Chapter Text
“Daithi! Help Keviel!” Brian shouts quickly from the other end of the room.
Daithi delivers a swift but clumsy punch to the security guard occupying him before he bolts away, rushing towards the fusion in peril and prying desperately at the metal bounds that secure Keviel’s wrists together. Keviel hyperventilates and thrashes about in attempts to help free himself, but the locks remain shut tight around each limb, and the collar forced onto him digs against his throat and holds his breath hostage.
Daithi tugs furiously at the locks in frustration “I can’t… fockin’... Brine! Fusion!” He calls and reaches an arm out to his friend.
Brian shields Seán from an attack on his side and cuts the man down with a precise slash of his sword. Brian and Seán dance around each other as if perfectly in sync and Brian beelines straight to Daithi, dematerialising his sword before his hand comes into contact with his friend’s.
Seán wrestles with the man still trying to snatch his axe from his hands, and resorts to delivering a sneaky kick in the knees which throws him off balance and makes him fall to the ground. A pained and grizzly shout behind him calls for Seán’s attention, and he flings his head around to see not two or three, but four of Spiffs bodyguards forcing one of the restraint collars onto Daian, who looked to be freshly formed — or close to falling apart — by the goldenrod streaks on his arms and face.
Dread twisted through Seán’s gut as he cried out, “No!” and sprinted towards his allies in distress. But as quickly as the battle had started, it ended: at least to Seán, when a well aimed fist collided with his face and severed his conscience from all of his senses.
“Let go of me, you— AGH, FUCK!”
A dreadfully familiar voice tsked from a few feet ahead, sounding all too calm compared to the other person’s scream. “Are all fusions incapable of learning from past mistakes, or must we treat you like a dog?”
“I am not a—SHIT!”
Seán jolted as a second zap shrieked through his ears. He pried open the eye not pressed into the floor, and gazed blearily around at the blurry scenery.
“Daian, stop it! They’re just gonna keep hurting you!” A voice — Keviels voice — pleaded hopelessly.
Seán rolled his head to look at his friends, resting his chin on the floor and squinting at what his eyes would not adjust to. As his vision cleared, he could begin to make out the four-armed fusion bound with many large metal frames to keep him in place, and the much more human-looking fusion in a no less precarious position.
“Wha… Daian?” Seáns words slurred as his chin dug into the hardwood. The foot pressed between his shoulder blades jabbed in sharply, sending a wave of pain up his spine. Though it aided him in gaining back his senses, it forced a groan out of him that brought all eyes on him.
“Well, would you look at that! Sleepy little McLoughlin finally woke up from his nap. Did you have a good sleep?”
Seán groaned blearily. He craned his neck as far back as he could to look at the man crouched down before him. The knowing smile on his face and the suit coloured with an all-too-pretty pink ignited a Pavlovian reaction within him. “You fucker.”
Spiff’s smile was not hidden by his fake pout. “Aww, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”
Seán went to push himself off the ground, but could not fight against the foot keeping him pinned down. “Get off‘ve me.”
“No, no, no. Not until we get these things locked up and ready for some fun new tests,” Spiff smirked as he stood.
“Wait, wait, wait— no!” Seán panted weakly.
The men who had prepared to drag Keviel and Daian away hesitated, and Spiff queried, “Oh? Do you object?”
“Of course I do, you fuckin’ gobsite. Those are my friends.”
Spiff looked back at the restrained fusions and laughed heartily. “Oh, my mistake — I thought they were your dogs!”
Seán gritted his teeth and pushed against the foot on his back again, though to no avail. “You better get that shit off of them! If you hurt them, I swear to Christ—!”
“I’m so sorry, McLoughlin. I’m afraid I couldn’t, even if I wanted to.” Spiff knelt down in front of Seán again, and presented his bare palm to him. “I regret to inform you that the disarming device was accidentally implanted in my palm. How silly of me!”
Seán’s eyes widened as he noticed a diagonal scar, precise and surgical, following one side of his palm to the other. It was exactly like the one which remained on his own. And Kevin’s. And Brian’s, and Daithi’s, and Daniel’s.
“I can’t seem to get it to activate, no matter how much I try,” Spiff pouted as he poked uselessly at his hand. “Though I don’t suppose you might be able to operate it, would you?”
“No!” Seán snapped. “I’m not going to fuse with you, you dirty cheating scumbag!”
Spiff frowned as he watched Seán struggle in his restrained tantrum. He let out a heavy sigh. “What a shame. I guess we will have no choice but to let these dogs of yours be taken away.”
All but two of the men took hold of Daian, as the final two took to Keviel and began dragging the panicked and frenzied fusions away.
“Wait—wait no, hold on!”
Spiff raised his hand, and each of his grunts halted on command. With a barely restrained grin, Spiff turned to look down at Seán.
He shuffled around on the ground roughly to move his arm beside his head, and thrust it out begrudgingly.
He could see the distress on Keviel’s face and Daian’s eyes widened from behind Spiff. “Seán, what the fuck are you doing?!” Daian shouted.
Seán’s eyes squeezed in shame and he winced, burying his face in the floor. “Just fuckin’ fuse with me, okay?”
Spiff knelt down carefully before Seán once again. Each movement was precise and deceivingly gentle, matching the devilishly warm smile he bore. The way he held himself had always ignited a rage in Seán, but this time, the fire was roaring more ferociously than ever as he ruminated over the unfairness of this situation; how Spiff had caught them off guard, surprised them with an ambush, and weaponised unfamiliar technology. The seething rage which threatened to burst out of his trembling body nearly did when he heard the pleased declaration of victory Spiff said to him.
“I thought you’d never ask.”