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Warnings for: sexual situations between Randy and Andrew
Chapter Forty One
::
"Hey, Clockwork!" Danny poked his head into the tower of the Clock Citadel, looking around curiously. It always seemed like the number of clocks hanging on the walls were changing. "Your favorite person in all the worlds is here!"
"I didn't know Danielle was visiting today." That was just… That was mean and brilliant and Danny was equal parts offended and proud. "I told you things would work out."
"Hey! I didn't come here to have a subtle 'I told you so' dropped in cryptic hints that I don't understand until I'm home." Flying towards the time mirrors Danny didn't even pause as he near crashed into Clockwork's back, clinging around his shoulders once he settled. "Hi."
"Hello." Clockwork seemed amused more than anything else, gaze going from the mirrors to Danny. "Are you only here to interfere with my work, then?"
"You work?" The dry, sarcastic 'ha' made it very hard to keep a straight face. "I actually came here to thank you, you know."
"Of course I knew." Mhm. "What am I being thanked for?" Knew it! "You're looking very smug right now, Daniel. It's not a good look for you."
"So says the 'Master of All Time'." The light tap to his head from the staff was worth it, definitely. "I wanted to thank you for pausing time at school the other day. It, ah, it was very much appreciated." Especially since Danny had been about to do something very, very stupid if time hadn't stopped. "I promise that I'll do my best to make sure it never why are you looking at me like that?"
"When… When did I stop time at your school?" Oh. Danny did not like that confused look. Not one bit.
"Valentine's Day. You stopped it on Valentine's Day during fifth period when Andrew was teaching a French class." The confused look didn't leave. "Ri- Right? I didn't just jeopardize all of space and time by telling you that before you needed to know you did it, did I?"
"I doubt you destroyed the universe seeing as we're still here, but the fact remains I have no memory of doing so. Perhaps it's merely something I've not yet done," Clockwork shrugged, Danny reassured at seeing he didn't look very worried about the matter. "I'll just bring up the moment-"
"No!" Danny was in front of the mirrors at once, arms outstretched as if he could stop Clockwork from seeing it that way. The look he was given was very judging. "I mean, um, do you- Do you really need to see-"
"What did you do." Oh. Okay. That wasn't a question. Right, stay strong, Danny, it was just the master of time and the mentor who you saw as another father. Nothing to worry about. "Daniel."
"In my defense I had to show them just who Andy belonged to." Okay, it didn't sound much better when he said it like that. "Not that I think I own him or anything, I just- There were all these Valentine gifts and letters and chocolates- I didn't care about the ones who meant well but the ones who wanted him were so fucking annoying and I just got so angry and-" Just remembering some of those notes had Danny bristling because they knew nothing.
"I see." That had Danny pausing because, wait, what? He did? Danny was so expecting to get yelled at for that. "I still need to see the event, Daniel."
"I will never be able to look you in the eye again if you do that."
"We all make sacrifices." Clockwork's satisfied smirk quickly fell, the ghost staring at him with confusion and then understanding that finally morphed into nothing but exhaustion. "Five years. I was supposed to have five more years."
Not really sure how to respond, Danny only glanced behind his shoulder to make sure the mirrors were empty of images. Clockwork's sigh had him looking back, Danny flinching at the look. "What'd I do?"
"I didn't stop time." Yes, alright, they had established this. Could they please move on to- "You did."
"You're not very good at jokes so you really need to stop trying. Right, so can you pause time from here or do you have to travel back in time- That second one just sounds horrible for both of us so I recommend-"
"Daniel." Oh, Danny didn't like that tone. He didn't like that tone one bit. "I didn't stop time on Valentine's Day. That was your own power that paused time."
"N- No? I can't pause time, Clockwork. I mean, I know I have some pretty crazy powers, but if I could pause time I would so misuse that. There's no way I have time stopping abilities here."
"I just paused time, Daniel, and it didn't affect you." Looking down at himself, Danny gestured to his bare chest. No time medallion. "Yes, you are not wearing a medallion, hence my surprise at you being able to withstand it. It was supposed to be another five years before you developed time powers."
"No." Nope, no, nuh uh, aha, nope. No. Danny had enough stress in his life dealing with everything he dealt with he didn't need to add being a timekeeper on top of that. "Clockwork. Clockwork, this is a terrible joke."
"If only it were." The dry tone showed just how screwed Danny was. "You're not a timekeeper, of course - you might be one upon your death, but that's still uncertain. No, for now you merely have the ability to withstand and control the flow of time."
"Oh, is that all." Flying to the couch, Danny sat down and buried his face in his hands. "I can stop time and the first thing I use it for is to fuck Andrew." There was a startled noise and oh, right. Clockwork hadn't known that since he couldn't see Danny's timeline as clearly. "I've done worse."
"Delightful. You won't mind sitting through a very long and thorough lecture about how not to abuse your new powers as well as how to understand and use them." Kill him. "We might also touch upon the joys of protection." Kill him.
"Why do you hate me?" The cookie floating in front of him felt like salt in the wound more than anything. He should have stayed home with Andrew and Randy.
::
Cold steel pressed into the palm of his hand, hardly there for a second before the sensation was leaving. His fingers stung from numbness and countless pricks of sharpened tips and his shoulder ached and felt raw from how much force was behind the throws. Unneeded breath swirled into his lungs and countless sensations that had mirrored life were replicated within him. They were all fake, though.
There was no pulse thundering through his veins after a well timed throw. There was no ache in his chest from his hard breathing as he leapt across rooftops with laughter chasing after him. There was nothing but stillness and death.
Why.
Why would anyone- Why would Danny want this? Danny was so much better. He could choose to be in this world and still leave it but people like him - like Andrew - were stuck. Trapped in a world that couldn't care less and exiled from the only one they had ever known or wanted. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair.
Why was it that Danny got to be the one to walk between life and death. Shouldn't it have been one of them? Any of them? They had walked the line more than anyone. That single file line with life on one side and death on the other. So many had fallen off but oh, not Andrew. He had walked the line so carefully and did everything he was told and then they wanted him dead. For what? For giving service to the Lord better than any of them could?
The Priest of Death had been raised to follow only the voice of the Lord and that scared them? They hadn't been true to Him. That was what had scared them, wasn't it? The matter of their belief had been called into question so they had gone after the only one to ever truly believe- Not even Randy had believed as he had.
It wasn't fair. Randy was so damn happy and well adjusted now and he was opening up about his problems and enjoying being a ghost. Danny had resolved his problems and had begun to open up and walk between the worlds like Andrew so wished he could. Him, though? Andrew was stuck.
He had been dragged down to hell through flames of burning knowledge and trapped in a library of books that had hidden him away from what was out there. How was he supposed to accept his powers if he didn't want to be dead to begin with. It wasn't- It's not- It-
"It's not fair." Cold steel leaving his fingertips and taking droplets of blood (not blood it would never be blood again) and-
"It never is." Snapping his gaze up, Andrew stared at Randy, the man looking utterly relaxed as he held the throwing knife by the tips of his own fingers (fingers stained red with the death of sinners). "You're slipping."
"Leave me be." The harsh words tumbled out in French before he could stop them, Andrew gritting his teeth as it all shifted- No. He was in Vidya (not the Sanctum). He was in the training room (not those cold stone rooms that held them like a jail would prisoners). He was fine (he was covered in the blood of the innocent). "Leave. Me. Be."
"Oh, Andy…" The soft, warm voice scraped at his skin like daggers, Andrew turning on his heel and walking across the room. His coat swished behind him (purple not black wrong it should be black) and his hands clenched into fists with green dripping down (it should be red). "You've been helping us so much. How did we never see that you needed help the most of all."
The knife was leaving his hand before he even realized he had picked it up, Andrew not even able to feel when Randy just barely managed to dodge it. "You're slipping." Weak. White Fang (no no it was Randy wasn't it?) wasn't allowed to be weak.
"Years later and they still control you, don't they?" Control? Control? The Priest of Death was controlled by no one and guided only by the Lord!
"How dare you-" Andrew choked on a gasp as he was pinned to the floor faster than he could blink, wrist gripped tight enough that he let out a cry as he dropped the knife he had curled his fingers around.
"The sun rises only when it sets." Jerking to a still, Andrew breathed heavily, and… He knew those words. It was time to rest.
"The crow flies to the west to recover." The words slipped out of him before he could even recall them, labored breathing slowing to a shuddering stall.
"The Lord bids your work done." Arching against the hold, Andrew let out a displeased little whine. No, no, there was still so much- "The Lord bids your work done." Familiar words in a familiar language.
"The Lord bids me to rest and renew." Rest. It was time to rest. The fighting was done, the mission was complete, and the the two of them were safe and sound.
"Un- Until tomorrow, all is well." Randy. Randy was holding him down. Why was Randy holding him down?
"For today, all has been done." Well, no, not quite, he still had some homework to grade- A mission report to submit? Why was it all so-
"Rest and sleep, young disciple, for you have done your Lord justice." It was like a rubber band snapping. Such a strange thought to have, in that moment, but that was what it was. A rubber band. Stretching and stretching and then it's let go and everything snaps back into place just as it should be.
"Ra- Randy." But those scars from the stretch still stay there, don't they? "We're… We're in Vidya. In one of the training rooms."
"That's right." Randy smiled, Andrew biting his cheek at seeing the man looked as wrecked as he felt. "That's right, mon petit, you're right here with me in Vidya."
"I slipped." There… It had been so long since he had a real and proper slip like that. Over twenty years long. Randy had him wrapped up in his arms and held closely before Andrew even realized he was shaking. "I slipped."
"Yeah… Yeah, you did." The Priest of Death hadn't been all of who he was when he lived in the Sanctum. There had been the Priest of Death and there had been Andrew Riter, Sylvia's son and Randy's little brother. Andrew Riter was just harder to find. Those words hadn't been said in over twenty years. "It's okay, Andy. I had a feeling this might happen."
"Oh, well, as long as you knew I'd fucking lose my mind then I guess everything is fine, isn't it!" Fucking- Dammit. He couldn't do anything right, could he? He couldn't fucking protect his mates, he couldn't stop himself from becoming a murderer, and he couldn't stop himself from blaming his problems are everybody else!
"I wouldn't say you fucking lost your mind." As much as he didn't wish it, the words had startled a little laugh out of him. "We can't be perfect all the time like me, you know."
"That's the biggest lie I've ever heard you told- No, actually, you saying that you only saw me as a brother was the biggest lie you've ever told." Hearing the displeased silence, Andrew finally let his muscles relax as he leaned back into Randy's hold. "Why do you think I kissed you when we parted ways?"
"You can't blame me for not seeing anything in it back then. You had a pretty screwed up childhood." Hmph. America had ruined Randy, truly. "I know that look."
"Oh? What look is that?" Shuddering at the nuzzling right under his jaw, Andrew tried not to laugh as his head was tilted up and to the side, perfect access to his neck granted in the arching gesture. Randy had probably planned it that way, the bastard. "You're not cute."
"Really? According to you and Danny, I'm very cute." The fluttering little kisses along his jaw had him relaxing a touch more, Andrew huffing and shifting in the tight hold. "Easy, Andy. You're alright."
"Of course I am." Not. He very much was not alright. Distracting him with kisses wasn't solving the underlying problems, either- Christ, maybe he should just make an appointment with Jazz and be done with it.
"I grew up with you for seventeen years and lived around you for about fifteen after that. You really think I don't know how to read you?" Shuddering at the hand that cupped his jaw and trapped it in place, Andrew let out a high, sharp cry at the sudden bite to his neck- God, how had he forgotten that Randy had those fucking fangs. Just as he started trying to relax so it wouldn't hurt as much, Andrew whined as he was just as suddenly let go. "You think I don't know how to read you. Oh, mon petit chaton. You were one of the first I learned to read."
"R-Randy. You need to stop." Because for as much as Randy could read him, Andrew could read Randy, and… Andrew wasn't sure what he would do to Randy if this kept going.
"Alright." The sigh of relief Andrew gave was too soon. "Tell me to stop." Opening his mouth, the protest came out as a high keen, Andrew jerking as he felt Randy's tongue trace over the bite marks he had made. "Well?"
"Randy." Squirming in the hold, Andrew whined again as he felt how tightly his arms were pinned to his side, Randy keeping him trapped in his lap as effortlessly as one might a feisty kitten. God, that was not a thought he needed right now.
"See, to me that sounds like a yes, but…" Those damn fangs caught on the tip of his ear, Andrew giving a shout as he felt the tips pierce the skin. The rush of pain was quickly overtaken by a heady sense of pleasure, Andrew going slack in Randy's hold as he near shook himself to pieces. "Tell me yes or tell me no. It's one or the other, Andy."
The tug to his ear had him giving another whine, Andrew bucking in the hold and feeling his cheeks flush as he shifted enough to feel Randy's, ah, excitement. God, did he even want this to stop? He had told Danny to be patient and it would come in time and he wasn't sure if this was a right time or a wrong time or- It wasn't the lick to the tip of his ear that had him agreeing so much as the fingertips brushing against his bare skin by his hip. "Yes, yes, yes, god, yes, Randy, do whatever you want just do something."
"So demanding." Randy's voice was like a growl more than anything, Andrew jerking in surprise as he felt his pants and boxers pushed down enough to be out of the way. "No wonder Danny always smiles when he complains."
Instead of doing the responsible thing, Randy was a tease as the tips of his fingers rubbed at the skin on the inside of his thighs. "Randy." Andrew squirmed to at least try and get a hand on himself, growling when Randy only shifted with him to keep him further trapped.
The low, throaty laughter had him tilting his head back, breath taken away by a glint of fangs and pupils with only a thin ring of blue around them. "Patience is a virtue, Andy."
"I never claimed to be virtuous, Randy." His renewed struggling was cut off with a bite to the same place as the first, Andrew whining at the contrasting feeling of nothing but a brush of fingers against his shaft. "Randy."
"Now that sounds like a fun game." Shuddering at the energy that swirled around them, Andrew yelped as he suddenly found himself pinned to… A bed? Why would- Oh. Oh. "How many times can I get you to cry my name like that?"
Cracking an open to see the man's expression, Andrew let a slow smirk appear as he tilted his head to show clear skin. "How many times can you earn it, Randy?" Watching the blue in his eyes flash to red, Andrew grinned wider. "Well? Make me scream."
::
"And where have you been for the past few hours?" Floating to a stop, Danny yawned as he looked over to where Andrew and Randy were on the couch- Randy. Randy was on the couch. Andrew was lying over Randy's lap and playing with one of his hands.
"Clockwork's." Flying over, Danny snuggled into the small space between Randy's other side and the couch, purring when he felt Andrew shift over enough to kiss his cheek. "Apparently I'm a timekeeper and have the power to control time on my own."
"Why am I not even surprised by that?" Randy laughed quietly, tangling his fingers through Danny's hair before rubbing at the scalp. "He spent four hours telling you how dangerous time travel is and all that?"
"Three. One hour was for a very long talk on 'protection'." Danny tilted his head back, studying Andrew for a few moments before pouting up at Randy. "Speaking of, it seems you two had fun. I almost feel offended I was left out."
"We'll be sure to make it up to you," Andrew hummed, sitting up to pull Danny across both their laps, covering him with little kisses. "I promise."
"You've destroyed him with sex," Danny laughed, the laugh turning into giggles as Andrew kept nuzzling against him. "I didn't even get to watch."
"Our deepest apologies," Randy snorted, kissing at Danny's cheek and rubbing at the opposite one. "C'mon, why don't we get to bed- For sleep you teenager. You both have school tomorrow."
"I have a free period," Andrew offered immediately, Danny grinning at the look on Randy's face.
"I can afford to miss gym." Might as well as help Andrew out, right? Being a good mate and all that.
"Truly, you two were meant to be." Randy stood up with a stretch, knocking both Andrew and Danny to the floor without any warning or care. Randy would always be Randy, Danny supposed. He loved it. "Well? Come on, you walking disasters."
"Excuse you, I am a flying disaster." Yawning, Danny allowed himself to be pulled up, looking between Randy and Andrew for a moment. Whatever had lead up to their fun, it seemed some emotional talks had been done as well. Andrew seemed a lot calmer than he had been the last few days… Good.
Now he just had to work on getting some alone time with Randy himself.