The sun was setting behind the thatched orange rooftops of Henesys houses when Freud stopped the car. It left red in its wake, red like the blood spilt that day. Evan was passed out from shock, curled up like a bony little kitten in Phantom's arms. The blond kept one arm wrapped around the child, their position awkward due to his sling.
The sky gave way to evening, the burning sun finally disappearing past the painted horizon.
Phantom, as much as he preferred to focus on himself, rather than others, was caught up in helpless regret for Evan. He, himself, had never been close to his parents- they had left their butler, Gaston, to take care of him. Yet he knew how it was to lose Aria.
Little Evan would never be the same, would he? He'd be troubled by these same nightmares that plagued Phantom.
Phantom sighed, reaching past Evan to massage his temples.
Well, he supposed they had an extra mouth to feed, now.
"Stay with Evan," Freud murmured cautiously, "I'll go check out one of the houses. We can sleep there tonight."
Phantom gave a curt nod, and then Freud was walking away, trying the doors to the houses until he found one that was unlocked. Phantom anxiously watched him walk in with his knife at the ready, disappearing into the darkness inside.
A few minutes later, he reappeared, showing a quick thumbs up to the other man. Freud walked up to the passenger side of the car and opened the door, lifting Evan up into his own arms so that Phantom could rise.
The house was in relatively good condition, aside from being overgrown with vines, eating away at the structure of it. Phantom shut the door behind him and locked it while Freud settled the young boy into an upstairs bed, and next they both set to work locking the windows and closing the blinds.
Finally, shut into a safe cocoon, the two let out synchronized sighs of relief.
Phantom rolled his neck, feeling it pop softly, and he was startled to blink and see, through the darkness, Freud watching him intently.
All of a sudden, Freud began to advance, looking damn near predatory. Phantom took a step back, and he walked closer and closer until Phantom was pressed against the wall, the experiment's body fitting against his.
"Freud-" Phantom started, only to feel Freud's face press against his neck, inhaling sharply.
Oh gods, had Freud gone insane? Had the side of him that was nothing more than a Rotter, taken over?
Phantom let out a startled breath when Freud did nothing more than drag his tongue across the blond's soft, warm neck.
"Uh," Phantom murmured, voice caught in his throat as Freud's tongue laved his neck. He tried to push the other man away, but the redhead's hands came up to firmly pin the other against the wall. Phantom felt a surge of arousal that he really, really didn't want to feel right then. His stomach gave a harsh, dizzying drop as Freud bit, hard. And Phantom found himself turning his head to the side, giving more access to Freud.
Freud pulled back, a strand of saliva dripping down his chin obscenely, and out flicked his knife. Phantom's eyes widened in fear.
"I- Freud- what the hell are you doing?!" He hissed, squirming desperately.
Freud shut his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Relax. I'm not going to hurt you," He finally muttered roughly. And with that, he drew the blade over Phantom's neck, creating a shallow cut that dripped pearls of red.
Freud's lips came to meet the drops of blood, licking them away hungrily. The knife fell to the floor, forgotten, while the experiment sucked, licked and nibbled the cut.
"Nn..gh."
Maybe Phantom had been a masochist all along, because this felt utterly erotic. When Freud stopped, he was almost disappointed.
"What the fuck, Freud," He breathed, knees nearly buckling as he watched the auburn-haired man lick his lips.
"I was hungry," And Freud said that as if it explained everything.
Well, technically it did, but... Phantom stared at Freud exasperatedly.
Freud turned to leave, simply glancing back over his shoulder. "You should probably get used to it."
"...After all, you were the one who asked me to stay."