Really Bordering on Unpleasant

Arkady's bindings were too tight. Around his wrists and arms and legs and a collar around his neck. And besides too tight, chafing, it was humiliating. But he was used to it, what bothered him was the stare of the S.H.I.E.L.D agent across from him.

A smug smile on his face. Like this nameless agent was doing the world a service. Like he wasn't marching Arkady to his death.

Or torture most likely. Arkady twisted his wrist, he felt his skin tear open again. He tried to push at the bonds from underneath, his strong coils struggling against them. But nothing came of it, adamantium most likely, and he gave up. Better to save his strength. S.I.C.K.L.E is cruel. It's best if he is strong when he arrives.

The armored vehicle comes to a stop and Arkady holds his head up as he's dragged to his feet. He doesn't smile, or scream, or growl. He says nothing. And stands tall. He does his best to hide the fear in his eyes as he's marched to a jet, one that would take him home. He'd rather be shot.

And then someone is shot.

The guard at Arkady's right side drops. A spray of blood hits his face. Not much but he smiles as he flicks his tongue out to reach.

That would do as well. He looks on in silence as another guard drops. Then another. There's panic now, he's pulled. But a familiar growl and flash of dirt blonde hair puts a smile on his face.

Gunfire erupts but it does nothing to deter the clawed monster before them.

Snarling savagery coming at the guards and drivers and anyone stupid enough not to run.

A bullet flies by Arkady's face and he ducks. He moves behind the armored truck as fast as he can, almost useless with his hands tied like they are. And he waits. A guard comes running around. Fear Arkady sees on her face, but her escape is cut short. A large hand tipped with claws grabs onto her head and with a wet sweet sound she's crushed.

Victor Creed stands behind her, blood spatter paints him. His amber eyes squint in a wide smile, and Arkady sees his long fangs covered in blood too.

"Beautiful." He mumbles. Victor snorts and walks closer, he rips his claws through the metal tying up Arkady, with some difficulty. The bands around his wrists are ripped through with a knife in Victor's hand, most likely also adamantium.

"Speak for yourself, damn damsel in distress. I had things to do ya know." Victor said. Arkady rubbed at his wrists, slowly reaching out with his coils. It felt good to be free.

"You didn't have to help me Victor." He said. And Victor frowned at that.

"I'm not letting you go back there. Never again." He said. Arkady almost laughed at how serious Victor was. "Now come on Red, we're on the run. I've got a car. And you need a fucking bath." He said. Victor waited for Arkady to start walking before he turned to lead the way. Arkady wrapped a coil around Victor's wrist and he saw a smile pull at Victor's face.

"Saying I smell bad?" Arkady said. Victor scratched his claws against Arkady's coil as they walked. The sensation was strange but in a way, comforting.

"Disgusting. Not in a fun way either. Smell like S.H.I.E.L.D and prison."

Arkady smiled, and pulled Victor closer by his arm. But they finished their walk to the hidden car in silence. Arkady settled into the passenger seat while Victor started the car.

"Got a plan Red, where we'll go until the heat dies off. Hard part is getting there." Victor said. He made a point to follow the speed limits and signs. Best not to get pulled over. Another body to deal with.

"Very thoughtful of you. Very smart." Arkady said. Victor grinned at the praise.

"Stop flirting and take a nap. I'll get us on our way." Victor said. Arkady smiled and got as comfortable as he could. After the last couple of weeks in S.H.I.E.L.D 'care' the car seat felt like luxury.

He woke up when Victor pulled him into his arms and carried him. The sun was down by now but that was the only indicator of time Arkady had. A shitty motel, outside of some town or another. Arkady patted at Victor's shoulder with incoherent mumbles. He wasn't all that sure if it was english. Victor got the point though and stopped walking, letting Arkady down to stand on his own feet. But he kept his arm around him, not that Red minded.

Arkady walked on his own and collapsed into one of the beds in their motel room. He heard Victor make a sound behind him, and then he picked Arkady up again.

"Bath Red. You'll feel better." He said. Arkady frowned but let Victor carry him to the bathroom.

"I can do it myself, Victor."

"But do you want to?"

Arkady went silent. He didn't, it was nice to have Victor there. It was nice to be cared for, really cared for, by someone he somewhat trusted. So he only sighed. Victor grinned.

Arkady pulled off his clothes, prison clothes, and tossed them to the ground. Victor helped some. But really he just watched. The perv. Arkady didn't mind at all.

The warm water felt like heaven, warm and clean.

Unlike many of the other times Arkady had been naked around Victor it wasn't sexual.

It was calm and comforting if anything.

And what an odd picture they painted in that moment, in a motel room that had seen much better days, with Victor running his hands through Arkady's hair with so much care and gentleness, while Arkady closed his eyes and just enjoyed it. Arkady heard Victor mumble something but he didn't pay attention. As tired as he was he almost fell asleep under Victor's hands.

"Hear me Red?" Victor said, louder now as he pushed Arkady's long hair over his shoulder and pressed his hands to his shoulder blades. Arkady hummed. "Take that as a no. I said, we'll leave tomorrow morning. Head north. Hop the border and make it harder to keep track of us." Arkady only responded with a nod. Victor went back to rubbing the grime and scents off of him. He inhaled deeper, there he was. Arkady's scent, his very own smell under the soap and everything else. Victor liked it. Victor liked it a lot. Victor moved down arkady's back. He was gentle, careful of his claws. And he opened his mouth to speak again, but shut it when he realized Arkady was asleep now. Dozing in the bathtub. Victor leaned down and pressed his face against Arkady's hair. Another deep breath. He almost purred. But he pulled himself away and kept washing him off with the cheap motel soap. Arkady responded from time to time while victor moved around to wash him clean. Wash and look for injuries. There were few, thankfully. But a long cut on the inside of reds leg worried him. Victor ran a finger of the scabbed cut. Arkady made a sleepy sound and victor left it alone. Reds an adult, he can handle his injuries.

Victor finished and slapped arkadys back all gentle-like to wake him up. Red frowned at him but Victor just smiled. He offered a hand and helped him stand, before he could grab a towel Arkady stepped away and did it himself. Victor left him to it and headed out of the bathroom.

Victor shucked off his clothes and crawled into his bed, he could hear Arkady in the bathroom drying off and getting dressed.

Arkady came out and yanked the blankets off Victor's bed with a coil.

"Hey!" Victor yelled, but Arkady just fell into bed and cocooned them around himself. Victor snorted and walked over. "Share the blankets or the bed. Your pick." Victor said. After some brief consideration two metal coils reached out and pulled Victor under the blankets. Victor laughed, pitch black under the pile of blankets. He felt Arkady grab onto him and Victor tilted his head up to reach Arkady's face. And he licked him, that sandpaper tongue dragged across Arkady's throat. Red smacked him away and Victor laughed again.

Victor woke up in the middle of the night, he listened. And there it was. The sound that dragged him from sleep. He sat up and moved away from red as carefully as he could and made his way to the window. The carpet was cold under his feet, and the room was half lit by a lamppost that splashed yellow light over his skin while he opened the window. Victor was sure nobody could have found them yet, he was careful. He turned to wake up red and get them moving but then he heard the sound again. Scratching and talk, he glanced outside and saw the source. Stupid kids. Victor snorted and shook his head. Wound up too tight. He went back to bed, happily falling into the blanket nest arkady had made.

Victor blinked all slow and tired when he woke up. Sun in his eyes, he rolled over. On the run be damned he's not a morning person. He smelled Arkady, heard him moving around the small room.

"Th'fuck you doin?" He mumbled.

"Stealing."

Victor grunted.

And then he sat up when his brain caught up.

"That better not be my backpack Red."

"Have to wear something other than underwear." Arkady said, his smile far to fucking happy for being elbow deep in Victor's backpack. Victor kicked the blankets off fully and stood up,

"Why's it gotta be my shit?" He said, but he had to admit that Arkady looked good in his clothes. They were the same size so you couldn't tell really. But Victor could, something about Arkady being wrapped up in his scent did something to him. Victor smiled, he leaned closer with a long sniff.

"What else am I wearing you big cat?" Arkady said, he looked at Victor and laughed at his dumb smile. "You like it! No lying!" He said. Victor snapped out of it and shook his head.

"Shaddup ruskie." Victor mumbled on his way to the bathroom.

Arkady only laughed. He turned his hand over and reached out with a coil to hit at Victor's ass. He was rewarded with a growl and the slam of the bathroom door.

It took them only minutes to get ready and get gone. Back onto the road, Arkady was at least awake this time and he watched the world pass by the window. They took smaller roads, and it gave a nice view.

"You know red, when you get that look people get hurt." Victor said. Arkady made a noise and looked away from the window.

"What look?"

"Like you wanna do something. And I don't mean knitting, you're antsy." Victor said. Arkady smiled. He was, but it wasn't like they could stop and go bowling now could they?

"I will be fine. Just drive cat." Arkady said. Victor looked at him, from the corner of his eye.

"Hate that damn name." He said.

"Your name is sabretooth. Thats a cat. I just simplified. You cannot complain." Arkafy said, smug and smirky. Victor mumbled something like 'damnit fuck at least youre attractive fucking hell.' With a growl. Arkady stared at Victor now. And he noticed.

"What?" He said. Arkady did not respond and Victor rolled his eyes and drove.

They agreed on McDonald's. It was a short stop, somewhere in northern Wisconsin. Victor flicked a french fry across their picnic table at Red. Arkady threw one back and Victor caught it in his mouth with a smug smile. He chomped it down and then spoke.

"We drive overnight we get there in two days." Victor scratched at the table while he spoke. Arkady looked down at it while he listened, a messy picture of Victor carved into the table. "But I could use a fucking drink. Too much driving not enough anything else. You in?" Victor said. Arkady nodded.

"That sounds good. Let loose like you say?" He said. Victor grinned and flicked another french fry at him.

"Sure Red. Let loose."

They drove until the sun went down, and they stopped in a town near the border. Another shitty motel to leave their stuff and the truck they stole earlier in the day.

Red was the one to find the bar, an old place on the small main street.

"The mouse hole?" Victor barked out a laugh, "sounds like a porn flick." He said. Arkady pulled the door open and held it for Victor with a small bow.

It wasn't crowded much. And Victor grabbed them seats at the end of the bar. They both got a few beers and watched the people. A fun hobby really. Arkady pointed at a couple guys playing pool across the way. One of them was so drunk he was barely standing and his friend ignored it completely. Determined to use it to his advantage to win. Victor smiled. He turned back towards the bar and slurped down about half his glass. Really didn't affect him much, so he didn't bother pacing himself. Arkady wasn't as lucky, he was no lightweight but he wasn't sober anymore either. Arkady turned around too fast and wobbled, he grabbed onto Victor's arm to steady himself. Victor missed the contact when Red let go.

Victor looked away with a shake of his head, they're just friends. Friends who fuck sometimes sure. But friends. Victor finished his beer and ordered something stronger.

A couple hours and drinks upon drinks later Victor was pretty buzzed and Arkady was fucking blasted.

And they were playing pool.

Sort of.

Arkady kept missing but he was laughing too hard to care. and Victor, well Victor isn't very good at pool. Like with typing. Claws made it hard. And he didn't care enough to practice and figure out a technique that worked.

In other words it had been half an hour and they had sunk maybe 5 balls between the two of them. Victor tried again, and with a scrape the pool cue missed again. He grimaced but Arkady trying to hold back a laugh made him smile.

"Listen ruskie. You aint doing to well either." Victor said as he lined it up again.

"But is funny. You line up and woosh!" Arkady said, laughing again. And at least this time Victor didn't miss. The sunk another ball thankfully and Arkady calmed down enough to take his turn.

"Sometimes I forget I can drink you under the table." Victor said, he watched Arkady try and hit the ball. And fail about three times. "Ain't you some kinda super soldier?" Arkady missed again and glanced up at Victor,

"Da. But I am a weird one. I don't know how I was made. And I think," he tried again and actually hit it this time. "Scientists putting me together said 'be shame if we cost this Russian his alcohol.' And here I am." He said. And Red gave a small wobbling bow.

Victor smiled and tossed his cue on the table.

"Come on Red, let's get going. You can't even stand and I ain't carrying you." Victor reached out and put his hand on Arkady's shoulder. Arkady complained but headed for the door anyway.

Red bumped into a woman as Victor dragged him out. Not really his fault, she was right by the door, but all the same she gasped and frowned and when she saw Red she looked scared. Victor tried to make sure Arkady didn't see her, guy had enough on his mind. But the woman's friend, boyfriend maybe, reached out and grabbed onto Victor. Victor turned with a growl and looked down at the guy.

"Hey, say sorry to my lady mutie." He said. Victor rolled his eyes and his face twisted into a wide smile. He leaned closer to him. He felt Arkady leaning over his shoulder behind him. His chin on Victor's shoulder.

"Shut the fuck up before I decide I'm to drunk to care about having to hide your body." Victor said. He wasn't ready for the man to slam his fist into Victor's face. His nose snapped and blood streamed down his face. But Victor barely flinched and he just laughed. He lashed out himself and grabbed him by the throat.

Sweet chaos. Ha, Victor flicked the man against the wall and he groaned and slid down the wall when victor let go. He heard Arkady behind him wip out his coils, he assumed the scream he heard was his fault.

Victor turned and grabbed a chair from the ground. Another man went down under the chair as he threw it at him. Victor felt a bottle shatter against his back and he turned around with a laugh to grab the woman's shirt and throw her over the bar.

He heard bones snap nearby and he turned to Arkady.

"Family friendly Red!" He said.

Arkady let out a disappointed groan but he listened and got just the littlest bit less violent. They were bloody and grinning and surrounded by unconscious 'heros' that thought they could win the fight. Victor heard sirens not to far off and grabbed Arkady's hand.

They ran, like teenagers caught at a party, they laughed.

Just like the night before Victor found himself tangled up with Red in bed. Arkady passed out fast, but Victor stayed up. He didn't want to sleep yet. Something felt off. No matter how he tried to shake it.

Victor leaned closer and nuzzled his face against Arkady's neck. His scent was calming but even that didn't help Victor much. He didn't move though, chest to chest and tangled up with Red limb to limb was a good place to be.

The sore muscles and cuts from the bar fight were long healed by now. On both of them. Victor didn't roll over to look but he could guess the clock was sometime after midnight.

He pulled Red closer, and tucked his face against his chest. Victor closed his eyes and listened, the thump thud of Arkady's heartbeat in his ears. Drowned out the creaks of the building, the whispers of a couple in the hallway, the wind tapping at the windows-

Steady thump thud, thump thud. Victor purred like the big cat Arkady said he was. And he drifted to a fitful sleep.

His dreams were clouded with memories he'd long since lost understanding of. He knew they were bad, but that was all he knew. Victor didn't understand the fear he felt. The pain, why he dragged his tongue through his mouth all the time in his dreams. Searching for his fangs.

Victor snarled, words failed him so he growled.

It didn't help, rough hands still grabbed him. Blood still flooded his mouth when his teeth went missing again. And his blood tasted like cherry pie.

Victor fell out of bed, that's what woke him up really. Not Arkady shaking him or talking to him. Hitting his head on a table as he rolled off the bed. Victor snarled, and curled into a tight ball.

"Victor?" Arkady spoke quietly, he leaned over the side of the bed to look down at him. Victor didn't respond at all, a statue sitting there curled up like a child. Arkady slowly moved to the floor beside him. He didn't speak, he only leaned on Victor's shoulder. Yelling, 'I'm here, I'm here.' Without words.