Work Text:
"i need you in me right now, pup."
"it's been, like, three days. you can't need me that bad."
"i can and i do."
fox mccloud and wolf o'donnell stumbled down the halls of sargasso, hindered by wolf's hand stubbornly in fox's pants, and fox's arm looped around wolf's neck. wolf squeezed fox's penis through his underwear, and fox twisted and fell against a wall, pulling wolf with him. they both laughed.
"that one's mine," wolf said, gesturing vaguely towards a door.
fox pulled at it and frowned. "'s locked."
"no shit, genius." wolf pulled a key from his jacket pocket and fumbled with it one-handed against the knob.
"y'know, maybe you'd have an easier time if you let go of my dick-"
"fuck no." wolf managed to jam the key in its hole, but found it wouldn't turn. "god damn fiddly locks. i'm not fucking waiting." he delivered a savage kick to the door, and it flew open.
the tableaux on the inside felt like it burned itself into fox's eyes. leon was squatting next to a metal rack, to which was tied some wolven man. leather straps bound his wrists together on the underside, and his ankles were held in place at points to force his legs apart. yet another strap around his neck forced his head helplessly against the rack, and some cloth was tied tightly through his muzzle as a gag.
leon brandished some sharp tool, which fox didn't dare dream of the function for. beside him lay a short table lined with more instruments, some coated in blood, others still clean. their vicious work was apparent on the man's body- lines of scarlet across his chest, deep stab wounds just shy of major arteries, fur and skin peeled away in an area on his arm. all were clearly rendered and expertly rendered.
both leon and the wolf were nude. leon's penis was erect. his victim... where his penis once was, there was now only an open wound. blood slowly dripped from between his legs onto the cold floor. fox felt sick.
leon and his captive both stared at the intruders, leon with annoyance, the wolf with desperation. wolf slammed the door.
"my den is on the other side of the hall," he said quietly.
fox tried not to puke as wolf pulled him as quickly as he could over to his own quarters. they locked the door and sat down on the bed.
"so. uh. i'm guessing the mood is shot," wolf quipped.
fox's voice trembled slightly. "my boner is so dead it's not even funny." he suddenly lurched forward and covered his mouth with his hands. he closed his eyes, but he could still see the man's desperate gaze in his mind. wolf rubbed his back.
"sorry about that, pup."
fox shuddered. "was that... was he torturing him for information or something? or just to do it?"
"leon's always had a way of mixing business and fun," wolf said by way of answer. fox remained silent. wolf's paw stilled. "so, uh, you gonna accuse me of knowing about it and not doing anything?"
"that'd be... pointless. you obviously know, and you aren't gonna stop it. besides, who are either of us to talk?" fox smiled pitifully. "we're both murderers."
"you know i don't get my jollies doing something like that, okay?"
"i know, wolf."
they sat there.
"will he live?" fox asked.
wolf rubbed his chin. "probably. leon does something like that as a warning, usually. he's far too good at knowing what doesn't kill people."
"is he..." fox searched vainly for a word less personal than the one he was about to say. "gay?"
"he's a psychopath, pup. a sadist and a psychopath. i don't think he sees people as men or women. just flesh to carve."
"cool, great, hate that."
wolf shrugged. "he gets shit done."
fox felt like he should be annoyed by wolf's passivity.
then again, it really wasn't his fucking problem.
"i feel like i barely know leon," fox admitted.
"some days i feel like that, too."
"but you keep him around?"
"he's useful."
wolf could always tell when someone wanted him dead. perhaps it was something in their eyes, or a tenseness in their stance. either way, just a moment before she lunged at him, wolf knew the woman was there for his life.
he and leon were walking down a street in the backwater of zoness. one of their usual contacts had reached out them with an offer of a large sum for moving some goods. wolf should have known the deal was too good to be true. but before he could act, the tigress had a blaster to his head. her accomplices surged out of a half a dozen alleys up and down the street, seizing wolf's arms, surrounding him and leon totally.
"hello, 'lord' o'donnell," the woman began. "today is the day you pay for what you've done. we will be ruled by a tyrant like you no longer. you are what is wrong with this system, the lingering remnants of what andross did, and we will finally be rid of your influence. farewell, o'donnell-"
leon feigned stumbling forward. the would-be assassins grabbed at him, and leon rolled his boot on the ground some funny way, causing a hidden blade to pop out. he hooked his foot around the tigress' ankle, slashing her achilles tendon, and she immediately dropped to a knee. leon flicked his wrist, another concealed knife slipped into it, and he thrust it into the woman's back. she collapsed. then leon was off, a sinuous flurry of blades, dispatching half of their assailants before they knew what was happening.
wolf wrenched himself free of the grip on his wrists and delivered an elbow to the one who'd held them before drawing his blaster. "took you long enough, powalski. i was started to get worried."
leon paused mid rampage. "i wanted to see you sweat. by the way, the ringleader isn't dead."
wolf looked down. the tigress was struggling to push herself to her knees and groping for her dropped blaster. wolf kicked her in the side and she collapsed again. "getting sloppy?" he asked.
"you wish. we will need to interrogate her, yes?"
"can't we just grab some other mook?"
"too late!" leon wrapped himself around a man and slit his throat. wolf looked around. everyone else was down, killed with expert precision.
"fuck's sake, powalski." wolf flicked some blood off his boot. "well, our 'friend' will have fled by now. grab the chick and let's get out of here."
"so he's a bodyguard?" fox asked.
"kinda," wolf said.
during wolf's story, the two had slid off wolf's cot onto the floor, where they lay cuddled up against each other. when wolf spoke, fox could feel his voice vibrating in his chest.
"he certainly is a competent fighter, but pup, you know i've got guns." wolf flexed his arm, and fox giggled. "besides, i know how to take care of myself. you don't get as far as i have if you can't."
"so why...?"
"mostly for what he is better at than me. getting information and spreading fear. fear's a powerful tool, y'know. and powalski is very, very good at making people afraid."
back on sargasso, leon had taken their prisoner to one of his interrogation chambers. he had knocked her out with some poison for the flight back, and tied her down. his tools were sharpened and he had done his research on his victim. there was only one thing missing.
"i need you in the room when i torture her," he told wolf.
"fuck no," wolf said.
"she's the figurehead of a rebel group, and you're their symbol of venomian influence on sargasso. you seeing her at her lowest will strike a greater blow to their morale than anything else."
"so you're not killing her."
"a martyr is the last thing we need. you know that, yes? i would hate to think you've learned nothing..." leon reached out and ran a claw along wolf's neck. wolf shoved it off.
"i don't want to see you do your sick shit."
"don't have the stomach for it? why, you hardly sound like the ruthless man i thought i was following." leon pulled out a knife and idly tested the point with a finger. to most, it would look a normal fidget. leon never did anything carelessly, though. he was pushing against wolf's authority, just a little. his voice steeled. "you will watch. she will succumb if and only if you watch, and then she will be a tool and not a problem."
"fine," wolf growled.
he let leon lead him to his torture chamber. the woman was out cold still, now stripped nude. leon pointed towards a section of the wall. "stand right there. look disinterested. that's all you need do. i'll handle the rest."
wolf acquiesced, feeling apprehensive. while he wasn't unfamiliar with the consequences of what leon did, it was rare that he watched it happen.
leon waved something under the tiger's nose, and she stirred to consciousness. her eyes flew open, she saw where she was, and she immediately started to strain at her restraints. wolf reckoned he was just out of the prisoner's line of sight.
"please don't do that. it wouldn't do to have you tire out too soon," leon said. the woman ignored him, and strained harder. still her efforts bore nothing. she finally relaxed, panting.
"tyrant's dog," she spat. "i will escape. you cannot hold me."
leon held up a small blade. the woman's face paled briefly, before redoubling in fury. "so you found the blade hidden under my arm. what does it matter? i have more tricks, more strength than you craven fools will ever know. tell your master to run while he can."
wolf started to speak, but leon shook his head the slightest amount. he didn't want her to notice his presence yet. wolf shut up, which was doubtless a colossal effort from him, leon thought ruefully. he pulled out a flat flaying knife. "oh, certainly you have more tricks. i know you have another blade hidden on your body. you will tell me where it is."
"never, monster."
leon bent to the woman's arm. she tensed. the knife dipped into the fur, shaved just a few hairs off, then pulled away. "are you quite certain? i will find it the hard way, if i need to."
"i will die before i break."
the knife dipped a little deeper, cutting bare a patch of fur. the tiger's shoulders tensed. the expectation of pain, leon knew, was far more effective than pain itself. he made another pass, cutting a slit into the skin, teasing under the shallowest layer just a little. blood welled up.
"tigers' skin," leon said. "so beautifully striped. perhaps i will take a patch to keep."
"see if i care," the woman said. leon had to hand it to her; her voice did not waver. pain was ineffectual. he would need a different tact to bring her low. equally importantly, he needed it to look as though it had been his original plan all along.
so he brought his head up to the arm, and ran his long tongue across the bared and bloodied skin. the woman shuddered. leon made a show of licking his lips, slowly, sensually. "the taste of your blood... it pleases me," he said, excitement in his voice. wolf wondered if it was all for show or if leon really did like the taste of blood. he wouldn't put it past him. he wondered why leon hadn't told him his victim's name.
the tiger smiled bravely. "take my blood if you wish. my cause will continue." but leon heard it, in her voice: the smallest of breaks, the tiniest stutter. pain she could resist, but not this discomfort.
leon pressed his advantage. "could all of what runs inside you taste so good? perhaps i should crack open your skull and taste your brain. or break your spine to drink from it." he paused, to let his victim's imagination do his work for him. she was thinking about it, even if she didn't want to be. he could see it as a creeping horror on her face.
"perhaps i will first taste of your saliva," he said. instantly, reflexively, not from bravery but fear, her mouth clenched. he had her; he didn't need to follow through.
but he wanted to. leon calmly reached for one of his favourite tools, a thin but sturdy needle. the woman kept her mouth tightly closed, of course. defiance was good. like trees, it was the flexible people, those who did not resist stiffly, that were hardest to break. leon jammed the needle through her cheek. her eyes widened, but she stubbornly kept her lips sealed. leon grinned as he gently prodded the end of the needle around in her mouth and eventually slipped it between her teeth. then it was simple matter of prising her jaws open, one hand holding pressed against her head to hold it in place. holding her lips apart, leon brought his mouth up to hers, let his tongue invade her mouth.
"well, powalski, i do believe you've found the most horrific way yet to make out with someone."
leon glared at wolf, eyes blazing. he hadn't wanted wolf to make himself known quite yet. then again, from the way the woman under his hands desperately tried to turn to face wolf, she was clearly alarmed. perhaps it was good enough.
so leon loosened the strap around her neck, just a bit, to let her turn and see wolf. blood trickled down her cheek from the hole on it. wolf stared dispassionately.
"oh, yes, how remiss of me not to mention. lord o'donnell wanted to observe you. he truly is kind, to take time out of his busy schedule just for someone like you."
leon paused again, to let her imagination work while he re-tightened her restraints. keeping wolf out of view was best. to know he was there, but not be able to see him, that would frighten her better than anything else. still, wolf speaking up too soon had killed some of the momentum he was building towards making her feel humiliated and powerless. he needed to redouble his efforts.
"because he seemed so interested, i offered you to him, to do as he liked," leon lied, letting his hands touch the woman's naked chest, lightly, a probing stroke. "a pretty woman like you surely has value to him. of course," his hands traced down the tiger's sides and across her muscular abdomen. "our leader only cares for the... other kind. so you are left to me, to take from what i wish." his hands reached her crotch.
"so your plan is to rape-"
in a flash, leon stabbed a thin knife into her thigh, missing the vital artery. the woman shouted incoherently. "quiet, please," leon said.
"you wanted me to tell you-"
the knife went out, then in again. the first stab wound began to bleed rather heavily. leon clicked his tongue. "ah, now look what you've made me do. no, i won't do anything so simple as raping you. i did mention o'donnell was gay, right? that wouldn't be any fun for him to watch. no, i'd rather something more... visceral. although that doesn't mean i can't enjoy it."
don't take off your clothes, wolf thought.
leon took off his clothes. it was a deliberate move, of course. the only thing worse than horrible injury was horrible injury that someone else was aroused by. and leon truly was enjoying it like that, to flaunt his power and control. he hummed cheerfully and tunelessly as he retrieved a metal speculum from his table of tools. without warning, he inserted it into the tiger's vagina, opening it and screwing it to stay that way. "what to cut, what to remove first. lord o'donnell, what do you think?"
wolf wasn't looking. "surprise me," he said.
it was a bit too sarcastic, but leon couldn't have asked for a better response otherwise. he ran his tongue between the labia and cold metal speculum, and-
"in my right foot, under the skin. that's where my other blade is hidden."
leon stood up. crossed his arms. the woman looked sick. "that's what you wanted to know, wasn't-"
leon stabbed her in the thigh a third time. "what did i say about talking? i already knew that. i removed that before you awoke."
"wh- what do you want!?" her voice trembled, and her eyes welled with tears. "i don't understand, what do you even want from me?"
stabbing her yet again would be redundant, so leon instead let her stew in her frustration while he returned to his oral examination of her vulva. at this point he was just about done; he couldn't do much more before she wouldn't register any of it anyways. he just needed to leave a permanent mark, something she would see and feel and always be reminded of what had happened.
"i want you..." he said slowly, savoring her fear, "...to know what it means to cross lord o'donnell."
"i know! i get it! please, just, stop!"
"you do not know." leon grinned widely. "it will be my pleasure to show you." he turned to his table of horrors again, rummaging about. he knew what he needed, but she needed to squirm. no, he just wanted her to squirm.
wolf coughed.
leon hissed, seized a knife off the table, turned to the woman, and in one swift motion pinched her clit between his sharp claws and severed a large chunk of it. the woman screamed. leon laughed uproariously and cut again, and again, and again-
"stop," fox whimpered. "i don't want to hear any more."
as wolf's story had continued, the two had retreated under wolf's cot, still cuddled up together. fox had curled up into a ball in wolf's grasp.
"it's heavy shit, pup, i know. but you did ask."
"i did," said fox. he steadied his breathing. "what did he do to her? did she live?"
"powalski cut off the lips and sewed it shut. then we let her go, as a warning. no more trouble from that group, i promise you."
fox shuddered. "i really... don't want to get on his bad side."
"shoulda thought of that before you got your team into a feud with ours, pup." fox frowned. wolf scratched him behind the ear comfortingly. "ah, buck up. i'll keep you safe. he knows i'd be pissed if he cut your dick off."
"you keep him around because he's useful. is he really worth nothing more than that to you?"
wolf shrugged, infuriatingly.
"...i think i should go back to the great fox."
"did i scare you off?"
fox uncurled, crawled out from under the cot and stood, stretching his back out. he pointedly didn't answer wolf's question. wolf poked him in the back of the knee. "c'mon, don't let fucking powalski of all things be the thing that drives a wedge between us."
fox looked down at wolf with a sad smile. "no... no. i really don't give a shit, is the sad thing. hell, maybe i even understand him? not, like, the specifics. but the thrill, the power, you know?"
"don't try to understand him. i don't even think he feels properly."
"that seems a bit rude. are you even friends?"
wolf remained silent.
"alright, yeah, i get it. stupid question."
"tools. damn tools. that's all we ever see people as."
fox flicked his nose. "wrong, dumbass." he spread his arms. "'cuz i'm fuckin' useless to you, y'know? worse than useless. if all you cared about was my use, y'should've killed me pretty quick."
"i thought about it. decided better."
"well, there you go."
the door swung open violently, and both wolf and fox just about jumped out of their skin. leon lowered his hand. "lord o'donnell. your presence is needed."
"god fucking dammit, powalski, how many times do i have to tell you not to interrupt me when i'm with mccloud!?"
leon smiled an oily smile. "you did not extend me the same courtesy. but you may bring him, if you wish. if his bleeding heart would allow it. the scene is rather... grisly."
"well, pup?" wolf asked. he offered fox a hand. "you up for seeing some horrible shit?"
fox took it. "i'll stick with you. even if it means going through the worst of it."
leon sighed overdramatically. "god almighty, i'm not asking you to stare into the pits of hell. it's just a man. what's left of one."