Hungry

Two days beforehand, Pietro had run out and informed the cops of the damning deeds that had been committed inside and outside the Boarding House. Lance, in a fit of panic and passion, had grabbed his lover, Todd, and fled into the woods. He hadn’t been sure why he didn’t just let the police take them away. Todd certainly wanted to go that way. However, things hadn’t gone so smoothly and they’d been progressing deeper and deeper into the woods. They dared not use their powers, for fear of the X-Men catching them, and had simply run and run and run and run. By now, they were miles away, but in what direction, he knew not. All Lance knew was that they’d been running for two days and his lover had passed out from the exhaustion. He didn’t blame him. All the damage Travis had inflicted on his body had been bound to catch up someday. That morning had been the day. The toad had fallen in a dead faint to the ground and Lance was forced to think of an alternative to running.

His solution had been simple. Find a place to rest, get supplies, and continue running until they reached Mexico, or something. They needed to reach a place where they could disappear off the map completely if they were going to avoid execution. Mexico seemed like the best bet. So, that’s, presumably, where they were headed. To get there, though, they needed supplies, money, and a general idea of where they actually were. Thus, Lance had decided to take the ultimate risk.

He had left Todd alone in a cave in the forest and ventured down to a small old fashioned gas station/inn type deal. A tiny little motel on the edge of a semi busy high way that survived off over priced gas alone. He doubted that they’d heard about the two serial murderers on the loose. That’s why he walked across the street and over to the store at all. He cast one last glance over his shoulder, praying that his mate would sleep away the time he was alone and wouldn’t find his way to anything living.

A bell jingled when he walked inside. A clerk, an old man with missing teeth, nodded in his direction. Lance took a look around the place, not sure what he should get or even how he was going to get it back to the cave in the mountains.

“ Hey,” he addressed the clerk, heading over to the counter. The man gave him blood shot eyes, “ You got any uh... bags or whatever up in here? Me and my uh.. girl are camping up the road and the gear got ruined. You got anything that’d help us out?”

“ Sure, sure,” he croaked, jabbing his finger at an old back pack that looked like it was stained in very old blood. A shudder went down the rock tumbler’s spine at the irony, but he picked it up nevertheless. He gave half a smile before walking over to the shelves.

Lance began to load up on food and water, mostly things that wouldn’t spoil. He hesitated, but snatched up a bar of soap too. Todd may not of thought highly of hygiene but he definitely did. Next he grabbed some blankets, a couple boxes of matches, a bottle of cheap wine, and some cigarettes. Then he carried the bag over and dropped it onto the counter with a loud thud. The man rang everything up, not bothering to ask for an ID, and gave him the total. The mutant felt around his pockets for his wallet as his eyes looked over all the things mounted on the wall behind the counter. The man leaned forward as he searched.

“ She a pretty thing?”

“ Excuse me?”

“ Yer girl. She a pretty thing?” the way the old man grinned made Lance want to hurl or punch him. Still, he didn’t want to offend the man since he’d just realized he had no way of paying for the supplies.

“ Yeah, she’s pretty,”

“ Yeah? Yeah? That right?”

“ Yup. Damn pretty. A uh... wild thing... gotta lotta fire in her,” he mumbled, watching as the man bobbed his head up and down. Lance forced a rather fake smile before his hand grazed a lump in his back pocket. Curious, he reached in and fished out a small blue box. He flicked it open and stared in shock at the diamond set in real gold that glinted back at him.

And suddenly, he was standing back in the upstairs hallway the day the paperboy was murdered. He’d had such a roaring headache. Because he’d stayed up all night trying to think of the perfect way to propose to Kitty. He’d borrowed the money from the other Brethren, mostly from the out of it thief Todd. He’d spent their electrical bill payments for the entire year on that ring. That’s why he’d been so angry that morning. How little that headache seemed when compared to all the things that had happened since he’d found the most perfect diamond in the world for his most perfect girl. How could he have known then that just over a week later he’d be in a crappy store on the side of the road, a wanted murderer in love with Todd himself? What a punch in the gut it was that he’d pulled on the same pants he’d been wearing that first day when he’d heard Pietro trying to escape.

And what luck.

“ Here,” he said, handing the box to the clerk, “ Take it as payment. I don’t have any money,” then he pointed at something on the wall, “ And throw that in too. One round ought to do it,”

Still in shock, the man reached over and brought down a small silver pistol and handed it to Lance. He loaded the gun with a round of bullets, grabbed up the bag, and walked out, tucking the gun in his belt loop. The man called out to him, asking him if he really didn’t need to ring, seeing as he was going back to his girl now. The mutant gave a laugh, looking back. He was cast in shadow and even the old man could appreciate how sinister he appeared in that moment.

“ Naw. She’s not a ring person. Her hands are webbed,” with that, he left and the door snapped shut. Lance headed across the street without looking and abandoned the clerk with the only piece of evidence that said where the two murderers had vanished to.

Neither of them knew this clerk would be the last living person to ever lay eyes on Lance Alvers.


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Up in the mountains, there was a small cave off the side of a ledge. It wasn’t too far up but it gave a nice overview of everything around. The place was somewhat cleared of brush and relativity dry. So, the two runaway mutants had chosen it as their home. Lance had a bit of difficulty locating it again, but decided to take that as a good sign. And a good sign was what he needed when he arrived back there and saw that the entire place was covered in red, sticky blood.

At first, he thought Todd had somehow gotten his hands on a camper. Then he saw all the feathers floating in the air and figured his mate had been bird watching. Although the thought didn’t exactly sit well with him, he knew it was better then the younger eating another person. So, he ignored the feathers and walked into the cave, having to bend a bit so as not to hit his head on top. He heard laughter and recoiled a bit before two hands grabbed his shoulders and he was slammed into the miserably hard rock floor.

“ You took too long. I had to eat somethin’,” Todd breathed out, licked Lance’s cheek and glaring down at him with violet gold eyes. The older mutant winced as he was licked again. Then his lover was off him and curled up on a corner behind a rather large stone.

“ I don’t mind,”

“ They wouldn’t shut the fuck up, Lance. Ya don’t understand,”

“ But I do. I understand. You needed to eat. W-”

“ YA DON’T UNDERSTAND!!” Todd’s voice echoed all around Lance, surrounding him in an angry wave that thundered about his head. Two frightened gold eyes glowed from that corner, “ It hurts. It always hurts. I can’t control it. An’ I’ma scared, Lance. I’m so fuckin’ scared. And it hurts,”

“ What hurts?” Lance crawled over to those eyes and reached forward. Right as he did, however, violet overshadowed the gold and he was pinned to the floor once more.

“ Kill!” Travis hissed, before his eyes went goldish violet. They appeared to remain there because Todd started to sob on Lance’s chest. The other mutant said nothing. He merely stroked his messy hair and tried not to bring out that other side that longed to eat something that moved, breathed, bled.

A long silence pasted between them. Todd eventually got control of his emotions and slid his body off his mate’s. Lance pulled himself back into a sitting position. More time leaked by and then they started to go through the bag. Lance, who hadn’t eaten much in the past two days, began to eat the snacks he’d bought. The younger, though, eyed the gun, which was explained only as ‘being protection’. They didn’t speak their minds about the weapon, although they both knew the other was thinking the same thing: from Travis.

Time melted away and soon darkness was settling around the cave. Lance lit a fire and draped a blanket around Todd’s shoulders, giving him a reassuring squeeze. The twilight caused bent and broken shadows to spread across the floor. Each and every one of them looked like a body twisting around in a slow, painful death and made a few tears roll down the toad’s cheeks. With no words of comfort coming, the brunette just pulled the blanket over the other’s head and laid him down to rest. He prayed things would look brighter in the morning. They could pack and head out, head towards their future somewhere where no one knew them. So, he prayed for a good morning and nothing more.

Except to live through the night.


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It hooted for the third time in the past five minutes. Todd’s eyes narrowed as he sat up in the darkness of the cave. The fire had smoldered out and his lover was sound asleep next to him. He didn’t hear the owl. But Todd did and it was keeping him awake. He had enough trouble sleeping nowadays, what with his horrifying memories and terrible dreams. The last thing he needed was some disgusting animal keeping him up when he’d finally been able to fall into a dead sleep. So, when it gave another hoot, he gritted his teeth as he got to his feet and lightly stepped out of the cave.

A cool wind whipped through the trees, the moon was nearly gone, and all was difficult to see. Yet, he could make out the outline of the offending creature. It sat perched on a branch, hooting like some deranged, mindless thing. It irritated him like nothing else and he felt that anger trickling down his spine as he scooped up a rock and took aim.

Truly, he meant to just chuck the rock and scare it off. Right before he threw it, though, a shudder of pain paralyzed him. A wordless scream broke forth as he contorted and squeezed the stone so hard his own sticky blood dripped to the floor. His head swam with raw emotion, his body was on fire, and he could hear a demonic voice in his ear. The next moment, his eyes melted away and his brain burst forward all the animal intensity that he’d been desperately trying to contain. Hands ripped his conscious backwards and the world went red for a millisecond.

Travis dropped the stone and licked his hand as he crouched down and inched forward. He wasn’t hungry. He wasn’t thirsty. His mate was keeping Todd very well fed considering the situation. No. This was about the hunt. This was solely about the hunt, about the greed, about the fun of it all. Thus, having fought his way to the front, he stalked the owl as it hooted and ruffled it’s feathers. It knew what was coming. All of them, those birds and those humans, they all knew it. But none of them expected how it was coming. And that made the mutant grin a wide, twisted smile before his tongue wrapped around the bird and it was in his mouth.

He could’ve swallowed it whole and made clean work of it. He didn’t. He bit it’s head off as it squawked and tried to fly away. Blood exploded into his mouth and he drank it down. He ran his teeth over the hole, spitting out some loose feathers. A chuckle echoed in the night before he ripped the body in two and swallowed each piece separately. His stomach, already full, ached slightly. However, he was beginning to like the pain and scanned the surrounding for something else that crawled with precious life.

“ Todd?” the voice of his mate echoed in the silence. He bent his back backwards and gave a bloody smile. Then he snaked his way over, “ T-Travis, I guess?”

“ Mate,” he whispered, stroking the cheek of his lover. The boy cleared his throat, his eyes nervously looking around at the new blood. Travis sensed discomfort. Thus he inched closer, nuzzling the nook of his beloved’s neck. Words failed him, though, as he could only grasp bits and pieces of the English his human side spoke. He tried his best to speak, to express his desires to the man in front of him despite the limitations, “ Birds? You need?”

His mate only looked confused, before saying something the monster didn’t understand. Frustration built up and he bared teeth. His mate shivered visibly, drawing away. That only enraged him further and he couldn’t stop himself. He lashed out, grabbing the boy’s neck and slamming him down against the stone. There was a crack as the skull collided with the stone and he leered over his mate, licking his lips. Blood pounded through the man’s body, getting faster and faster. Fear, the scent of it, swelled into the air, rising in waves from the man. It made Travis’ head cloudy and his eyes rolled back before his greed, his desire consumed him.

He sank his teeth into the shoulder of his mate. Blood rushed over his tongue, the taste he so longed for. But, underneath that, the clean pretty taste of his lover’s skin. He choked, coughed, and rose back up, wiping his mouth. His head hurt, he felt confusion for the first time. And that emotion ripped himself backwards for a second. He recalled the first embrace, that purity he adored, and suddenly he knew what he wanted above all else. He kissed his mate, forcing his tongue inside.

Icy water. His mouth filled with the taste of icy water. Everything ceased to exist through that kiss. His tongue ran along his mate’s, exploring his mouth, his teeth, all that was inside. His hands grasped at the floor and he pushed harder and harder. There was a noise but he ignored it as a click went off in his head. His jaw dislocated and he took the head of his lover inside him. His throat widened for the action, slime and spit making it incredibly easy. The neck slide inside, followed by the shoulders. He held them up and eased them inside, shivering as he felt the blood and relished in it’s taste. His stomach began to expand, for once the shoulders were in, the head was lowered into his stomach. Next came the waist and his throat widened even more. He fought the urge to bite down, his head swimming with desire and greed. He swallowed and he felt his lover curling up. His hands held on to the hips of his mate as he pushed them up and then they were inside as well. He nearly choked, but then the slime continued to leak out from his mouth to moisten the pants his beloved was dressed in. The fabric grew soft and he could slide the rest of the legs in shortly after. There was another pop and his jaw fixed itself.

Down Travis sank, resting his hands on either side of his large belly. Inside, he felt movement and knew his lover was getting comfortable. A smile revealed sharp fangs as he rubbed his sides, trying to soothe the boy. He felt stillness and knew all was well inside him, where his lover was bathed in love and blood. The passion made his head swim and he relaxed completely, breathing in and out deeply. There was a movement, but he just ran his fingers over the curve. A part of him wanted to leave his lover there. That way, they could be together forever. But then he would have no clean taste ever again. And he desired that almost as much as the sensation of having his mate inside.

And what a sensation it was. He felt full, completely whole. He’d become one with his love and that made his heart beat harder and harder. His eyes swam with tears as he touched the area he knew his lover’s head was. He knew where it was. He knew where all of his lover was. That was part of the pleasure. He knew exactly where to touch to relax and soothe his mate. He could make this as enjoyable for him as it was for himself. That power made him laugh out loud in the stillness of the night.

But then, he knew he had to release his lover. He moaned as he gave his stomach a push and his jaw dislocated once more. His mate slide out and spilled out onto the floor, gasping and shaking, but smiling nevertheless. Travis knew he’d enjoyed it and that smile only confirmed that thought. Smiling as well, he inched over and ran a hand over the boy’s face before tenderly, and roughly, kissing him. He tasted the bit of slime and the clean of water and the tastes blended strangely. He adored the taste and continued to kiss him, licking his lips and then his face free of the gunk. The boy quivered and said something he wasn’t sure he understood. Thus he ignored it, caressing his beloved's face in his arms, wrapping his somewhat slender body around his upper body, holding his head to his own chest and keeping one leg bent over the boy’s chest. He peered down into those brown eyes and felt more human then ever before. He longed for something aside from his natural urges.

“ Name?” he cooed out, rubbing his thumb on the soft skin of the cheek. The boy was confused, then seemed to understand.

“ Lance,”

“ Lance,” Travis repeated, before kissing him. His tongue slid from lip to temple and he smiled down at the calm face of his lover. Surely, it had been the right decision not to consume him fully. Their complete mating session could wait, he knew, as he only wished to kiss his tasty morsel. His greed wanted that innocence as he was full and had no need for blood or flesh.

“ Todd,” Lance said, breaking Travis’ smile in two. The mutant didn’t understand, as that was not his name, “ Todd... I want Todd,” he stated in a collected voice.

Travis drew back in shock and horror before he was ripped apart with a violent shudder. He screamed and screamed, everything growing black and hazy in the agony, but then his eyes bled out and Todd was left gasping for breath, bent over the rock tumbler’s sticky body. Lance sat up, grabbing his shoulder’s tightly. The younger collapsed into his arms, his body limp although he was not unconscious. The older held him tenderly, biting his lip and not saying what he’d been thinking when he’d called his teammate back to the surface. Judging by how badly Todd was shaking, he already knew. They didn’t need to say it out loud.

Pietro had been right. Travis was taking over Todd. His personality was stretching beyond food and blood and killing. He was speaking more, being more caring towards Lance. He was growing more personal. He was becoming more human. And Todd had no way of fighting him. Things were out of control, out of their hands. Lance couldn’t help but be terrified that Travis would rid himself of Todd’s personality all together one day and the boy would fully be a monster, desiring only basic, vicious needs.

More then that, though, was the fact the Travis had wanted to know Lance’s name. That was a miserable sign. It meant that he was falling in love with the older mutant. Whatever emotions the beast had held for him before, they had changed. That only complicated the problem with Travis gaining control.

Lance wasn’t in love with Travis. He was in love with Todd. But Todd was disappearing behind that blood lustful creature. That thought scared Lance so much, he could only clutch at his love’s hair and fight back tears.

He prayed Todd would still be there come morning.