The Glass House: Chapter Eleven
May. 16th, 2008 03:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wolfanficsTitle: The Glass House
Author: Sashataakheru
Beta: The wonderfulrana_narsilion <3
Fandom: The Chaser/AusComedy RPS
Starring: Adam Hills, Sepulchre (OC), Wil Anderson, Hamish Blake, Craig Reucassel, Tim Minchin, Julian Morrow, Chas Licciardello, Charles Firth, Chris Taylor, Andrew Hansen, Caleb (OC), Dr Rachel Hardy (OC), Antoinette Laurent (OC), Dr Samantha Reddings (OC), Dominic Knight, Shane Cubis, Gregor Stronach, Tim Brunero, Andy Lee
Pairings: Andrew/Chris; Adam/Hamish; Jules/Chas; Rachel/Antoinette(/Samantha); Adam/Seb; Adam/Wil; Craig/Caleb; Adam/Wil/Tim; Andrew/Craig, Wil/Chas; implied Tim/Craig
Word Count: 4,424
Chapter: 11/28 [Previous]
Warnings: language, snarky!Craig, smut, kink, violence
Rating: FRAO
Disclaimer: I don’t know them, not associated with them, just a slashy fangirl admirer with a very active imagination.
Author’s Notes: FYI, fullwing = winged human capable of flight. Halfwing = fullwing/human halfbreed, usually unable to fly, sometimes have vestigial wings, but can be removed to pass as human and not as winged.
Summary: The Army escalate their activities in their war against the rebels, Ruby and Andy do what they can to help the people left behind, and Craig and Chas fight before Craig flies off in a huff to go rescue Caleb.
Chapter Eleven
It was mid-afternoon before Ruby let them set off again. They were clearly taking a long detour to get where they needed to go to avoid detection, especially with the Army around attacking restricted zones and destroying warehouses, increasing their chances of detection. Andy wondered where they were heading. He knew the locations of all the restricted zones in the state, it was part of his job, and there were only a few they could be heading to now. With Ruby refusing to tell him where they were going, Andy would just have to wait and see where they ended up.
They stopped at sunset when they heard foot patrols getting closer. Ruby pulled them both into the surrounding bushland, silencing everyone with a wave of her hand as they watched the soldiers pass by.
Andy watched them. He recognised a few of his mates, driving by on tanks and trucks as they surveyed the suburbs. One of his mates looked directly at him, sending shivers down Andy's spine. Andy wondered if he could see him or not. He wanted to go out and meet him, he'd served with him for years, but he was frozen to the ground, unable to move.
The patrol stopped just in front of where they were hiding. Leaving the tanks still manned, every spare soldier was sent to check houses. They were looking for someone, or someones. Andy wondered who they were looking for. Were they still looking for Hamish?
“We must stay until they go. Otherwise they will see us. This is an unwelcomed obstacle. They will hold us up for some time. Be silent and still, and do not move,” Ruby cautioned, voice almost silent.
Andy swallowed and nodded his agreement, not trusting himself enough to speak.
After some time, the soldiers appeared again, dragging some struggling men with them that they'd clearly taken from their houses. Andy wondered what they'd done wrong. He could almost make out tiny wings on a couple of them, though the others seemed to be human. He recognised none of them, though if they were rounding up halfwings, they were in serious trouble.
“They're all halfwings, aren't they? They've turned on them now. They must be checking IDs for halfwings impersonating humans. I'd heard rumours that they were going to do this for months, but I thought it was just an empty threat. So many people will be in trouble now. They were going to set up prison camps for them as well. I really don't like where this is going, not at all,” Andy murmured as he watched the soldiers dragging people out of their houses and into the back of trucks.
“Best you disappear then. You do not want to be caught up in such a thing. You are too close to the rebellion to be safe now. They would surely have turned on you had you stayed behind since your friend got in trouble,” Ruby murmured back.
“I was warned to watch my back, yeah. Maybe this is for the best.” Andy couldn't disagree with her.
“Hush now. They are getting too close,” Ruby warned.
Silence fell over them again as they watched the trucks driving off, filled with halfwings destined for prison camps. It made Andy's stomach sick to watch such a thing. He hated that he'd served for so long. He would never have had the stomach to do such work. It was akin to genocide, and Andy was glad he would have no part in it.
It was an hour before they finally left, leaving distressed family members running into the streets after them, wanting their loved ones back. The soldiers shot at them as they left, wanting to disperse the crowd of mourning people. Those shot were left lying in the streets bleeding. It only made things so much worse. The Army returning fire on its own people left a bad taste in Andy's mouth.
“We have to help them, Ruby. They're dying out there. I can't just leave them there,” Andy said once Ruby had released the barrier between them and the soldiers.
“We have no choice. What can we do? We are but two people, with two horses. What can we offer them?” Ruby said.
“I can treat them. We were taught basic first aid as part of our training. I can at least stop them having any more grief than they already have,” Andy said.
“Alright, we will help them. You have too much compassion for a soldier,” Ruby said.
Leaving the bush, they led their horses into the streets. They left them tied to the side of the road as they approached the wounded and their families.
“Go see if you can get me medical supplies. I'll see how badly injured they all are,” Andy said.
Ruby nodded and headed off. Andy knelt beside the first one he came to, a child of no more than 12, shot twice. His mother knelt over him, cradling him in her arms.
“How is he?” Andy said, seeing the bleeding wounds in his stomach and his leg.
“He's dying! What do you think? Fucking soldiers shot him, didn't they?” the boy's mother said, and Andy didn't blame her for being hysterical.
“I know, I saw them. I'm ashamed to say I was in the Army, seeing what they did today. Such brutality. I'll do my best to help the people here. It's the least I can do,” Andy said.
“At least some people still have compassion,” the mother said.
“I know, it's a rare thing in this world,” Andy said.
The mother smiled as Andy got to work, ripping off strips of his clothes to use as makeshift bandages until Ruby got back with proper bandages.
“Did they take someone from your family?” Andy said as he worked.
“My husband. He'd never hurt anyone, just got on with his life, made sure we were never starving. He'd never been in trouble, and yet they ripped him away from us as if he was some sort of mass-murderer or something. What will we do now? I can't work, I have four children to look after. We'll lose everything,” the mother said.
“You're not the only one sick of this tyranny. No one's better off but the rich and privileged few. Everyone else has to scavenge for leftovers. Come on, let's get him out of here and somewhere sheltered,” Andy said as he finished with the boy's wounds.
Andy picked up the boy in his arms and carried him towards the closest house, the mother close behind him. The houses closest to the wounded were being very quickly set up as hospitals, or at least shelters for the wounded, as everyone dealt with the aftermath of the raid.
Craig paced back and forth past the window, wings beating behind him, showing his irritation. Julian sat in an armchair reading through some files. Chas, as usual, was curled up at Julian’s feet, asleep.
“Will you quit pacing, Craig? You’re distracting me. Haven’t you got anything else to do?” Julian said, annoyed at Craig’s constant pacing.
“Do I look like I have other things to do?” Craig snapped.
“I’m sure there’s something else you could be doing. Shouldn’t you be training or something?” Julian said.
“Yeah, I bet you’d like me to piss off, wouldn’t you? Then you could spend as much time as you wanted with your stupid little lapdog there!” Craig said, pointing at Chas curled up at Julian’s feet.
Chas lifted his head and looked at Craig, annoyed at his accusation. “Hey! I'm no lapdog, Craig. Will you quit calling me that?”
“It's what you are. Why call you anything else?” Craig snarled.
Chas got to his feet and snarled right back at Craig, more than prepared to defend himself and his master. The tension was growing as they snarled at each other.
“Leave Julian alone,” Chas growled.
“I don't take orders from stupid lapdogs,” Craig retorted.
“Don't call me that!” Chas said.
“I'll call you whatever I want to, lapdog!” Craig said.
At that, Chassy's resolve broke and he pounced Craig, pinning him back on the floor. They began wrestling, snarling and biting, needing to release the tension that had been building up for weeks. Julian sat there, holding his head in his hands, watching them fighting. He couldn't work while they were fighting in front of him. With a sigh, Julian left his work behind and left them alone, not wanting to get dragged into it.
Both Chas and Craig fought viciously, with Craig fighting back when his wings got squashed and hurt. They were an almost equal match, though if Craig had been able to grab his swords, it would've been over much faster. Instead, Chas pulled on Craig's feathers, and Craig pulled Chas' hair, both struggling to gain the upper hand.
Only when Craig pinned Chas down and straddled his back, twisting his arm behind his back hard, was the fight over. Chas cried out in pain, struggling to get free. Craig refused to let him up.
“Stupid fucking lapdog. He would die for you in an instant. Don't pretend I can't see how much he loves you. I'll never be that important to him. I hope you're happy now that you've stolen him from me,” Craig growled.
“Oh, for Christ's sake, I did not steal him from you! He was never yours to begin with!” Chas protested.
Craig whacked him across the back of the head. “He was mine, and then you came along. Now he's yours, and I'm all alone.”
Chas went to argue further, but Julian came into the room again and looked down at them disapprovingly. “Craig, let Chassy go and calm the fuck down. Whatever’s wrong, just come out and say it. I’m trying to work here,” Julian said.
“This is ridiculous. I should’ve known you wouldn’t be interested in me. Fuck, no one cares about me,” Craig said, reluctantly getting up off Chassy as he stalked over towards the window, fuming. He didn't bother seeing how badly damaged his wings were from Chassy pulling on the feathers. He wasn't in the mood to care right now. If he could fly still, he didn't much care. He'd deal with it later when he wasn't so fucking angry.
“Oh don’t be like that. If you can’t see that we do care about you, you might as well piss off. I don’t need your foul mood right now, alright?” Julian said.
“None of you would care if I fucking died out there! Everyone loves you! Who the fuck cares about me? No one! You all hate me!” Craig said, turning to face Julian again.
“Craig, I think you need to calm down, mate. We don’t all hate you. You need to step back and stop being angry at Chris. You’ve had more than enough time to get over it. If you can’t manage that, then you really need help,” Julian said.
“You don’t know what it’s like out there! No one fucking looks at you like you’re some freak of nature! You’ve never been attacked just because you happen to have wings! I didn’t ask for these! Hell, I didn’t ask you to create my kind! You create us, then turn on us. Humans are all the fucking same! There are only so many times I can just let it slide before I just can’t take it anymore! You try living with all this fucking intolerance and see how you turn out,” Craig said, turning to look at Julian as he told him off.
“If you’re going, then go. Otherwise, shut the fuck up and let me work,” Julian said.
“I fucking hope you get raided so they can come and arrest you! Then you’ll know what it’s like to have your own people turn on you!” Craig said as he opened the widow and flew out into the evening air.
Julian sighed and watched him go, kicking himself for his poor choice of words.
“Here’s hoping he doesn’t go and do something stupid,” Julian murmured.
“It’s Craig. He’s upset. Of course he’s going to do something stupid,” Chas said as he curled up at Julian's feet again, licking the wounds Craig had given him.
Craig flew around the city, far too angry and upset to make sure he wasn’t seen. Luckily, he managed to arrive at his destination unscathed. He stormed into the brothel, watching everyone either run away or pull their weapons out.
“You fucking try and shoot me and I’ll fucking kill you,” Craig said, positioning his wings as a shield. He had his swords out, eyeing those with weapons.
“Hey, back off. I thought I told you not to come here again,” said the brothel manager, a stout fat man named Gary with more scars on his body than brain cells.
“Caleb. Now. I can pay more than you can afford,” Craig said.
“He’s not here,” the man said.
“Yes he is. Don’t fuck me around, Gary,” Craig said, depositing a wad of bank notes on the counter. “Caleb. Now,” he repeated, making it clear that his swords were very obviously sharp.
The man remained silent, obviously thinking things over. “Fine. You know where he is. Just don’t hurt the boy. He’s my best slut,” he said.
“I’ll do whatever I want with him. I’ve paid you five times what he’s worth,” Craig said. “In fact, that’d be more than enough to buy him outright, wouldn’t it?”
“Hey, he’s not for sale. Piss off Craig,” the man said.
“I’m not going anywhere without him. Now, we can settle this peacefully, or I can make this hurt. I’m very angry tonight. Don’t fuck with me,” Craig said, slamming one of the swords down against the counter hard, splitting the wood.
The man remained silent once again.
“I could just take all this money away, couldn’t I? Why should I give it to you to spend on some cheap whore when I could use it to buy my safety, hmm?” Craig said.
“How much?” the man said after a moment’s thought.
“You’ll take what I’m offering. Ten grand, not a dollar less. You know that’s more than he’s worth,” Craig said, staring him down.
“Fine. Go get him. He’s all yours,” the man said, reaching for the cash.
“No. Not til I’ve got him,” Craig said, swatting his hand with the flat of the sword blade.
The man rolled his eyes and turned down the corridor, stopping outside one of the rooms. “Caleb! Out here now!” he yelled at the closed door.
The door opened and a small skinny boy with long messy black hair stepped out. He looked young, 17 or 18, though probably no more than 20.
“Craig. This is a surprise,” Caleb said, seeing the two men standing before him.
“You’re coming with me,” Craig said.
Caleb looked at the other man then back at Craig. “I see. Where are we going?” he said.
“Somewhere else. Come on,” Craig said, pulling a collar out of his coat.
Caleb stepped forward and let Craig collar him, not worried at all by the leash being attached to it.
Grabbing the leash tightly in one hand, Craig handed over the money. “You’ll let me leave unharmed or I’ll kill him,” Craig said, holding one of his swords to the boy’s throat.
“Get outta here. The sooner you leave, the sooner my clients will come back,” Gary said.
“You won’t see me again,” Craig said, walking towards the front door again.
“Like hell I won’t,” Gary said.
“I’m already in hell,” Craig said and waltzed out of the building, dragging Caleb along with him.
“Where are we going?” Caleb asked.
“Somewhere safe. You’re mine now,” Craig said.
“I gathered as much,” Caleb said.
It was after sunset by the time they'd finished. Ruby had gathered a couple of doctors and a nurse in her search for medical equipment, which helped save those Andy lacked the knowledge to help. Ruby had gone out hunting after that and had brought back enough meat for most people in a bid to feed them and keep them alive. A huge fire pit was set up in someone's front yard as they cooked the meat. In the end, they only lost a couple of the wounded, those who had been shot several times. There was nothing that could be done for them.
Everyone not needing to lie in bed and rest was out around the fire, grouping together as they dealt with the attack. Andy sat and wondered how many other suburbs had been raided and how many others needed help.
“How many of you are armed?” Andy asked.
“Some of us are. Not everyone though. We've had a need to defend ourselves for a while, but not everyone could get hold of weapons. They're not so easy to get hold of, especially when your main concern is finding food for your family to eat that night. You thinking of getting us all together for something?” one of the men said, sitting beside his injured wife.
“There might be more suburbs they've raided. Actually, there probably are more suburbs that have been raided. I'm worried there are more people dying in the streets. I was hoping for so long that they wouldn't go and round up halfwings, but it's clear they've stepped up their activities. They'll be taken to prison camps and either worked to death, tortured, or killed en mass. This is not a good thing to have happened,” Andy said.
“I'm human, and even I'm scared of what's about to happen. They've taken my children. They're only kids! The oldest is barely 10! They're going to be killed, aren't they?” a woman said.
“I don't know, but it's likely, yes. I'm sorry I can't give you better news. We've reached a critical point now. We can either sit back and take this without reacting, or we can stand up and do something and stop this before it becomes a genocide. How many have we here who are armed and willing to form a small militia to go around the surrounding suburbs and make sure they're alright? We have to survive on our own. The Army won't protect us now,” Andy said.
“Is it that bad?” another man said.
“Yeah, it's that bad. We have to look after each other now. I suggest you go prepare to defend yourselves. Gather everyone together in the best defended houses. Some of you, come with me. We'll go see if the neighbouring suburbs need help. The rest of you, get your defences set up. If war does come, you need to be ready to protect yourselves. I wouldn't warn about this if I wasn't serious about it. I used to be in the Army until very recently. I know what I'm talking about,” Andy said.
Andy got to his feet and a band of five men volunteered to go with him. The rest got to work, taking to heart his warnings about the coming war. They'd seen first hand that the Army were not going to protect them anymore. They'd need to do whatever they could to protect themselves now. Ruby went with Andy and the men, riding off to the next suburb to clean up the mess the Army left behind.
Grabbing Caleb with one arm, Craig flew off, looking for somewhere safe they could fuck. He decided on the safe haven. No one ever noticed him there anyway. They landed with little ceremony, and Craig dragged him inside, pulling his leash harshly. He’d waited far too long for this.
They got to Craig’s room. Craig pulled him inside, locking the door behind him. Craig had already started tearing his clothes off as he pushed Caleb towards the bedroom, using his leash to pull him close and into a hard kiss. Craig was clearly stronger than Caleb, so the boy didn’t fight him. Besides, Craig had paid for Caleb’s services many times before. Caleb was used to Craig being rather rough with him.
Without much fuss, Craig had Caleb face down on the bed, naked, waiting for him. Craig grabbed one of Caleb’s arms and twisted it behind his back, trying to stop him struggling as he pushed his way inside him.
Craig didn’t let him go until he’d finally satisfied all those weeks of frustration. He’d worn the poor boy out. Hell, he’d worn himself out. He found himself lying beside Caleb, gently stroking his hair. It was his hair Craig loved most about him. Long and black. Good to tangle fingers in.
“You’ve been keeping that in for a while, haven’t you?” Caleb said once his breath had slowed back to normal.
“Far too long. Sorry about that. I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Craig said.
“I’ve had worse than you,” Caleb said.
“But they don’t care about you like I do,” Craig said.
Craig pulled him into a kiss, soft and gentle this time, a hand getting lost in his hair. They broke apart, and Caleb found himself cuddling up to Craig as Craig wrapped his wings around them.
“I was beginning to think you’d never come back again, like you said you would,” Caleb said.
“Sorry. Life got complicated. I said I’d come and get you, didn’t I? And now here you are with me,” Craig said.
“You going to make me pay off that ten grand you just spent on me?” Caleb said.
“Hell no. I stole that from Julian. It was worth it just to have you here with me,” Craig said.
“I’ve been here only a few hours and already you’re turning into a sweetie pie,” Caleb joked.
“What can I say? You can turn anyone into a sweetie pie,” Craig said.
“I was trained well,” Caleb said, a lazy grin crossing his lips.
“You’re a credit to your master,” Craig said.
“Keep complimenting me like this and I might just fall for you,” Caleb said.
“As if you haven’t already,” Craig said, stifling a laugh.
“Yeah, you’re definitely different to all my other clients,” Caleb said.
“I have wings for a start,” Craig said.
“Those wings are just lovely, you know,” Caleb said.
“I take good care of them. I have to,” Craig said.
“Oh yeah? Why’s that?” Caleb said.
“I can’t fly when they’re all dirty, you know. I literally can’t fly if they’ve been neglected. So I have to look after them because I’m rather attached to being able to fly,” Craig said.
“I’d love wings like yours,” Caleb said.
“Yeah? Sure they look nice, but you don’t want the shit that goes with them,” Craig said. “People can be such morons.”
“You think I don’t know that? After what I’ve been through? Please, we both have our reasons for revenge,” Caleb said.
“You gonna help us with the rebellion then?” Craig said.
“As if you even need to ask. I have a couple of friends who’ll come in handy,” Caleb said.
“I’m sure you do,” Craig said.
“You got anything that resembles food around here? I always get hungry after a good hard fucking,” Caleb said, extracting himself from Craig’s embrace.
“Well, get yourself dressed and I’ll see what I can find. You want a shower or anything?” Craig said, sitting up.
“I’ll be – you have showers here?” Caleb said, turning to look at him as he pulled his clothes on.
“Yeah. Wanna come with?” Craig said, grabbing his clothes from the floor.
“Lead the way. I haven’t had a decent shower for months,” Caleb said.
“Thought as much,” Craig said.
Once dressed, Craig delighted in taking Caleb for a wash, showing him how to wash his wings before giving him a good wash, taking his time washing his hair. There were kisses and soft caresses, and Craig ran his fingers through Caleb’s hair, loving the feel of it all silky wet and smooth.
By the time they’d finished, Caleb was feeling very happy indeed. Craig scrounged some clean clothes for the boy and took him to the mess hall to find something to eat.
It was well past dinner time by the time they arrived, but there were always a few people around manning the kitchens for those times when meals were needed at short notice. Caleb proved to have quite the appetite for a boy his age, and once they’d eaten, Craig pulled them both back to bed, where they were soon asleep.
It was late by the time Ruby and Andy had finished. They'd managed to organise the surrounding suburbs and take care of the injured. It was in their hands now. Something was brewing. It was in the air. Ruby was grooming and feeding the horses while Andy fixed them a final meal before bed as he sat around the fire.
“We staying here tonight?” Andy asked.
“No, it's too risky. We need to make the haven tonight. Trouble's coming. Can't you smell it? Let's eat and get out of here. I'd say we're no more than a few hours' ride away now,” Ruby said.
“Today's developments would suggest as much. Are you staying at the haven as well?” Andy said.
“Maybe. We'll see what the situation is when we get there. If trouble's brewing, it might be safer for me to stay there than return to my people,” Ruby said.
Andy dished out their meals and handed a plate to Ruby. “Do you think we'll find Hamish there?”
“I think a lot of things. Some are correct. Some aren't. I'm not sure what we'll find there,” Ruby said with a shrug as she took her meal.
“But you do know where to go, don't you?” Andy said.
“Of course I know where to go. I'm just not sure what we'll find when we get there. Safe havens are notoriously flightly things. They can disappear in an instant, and reappear somewhere else. But enough speculation. Eat, and we will head on our way. I hope to be there before dawn,” Ruby said.
Andy nodded his answer as he ate, not comforted by her words at all. Was she insinuating they could find nothing but a pile of rubble? His doubts crept up on him again, but with Hamish so much in his thoughts, he couldn't turn back now. He'd just have to hope they were safe.
They set off soon afterwards, having disguised their camp before riding off into the night. Andy followed Ruby in silence, thinking of nothing but finding his Hamish again.
Author: Sashataakheru
Beta: The wonderful
rana_narsilion <3Fandom: The Chaser/AusComedy RPS
Starring: Adam Hills, Sepulchre (OC), Wil Anderson, Hamish Blake, Craig Reucassel, Tim Minchin, Julian Morrow, Chas Licciardello, Charles Firth, Chris Taylor, Andrew Hansen, Caleb (OC), Dr Rachel Hardy (OC), Antoinette Laurent (OC), Dr Samantha Reddings (OC), Dominic Knight, Shane Cubis, Gregor Stronach, Tim Brunero, Andy Lee
Pairings: Andrew/Chris; Adam/Hamish; Jules/Chas; Rachel/Antoinette(/Samantha); Adam/Seb; Adam/Wil; Craig/Caleb; Adam/Wil/Tim; Andrew/Craig, Wil/Chas; implied Tim/Craig
Word Count: 4,424
Chapter: 11/28 [Previous]
Warnings: language, snarky!Craig, smut, kink, violence
Rating: FRAO
Disclaimer: I don’t know them, not associated with them, just a slashy fangirl admirer with a very active imagination.
Author’s Notes: FYI, fullwing = winged human capable of flight. Halfwing = fullwing/human halfbreed, usually unable to fly, sometimes have vestigial wings, but can be removed to pass as human and not as winged.
Summary: The Army escalate their activities in their war against the rebels, Ruby and Andy do what they can to help the people left behind, and Craig and Chas fight before Craig flies off in a huff to go rescue Caleb.
Chapter Eleven
It was mid-afternoon before Ruby let them set off again. They were clearly taking a long detour to get where they needed to go to avoid detection, especially with the Army around attacking restricted zones and destroying warehouses, increasing their chances of detection. Andy wondered where they were heading. He knew the locations of all the restricted zones in the state, it was part of his job, and there were only a few they could be heading to now. With Ruby refusing to tell him where they were going, Andy would just have to wait and see where they ended up.
They stopped at sunset when they heard foot patrols getting closer. Ruby pulled them both into the surrounding bushland, silencing everyone with a wave of her hand as they watched the soldiers pass by.
Andy watched them. He recognised a few of his mates, driving by on tanks and trucks as they surveyed the suburbs. One of his mates looked directly at him, sending shivers down Andy's spine. Andy wondered if he could see him or not. He wanted to go out and meet him, he'd served with him for years, but he was frozen to the ground, unable to move.
The patrol stopped just in front of where they were hiding. Leaving the tanks still manned, every spare soldier was sent to check houses. They were looking for someone, or someones. Andy wondered who they were looking for. Were they still looking for Hamish?
“We must stay until they go. Otherwise they will see us. This is an unwelcomed obstacle. They will hold us up for some time. Be silent and still, and do not move,” Ruby cautioned, voice almost silent.
Andy swallowed and nodded his agreement, not trusting himself enough to speak.
After some time, the soldiers appeared again, dragging some struggling men with them that they'd clearly taken from their houses. Andy wondered what they'd done wrong. He could almost make out tiny wings on a couple of them, though the others seemed to be human. He recognised none of them, though if they were rounding up halfwings, they were in serious trouble.
“They're all halfwings, aren't they? They've turned on them now. They must be checking IDs for halfwings impersonating humans. I'd heard rumours that they were going to do this for months, but I thought it was just an empty threat. So many people will be in trouble now. They were going to set up prison camps for them as well. I really don't like where this is going, not at all,” Andy murmured as he watched the soldiers dragging people out of their houses and into the back of trucks.
“Best you disappear then. You do not want to be caught up in such a thing. You are too close to the rebellion to be safe now. They would surely have turned on you had you stayed behind since your friend got in trouble,” Ruby murmured back.
“I was warned to watch my back, yeah. Maybe this is for the best.” Andy couldn't disagree with her.
“Hush now. They are getting too close,” Ruby warned.
Silence fell over them again as they watched the trucks driving off, filled with halfwings destined for prison camps. It made Andy's stomach sick to watch such a thing. He hated that he'd served for so long. He would never have had the stomach to do such work. It was akin to genocide, and Andy was glad he would have no part in it.
It was an hour before they finally left, leaving distressed family members running into the streets after them, wanting their loved ones back. The soldiers shot at them as they left, wanting to disperse the crowd of mourning people. Those shot were left lying in the streets bleeding. It only made things so much worse. The Army returning fire on its own people left a bad taste in Andy's mouth.
“We have to help them, Ruby. They're dying out there. I can't just leave them there,” Andy said once Ruby had released the barrier between them and the soldiers.
“We have no choice. What can we do? We are but two people, with two horses. What can we offer them?” Ruby said.
“I can treat them. We were taught basic first aid as part of our training. I can at least stop them having any more grief than they already have,” Andy said.
“Alright, we will help them. You have too much compassion for a soldier,” Ruby said.
Leaving the bush, they led their horses into the streets. They left them tied to the side of the road as they approached the wounded and their families.
“Go see if you can get me medical supplies. I'll see how badly injured they all are,” Andy said.
Ruby nodded and headed off. Andy knelt beside the first one he came to, a child of no more than 12, shot twice. His mother knelt over him, cradling him in her arms.
“How is he?” Andy said, seeing the bleeding wounds in his stomach and his leg.
“He's dying! What do you think? Fucking soldiers shot him, didn't they?” the boy's mother said, and Andy didn't blame her for being hysterical.
“I know, I saw them. I'm ashamed to say I was in the Army, seeing what they did today. Such brutality. I'll do my best to help the people here. It's the least I can do,” Andy said.
“At least some people still have compassion,” the mother said.
“I know, it's a rare thing in this world,” Andy said.
The mother smiled as Andy got to work, ripping off strips of his clothes to use as makeshift bandages until Ruby got back with proper bandages.
“Did they take someone from your family?” Andy said as he worked.
“My husband. He'd never hurt anyone, just got on with his life, made sure we were never starving. He'd never been in trouble, and yet they ripped him away from us as if he was some sort of mass-murderer or something. What will we do now? I can't work, I have four children to look after. We'll lose everything,” the mother said.
“You're not the only one sick of this tyranny. No one's better off but the rich and privileged few. Everyone else has to scavenge for leftovers. Come on, let's get him out of here and somewhere sheltered,” Andy said as he finished with the boy's wounds.
Andy picked up the boy in his arms and carried him towards the closest house, the mother close behind him. The houses closest to the wounded were being very quickly set up as hospitals, or at least shelters for the wounded, as everyone dealt with the aftermath of the raid.
Craig paced back and forth past the window, wings beating behind him, showing his irritation. Julian sat in an armchair reading through some files. Chas, as usual, was curled up at Julian’s feet, asleep.
“Will you quit pacing, Craig? You’re distracting me. Haven’t you got anything else to do?” Julian said, annoyed at Craig’s constant pacing.
“Do I look like I have other things to do?” Craig snapped.
“I’m sure there’s something else you could be doing. Shouldn’t you be training or something?” Julian said.
“Yeah, I bet you’d like me to piss off, wouldn’t you? Then you could spend as much time as you wanted with your stupid little lapdog there!” Craig said, pointing at Chas curled up at Julian’s feet.
Chas lifted his head and looked at Craig, annoyed at his accusation. “Hey! I'm no lapdog, Craig. Will you quit calling me that?”
“It's what you are. Why call you anything else?” Craig snarled.
Chas got to his feet and snarled right back at Craig, more than prepared to defend himself and his master. The tension was growing as they snarled at each other.
“Leave Julian alone,” Chas growled.
“I don't take orders from stupid lapdogs,” Craig retorted.
“Don't call me that!” Chas said.
“I'll call you whatever I want to, lapdog!” Craig said.
At that, Chassy's resolve broke and he pounced Craig, pinning him back on the floor. They began wrestling, snarling and biting, needing to release the tension that had been building up for weeks. Julian sat there, holding his head in his hands, watching them fighting. He couldn't work while they were fighting in front of him. With a sigh, Julian left his work behind and left them alone, not wanting to get dragged into it.
Both Chas and Craig fought viciously, with Craig fighting back when his wings got squashed and hurt. They were an almost equal match, though if Craig had been able to grab his swords, it would've been over much faster. Instead, Chas pulled on Craig's feathers, and Craig pulled Chas' hair, both struggling to gain the upper hand.
Only when Craig pinned Chas down and straddled his back, twisting his arm behind his back hard, was the fight over. Chas cried out in pain, struggling to get free. Craig refused to let him up.
“Stupid fucking lapdog. He would die for you in an instant. Don't pretend I can't see how much he loves you. I'll never be that important to him. I hope you're happy now that you've stolen him from me,” Craig growled.
“Oh, for Christ's sake, I did not steal him from you! He was never yours to begin with!” Chas protested.
Craig whacked him across the back of the head. “He was mine, and then you came along. Now he's yours, and I'm all alone.”
Chas went to argue further, but Julian came into the room again and looked down at them disapprovingly. “Craig, let Chassy go and calm the fuck down. Whatever’s wrong, just come out and say it. I’m trying to work here,” Julian said.
“This is ridiculous. I should’ve known you wouldn’t be interested in me. Fuck, no one cares about me,” Craig said, reluctantly getting up off Chassy as he stalked over towards the window, fuming. He didn't bother seeing how badly damaged his wings were from Chassy pulling on the feathers. He wasn't in the mood to care right now. If he could fly still, he didn't much care. He'd deal with it later when he wasn't so fucking angry.
“Oh don’t be like that. If you can’t see that we do care about you, you might as well piss off. I don’t need your foul mood right now, alright?” Julian said.
“None of you would care if I fucking died out there! Everyone loves you! Who the fuck cares about me? No one! You all hate me!” Craig said, turning to face Julian again.
“Craig, I think you need to calm down, mate. We don’t all hate you. You need to step back and stop being angry at Chris. You’ve had more than enough time to get over it. If you can’t manage that, then you really need help,” Julian said.
“You don’t know what it’s like out there! No one fucking looks at you like you’re some freak of nature! You’ve never been attacked just because you happen to have wings! I didn’t ask for these! Hell, I didn’t ask you to create my kind! You create us, then turn on us. Humans are all the fucking same! There are only so many times I can just let it slide before I just can’t take it anymore! You try living with all this fucking intolerance and see how you turn out,” Craig said, turning to look at Julian as he told him off.
“If you’re going, then go. Otherwise, shut the fuck up and let me work,” Julian said.
“I fucking hope you get raided so they can come and arrest you! Then you’ll know what it’s like to have your own people turn on you!” Craig said as he opened the widow and flew out into the evening air.
Julian sighed and watched him go, kicking himself for his poor choice of words.
“Here’s hoping he doesn’t go and do something stupid,” Julian murmured.
“It’s Craig. He’s upset. Of course he’s going to do something stupid,” Chas said as he curled up at Julian's feet again, licking the wounds Craig had given him.
Craig flew around the city, far too angry and upset to make sure he wasn’t seen. Luckily, he managed to arrive at his destination unscathed. He stormed into the brothel, watching everyone either run away or pull their weapons out.
“You fucking try and shoot me and I’ll fucking kill you,” Craig said, positioning his wings as a shield. He had his swords out, eyeing those with weapons.
“Hey, back off. I thought I told you not to come here again,” said the brothel manager, a stout fat man named Gary with more scars on his body than brain cells.
“Caleb. Now. I can pay more than you can afford,” Craig said.
“He’s not here,” the man said.
“Yes he is. Don’t fuck me around, Gary,” Craig said, depositing a wad of bank notes on the counter. “Caleb. Now,” he repeated, making it clear that his swords were very obviously sharp.
The man remained silent, obviously thinking things over. “Fine. You know where he is. Just don’t hurt the boy. He’s my best slut,” he said.
“I’ll do whatever I want with him. I’ve paid you five times what he’s worth,” Craig said. “In fact, that’d be more than enough to buy him outright, wouldn’t it?”
“Hey, he’s not for sale. Piss off Craig,” the man said.
“I’m not going anywhere without him. Now, we can settle this peacefully, or I can make this hurt. I’m very angry tonight. Don’t fuck with me,” Craig said, slamming one of the swords down against the counter hard, splitting the wood.
The man remained silent once again.
“I could just take all this money away, couldn’t I? Why should I give it to you to spend on some cheap whore when I could use it to buy my safety, hmm?” Craig said.
“How much?” the man said after a moment’s thought.
“You’ll take what I’m offering. Ten grand, not a dollar less. You know that’s more than he’s worth,” Craig said, staring him down.
“Fine. Go get him. He’s all yours,” the man said, reaching for the cash.
“No. Not til I’ve got him,” Craig said, swatting his hand with the flat of the sword blade.
The man rolled his eyes and turned down the corridor, stopping outside one of the rooms. “Caleb! Out here now!” he yelled at the closed door.
The door opened and a small skinny boy with long messy black hair stepped out. He looked young, 17 or 18, though probably no more than 20.
“Craig. This is a surprise,” Caleb said, seeing the two men standing before him.
“You’re coming with me,” Craig said.
Caleb looked at the other man then back at Craig. “I see. Where are we going?” he said.
“Somewhere else. Come on,” Craig said, pulling a collar out of his coat.
Caleb stepped forward and let Craig collar him, not worried at all by the leash being attached to it.
Grabbing the leash tightly in one hand, Craig handed over the money. “You’ll let me leave unharmed or I’ll kill him,” Craig said, holding one of his swords to the boy’s throat.
“Get outta here. The sooner you leave, the sooner my clients will come back,” Gary said.
“You won’t see me again,” Craig said, walking towards the front door again.
“Like hell I won’t,” Gary said.
“I’m already in hell,” Craig said and waltzed out of the building, dragging Caleb along with him.
“Where are we going?” Caleb asked.
“Somewhere safe. You’re mine now,” Craig said.
“I gathered as much,” Caleb said.
It was after sunset by the time they'd finished. Ruby had gathered a couple of doctors and a nurse in her search for medical equipment, which helped save those Andy lacked the knowledge to help. Ruby had gone out hunting after that and had brought back enough meat for most people in a bid to feed them and keep them alive. A huge fire pit was set up in someone's front yard as they cooked the meat. In the end, they only lost a couple of the wounded, those who had been shot several times. There was nothing that could be done for them.
Everyone not needing to lie in bed and rest was out around the fire, grouping together as they dealt with the attack. Andy sat and wondered how many other suburbs had been raided and how many others needed help.
“How many of you are armed?” Andy asked.
“Some of us are. Not everyone though. We've had a need to defend ourselves for a while, but not everyone could get hold of weapons. They're not so easy to get hold of, especially when your main concern is finding food for your family to eat that night. You thinking of getting us all together for something?” one of the men said, sitting beside his injured wife.
“There might be more suburbs they've raided. Actually, there probably are more suburbs that have been raided. I'm worried there are more people dying in the streets. I was hoping for so long that they wouldn't go and round up halfwings, but it's clear they've stepped up their activities. They'll be taken to prison camps and either worked to death, tortured, or killed en mass. This is not a good thing to have happened,” Andy said.
“I'm human, and even I'm scared of what's about to happen. They've taken my children. They're only kids! The oldest is barely 10! They're going to be killed, aren't they?” a woman said.
“I don't know, but it's likely, yes. I'm sorry I can't give you better news. We've reached a critical point now. We can either sit back and take this without reacting, or we can stand up and do something and stop this before it becomes a genocide. How many have we here who are armed and willing to form a small militia to go around the surrounding suburbs and make sure they're alright? We have to survive on our own. The Army won't protect us now,” Andy said.
“Is it that bad?” another man said.
“Yeah, it's that bad. We have to look after each other now. I suggest you go prepare to defend yourselves. Gather everyone together in the best defended houses. Some of you, come with me. We'll go see if the neighbouring suburbs need help. The rest of you, get your defences set up. If war does come, you need to be ready to protect yourselves. I wouldn't warn about this if I wasn't serious about it. I used to be in the Army until very recently. I know what I'm talking about,” Andy said.
Andy got to his feet and a band of five men volunteered to go with him. The rest got to work, taking to heart his warnings about the coming war. They'd seen first hand that the Army were not going to protect them anymore. They'd need to do whatever they could to protect themselves now. Ruby went with Andy and the men, riding off to the next suburb to clean up the mess the Army left behind.
Grabbing Caleb with one arm, Craig flew off, looking for somewhere safe they could fuck. He decided on the safe haven. No one ever noticed him there anyway. They landed with little ceremony, and Craig dragged him inside, pulling his leash harshly. He’d waited far too long for this.
They got to Craig’s room. Craig pulled him inside, locking the door behind him. Craig had already started tearing his clothes off as he pushed Caleb towards the bedroom, using his leash to pull him close and into a hard kiss. Craig was clearly stronger than Caleb, so the boy didn’t fight him. Besides, Craig had paid for Caleb’s services many times before. Caleb was used to Craig being rather rough with him.
Without much fuss, Craig had Caleb face down on the bed, naked, waiting for him. Craig grabbed one of Caleb’s arms and twisted it behind his back, trying to stop him struggling as he pushed his way inside him.
Craig didn’t let him go until he’d finally satisfied all those weeks of frustration. He’d worn the poor boy out. Hell, he’d worn himself out. He found himself lying beside Caleb, gently stroking his hair. It was his hair Craig loved most about him. Long and black. Good to tangle fingers in.
“You’ve been keeping that in for a while, haven’t you?” Caleb said once his breath had slowed back to normal.
“Far too long. Sorry about that. I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Craig said.
“I’ve had worse than you,” Caleb said.
“But they don’t care about you like I do,” Craig said.
Craig pulled him into a kiss, soft and gentle this time, a hand getting lost in his hair. They broke apart, and Caleb found himself cuddling up to Craig as Craig wrapped his wings around them.
“I was beginning to think you’d never come back again, like you said you would,” Caleb said.
“Sorry. Life got complicated. I said I’d come and get you, didn’t I? And now here you are with me,” Craig said.
“You going to make me pay off that ten grand you just spent on me?” Caleb said.
“Hell no. I stole that from Julian. It was worth it just to have you here with me,” Craig said.
“I’ve been here only a few hours and already you’re turning into a sweetie pie,” Caleb joked.
“What can I say? You can turn anyone into a sweetie pie,” Craig said.
“I was trained well,” Caleb said, a lazy grin crossing his lips.
“You’re a credit to your master,” Craig said.
“Keep complimenting me like this and I might just fall for you,” Caleb said.
“As if you haven’t already,” Craig said, stifling a laugh.
“Yeah, you’re definitely different to all my other clients,” Caleb said.
“I have wings for a start,” Craig said.
“Those wings are just lovely, you know,” Caleb said.
“I take good care of them. I have to,” Craig said.
“Oh yeah? Why’s that?” Caleb said.
“I can’t fly when they’re all dirty, you know. I literally can’t fly if they’ve been neglected. So I have to look after them because I’m rather attached to being able to fly,” Craig said.
“I’d love wings like yours,” Caleb said.
“Yeah? Sure they look nice, but you don’t want the shit that goes with them,” Craig said. “People can be such morons.”
“You think I don’t know that? After what I’ve been through? Please, we both have our reasons for revenge,” Caleb said.
“You gonna help us with the rebellion then?” Craig said.
“As if you even need to ask. I have a couple of friends who’ll come in handy,” Caleb said.
“I’m sure you do,” Craig said.
“You got anything that resembles food around here? I always get hungry after a good hard fucking,” Caleb said, extracting himself from Craig’s embrace.
“Well, get yourself dressed and I’ll see what I can find. You want a shower or anything?” Craig said, sitting up.
“I’ll be – you have showers here?” Caleb said, turning to look at him as he pulled his clothes on.
“Yeah. Wanna come with?” Craig said, grabbing his clothes from the floor.
“Lead the way. I haven’t had a decent shower for months,” Caleb said.
“Thought as much,” Craig said.
Once dressed, Craig delighted in taking Caleb for a wash, showing him how to wash his wings before giving him a good wash, taking his time washing his hair. There were kisses and soft caresses, and Craig ran his fingers through Caleb’s hair, loving the feel of it all silky wet and smooth.
By the time they’d finished, Caleb was feeling very happy indeed. Craig scrounged some clean clothes for the boy and took him to the mess hall to find something to eat.
It was well past dinner time by the time they arrived, but there were always a few people around manning the kitchens for those times when meals were needed at short notice. Caleb proved to have quite the appetite for a boy his age, and once they’d eaten, Craig pulled them both back to bed, where they were soon asleep.
It was late by the time Ruby and Andy had finished. They'd managed to organise the surrounding suburbs and take care of the injured. It was in their hands now. Something was brewing. It was in the air. Ruby was grooming and feeding the horses while Andy fixed them a final meal before bed as he sat around the fire.
“We staying here tonight?” Andy asked.
“No, it's too risky. We need to make the haven tonight. Trouble's coming. Can't you smell it? Let's eat and get out of here. I'd say we're no more than a few hours' ride away now,” Ruby said.
“Today's developments would suggest as much. Are you staying at the haven as well?” Andy said.
“Maybe. We'll see what the situation is when we get there. If trouble's brewing, it might be safer for me to stay there than return to my people,” Ruby said.
Andy dished out their meals and handed a plate to Ruby. “Do you think we'll find Hamish there?”
“I think a lot of things. Some are correct. Some aren't. I'm not sure what we'll find there,” Ruby said with a shrug as she took her meal.
“But you do know where to go, don't you?” Andy said.
“Of course I know where to go. I'm just not sure what we'll find when we get there. Safe havens are notoriously flightly things. They can disappear in an instant, and reappear somewhere else. But enough speculation. Eat, and we will head on our way. I hope to be there before dawn,” Ruby said.
Andy nodded his answer as he ate, not comforted by her words at all. Was she insinuating they could find nothing but a pile of rubble? His doubts crept up on him again, but with Hamish so much in his thoughts, he couldn't turn back now. He'd just have to hope they were safe.
They set off soon afterwards, having disguised their camp before riding off into the night. Andy followed Ruby in silence, thinking of nothing but finding his Hamish again.