But, when he reached the counter where his shorts lay, he realized that he hadn’t brought underwear in with him. While basketball shorts were a soft enough material that it was unlikely to chafe, he was not the sort to go commando so, without thought - andy perhaps forgetting that someone was residing in his room - Chase pulled the door open and exited.
Steam poured out of the entryway, accidentally providing a much more dramatic exit than he intended. Immediately, his attention was drawn to the to the man in his bed, whom’s skin still looked flush. “I forgot - “ he stopped, deciding that he didn’t need to explain himself. His hand tightened against the doorknob and he was briefly conscious of the fact that just a towel was around his waist.
The flicker of embarrassment passed almost as quickly as it came, because Chase was nothing if not confident. Concern however did pass across his face and he abandoned his quest for undergarments, choosing instead to cross over towards the bed.
“You look warm.”
---
Levi heard the bathroom door open and cursed beneath his breath. He wasn’t asleep - not even a little bit. He had abandoned the effort and was currently staring at the ceiling overhead, tracing patterns in the popcorn roof like some might look for shapes in clouds. He had wanted to be fast asleep, or at least able to pretend, but instead he found himself restless and anxious beneath sheets that felt too much like chains. Even closing his eyes was a feat too difficult.
I forgot-
The words made the acid eyes snap down to Chase out of instinctual reaction and he wished immediately that he had resisted the urge. At the sight of the man wrapped only in a towel, a flush crept into his cheeks, stained them red, and began to crawl down his throat. It took a few deep breaths before he was able to drop his eyes and stare uncomfortably down at the lump that was his feet beneath the blankets. His General in disguise had gone from sweaty and appealing to damp, steamy and appealing.
No s**t.
The words were so loud in his head that Levi had that small, brief panic that he had spoken them aloud.
He should have protested but instead only rolled onto his side, trying to put his back to the man even though he could hear him moving across the carpet and toward the bed. There was nowhere to escape to here.
“I’ll be fine. I feel fine.” His voice was so dry that he finally pushed himself up and reached for the glass of water he’d been keeping next to the bed. The sheets across his chest fell and pooled around his waist, revealing the thin torso and the outline of muscles exposed by his minimal body fat percentage. “I don’t need you to fuss. She just works me up.”
Excuse, excuse.
He cleared his throat and brought the glass to his lips for an unnecessarily long gulp, avoiding the critical eyes of the other man.
--
Chase was oblivious to the simple fact that Levi found him attractive. He had no idea that it was his appearance that was causing the younger man to flush in his bed and avert his gaze. The reaction however and the weak protest was deemed a cause for concern for the well-built man whose own muscle definition was a result of a naturally lean and lanky frame coupled with many days and nights at a gym. Outside of his inability to eat as well as he should for how active he was, there was no doubting that he worked for his strength and muscles.
“It's been nearly twenty minutes since her departure,” he replied bluntly, crossing the room with long, easy strides until he was at Levi’s side. “It can't be just that.”
Not that Chase would really know, it'd been years since he’d gotten riled up without release and well - procreation was t something he thought about often and if he did, well he didn't have to go without release or satisfaction. Poor Levi on the other hand had been c**k blocked over and over again. “Lay down,” he instructed, a firm hand pressing down on Levi’s bare chest to coax him back down onto the mattress and pillow.
He had to bend over, one hand holding his towel in place in case the movements cause the tucked in portion to slip, and stretched over Levi so he could place the back of his hand against his forehead, pushing damp strands of green back. “You're warm. Perhaps your injuries are worse than I thought.”
The man frowned at the idea, then pressed a knee against the mattress so that he could get closer, towel spreading across his thigh. “Did you receive lacerations that I missed?” Perhaps Chase had not been as thorough as he thought.
--
Levi nearly choked on the water he had been drinking as Chase’s strength was used to push him back down into the mattress so effortlessly. Even if Levi hadn’t been wasted from weeks lying in bed with no appetite and strictly forbidden from moving, the other man would have still outclassed him in strength. It was readily apparent in their civilian identities just who was the stronger man, not power ups needed.
Tight-lipped and annoyed, Levi let his head rest back against the pillow and stared up at the ceiling like it were suddenly the most interesting thing in the world. He was doing his damnedest not to let his eyes trail down the chiseled planes of his General’s stomach to the tucked line of his low-slung towel, or the bit of thigh that was bared through the slit as he moved. It was certainly doing nothing to dampen his fires and all he could think about was how nice Chase smelled now that the scent of his bath soaps were filling Levi’s already swimming head. He did feel faint and tired now, stressed out and denied something his body was continually being worked up to.
It wasn’t until Chase leaned down and put his hand across his forehead that Levi found the nerve to push it off, annoyed, though there was a flush high on his cheeks as he did. The eyes dropped from where he could suddenly see Chase in them, looming over Levi in a way that brought too many images to mind. The bright, fevered eyes dropped to the comforter of the bed and stared at it beneath the lowered lashes.
“It’s you, okay? Would you just put some ******** clothes on or something?”
Vague but as much as he was willing to admit to - Chase might not even understand the implications between the lines with how daft Levi assumed he had to be. Sure, he didn’t openly talk about his sexuality and, typically, he was only found in the company of women but even Chase was going to have to catch on at some point. It made him feel, suddenly, very foolish about how careful he’d always been when they were younger - careful not to stare, or flirt. Maybe it was just a consequence of becoming a lifeless soldier that caused it to slip past Chase’s observation, but he felt he could have been more relaxed and careless if it was going to take spelling it out for the General to even realize.
---
His hand was shoved away and he frowned in response, brow crinkling in confusion as he pulled back. Levi often acted annoyed in Chase’s presence but he had always assumed that it was an effect of their differing views on the importance of the negaverse in their lives. This was a different type of annoyance and he drew back in response.
“I don't understand,” he said automatically, the knee that had been pressed into the mattress withdrawing until his foot was solidly on the floor beside his other one. “My concern for you health and proper recovery is causing you to flush and overheat?”
It didn't even occur to the older man that Levi was attracted to him and that his undressed state was one that would rile the younger man up in the way his girlfriend did.
“Or are you uncomfortable with naked bodies?” Now that was even more perplexing to Chase since, again, Levi didn't strike him as someone who would be uncomfortable among someone who was mostly just shirtless. He had a towel on after all and he was being careful to keep it from slipping and exposing himself. Though, in truth, Chase wouldn't have cared if Levi saw him completely naked as he was far from ashamed of his physique.
He did however take a step away from the bed, casting a glance towards the dresser where all of his clothes would be found. “I'll - “ he started, glancing back at the bedridden man. “I'll get dressed, bring you fresh water and some aspirin. Maybe a thing of mashed potatoes since you haven't been eating properly.” Things that would be more likely to stay down. “I will be taking your temperature and re-examining you.” He added afterward, crossing the room to collect articles of clothing that he could slip on quickly, easily.
A simple gray v-neck, dark jeans, underwear. Basics. And then, he just started to pull articles of clothing on, assuming that if Levi was uncomfortable enough then he would look away.
---
If Levi hadn’t been so tired, he would have laughed. Of course, if he’d started to laugh he probably never would have stopped because even he knew that would have been the breaking point of his mental stress. Chase really would have kept him tied up in bed then, tortured by both his General’s concern and absolute ignorance for longer than he already had been and (likely) would still be, yet. Instead he simply groaned under his breath in what could have been passed off as concussion-heightened irritability and rubbed one clammy palm across his heated face, trying to scrub away the redness he could feel burning his cheeks.
“Yes, the naked body thing. That’s making me uncomfortable.” Although clearly not in the way the oblivious older man thought. Chase obviously didn’t understand, nor would he, if Levi had anything to say about it. The last thing he needed to add to the precarious balance of the professional relationship was the underlying attraction Levi had been struggling with since they were closer to equals.
Levi finally relaxed into the bed as Chase slipped away to, he hoped, put on some clothing and end some of the absolute frustration that he felt in his mostly-bare presence. It was mixed with an instant feeling of regret as the clothing was pulled over the strong muscles but he felt more at ease, at least, and that was a trade he was willing to make. A few deep breaths later and the mossy-haired man had turned slightly onto his side, one arm draped over his own bare stomach - growling now that Chase had mentioned food. It wasn’t something he had stopped to think about very often in the long spans of sleep but his body was reminding him now that he wasn’t being allowed to pass back out.
“Mash potatoes sound good,” he mumbled sullenly at the thick air, opting not to acknowledge any of the promised examinations to come. He reached up with the other hand and tussled his bed-ravaged hair, doing nothing but changing the angles at which is stuck up oddly.
“Would it be too much for me to hobble outside for a cigarette later? I’m pretty sure half of this headache is nicotine and caffeine withdrawal.”
He expected the answer to be a firm no, but he was going to ask anyway.
---
Chase had just buttoned his jeans when he glanced back at his lieutenant. His brow was crinkled but his expression was otherwise unreadable as he turned slowly, padded back over to the bed as though Levi’s attitude would dissipate now that he was fully dressed. “I didn't think it would be something that bothered you,” he admitted, shoulders rolling back in a shrug before whiskey colored eyes swept across what exposed parts of Levi they could.
This time, he didn't make a move to touch the other man and instead just plucked the half empty glass from his bedsides.
He heard the growl of Levi’s stomach and a slight smirk spread across his mouth when he glanced back over. “I'll fetch them in a minute. I have a few soups we could make too if you want more later, test your stomach with things that are light and easy.” Chase certainly didn't want a puking Levi even if the bathroom was only a few strides from his bed. “No cigarettes, yet, but I'm willing to allow black coffee.”
Chase felt that it was too soon to allow Levi his smoking habit even if there was a withdrawal. “Revisit with me in a few days.” It was clear by his tone that it wasn't up for debate and that he felt like he was being generous. “But I will take food requests.” The within reason heavily implied.
Chase began to walk away, hesitating at the foot of the bed. “I know this isn't ideal but you'll burn yourself to the ground if someone doesn't force you to stop.” It was one of the things they had in common.
---
“Yeah, well, you’d be surprised by what bothers me.” The understatement of the year, if Chase only knew.
The man slid up a little bit in the bed once Chase seemed content not to touch him again, for now, and reached back to pull his pillow up to brace the small of his back as he leaned into the headboard. If Chase was planning for him to eat he was just going to have to let him sit up and Levi was content to take advantage of that because ******** it all but he was damned tired of wallowing in the bed. He wasn’t normally an active type of person by choice but his whole body was itching to do something.
“Black coffee is disgusting,” he mumbled, grumpy, though it didn’t seem to be an outright refusal. If Chase knew him at all, he should have been well aware that he preferred his drinks and foods all packed full of as much sugar as he could reasonably stand. Even mashed potatoes were a healthier choice than his usual meals. The back of his skull lolled back against the headboard so he could roll his head to side a bit and watch Chase, even as he examined Levi’s bared flesh - an assessment, he knew, and nothing else. It was easier to be half-naked than to watch Chase be such.
Then the words that passed his Generals lips almost sounded concerned, in a way he had heard before but wished he didn’t have to. It was hard to keep the idea of Chase and Labyrinthite separated in his head when he showed even the tiniest hint of worry over his well being.
“Of course I will,” he said gently, dropping his eyes to the comforter and narrowing them on the fabric, “it doesn’t even really matter, in the end. You’ll find a much more willing recruit to replace me when that point comes, you know.”
---
“I don’t understand how you can load everything up with sugar,” Chase shot back, looking thoroughly unimpressed by the door which he’d yanked open. While the man had a penchant for sweets, he preferred that his coffee actually taste like coffee with a hint of sweetness instead of heavily loaded with cream and sugar. An effect of owning a coffee shop he supposed. “I’ll concede to two sugars and some cream.”
If he wasn’t going to allow Levi to smoke or leave the house then he was at least going to make an effort to be flexible with the coffee. He’d let the other man barter for more sugar if he felt up to it because he was trying to resolve some of the tension saddled between them. Chase didn’t understand it, given that the two had been friends at some point in his captaincy but now -
There was a thick screen of tension between them that even dared to sit upon their shoulders. Levi had come to him after a long, unexplained absence from the Negaverse but what ever easy camaraderie they’d once had was long lost with Chase having no idea how to bring it back.
“You talk as though I want to replace you,” he replied, brow furrowing as he spoke. “Why would I want to take up someone else when I’ve got you?” He didn’t think any of his subordinates were expendable even if others might. General-Queen Tanzanite had impressed upon him that they were only functional as a unit and that everyone had the potential to be molded into what was needed. “I need to find your reason, that’s all.”
It was more difficult than the others with Tourmaline’s steadfast loyalty, Wolfeite’s desire for power and the man who’d given it to him, Aluminite’s desire to protect others, Silk’s superiority complex, Zircon and what they both stood for and Dia’s desire for companionship. Chase just needed to find the right niche for Domeykite and he would, he just needed time.
“Unlike some, I don’t deem mine expendable.”
---
“I think you misunderstood me,” he sighed as the words trailed off, though his eyes followed his hand as he brought up two fingers to pluck lightly at the layer of blankets shrouding his waistline. It was a nervous fidget, but now at least his desire seemed tamed. There was nothing like a hopeless, depressed mindset to dampen passion, he’d found.
“I just mean that from a profit and loss standpoint, the energy you waste in me would serve you much better in someone else. I don’t have a ******** reason, this has never been something I wanted.”
Despite the cursing, his tone had remained bland and lacking in energy, even as he finally brought his gaze back up to Chase. They both knew his unwilling nature for what it was - a mix of selfishness and hopelessness. He didn’t want to be a part of Metallica’s army any more than he had wanted to join the armed forces when they had all but stalked him after his test scores.
Levi wanted to do only what he wanted to do and it was someone else’s death threat that had sent him back to Chase.
“We both know I’m gonna burn out on purpose, Chase. Do you think I was being mindful of my mortality when I walked into that ring?” He laughed, short and cold, before he brought up one clammy palm to rub away the pained look on his face. “Even letting Jade get this close is weakness on my part, it’ll crush her.”
Despite the morbid nature of his words, he was at least talking to the General in disguise for once. Like a dam busted open, once it started it didn’t stop until it ran dry.
---
Chase sighed, a heavy sigh that shuddered through the entirety of his tall, leanly muscular frame.
“I don’t care that my efforts could serve me better with someone else or elsewhere.” It was said sharply, like Chase was struggling with the fact that Levi didn’t understand him. “You chose me.” They’d talked about the why, sort of, and that hadn’t been something that had mattered much to the general. Levi came to Chase and asked him to take him under his wing, he agreed and now - now he wasn’t going to give up on him.
That possessiveness that was often restricted to Alkaid, or even Wolfeite, was beginning to bubble to the surface with Levi and Chase was grateful that he was across the room and that it was just the door handle that received his aggression.
“You’re mine.” Then, not even a beat later, “One of mine. Don’t you think I don’t know that you’re not here by choice?” He did his research, he knew his pack or at least made efforts to. “I don’t take just anyone who asks me to. I took you though, because even then with your disinterest and stubbornness and insubordination, I wanted you on my team.” He’d always wanted Levi, Domeykite, on his team since they met.
The mossy haired man was clever, capable, and down right ambitious when it was something he cared about, Chase just needed to figure out how to make him care about the negaverse. And before he’d started corrupting a few promising recruits, Chase hadn’t really cared that much about building a team and now? Now he was invested in those that he brought into the Negaverse and if the whole faction wasn’t going to function the way he wanted, the way that had been impressed upon him, he would build the foundation in that little team.
That included Levi.
“If you never had a reason then why did you join at all?” It’d been years now and Chase didn’t know if they’d ever talked about Levi’s recruitment. “I’m not going to let you, you know that right?” The older man believed that Levi did, because if he truly wanted to down spiral, he wouldn’t have picked Chase. Chase was grounded, rooted in himself and his beliefs.
(Again.)
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, we’ll just have to find your reason.”
---
Why did you join at all?
The words resounded through Levi and the look on his face seemed to fall away to some pained realization he had reached long before Chase had ever thought to even voice the question. After all, Levi had spent many a night wondering what reason he’d ever had for accepting Zinkenite’s offer. In the end, there was no good reason at all.
“Everyone does something stupid when they’re kids,” he said, gently, with a tenderness in his voice that gave light to just how close Chase had gotten to Levi’s residual pain. It was a decision he could never take back or ignore, he’d signed his life on the dotted line when the very country he lived in hadn’t yet recognized him as adult enough to sign anything at all. He spent a long time feeling sorry for himself over it, after he’d gotten over being irrationally angry at the trap. “Most kids live to outgrow their mistakes, but for me there is only death or.. going deeper.”
You’re mine, he had said - a joke not lost upon him. Even as the words echoed in his head, he wanted to laugh, despite the fact that humor was the last thing he saw in this ******** up situation. Domeykite belonged to the General, it was true - so did Wolfeite, so did Aluminite, so did many others. They were all a part of something Labyrinthite, he assumed, felt was a part of himself. Domey was the idle hand, causing complications, yet somehow he was still wanted.
It would have been easier, perhaps, to have picked someone less passionate.
“I’ve already seen the cost of going deeper, Chase. I appreciate that..” he paused, then sighed as he ruffled his mossy locks and pushed the unruly dark strands away from his bright eyes, “that you think there is something useful in me for your purpose but I’ve already lost people I care about to this war. Some I’ve let go of to protect and others just slipped through my ******** fingers and became new people that I don’t recognize.” The golden gaze that watched him was so familiar and not, all at once. Chase was one of the people that had been lost, most certainly, but being that he saw no mistake in his ways there was no point in expressing that Levi did actually miss the light-hearted, charming boy that had once been a comfort in this darkness.
Levi lolled his head back against the headboard and slumped down a little into the pillow bracing his back. This conversation was tiring, mostly because no one in this damned organization saw anything wrong with the way it warped the lives of everyone it touched.
“Feelings don’t really matter though, I guess. Can I just get that coffee before we work on reasons some more, boss?”
---
The laughter didn’t make sense, but then again, Levi’s stubbornness in pulling away from Chase and the negaverse didn’t make sense to him.
But Chase also hadn’t received a very violent death threat from someone who was, unfortunately, still very present in his life because of the girl he’d chosen. There were few people that could threaten the general resting beneath the skin of the handsome young man that he would take seriously and even then, there were only two. Queen Laurelite and the entity that they all served.
“I suppose I should be thankful that ‘getting out’ is not an option to you.” There wasn’t relief in his voice, but a tinge of worry because the whole conversation was concerning. Levi had always been ambitious and yet - now he seemed utterly defeated. Chase didn’t like it. “The cost varies from person to person. People spiral differently depending on their circumstances and who they are.” He swallowed, harder than he meant and the wood around the handle began to splinter from the way Chase was gripping it.
“Loss is the cost of war isn’t it?” He’d lost a lot because of it, though he never talked about the impact his father’s death had upon him and how that, ultimately, had been the turning point despite how the man had already been knee deep in darkness. “Can you say that they wouldn’t have become different people even if this hadn’t been a factor?”
Chase didn’t miss the way the question was used as an out and so, easing his fingers loose he nodded. “Fine, but we’re not done here,” he stated, leaving the room and struggling to keep from slamming the door behind him.
---
Levi let Chase’s words fall upon him unrebuked and settled instead for listening as the other man laid down his opinion on the war they were both neck-deep in, willing or no. It was impossible to miss the intensity coursing through the General, even from afar with a muddy brain, if only because Levi was very accustomed to studying the body language of his superior - for many different reasons. The set of his shoulders and the way the veins in his arms popped told him that, even for all the control in Chase’s voice, he was teaming beneath the surface.
Perhaps it was just better, in the end, that he nodded and let the man wander out into the wild unknown of the Black estate.
The door shut and Levi released a sigh of relief with it, even going so far as to rub a palm against the back of his eyelids. The conversation was heavier than he had wanted it to be but then, he rarely ever spoke about these things at any length with anyone. To finally begin broaching his disgruntlement and borderline death wishes with a man who had, apparently, sworn to see him become a great soldier was exhausting. They were like two magnets, pointing their similarities at each other and propelling themselves away. He didn’t doubt that Chase saw something in him that reminded him of who he’d been once - a corporate hopeful, ambitious about his job and falling for a girl more devoted to Metallia than he’d ever been.
Only that Levi had seen what Chase’s girl had become and he would be damned before he ever let Jade fall into that. Hell, he’d be damned before she ever followed Chase’s footsteps either. There was too much good in Jade to let her slip away into the darkness and Chase? Maybe he would have become something unrecognizable even without Metallia’s influence but in the end, Levi was less afraid of the Monsters he already knew how to battle.
The acidic gaze lingered on the door handle where it seemed to have cracked and he swallowed around the lump rising in his throat. Everything about his world was dangerous, from the friends to the enemies. Content that he would never be content again, he simply relaxed limply into the pillows he had been stealing comfort from and waited for the older man to return with coffee and food.
At least Chase couldn’t keep him here much longer. He hoped.
felyn
