a rocking chair, looking at her brother in curiosity.
"Hm? Ouais..." Diederich nodded and leaned against the wall. "I'm fine. Ramón has just been... rather absent." He sighed quietly. The Spaniard hadn't been to the café since that amazing night and Diederich was beginning to doubt his own ability. He actually had begun to feel guilty, wondering if Ramón didn't want to see him, thus the week-long absence.
"... How are you feeling?" He tried to change the subject and smile at Yuri.
"A little better," Yuri said honestly, smiling at Diederich the best she could. "Dimitri says I can get out of here next week...and I want to go outside and get to the top of the Eiffel Tower. I've never been there before...I wanna go up there and see the entire city...covered in snow. Isn't winter coming?" She hadn't been able to look out the window in fear of contamination, but she could see the leaves turning colors even without being able to see them.
Diederich smiled sadly and folded his arms, nodding slowly. "Ouais... Yuri, I promise we'll bring you up to see a snowy Paris." He smiled a little even though it was a hot fall and snow seemed almost impossible to get in a week.
"I promise you it will be beautiful... you'll love it." He sighed quietly and leaned against the wall.
"...Thank you, Diederich. I don't need it in a week, though...I want to see it in the winter...after the snow. Besides, it's still fall." Yuri smiled, showing a rather mature wisdom despite her seventeen years and idyllic fantasies of a snowy city. "We can wait around the holidays to do that...but you should go out and see the city. I bet it looks beautiful surrounded in color." She stood up and put a hand on the wall as if there really were a window there and she could see all the beautiful colors of fall tinting the city of love.
Diederich sighed sadly and nodded. The poor girl... at least she would wait.
"It is..." He agreed softly. Indeed, the leaves changed but there was no crisp, cool air... it was hot as summer. He found himself somehow worrying about Ramón again and he ran a hand through his hair.
"Yuri... I'm sorry, I'm going to go make sure Ramón is okay..." He looked at the girl staring at the wall. "Dimitri is home if you need him..."
Yuri nodded and watched Diederich leave the room, the younger twin immediately joined by his elder, who looked at him in curiosity in between writing his theories.
"Diederich? Where are you going?" he asked, knowing that his brother didn't look like he was himself lately. He hardly flirted endlessly since he had caught him coming home in the early morning and looking like he didn't have a wink of sleep. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know that Diederich had slept with someone and Dimitri just knew that it had to be Ramon since they hadn't seen him in almost a week now.
"I'm checking up on Ramón." Diederich said simply, walking to the front door and slipping his boots on. He knelt to tie them up.
"Should I pick up bread?" He asked, wondering if they were out.
"Da...we need more bread," Dimitri said with a nod, going back to his book.
Diederich left down the cobblestone street to Ramón's home, purposely choosing the artist's alley as transportation so he could find a painting of Paris in the fall. He bought one for Yuri and bought a loaf of bread as well before noticing the particular Spaniard a few stands down.
"Ramón!" Diederich grinned, relieved to have found the man so easily. "Ramón, I've been worried about you!"
Ramon heard the man calling out toward him, shaking his head and quickly rushing off, trying to avoid Diederich, especially in his diseased state. He wasn't sure what to really say: "Hola, I have a fatal disease that makes me cough up blood and you can probably get it. Isn't that great!?" The Spaniard shook his head and quickly paid for his bread, running off for his house and locking the door.
Sorry, Diederich, but you don't want to deal with this.
He covered his mouth and coughed a little more, sighing at the blood in his hands. Damn. The coughs were getting worse.
Diederich chased after Ramón for only one street before sighing and leaning back on his heels. Did he hate him? Diederich feared he ruined them from that one night... Shit.
He headed home with the painting and bread, deciding to say nothing about the problem, whatever it was.
*********
Klavier took a young girl by her wrist and took her with him away from the working site. He knelt and flipped out a tiny flashlight, opening the girl's mouth and checking inside before looking over her eyes. He swore when he had no stethoscope - as she was coughing - and simply lead her to the sick bay, almost entirely sure it was the flu or a cold. He didn't want the girl infecting the other young teens and putting her in the sick bay himself would make him feel better - especially if he knew Kristoph wasn't working there.
"Is something wrong?" Trucy asked the blond man hoarsely on the way to the sick bay, following him lethargically and rubbing her runny nose on her gray sleeve. He scared her a little since he reminded her of that devilish man that had killed the little boy in front of her and she just obeyed him without another word other than that question. Maybe he knew the blond woman that had lectured Kristoph after he'd killed the boy and it helped her trust him just a little more. "Are you going to kill me?" The question was as general as asking for the weather and she meant it honestly.
Klavier stopped dead in his tracks at those words and he turned to look in surprise at the girl.
"... Was?" He frowned and knelt. "Why would I...?" Scheiße, Kristoph. He realized his brother might be responsible for the girl's question. "Nein, nein, I have no reason to kill you. I believe you are sick." He stood back up and brushed the dirt off his pants before leading Trucy inside the sick bay.
"I'm going to help you get better... so you can keep working." He added quietly, always feeling a little guilty that they kept the prisoners alive just to keep them working. He had heard Kristoph had some kind of idea involving showers to control the increasing amount of prisoners.
Klavier patted a hospital bed for Trucy to sit on and he moved away to find the stethoscope.
"Liebling, can you take off your shirt for me?" He asked, forgetting she was developing already. He found the stethoscope and hung it around his neck as he turned and smiled at Trucy. He really liked taking care of the sick prisoners. He felt some kind of redemption for saving them to make up for the Fürher's plan. He didn't like shooting kids.
Trucy nodded and obeyed, not caring for the fact that she was developing breasts, nor that she was asked this by a man who could easily end up beating her in a heartbeat like that man would do. She was covered in a few nasty scars from the brutal whippings when she slowed down, but she looked all right otherwise. Of course, she nearly jumped when she heard the door open and then shut as that blond woman she'd seen occasionally through the day arrive.
"Klavier?" Liese wondered, looking at her brother. She was wondering why the girl was shirtless and why she was in the sick bay. If Trucy was badly sick, she felt that it would be her fault for not keeping a closer eye on the girl and Phoenix would likely never want to associate with her again.
"Danke." Klavier walked over to Trucy and glanced up at Liese to smile in greeting. "Hallo, schwester. Das Kinder ist krank." He put the buds in his ears and breathed on the stethoscope to try warming it before placing it on the left side of Trucy's chest.
"Atmen." He commanded softly, before sighing quietly at himself and translating. "Breathe."
Trucy obeyed and inhaled and exhaled slowly, unsure as to why the woman now looked slightly petrified and was handed a thermometer to place under her tongue while Klavier examined her breathing. It didn't hurt to breathe, she was just tired and achy from what it could possibly be. Liese pulled out the thermometer.
"101.4," she reported, slightly distressed even though the girl seemed to be doing all right despite the fever and the shivering from the chills (that had to be fever-related, she hoped). Hopefully she could recover after a day in sick bay...or she would lose a lot more than just a little girl's life...she'd end up losing the love of her own life.
"Ja," Klavier nodded and put away the stethoscope and placed his hands on his hips. "You should be fine for tomorrow... Maybe take the day off." Klavier smiled at Trucy then turned his attention to Liese.
"Was ist los?" Liese looked far more worried than she should be for the girl.
"Nicht," the woman insisted, then escorted Trucy toward the sick bay to rest. "It's just a flu. You'll spend the rest of the day in here and start working first thing in the morning." The girl nodded and Liese began heading back toward the area Phoenix was assigned to work in: lifting up huge crates with several other men. She gave him a look to signify that he should try to get himself in trouble, purposefully tripping him a little and using the opportunity to pounce and bring him toward one of the same sheds, holding the man tightly before she decided to tell him. "Trucy's been sent to sick bay."
Phoenix was just about to kiss the woman before he froze. He quickly grabbed Liese's shoulders and held her still.
"When? Why?" He asked quickly, the words nearly melting into each other. His eyes darted to and from both of Liese's eyes in slight fear for his daughter.
"Twenty minutes ago. It's just a flu. Klavier found her and sent her to the sick bay to recover. She's got a few scars from whippings by Kristoph, but Trucy will be fine. Just needs a day of rest." Liese turned her head a little, unable to look Phoenix in the eye after feeling like she had failed him utterly. "I'm sorry...I should have kept a closer eye on her..."
Phoenix sighed in relief and hugged Liese tight. "Don't worry, it's not your fault..." He kissed Liese's cheek and used a finger to bring her chin up towards him. "Thank you for watching her... Without you I wouldn't even know if she's alive." He kissed her gently then made a quiet sound of anger.
"Kristoph, however, will die for that." He hated how the man would whip and shoot children if they so much as breathed.
"...He'll pay for what he's done. I'll make sure of that," Liese vowed, keeping her head on Phoenix's shoulder and resting her eyes by closing them. She'd been feeling so tired lately for some reason and some rest would be good for her.
*********
Machi was unable to stop thinking about Daryan after that time in the restaurant. It didn't help that the man was always by his side, kept giving him hugs, kissing his face and head, and was the best friend the young teenager had ever had. In fact, that was what made him think about Daryan more and more. He wondered about what it could mean as he headed over toward the market with some money Daryan had given him to buy groceries, then found his arm grabbed by one of those protesters.
"*My young friend, what are you doing out here? There is a war going on, it's not safe out here,*" the man insisted, keeping a tight hold of Machi's arm despite the blond's protests.
"Nnn..." he groaned, trying to wrench himself free.
The man held him tighter and started to drag the blond boy towards the large group of people yelling at the governmental building. "*Come on, now, help us end this.*" He coaxed, needing as many people in this protest as he could.
"*No...!*" Machi somehow found some sort of strength to kick the man in the ankle, unsure of how he got the idea to do that and began to run. He was used to running fast to get away from protesters and ended up finding his way back home without any groceries to bring back to Daryan. "I...I'm home..."
Daryan looked up from the tattered newspaper in his hand. He had been in the middle of writing out a simple equation to figure out what necessities were needed and how much it would cost them.
"Hey, are you okay?" He frowned, noticing how breathless the boy was and the lack of groceries.
"...Yes. The store...it being close," Machi lied, not wanting to worry Daryan further and have him waste his time trying to comfort the teen rather than do something that would be more necessary for them.
"Really?" Daryan frowned a little and stood to walk over to the teen. "You look scared..." He doubted Machi sprinted home - he looked tired and frightened.
"I...I fine," Machi insisted, shaking his head rapidly, his feet not wanting to move for some reason as he kept trying to avoid eye contact with Daryan, but those dark eyes were pulling him in and he couldn't avoid it for too long.
Daryan took Machi's chin and raised his chin to look at him. "Kid... you're shaking. Come on, what happened?" Maybe someone mugged him... shit, Daryan prepared to ask for a description so he could beat the guy's ass.
"A...A protester...he grabbing me...trying to making me...join..." He couldn't say anything more without resorting to Borginese, but Machi hoped the message was clear to Daryan...or clear enough for him, at least.
Daryan sighed and hugged Machi. "Kid... you okay?" He asked, worried for Machi's health if he was attacked by a protester. "Don't lie to me, it makes it worse." He murmured, sighing quietly into his shoulder.
"I...he scaring me...a little." Machi blushed from the closeness of Daryan's body against his like this, especially with his mind having a hard time processing just what it was that he felt for the man...his first friend...his only friend...the best friend he'd ever have. "But I...I not scared now..." Okay, that was a bit of a lie, but it was just for what he was about to do rather than the situation from earlier. He tilted his head a little to have his lips press against Daryan's, the action slightly awkward but mainly experimental as if he feared what would happen if he did this.
Daryan took a moment to process what was happening. After a moment he pulled away from Machi, staring at him in slight confusion.
"... Machi...?" He murmured quietly, wondering if Machi seriously wanted to start this... whatever 'this' was.
"I...I sorry...you not wanting...you not wanting...me, right?" Machi laughed, the sound strained and dry, almost scared and sarcastic at the same time. He felt so stupid, having kissed his only friend like that when it was obvious that Daryan didn't like it. "I...I can leaving now...if you wanting that..."
"No, no Machi... don't leave..." Daryan shook his head quickly. He hesitated before cupping Machi's jaw and bringing his lips close again.
"Your kiss was a little crooked. Like this." He smiled lightly and kissed Machi properly.
Machi's eyes bulged a little in surprise from the kiss, but he quickly started to return it, placing his hand on Daryan's cheek to hold his face in return. This was...nice...almost as good as being held close at night and sharing everything possible...no, this was better. He knew that it was...it had to be love. He was in love with Daryan, his only friend, and he loved it. It couldn't have been better no matter how much he tried.
*********
Diederich sighed softly and shoved his hands in his pockets, glancing lazily at the works on sale in the Artist's Alley. He couldn't stop thinking about Ramón and wondering if he hated him. He finally tugged Dimitri over to the nearest outdoor café and sat down, ordering the cheapest wine as he knew it had to be high in alcohol.
He glanced up at Dimitri and blinked slowly.
"Je m'excuse... I'm tired." He lied bluntly and mumbled a 'merci' when the wine was put on the table.
"You slept half the day, you're not tired," Dimitri said, splitting the bottle of wine between the two of them with a rather perturbed look at his younger twin. "What's wrong with you, Diederich? All you do is sleep and get yourself drunk. Yuri's been worried about you and so have I. You can't just get drunk and sleep all day, you'll die in a matter of weeks." He sipped from his wine, making a slight gag at the overwhelming amount of alcohol in the cheap liquid.
"I might as well." Diederich mumbled to himself as he took a mouthful of wine and ran a hand through his hair. "Maybe I'm sick." He stated before taking another long sip. "Speaking of worrying, where's Ramón?" He glared at his wine glass. "He hasn't been at the café..." He frowned and shifted a little in his seat, swirling his wine almost angrily before taking yet another gulp.
"Well..." Dimitri was about to say something, but the door opened and he glanced toward the softly tinkling bell that signaled a new arrival. His head turned in between watching Diederich drinking himself up and saw a familiar, yet paler face.
The Spaniard in question was walking into the cafe and ordering the usual glass of milk in a table far away from the twins. He could see Diederich getting himself drunk in a reversal of the last time he saw both twins together and he shook his head a little, drinking his milk as he looked at Dimitri and Diederich from a distance.
Diederich didn't even notice the door open and he took another drink of the wine.
"Bastard... I gave him the best fucking night of our lives and he runs and hides..." He growled at his wine glass, downing the rest of the drink before slamming it on the table and chipping the base. He groaned and hid his head in his arms as if he was preparing to cry.
"Dimitri..." he pleaded quietly, "find 'im an' tell 'im I hate 'im." His speech was slurring a little already and he just sobbed silently into his arm. Perhaps the alcohol was doing something to him.
"Da," Dimitri said, patting his younger twin on the back before deciding to go over to the far table to see Ramon drinking his milk, sitting down in front of him. "You heard him, didn't you?" The Spaniard avoided eye contact with Dimitri, focusing toward one of the paintings on the walls.
"Who can't hear him?" Ramon asked rather dryly, trying not to show that he was starting to feel a bit of sympathy toward the man that had left him in the night. "The whole damn street can hear him. And you heard him...you're supposed to tell me that he hates me when you find me. So just say it and go." He quickly kept drinking his milk to avoid the tickle in his throat, trying to not have Dimitri notice anything different.
"You two are impossible," Dimitri said with a scowl, shaking his head and pulling over his inebriated brother toward the table. "Just talk to him. He's become so pathetic now." Ramon just sighed and turned his head.
"I have nothing to say," he lied.
Diederich took a moment before blinking hard and frowning.
"Shit... you found him..." he mumbled to Dimitri before rubbing his eyes.
"I... Why do you hate me?" He asked weakly, feeling like a frightened child. He didn't want to lose Ramón yet he was so upset with the man for ignoring him.
"I don't hate you." Ramon was looking at the man's shoulder rather than his pathetic-looking face and was tempted to pat him on the head, but that would risk passing the disease onto both twins and he just shook his head. "I just can't see you two anymore." Dimitri exhaled and shook his head.
"This is pathetic...I don't know which of you is more apt to waste away, acting like this," he said with a soft scowl. "Just be honest and say what you want to say..." Ramon cut him off by slamming his hands on the table.
"Easy for you to say," he snapped toward the elder twin. "You don't understand...neither of you..." He sat down and held his forehead, cursing softly in Spanish.
Diederich gave a pathetic cough and frowned, a childlike sadness on his face.
"What...?" He leaned forward a little and tried to touch his hand.
"R-Ramón, I lo-nnh..." He cut himself off and bit his lip, afraid to say the word if Ramón seriously hated him.
"...You don't, Diederich," Ramon said, trying to make himself cold as ice. "You just wanted to fuck me...and I wanted to fuck you...that's all it was." It hurt to lie, but he had to do this to keep both the twins away from him just in case he got them sick. Dimitri sighed and looked back and forth between them.
"Stop lying, Ramon," he said, trying to get at least some sort of truth from him, but the Spaniard began to run out of the cafe. Dammit, he was supposed to be able to keep his heart cold, but if Dimitri could find him out...this wasn't going to work at all...
Diederich felt like he had been stabbed at those words. The wine only made it worse and he wanted to cry. Diederich took a moment before standing up and stumbling to the door and swearing as he nearly ran right into the doorframe. Damn... fucking... wine... shit...
He pushed open the door and chased after Ramón, though it was hard as the man was in perfect health and Diederich was horribly intoxicated.
Ramon's health was deteriorating already and he couldn't run for long before he felt his lungs constraining, going to his knees and coughing in his hands. He could taste the blood he'd be hacking up the past few weeks and it made him feel disgusting and diseased, both from the tuberculosis and from having to push away his only friends because he didn't want to get them sick.
It was pathetic how he'd become an absolute pansy since meeting Diederich and Dimitri...
The elder twin managed to find Diederich and helped him up to assist him in finding Ramon, picking out the hunched Spaniard on the street and jerking Diederich toward him to show his inebriated brother where he was.
Diederich followed Dimitri's direction and found Ramón hunched over and coughing. He ran a hand through his hair and leaned down to gently take his chin and pull his face up. The moment he saw his lips, Diederich kissed him, everything far too blurry to let him notice a trail of blood from the Spaniard's mouth.
"¡La mierda ... se escapa de mí!" Ramon pushed Diederich away from him, having liked the kiss, but he was diseased and he didn't want to get the man sick. Dimitri pulled Diederich aside, noticing the blood coming from Ramon's mouth.
"Ramon..." He kept his grip on Diederich and couldn't keep eyes off of the Spaniard. He...couldn't have...
Diederich felt like crying when Ramón pushed him away. When he was pulled away by Dimitri he gripped his twin brother and sobbed quietly into his shoulder. Everything was Hell and the wine was making it all worse and making him act like a child.
Ramon turned his head to the side, already feeling like an absolute ass for doing this to the inebriated Diederich, but he had to protect him from getting infected...but it failed now and he decided to help Diederich up, prying him from Dimitri's grip to hold onto him.
"I'm sorry," he said, keeping his voice low and his face straight as he wrapped his arms around the crying Diederich. Dimitri watched this, unsure of what to really say, so he just hung his head and remained silent.
He looked up and felt the rain hitting his face as the clouds descended over the once clear blue sky.
*********
Liese leaned down near the barracks, having been assigned to keep an eye on the men in her section for the night despite her health in less than desirable shape. She felt her stomach churning and slumped down on the ground, resting her back on the cabin while trying to catch her breath. It didn't work for long and she turned her head to the side, gagging and vomiting on the ground. Maybe she caught that flu from Trucy, but that had been a good long while ago and the girl was back at work and in better shape than ever. She shook her head in confusion and stood up to keep herself professional just in case Kristoph began wandering around.
Klavier lit a cigarette and strolled down along the cabins, watching for anyone who might be disturbing the peace. He heard a sound and started towards it only to see Liese standing up.
"Schwester?" He frowned and walked over, noticing the small puddle of vomit near the cabin. "Was ist los? Sie erbrechen...?" He worried, taking his cigarette from his mouth.
"Ja...Ich habe mich krank gefühlt," Liese said honestly, shaking her head a bit to try and make it seem like it wasn't a big deal. She wished he could just let her get off her shift to spend some time with Phoenix before the morning bugle went off, but she'd have to try and apprehend him during the morning and tried to keep walking around to keep her rounds steady, but ended up falling down to her hands and knees on the grassless ground. Her head was practically spinning for some reason and it confused her, having felt like this all week now.
"Ach, folgen." He ordered, still a little worried, and he took her hand and started to lead her to the sick bay.
"Wann fing das an?" He asked as he reached the sick bay and motioned towards one of the beds.
"Vor ungefähr einer Woche," Liese said, lying down on one of the beds and glancing toward Klavier, wanting to get out of here and get to Phoenix as soon as possible. She hated the smell of sick bay and wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.
Klavier found a few tools and hurried over to Liese. He put on his stethoscope and unbuttoned Liese's jacket. He slid his hand and the other end of the stethoscope up her shirt to find her chest and he murmured for her to take deep breaths.
"... Have you changed your diet at all?" He asked, used to the doctor questions in English because of the amount of patients who knew no German.
"Did anything in your routine change before last week?"
"No," Liese said, talking about the routine change, but she added, "I have been craving a lot of cheese and crackers. It's the only thing I can really keep down. I've been eating a lot, lately, but I've been cutting out some of the sweets I normally eat." She shook her head a little. "It's nothing big, Klavier..."
Klavier frowned and shifted his hand to hear the other lung. "... Craving?" He repeated slowly. "You haven't been taking drugs or drinking too much, ja?" He ran through the regular questions and remembered the last one he hadn't mentioned. "How is your period?" Always a little odd to ask but he had to know.
"Of course I haven't been taking drugs...I haven't been drinking, either...well, I do drink water and juice, but that's all," Liese insisted truthfully, then the question about her period was asked and she just shrugged, having not remembered having her period since this all began. She'd heard that stress could lead to not having a period and she had been overworked lately, so she just shrugged at the last question. "Controllable."
Klavier put away the stethoscope and motioned for her to sit up as he flicked out a little flashlight to check her eyes and mouth.
Kristoph finally found where his siblings had gotten to and he walked briskly into the sick bay, mumbling something about them slacking off. He held a few pages in one hand and a pen under his thumb, holding them to his chest as if to keep them safe as he stepped over to the bed.
"Was ist los?" He looked at Liese critically, considering she was sitting on a sick bed.
"Magenschmerzen. Klavier wurde beunruhigt," Liese said to Kristoph, then noticed the papers that he had in his hand. "Was ist das?" She leaned back a little and prepared to get up, wondering if she was done here to go see Phoenix really quick.
Kristoph held out the papers to Liese, the smallest smile pulling at his lips.
"A list of dogs to be euthanized." He said curtly, having taken to not recognizing the prisoners as human. "Feel free to add." At the top of the list was 'Phoenix Wright'. He had noticed how often Liese took the man away from the work to punish him and it was almost abnormal how often he got in trouble.
"Ah..." Liese covered her mouth, unable to control herself from holding back on running out of sick bay, keeping a close eye on her papers and holding them tightly as she headed toward the eastern barracks where Phoenix resided. The man was, of course, sleeping in one of the bottom bunks and she began shaking him hard to wake him up, tears already running down her cheeks and thankful that she hadn't started vomiting. "Phoenix...Phoenix, wake up..."
"Was- Liese!" Kristoph withdrew his hand and stared at her nearly violent reaction. He looked at Klavier who only shrugged before putting away the tools and running over the symptoms in his head.
Phoenix woke and sat up quickly to hold Liese's arms, hushing her gently.
"Calm down, calm down..." he rubbed one eye and blinked before standing. "What's wrong?" He glanced at the other roommates and decided to slip on his shoes and bring Liese outside. She was shaking and crying and Phoenix couldn't help but kiss her over and over and beg she would calm down.
"K...Kristoph..." Liese gasped the name softly between the kisses and decided to show Phoenix the list of those sent to be chemically euthanized by the end of the following week. "These papers are a list that show those who are designated to be killed at the end of the following week by being locked in the chemical sheds. My brother decided to put you on the very top of the list." She couldn't stop crying as she told him this, trying to form a plan as to how to spare the man from an unfair death and orphaning that poor young teenager who had been through enough hell already.
Phoenix took a moment before blinking hard and kissing Liese again, moving the list from his sight.
"It's... it's okay." He murmured, resting his hands on her hips. "Liese, it's okay, it's going to be fine I'm not going to die..." He assured her slowly, not exactly sure of what he would do to escape Kristoph's plan.
"Don't worry about it. Don't..." he kissed her again and sighed softly. "Don't cry, Liese... please..." He kissed away the tears and held her close, worrying a little for himself now.
"I'll get you and Trucy out of here...before it happens. We'll find a way and you two will get out of here." She paused a little and headed back over toward her own private quarters, which was the same size as the single room cabins, but with sparse furnishing to make the room look smaller and a small bathroom as well. "I won't let you two get killed here...I'll die before that happens..."
"Liese!" Phoenix followed her and grabbed her by the shoulders to turn her around.
"Don't say that. Please. I don't want anything happening to you." He said softly before kissing her again. "We'll deal with this... it'll be okay..." He said slowly, kissing her a little deeper.
She lazed her blue eyes after that deep kiss, returning before having to slowly take her mouth away from Phoenix's. Liese looked at him, trying to control her emotions as she locked her clearer eyes onto his slightly darker ones, though both pairs of irises were blue.
"I love you, Phoenix...I wish the situation could have been better, but...I really do love you," Liese said honestly, looking at him honestly before wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down for another kiss.
Phoenix smiled gently and kissed her back. "I love you too, Liese." He admitted softly and gave her another kiss. "We'll get out of here... I swear we will..." he murmured, slowly moving forward to press her against the wall.
"Nein." Liese smiled playfully as she moved over from the wall to lie down on her bed, pulling Phoenix over her to give him another kiss. "I promise...I'll get you and your daughter out of this place..." She began removing that stained gray shirt that hid his muscled, tanned body from view. Ever since he'd come here, he was stronger and his paled skin had taken a tanner tone from working in the sun so much...it was beautiful...he was beautiful...and he was going to live even if it meant she would die making sure of that.
Phoenix sighed playfully and slid off her jacket and started on her pants. "You're too stubborn." He teased, giving her another kiss before he moved them down onto the bed. He got rid of her pants and pressed kisses to her breasts as she worked on getting his pants.
Liese was beautiful and Phoenix felt almost undeserving of her. He adored her and loved her and the only problem with it all was their status here.
"I love you." He breathed, finding it wonderful to tell her again.
"I love you, too," Liese whispered honestly, kissing his lips and moving down to his neck, nuzzling it gently before looking up at Phoenix and wrapping a leg around his waist to pull him down, his stronger body pressing onto hers.
Phoenix grinned and kissed her again, rubbing his hips against hers. He glanced down to position himself then pushed into her slowly, moaning softly at the feeling.
"Damnit... I love you so much..." he murmured, feeling almost intoxicated from simply being inside her. He started to move his hips and he grinned, kissing along her neck.
"I...love you more..." Liese moaned, her hips moving with Phoenix's as her hand ran through his hair, not caring for the bristled face against her skin. Those whiskers of hers were serving to arouse her further as her other hand traveled to take greedy handfuls of his ass before grasping onto his back from the sheer pleasure running through her.
"No... I... more..." Phoenix grunted, one hand against the mattress and the other on Liese's hip as he quickened the pace. She felt wonderful around him and he just wished he could lay in bed and do this every day with Liese without the fear of being found or killed.
"Nngh...I...more..." Liese grasped his back carefully, not wanting to leave marks on Phoenix's skin that could be easily discovered, and wrapped her legs around his waist to pull him closer to her, her body flushed and covered in sweat for the pure exertion of this. She was getting closer...and it wouldn't be long before she had to give in...and she was looking forward to giving him all she had, straining to keep her hips thrusting against his.
".. More." Phoenix breathed, pressing messy kisses to her mouth and cheeks as he slammed into her, getting so close to finishing first he was almost afraid he'd end up losing the unspoken battle to last the longest. He groaned and wrapped his arms around her, kissing down her neck.
"M-Mehr...!" The tips of Liese's fingers dug into his strong back, unable to hold out for much longer as she came around him, holding him close as she convulsed, keeping up the thrusting from her hips as she panted, pulling his sweat-covered body close.
Phoenix grunted lowly and gave one more thrust before following suite and climaxing. He groaned and held her close, kissing her lazily and panting softly.
"I-I love you..." he breathed, kissing her deeply. "I love you so much."
"I know...I love you, too." Liese wrapped an arm around the middle of his torso to keep him close as she ran a hand through his hair. There was still some time before the early wake-up call and she pulled up the blanket to keep herself and Phoenix warm, too tired to bother walking him back to his cabin. "That'll never change...never..." She yawned in exhaustion and somehow managed to fall asleep despite her worries for the next week.
Phoenix gave her a tired smile and kissed her softly before holding her close and falling asleep beside her.
Klavier had been running through the symptoms in his head and he even checked a book, but the only sickness that included everything...
Klavier looked at the floor, eyes widening in realization. He even forgot Kristoph was standing there admiring his nails as he thought out loud without knowing just how upset his elder brother would be by hearing the truth.
"... She's pregnant."