The light shone through the window into the bedroom and Ozzy's eyes slowly blinked open. Thrax was sound asleep on his side, one arm still under Ozzy and the other flopped over both of them. Ozzy shifted a bit, trying to turn around to see his face. He looked so peaceful and serene, and Ozzy couldn't fathom that this was the same virus who had tried to kill him not two days ago.
Not wanting to wake him up, he slipped out from under Thrax's arm and went to the kitchen. He turned on the kettle to make two cups of coffee, hoping that Thrax liked it better than he did beer. He tapped his fingers against the counter as he thought about everything that had happened the previous day.
True to form, he'd completely broken every police protocol: he'd left Thrax alone in his apartment, hadn't called for backup after he had broken out of his restraints, had let him go outside twice, and, to top it all off, had slept with the guy! Ozzy knew he was reckless, but this really took the biscuit.
He wondered if it would be best to just draw a line under the whole thing and consider it another one-night stand under his belt.
The only thing was, it didn't feel like a normal one-night stand. All the words Thrax had said to him were echoing around his mind, and thoughts of how sweet he had been with him since the shower incident were making Ozzy question everything he thought he knew about the virus.
He noted how Thrax had taken every opportunity to put his arms around him to pull him closer, had bought food he didn't like just to please him, had kissed him with a passion Ozzy had never known before, had allowed him to take the lead last night on the sofa, and had even lulled him to sleep by stroking his hair. Ozzy remembered the way he had whispered his name, and gripped onto the counter as he felt shivers down his spine.
Having Thrax hold him tightly, feeling how he rolled into each of his thrusts, hearing him moaning underneath him. God. Last night was by far the most sensual thing Ozzy had ever experienced. And the way he kissed. It wasn't at all like Ozzy had imagined. It was gentle, yet intense. Possessive and heated, but not dominating, and he knew exactly how much pressure to apply to make Ozzy feel like he was melting.
He couldn't have faked that, right?
He thought then about the way Thrax had started to look at him. Before yesterday, he looked at him with only disdain or annoyance, but now whenever their eyes met, they were full of warmth, and dare he say it, affection. Then there was the look he'd given him last night on the sofa. There had been only hunger and desire in those flaming eyes of his and it made Ozzy's body tingle just thinking about it.
Was Thrax tricking him to try and escape? Using him for sex? Trying to make him develop feelings for him only to break his heart as revenge?
Did he really mean all those things he said last night? Ozzy liked to think so. Maybe he needed to believe those things right now. Maybe he needed to feel like someone could love him. All he knew for certain was that he had feelings towards the virus that he couldn't deny, and despite his head screaming at him to ignore them, his heart was telling him the opposite.
The kettle finished boiling with a click, distracting Ozzy from his train of thought.
He poured the water into the mugs and made Thrax's extra strong, as he imagined he took it, and put 3 sugars and lots of milk in his own until it was almost white.
He took both the coffees to his room and put them down on the nightstand next to his bed, before turning to gaze at Thrax. He was lying face up now and the sheet had fallen off slightly, exposing his broad shoulders and muscular chest. The light streaming in from outside was dancing over his angular face and lighting up his sharp features.
Ozzy cocked his head slightly as he watched the way his chest rose and fell, before rolling his gaze back up to his face. He had never seen anyone so strong and masculine-looking before, and felt bad for childishly having insulted his appearance back when they were fighting on the eyelash. Yes, he looked completely different to anyone Ozzy had ever seen, but it was a good different.
He sat on the edge of the bed and tentatively reached out a hand to start stroking Thrax's soft hair. He leaned in closer as he heard Thrax grumble something under his breath, and trailed his fingers through his braids to gently massage his scalp. Thrax slowly opened his heavy eyelids and smiled; he'd never been woken up in such a caring way before.
Normally he would be woken up by the sound of police sirens outside, or by someone ordering him to get out after spending the night together, or worse, he would simply wake up to silence, completely alone. Usually it was the latter.
He nuzzled into Ozzy's hand and turned his head to face him, to see him smiling back at him and continuing to run his fingers through his hair. So I guess this means that I didn't dream what happened last night.
"You're cute when you're asleep, y'know?", Ozzy whispered, "probably because it's the only time you're not chattin' shit."
Thrax grinned. What a dickhead. "You know, you're the only person who's ever called me cute, and also the only person who would then dare follow that up with an insult."
"Oh yeah? And what are you gonna do about it?", Ozzy replied with a grin, before turning round to pick up Thrax's mug. "I made you some coffee. I wasn't sure how you take it, or if you even take it at all, but it's here if you want it."
Thrax sat up and kissed him on the cheek as a thank you. "You're too good to me, baby..." He paused and narrowed his eyes, "I mean, Ozzy."
"Nah, it's cool... baby's startin' to grow on me." He smiled and passed Thrax his mug of coffee before taking his own in his hands and blowing on it.
Thrax drank the whole mug in two big gulps and handed it back to Ozzy, a big goofy smile plastered on his face, as if triumphant that he'd finished it first.
"Man, you're weird", said Ozzy as he sipped his sugary coffee.
After a few seconds, Ozzy looked up at Thrax and said, "so… what's it like hoppin' from body to body, I mean, what are other bodies like? You said that this one was particularly… 'disgusting'", he cringed on that last word, "but what did you mean by that?"
Thrax leaned his head back against the headboard and looked pensive for a moment, before turning to face Ozzy and answering.
"Each body is different. They all work basically the same, with white blood cells, red blood cells and the like… but the way they operate is different, if that makes sense. The healthier the body, the more equipped the cells are at fighting, well, me!", Thrax said, gesturing to himself.
"If the human doesn't take care of themself, then it's much easier for me to infiltrate the body, as the security is generally lower, and the cells have other problems to worry about."
Ozzy furrowed his brow at this, thinking back to how easy it was for Thrax to get past security to the hypothalamus in the first place.
Thrax continued, "that's why I was so surprised to find someone like you in this body. I hadn't expected anyone to infiltrate my meeting like you did and figure out my entire plan. No one had ever even come close, not even in that healthy little girl I took down a few months back."
Ozzy looked down at his lap, not knowing how to take this information, and Thrax cupped his chin and lifted his head back up to look into his eyes.
"That's what I meant last night when I said you deserve better than this. You quite literally risked everything to stop me, even jumping out into the open air not knowing what could've happened. It was incredibly reckless and ridiculously brave."
He cupped both hands around Ozzy's cheeks and lowered his voice, "you're not like everyone else; you're quick-witted, funny, deep, honest and passionate beyond belief. You're one in a trillion, Ozzy, and I hope you start seeing that soon." He pulled him into a soft kiss and tears started forming at the corners of Ozzy's eyes.
Never had he thought someone would say these things to him. Never had he imagined someone could actually respect him for his reckless behaviour, rather than simply treating him like a joke.
All his life he had been the outcast and then the laughing-stock of the police force. He realised now just how long it had been since anyone had said anything genuinely nice about him.
He didn't even care if Thrax was lying at this point. He just needed some positive attention for once.
Thrax felt Ozzy's tears on his cheeks and dried them with his thumbs before wrapping his arms around him and pulling him closer.
Ozzy broke the kiss and looked down at his lap, a bit embarrassed to have shown such vulnerability in front of another man. He wiped his eyes with the back of his arm and stood up.
"I'm, um, I'm gonna take a shower. D'ya wanna join me?", he asked, trying to change the subject.
Thrax's face softened to a smile, before saying, "of course, baby, how could I ever say no to that?"
Thrax watched as Ozzy stepped into the shower and noticed the bruises all over his lower back and neck from the previous night. He hissed, promising himself that he would try to be more gentle with his hands next time, and followed him into the shower. Ozzy turned it on and Thrax yelped as the cold water trickled down his back.
"Fuck, I'd forgotten about that! Isn't there any way you can turn up the temperature?!"
Ozzy grimaced with embarrassment, mumbling, "no, sorry. Money's been kinda tight since I got demoted, so I've had to choose between some… utilities."
Thrax raised an eyebrow and sighed quietly, before he started stroking Ozzy's hair, "it's fine, don't worry."
He reached for the sponge and put some shower gel on it. "May I?", he gestured towards Ozzy with the sponge, to which he smiled and nodded.
Thrax started to soap Ozzy's shoulders and chest, taking care over the bruises on his collarbone and neck. Ozzy winced as he went over them and frowned when he noticed that Thrax's skin was completely unblemished.
"No fair! You don't have a single bruise or mark on you from last night! And that's with me tryna leave one on you as well!", he whined. Thrax just chuckled and kept washing him, making small circles with the sponge as he went down his torso.
Ozzy's niggling feelings of suspicion were slowly melting away and he sighed contentedly over how gently Thrax was washing him.
Thrax knelt down as he reached his midsection and left a small kiss on one of his thighs, making him flinch. He cleaned all around his middle area, before going down to his feet. He gestured with his claw for Ozzy to lift his foot and started washing under it. He did the same with the other before rinsing the sponge and standing back up.
He grabbed Ozzy by the waist with one hand and pulled him into him, looking him in the eye with a serious expression. "If I did leave this body… would you come with me?"
For the first time ever, Ozzy could sense some fear in Thrax's voice, as if the wrong answer might just kill him. "Oh, Thrax, I… I don't know how to answer that, that's a very loaded question, and there's a lot to think about", he mumbled, fidgeting awkwardly and not making eye contact with the other man. Thrax looked down dejectedly and loosened his grip around Ozzy's waist.
Ozzy couldn't take the fact that he had upset Thrax after all the wonderful things he had just said in the bedroom.
He cupped Thrax's cheek and said forcefully, "I'm not saying no, just give me some time to think it over." Thrax's sad expression melted away and he let a small smile spread across his face.
Ozzy was relieved to see this and laughed as Thrax shivered under the cold water. "I think it's time we turn up the heat in here…", Ozzy said suggestively.
With that, he pushed Thrax up against the tiled wall of the shower. He leaned up to press his lips against Thrax's and opened his mouth, moaning softly as he felt Thrax's tongue against his own. He trailed his fingers down his stomach, before running them over his cock.
He pressed his body against Thrax's and slid his fingers through his hair as he took his cock in his hand, while Thrax wrapped his arms around his waist.
Thrax moaned into the kiss and scratched down Ozzy's back by accident, causing him to yelp and make him break away.
It had hurt him, but the desire he was feeling in that moment quickly helped the pain dissipate, and he knelt down in front of Thrax.
"Are you okay? I'm sorry I don't know what came ove-'', Thrax tried to say, but his breath caught in his throat when Ozzy took him into his mouth almost all the way to the hilt in one go, putting his elasticity to good use.
Ozzy started moving his tongue all over Thrax's length, licking up the sides and taking him in further until he could feel him at the back of his throat.
"Ozzy…!", Thrax moaned as he leant his head against the tiles behind him. Hearing Thrax say his name in this way excited Ozzy to no end. He put one arm around Thrax's waist and the other hand on his butt to hold him in place as he slowly moved back and forth with his mouth, enjoying every noise coming from the man above.
He tightened his grip around his waist and reached down with the other hand to start stroking himself.
Thrax felt the vibrations of Ozzy's moan around him and looked down through hooded lids to see him pleasuring himself, with his mouth taking all of him in, his eyes screwed shut, and a blush spreading across his face.
This man has no idea how sexy he is, thought Thrax as he ran his claws through his hair. Ozzy opened his eyes and gazed up at Thrax, opening his mouth wider and flattening his tongue to run it under his shaft. God! Okay, maybe he does know!
Thrax started moaning louder, his eyes glazing over, and Ozzy slowly sat back against the shower wall behind him, pulling Thrax with him by his hips. He sunk his nails into his skin and pushed him further into his mouth, before flicking his eyes back up at him, trying to communicate what he wanted him to do.
Thrax bit his lip as he started thrusting into his mouth, and Ozzy softly moaned around his cock, timing his movements with Thrax's.
Thrax's moans began to quicken, and he cupped Ozzy's chin with one hand, burying the other in his hair. He locked eyes on Ozzy's face, losing himself in him. It was captivating, enticing, and almost obscene to watch the way he was able to take all of him in, with tears forming on his waterlines, his lips slick with saliva, his eyes trailing up to meet Thrax's before rolling shut again.
The sheer amount of trust that Ozzy must have in him to be letting him do this was certainly not lost on Thrax. He'd chalked what happened between them last night up to the adrenaline, the tension and the alcohol, but apparently it was much deeper than that. Ozzy must reciprocate his feelings for him on some level, surely. Either that or he was just horny, but right now Thrax wasn't complaining either way.
He screwed his eyes shut and quickened his thrusts, and Ozzy watched how he threw his head back as ecstasy visibly spread through his body; his toes curling, his back arching, his hands tensing around Ozzy's head as he held it in place.
He felt himself coming and loudly moaned Ozzy's name as he kept thrusting into his mouth, dropping his head and opening his eyes to see Ozzy gag on the hot liquid now spilling down his throat, before he swallowed the rest and fell back against the shower wall.
Thrax leant his forearms on the wall as he caught his breath, gazing down at Ozzy and admiring the orange glow swirling around his bright blue nucleus.
"God, you're... amazing... you're so… fucking gorgeous...", Thrax said breathlessly. He helped Ozzy up to his feet, and Ozzy smiled at him.
"I know", he whispered, before sliding his arms around Thrax's neck and leaning up to kiss him.
Thrax broke away and whispered against his mouth, "don't think I'm done with you just yet." He grabbed Ozzy by the arms and spun him around, forcing both of his wrists above his head against the shower wall with one hand. An excited grin spread across Ozzy's face; although he would never admit it, he loved the feeling of being at Thrax's mercy.
Thrax pressed his body against Ozzy's back and spread the cell's legs with his foot. He slowly ran his claws along Ozzy's collarbone and over his chest, leaving kisses up his neck. Ozzy tilted his head to the side and leaned back against Thrax's stomach as he continued to gently drag his claws down his front.
Thrax made his way down slowly, painfully so, and Ozzy stifled a whimper. What was Thrax waiting for? Did he expect him to beg? To plead?
Ozzy inhaled sharply as Thrax reached under his navel and continued moving downwards, suppressing a whine when he moved past his crotch and spread two of his claws to drag them along the crease where his legs met his body. God! Is he doing this on purpose?
Thrax held back a smirk when he heard the groan deep in Ozzy's throat. He knew exactly what he was doing, and could keep this up for hours. At least, he thought he could. As he brought his claws back up, Ozzy turned his head slightly to face him, and Thrax felt a blush spread through his whole body when he saw his expression.
His face was flushed and his brow furrowed over pleading eyes as tiny whimpers escaped his parted lips. "Please..." he whispered between ragged breaths.
How could Thrax possibly refuse?
He kissed him on the cheek and took his length in his hand, while using his other hand to hold him around his waist. Ozzy moaned quietly and rested his head on Thrax's shoulder behind him, shutting his eyes and relaxing into him.
Thrax trailed kissed down his neck, making sure to leave little bite marks as he went. "You're all mine, Ozzy, and I want everyone to know it", he whispered in his ear, sending a jolt through Ozzy's whole body.
Ozzy turned his head towards Thrax again. "Kiss me", he said between heavy breaths. Thrax leant down and pressed his lips against his, while Ozzy reached up to rake his fingers through his braids, parting his lips to moan into the kiss.
Thrax's touch was gentle, and Ozzy sighed as he felt the heat from his hand spread and extend across his whole body.
Thrax ran his claws up and down Ozzy's thigh, savouring every sound that slipped from his mouth, every movement in his hips as he thrust in his hand. Ozzy dug his nails into Thrax's shoulder and titled his head back, begging him to go faster. He gasped as Thrax tightened his grip over him slightly and sped up his strokes.
His legs were quivering, and he fell back against Thrax's chest, moaning his name as he felt himself coming. His breathing slowed as he melted into his arms, his limbs soft and lazy. Thrax dropped a few kisses on his cheek, before tightening his arms around his middle and resting his head on his shoulder.
They stayed there for a while, just enjoying the feeling of each other, listening to their breathing and the water hitting the shower floor behind them.
Ozzy shut his eyes and lolled his head to the side, sighing deeply. Thrax's arms were warm and comforting, and despite him being a deadly virus, Ozzy couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so... safe. Thrax tightened his grip again and started leaving a few slow kisses up Ozzy's neck. There were so many things he wanted to say right now, but he couldn't seem to find the words, let alone form a coherent sentence.
He nudged Ozzy's cheek with his own, and Ozzy turned his head to face him. They gazed at each other for a moment, until Thrax moved back and grabbed the shower head, asking Ozzy to turn around to face him. He washed him down, paying special attention to the scratch marks on his back, before doing the same to himself and turning the shower off.
He then reached out to get the two towels they had brought with them into the bathroom and started drying off the other man. Ozzy returned the favour, and they both stepped out of the shower and headed to the bedroom with the towels wrapped around their waists.
They went into Ozzy's room and started getting dressed. Thrax put on the plum coloured sweater and the black jeans that Ozzy had bought for him, while Ozzy put on a pair of white jeans and a dark blue T-shirt. He went to look at himself in the full length mirror in the hall and Thrax came up behind him, putting his arms around his waist.
"We look good together, don't we, baby?", Thrax said softly, his braids trailing over Ozzy's neck and shoulder.
Ozzy laughed and wiggled around in Thrax's arms, "hey, stop, that tickles!"
"Oh really?", Thrax said menacingly, raising an eyebrow, and Ozzy stiffened, immediately knowing he had made a mistake.
He slipped out from Thrax's hold and spun around, backing away slowly and holding his hands out in front of him, a nervous smile on his face. "No, no, no, I didn't mean it, I…"
Thrax cut him off and said in a low voice, "you protest too much, Jones", before lunging to grab him.
Ozzy dodged him and darted round the corner, yelling "too slow, old man!"
Thrax charged after him and found he was hiding behind one of the kitchen stools. "I've got you now", he said quietly, and Ozzy stood up and hurled a paper cup his way. It flew past his shoulder, but gave Ozzy the distraction he needed to tackle Thrax to the floor.
He straddled him and pinned his wrists to his chest, smiling triumphantly and looking down at him. "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you said that 'you had me'?", Ozzy taunted.
Thrax laughed and congratulated the man sitting on top of him. "Yeah okay, you win, can you get off me now?"
"Make me."
Thrax raised an eyebrow and grinned. He sat up suddenly, making Ozzy fall backwards onto the floor between his legs. He leaned over him and pinned both his wrists above his head with one hand. He pressed his pelvis against Ozzy's legs, so he was completely at his mercy, and raised his clawed hand above his stomach, threatening to tickle him.
"N-no, please don't!", Ozzy pleaded, shutting his eyes, a nervous smile wiping any look of victory off his face.
Thrax stayed where he was, unmoving, just staring down at the man below him.
Ozzy opened one eye and peeked upwards, before turning his head to face Thrax with a frown. "What are you waitin' for? Get it over with!", he said, unsure what was going through the virus' head.
Thrax smiled and leaned down to kiss Ozzy on the cheek. "I win", he whispered in his ear.
He got up off him, held out his hand for Ozzy to take and helped him up from the floor.
Ozzy lightly punched Thrax's shoulder before straightening out his clothes. "You're a real jerk, y'know", he hissed as he walked over to go sit on one of the barstools.
"Hey, you drove me to that. You can't say 'make me' and not expect anything to happen", Thrax shot back as he sat down beside him.
Ozzy huffed, "whatever…" He glanced over at Thrax's claws for a moment, "thanks for not goin' through with it, by the way. I don't fancy being tickled by that claw, not gonna lie."
Thrax smiled softly and rested his hand on the counter top. "You can touch it, if you like. I promise nothing will happen to ya."
Ozzy furrowed his brow and shifted a little closer. He ran his fingers over Thrax's hand, feeling his rough skin as he moved in between his knuckles.
"You feel so weird", he whispered, before widening his eyes and looking back up at Thrax. "Not in a bad way, it's just different is all."
Thrax smirked and watched Ozzy's expression as he continued to trail a finger down towards his killing claw. He winced slightly as he went over it; the top wasn't particularly sharp, but it was hot, hotter than Ozzy had expected.
He dared to wrap his hand around it and suddenly heard a sizzling sound. He yanked his arm away and looked down at his hand to see that nothing had happened, rolling his eyes when he heard Thrax start laughing.
"You dickhead", he muttered, unable to stop a smirk from spreading over his face.
He prodded Thrax on the cheek and rested his elbows on the counter, before looking straight ahead into the kitchen. "Um… I've got a question for ya...", he said as he nervously played with his fingers. "How does it feel to kill?"
Thrax's smile was wiped from his face, and Ozzy continued, "I mean, I've shot at germs before, but I've not exactly got the best aim, so technically I've never actually killed anybody…"
He turned to face Thrax, "what do you feel when you… take someone's life?"
Thrax stared at him for a moment as he tried to phrase his answer. "It feels… correct. It's not exactly a good feeling, per se, but it feels right, like it's what I'm meant to do."
"Hmm… but how do you feel about the person you've killed?", Ozzy asked, before he started chewing on the skin around his thumbnail.
"If you're talking about humans, well, it's a weird one. We obviously need them to survive, but at the same time I have absolutely no connection to them. I've always just seen them as these huge, nasty creatures with foul habits, lacking in hygiene and any consideration for their own health."
Ozzy frowned, feeling slightly offended, before softening his face and relaxing his shoulders. Why should he feel offended by what Thrax had said? He was right. Ozzy had worked his butt off all his life to try and protect Frank, and all Frank did in return was eat greasy food, drink cans upon cans of cheap beer and smoke two packs of cigarettes a day. He didn't care about the trillions of cells that inhabited him, so why should Ozzy give one solitary shit about what Thrax said about Frank?
"Yeah… I gotta admit that Frank has really gone downhill in the last few years. He barely even tries to take care of himself anymore, especially since he lost his wife."
Thrax scoffed. "Well, I don't blame her for leaving, have you smelt this guy?"
Ozzy tensed his hands into fists, "she didn't leave him, actually. She died."
Thrax stiffened, realising that he might have overstepped. "Oh… sorry. How did she die?"
"She was sick for a few days, then suddenly got a really bad fever and collapsed, so they took her to the hospital, but even the doctors couldn't work out what was wrong with her. We still don't know. Mystery illness, I guess."
Thrax widened his eyes and scratched the back of his head. Fuck, I thought Frank looked familiar.
Ozzy turned to look at him again after a moment of silence and saw his expression, "what's wrong?"
"Nah, nothing… anyway, as I was saying, I never really got any pleasure from killing, it more felt like an obligation. I guess my competitive streak got the best of me, though, because I've always thought that if killing was my lot in life, I might as well be the best damn killer out there."
Ozzy rolled his eyes and let a small smile creep across his face, "you're so weird."
His expression turned more solemn as he plucked up the courage to ask his next question. "What about killin' cells? It's not something that most viruses do, as far as I know. At least, not straight away." He lowered his voice and mumbled, "and you seem to enjoy doin' it a helluva lot."
Thrax narrowed his eyes and inhaled sharply, "I guess along the way, after seeing how easy they were to manipulate and kill, I stopped seeing cells as… equal, and started seeing them more as sport."
"Jeez, man...", Ozzy whispered. He swallowed thickly and glanced down at Thrax's claw again. How many white blood cells has he killed with that thing? He shifted in his seat and looked back up at Thrax's face, "is that how you see me?"
Thrax flinched. "No... How could you think...?" he started saying, a hint of sadness in his voice.
He straightened himself and forced a smile. "Absolutely not. Never. Even though you were annoying as hell, I saw something different in you from the moment we met back in my meeting. The second I figured out that a white blood cell had managed to break in undetected and listen in on everything, I was furious, but also kinda impressed."
Ozzy smirked. "Yeah, I'm amazing, I know. But just so you know, that wasn't the first time we met. Don't you remember almost gettin' me killed at the nose dam?"
Thrax blinked at him, "oh shit, that was you?!"
Ozzy nodded and laughed, "yeah, that was me, you cretin."
"How the hell did you survive that?!"
Ozzy scrunched up his face, "trust me, you don't wanna know." Suddenly, he heard the faint vibration of his work phone from his bedroom. He furrowed his brow and slid off the stool.
When he got to his room, he pressed the home button on his phone, only to see three missed calls from the Chief.
"That's weird…", he mumbled, as he picked up the phone.
"What's weird?", Thrax asked, trailing behind him.
"My boss has been callin' me, I wonder what he wants… I'm not meant to be goin' into the office this week, because I'm supposed to be keepin' an eye on you. Maybe he just wants to check up on how everything is going", he said, as he dialled the Chief's number and stepped out of the room, shutting the door behind him.
The line rang a few times, before Ozzy heard the familiar, angry voice of his boss, "Jones?! What the hell are you up to?!"
Ozzy sighed and replied cheerfully, trying to hide the worry in his voice, "yo Chiefy-Weefy! What's uuuup, how're ya doin', what's-a-shakin'?"
"Jones!", the Chief interrupted, his tone sounding more annoyed than Ozzy had ever heard, "why have I been hearing things about that virus stealing from a donut stand on your street?!"
Ozzy sighed, thankful that that was the extent of it and went to answer, before he was cut off again, "and tell me why I have an eyewitness report of you and him in the park all over each other and a noise complaint from someone who lives in your building? Care to explain yourself, Jones?!"
Ozzy's breath caught in his throat and he could hear the blood rushing in his ears. His hand was shaking as he held the phone to his ear and tried to get a word out, any word, but nothing would come.
"I suggest you get your nucleus down here pronto so we can discuss your job. Oh, and you can kiss that virus goodbye too. Sorry, Jones, but even I can't protect you this time", and with that, the Chief hung up the phone, leaving Ozzy speechless. He leant against the wall and put his hands over his mouth, his eyes open wide.
Was he really about to lose everything? Were they really going to take his job away from him, even after all he did to save the City of Frank?
Would they try to take Thrax away from him too? He hadn't even had a chance to try and understand what Thrax meant to him yet and now maybe he never would. He grit his teeth and screwed his eyes shut as he felt tears starting to form.
Maybe Thrax was right, maybe he was too good for this place. The only person to ever treat him nicely was a fucking homicidal virus, for Frank's sake. Everyone else in this body either made fun of him for his abilities, looked down on him for his recklessness, or completely overlooked him altogether.
All these thoughts ran through Ozzy's mind and fear turned to rage.
He yelled and threw his work phone across the room, before slamming the door open to his bedroom, grabbing the filing cabinet where he had kept all of his work documents and chucking it against the wall. Thrax jumped and turned around to look at Ozzy, whose shoulders were now shaking with fury, a frenzy in his eyes.
Thrax carefully stepped over towards Ozzy, waving his hands in front of his face. "Now, now, baby. What's happened?", he said calmly, trying to soothe the situation. As Ozzy turned to look up at Thrax, his expression softened, and he shoved his face into his broad chest. Thrax wrapped his arms around him and hushed him while stroking his head.
Ozzy held Thrax's jumper tightly in his fists, "t-they know about us… someone must have seen us last night i-in the park…", he said, his voice quivering.
"Hmm… lucky them!", Thrax said jokingly, trying to make light of the situation.
Ozzy looked up and scrunched his face, "this isn't funny y'know! I'm gonna lose my job. Everyone already thought I was a joke of a cop, but now I'm gonna lose my badge and probably be thrown in jail because everyone thinks I'm fuckin' the guy that tried to kill Frank."
Thrax still hadn't fully understood the gravity of the situation and replied with "well… they're right, you are!", while combing his fingers through Ozzy's hair.
"Shut it!", Ozzy hissed, pushing Thrax away from him and crossing his arms over his chest. Suddenly, he remembered the second thing that the Chief had said. He lowered his head and let his arms fall to his side, sniffing quietly.
Thrax noticed his change in demeanour and went to stand behind him, putting his arms around him and nuzzling into his neck. "Don't worry, Ozzy. We'll find a way to make sure you don't lose your job. You're the finest officer in this body, they'd be idiots to fire you…"
Ozzy shook his head. "There's another thing… the Chief said that he's not gonna allow me to keep you here with me… they're probably gonna try and lock you away until they decide what to do with you... or worse."
Ozzy spun around to face Thrax and continued, tears streaming down his cheeks, "I-I don't want… no, I can't lose you, Thrax. I don't know what this is between us, but you're everythin' I've got now, you're the only person I care about anymore, the only person to ever treat me with any respect in this fuckin' body."
Thrax leant down to Ozzy's eye-level and, to Ozzy's surprise, looked like he was on the verge of tears too.
"I don't want to lose you either, Ozzy." He wiped Ozzy's tears off his cheeks with his thumbs and smiled softly.
"But what are we gonna do?"
Thrax kissed him on the forehead before replying, "pack a bag, baby; we're going into hiding. This flat is the first place they'll come to look for us. We'll find a deserted neighbourhood to spend the night, and that'll give us some more time before deciding on what to do."
Ozzy nodded with a blank stare and Thrax cupped his cheeks with his hands. He hated that he had caused Ozzy so much hurt in such a short space of time, but he knew it would hurt both of them more if they could never see each other again without having the chance to see what this thing between them really was.
He was very aware that he was being incredibly selfish in asking Ozzy to come with him, to give up literally everything for him, but he couldn't bear the thought of leaving him behind. He'd never felt this way about anyone, and desperately needed to find a way to make sure they could stay together.
"Welcome to the life of a virus, baby", he said, smiling sadly.