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“Fuck.”
Alex had to struggle to avoid crushing the phone in his hand like the weak piece of metal and plastic it was. It had been acting strange for a few days now, randomly opening or closing apps, shutting down for no reason, not sending notifications. It was infuriating, and now, it wouldn’t let him contact his minions for an update about the repairs on his arctic base.
With an angry huff, he shoved the phone into his pocket. He’d have one of his minions look at it later. Right now he needed to blow off some steam, and he knew just what little punching bag to use.
It had been four days since Morgan claimed they were going to start fighting back, but nothing had come of it yet.
The coward.
The little shit had gotten better at predicting Alex’s antics, though, managing to dodge several of his recent attacks. It was starting to get under the villain’s skin.
His long stride made short work of the distance as he headed towards the barn, but he slowed as he neared the slightly ajar door.
Was Morgan laughing?
It was a bright and happy sound that had an uncomfortable feeling squirming through the monster’s gut. He wanted to hear it again.
A shake of his head allowed Alex to dispel the thoughts as he stepped closer. He could hear Morgan inside and… were they talking to someone?
“You have to meet my new friend! He’s such a handsome young man.” The farmhand’s tone was warm and smooth, as if talking to a person they cared about. “He has those gorgeous gold eyes, and he’s just the sweetest thing.”
The words made Alex stop stone still and his face heated. The insane urge to run exploded inside of him, the same one that had driven him to flee after seeing Morgan shirtless beside the truck. The memory only intensified the feeling, but Alex forced himself forward, pushing open the barn door to see what was going on.
Morgan stood in the stable with Roxi, a beautiful chestnut mare, and they were brushing her out with long, gentle strokes. Alex paused, turning and looking around, but he found no one the other could have been talking to. Nothing seemed out of place. Animals were in their proper stalls, tack and tools hung in their proper places, and the floor was covered with the proper amount of straw and dust.
When his eyes panned back to the farmhand, he was met with two mildly curious stares, the expected green one, and an unexpected golden one.
Alex stared at the cat on Morgan’s shoulder, understanding dawning as the animal hissed at him. Morgan just chuckled. “Don’t worry about him, Sergeant.” Morgan said in that same normal tone. “He’s just upset that he will never be as handsome as you.”
The farmhand, turned back to finish brushing the horse as Alex let out a huff. “What kind of psychopath talks to a cat in a normal voice?” He hissed.
Morgan just rolled their eyes, though they smiled when the cat started kneading their shoulder and purring contentedly.
The sight was enough to make Alex stare in confusion. He knew this cat. He’d been hanging around the barn for nearly ten years now, and he had always been completely feral. “How did you do that?” He asked.
“Do what?” Morgan asked, starting to collect their tools.
“He likes you…” Alex said, watching the cat arch against the side of Morgan’s head. “He doesn’t like anyone.”
Morgan shook their head at the observation. “I didn’t do anything but allow him to come to me on his own terms.” They corrected.
“Oh…”
“Yeah. That works with feral beasts…” The said, pausing as they turned to look Alex over from head to toe. “Most of the time.”
Alex snorted at the quip. He really should have expected it, but the irritation caused by his phone had him on edge. “Cute.” He hissed.
“Yes, I thought so.” Morgan said, reaching up to scratch behind the cat’s ear.
The words were so casual, not an ounce of frustration in them, that it made Alex sneer. He wanted to get under this intruder’s skin, make them bristle the way they had before. Maybe this time he could tempt Morgan into striking. The thought of the other breaking their hand on his face was all too enticing, and he knew exactly what buttons to press. “You must think you’re so special, huh?” Alex asked, sarcasm dripping from his tone.
“No, not particularly.”
Alex barely listened to the response, ready to pull out his trump card. “Don’t lie to me.” He hissed, starting to walk to the other side of the barn. “You may have grown up with heroes, but you are nothing but a pathetic little E tier screw up.”
He could hear the other’s movement’s still, but the voice that came when the other spoke was just as calm as ever… how infuriating.
“Was there meant to be a point somewhere in there?”
Alex glanced back at the other hoping for some flicker of anger or pain, but they just had that annoying poker face on. He was about to drive the knife deeper, when the world seemed to shift around him. There was a soft thwip before a rope tightened around his ankle, pulling his feet out from under him and letting him land flat on his back with a harsh thud. He only had a moment to gasp in a breath before he felt more ropes tightening around him, yanking him into the air and suspending him, upside down, in a rather uncomfortable position.
The sound of footsteps came near, pausing for a moment as Morgan seemed to pick something up off of the ground before continuing around to where Alex could see them. The smug smile on their face should have infuriated him, but he found himself just a bit impressed by this trap. Nevertheless, anger filled his tone. “What the fuck is this?” He demanded.
Morgan casually slipped something into their pocket, but Alex didn’t pay any attention to it. “What is what?”
A growl filled the room as Alex tried to free his arms, having to be careful not to accidentally snap the rope. “This… fucking rope thing?”
The ineffectual struggling drew an amused chuckle from the farmhand. “Oh, the trap?” They purred, examining their nails. “Well, there has been this cayote causing problems, so I promised your dad that I would make some traps to help.”
Alex paused at the words, eying the other in confusion. “This is a cayote trap?”
Morgan shook their head, seeming to try and wave off of such a foolish notion. “Of course not. I would never hang an innocent beast upside down to suffer.” They assured, before gesturing to the web of pullies and ropes with a smirk. “This is an asshole trap.”
His eyes narrowed into a hard glare at the words, and Alex moved to relax in the bonds for a moment. “Haha, very funny.” His tone made the lie obvious. “Ok, you got me. Now let me down.”
Morgan took a moment to consider the other, taking in the sight with far too much satisfaction for Alex’s taste. “Hmmm. No thanks…” They said, starting to walk away.
Alex was genuinely surprised for a moment. How did Morgan expect a normal person to get out of this? He started to struggle again. “Are you really going to leave me like this?!”
“Yup!” Morgan didn’t hesitate, not even slowing their stride. “I’m sure you can figure out this pathetic little E tier screw up’s trap by morning.” They chimed, before the door closed, leaving Alex alone in a dark barn.
Well, not alone.
The cat leapt over to him, hissing and spitting at the bound villain before climbing into the hayloft.
“Yeah, well, fuck you too, buddy.” Alex hissed, teleporting to stand beside the trap.
He spent several minutes trying to figure out the mess of ropes before finally giving it up. He had to admit, if only to himself, that it was a good trap, but that didn’t quench the anger building inside him.
He stormed out of the barn, beelining right for the guest house. Yanking the door open, he stepped in… and froze. It was a mess.
The guest house was one large room with a small corner walled off for the a toilet and shower. Cabinets lined one wall, holding an oven and a sink, with a small refrigerator at the end, and there was a full sized bed, small table and chairs, and a couch and coffee table.
Not that you could see much of that at all.
The bed was covered in clothes, the pile spilling over the floor. Dishes were stacked high on the countertops, and a tool box was open on the table. At least half of the tools were missing, seemingly scattered around the room along side random junk like old sheet metal, angle iron, jars of screws and the like.
“Who is it?”
The question snapped Alex out of his shock, and he turned to see Morgan sprawled out on the couch, one leg outstretched on the cushions and the other propped up on the back. They were in threadbare sweatpants and a stained T shirt, and their hair was held back with what appeared to be a twist tie.
The farmhand didn’t even look up, staring through a pair of glasses at some contraption in their hand as the worked on it with a screwdriver. “Oh Alex? Yes, please come in!” Morgan chimed sarcastically. “Thank you so much for respecting my boundaries and knocking.”
Alex’s eyes darkened at the words, and he huffed out a breath. “Very funny, you little shit.”
“Yes, I thought so.” Morgan said around the popsicle stick they were chewing on.
Alex propped his hands on his hips, his glare never waivering. “What the fuck was that about?!” He demanded.
The sigh Morgan gave almost seemed like one of disappointment. “You’re the one who wanted to play this game, Alex.”
“And you’re the one who wanted to make sure my parents stayed out of this!” Alex snapped back, meeting the other’s bord tone with unbridled anger. “If they’d seen that, they would know something was up!” The thought enraged him. Morgan had no way of knowing about his powers, that much was obvious from the threats they had made before. So why would they think that was a good idea unless they had been lying about wanting to protect the older Stewarts?
Morgan just shrugged, seemingly unphased by the monster yelling at them. “They’re in the city for date night.” They said.
“Yeah?” Alex hissed, watching as the other grabbed a screw from the mess of a coffee table without looking, and started inserting that into their project. “And what if I had called them for help?”
“You can’t.”
Those two words made Alex pause, and he considered the other, unable to see the their eyes at this angle. “What?”
“Your phone isn’t working.” Morgan said simply.
Suspicion started to creep though Alex at the words. “How do you know that?” He asked, letting his tone reflect this new mood.
“I have many skills, Alex.” Morgan said, that bored tone taking on a hint of condescension. They took the popsicle stick out of their mouth and flicked it onto a pile that Alex could only assume was once a trash can. “And while I like helping your family around the farm with them, I’m more than willing to use them to spite you.”
Morgan finally let their feet drop to the floor as they sat up properly, turning a look to Alex that matched their bored tone.
But something was wrong.
Alex met the brown gaze with confusion. “Wait… What happened to your eyes?”
A smirk broke through Morgan’s bored expression at the question and they shook their head. “Nothing.” They purred, amusement breathing life into their voice. They reached up, pulling the glasses off and twirling them casually as their green gaze was revealed. “Why do you ask?”
Alex hand snapped to his own face, and he was surprised to find no glasses there.
“You’re blind, by the way.” Morgan said, tossing the glasses up a few times before throwing them to Alex, who caught them in one hand.
Golden eyes stared at the frames he held, trying to decide how to handle this new turn of events. “You know who I am…” He said simply.
“Yeah.”
That confirmed it. He needed to kill this person right here, right now. And yet, his feet remained rooted to the spot. He had never once in his life hesitated to kill someone… until now.
This was concerning…
“Was there supposed to be more to that, or do you just enjoy stating random facts for no reason?”
Morgan’s sarcastic interjection snapped Alex out of his thoughts and he looked back up at the smaller person. “I’m just waiting for you to realize that the only chance you have of surviving this is fleeing for your life.” He said, crossing his arms.
A hearty laugh was not the reaction he expected from the other, but at this point he was a fool to be surprised. “What’s so funny?” Alex hissed, arching a brow.
Morgan leaned back a bit, an arm over their abdomen as they let their laughter die down to a chuckle. “You must think I’m a fucking idiot.”
They must have seen Alex’s confusion on his face, because they continued. “First of all, Alex, running from you in no way improves my chances of surviving this. Nothing I can possibly do can stop you if you were set on my death.” They said it so casually, it left Alex speechless. Not that Morgan seemed to mind. “Besides, if you were going to kill me, you would have done it already. I don’t know what’s stopping you, but something is. If I had to guess, it’s that your parents like me.”
Alex stared for a long moment, before cocking his head to the side. He didn’t understand this person, but the desire to was starting to build to and uncomfortable level. “You are and idiot…” He grumbled.
Morgan gave an exasperated groan at the response. “Yes, we’ve established that you think that.” They said, waving a hand in the air. “Next point, please.”
“You’re not afraid of me.”
Another laugh set Alex back once more. This little shit simply refused to react in a predictable way.
“Of course I’m afraid of you, Alex.” Morgan confessed, though the cheerful tone didn’t match their words. “I’m fucking terrified. That changes nothing, though.” They set their contraption on top of a precarious stack of newspapers and stood, stepping up to Alex as if they were the terrifying one here. The villain had to lock himself down to avoid backing up a step. “I may be minnow, but I’ve been swimming with the sharks my whole life. And you know what?” Morgan leaned in, and Alex could feel a heat in his cheeks at the closeness. “I like it.” They whispered as if it were some sordid secret.
“…what?” Was all Alex could manage as the other straightened again.
The farmhand laughed. “There is nothing I enjoy more than a good near death experience, and this seems pretty near death to me… wouldn’t you agree?” They said with a furtive grin. The moment passed between the two before Morgan turned away. “Besides, this means I don’t have to hold back.”
Alex breathed a silent sigh of relief as Morgan started back for their seat. He wasn’t keen on the way his chest tightened when the other was so close. The way his heart quickened, and his breath caught in his throat. “Hold back?” he repeated, unsure of what his little opponent of his was insinuating.
“Your parents love you, Alex, and I would never hurt something they love.” Morgan said, flopping gracelessly back on the couch with a smirk. “But I can’t hurt you, can I?”
Understanding dawned as Alex watched Morgan go back to work on their contraption. How was he supposed to respond to that? Things with this person had already gotten so complicated with the way they made him feel… well… Morgan simply made him feel.
They were interesting, and unexpected. Alex didn’t want to snuff out this new toy he’d found. Not yet at least. But then… there was his parents to consider.
“Fix my phone.”
The demand seemed to catch Morgan off guard and they glanced skeptically up at the villain. “Why would I do that?” They asked, clearly having no intentions of obeying.
Alex sighed, pulling the phone out of his pocket and offering it to the other. “My parents call this number when they need me.” He said. “If they were in trouble, this is how I would know.”
There was a moment of hesitation before Morgan leaned back on the couch once more, ignoring Alex to pull out their own phone and start tapping away at the screen.
The reaction pissed Alex off, but he took a deep breath to avoid doing something stupid. “Fix the damn phone, Morgan.” He ordered, thrusting the device towards the other.
Morgan didn’t look up from their screen, that bored condescension returning. “I am.” They said.
“What?” Alex asked, jumping slightly when their phone started vibrating off the hook with incoming messages. He glanced down to scroll through them slowly.
“You really know nothing about hacking, do you?” Morgan said, not giving Alex the chance to answer before continuing. “And, for the record, I would never leave them stranded. I was intercepting your messages.”
It took a moment for the words to sink in as Alex stared at his screen, eyes locking on texts from his minions saying that his lair was fully operational once again. His eyes flicked up to meet a knowing look from Morgan and the realization that the other held the winning card in their hand came over him.
“I’m not going to tell your parents.” Morgan assured.
The words only set Alex further on the back foot. “Why the hell wouldn’t you?” He asked. If his parents knew his lair was finished, he would have no excuse to stay. If he tried, they would have questions that Alex didn’t want to answer.
Morgan’s face twisted into a scowl. “Wow, you really think I’m a conniving little shit, don’t you?” The words were spat like poison, and it was clear that this wasn’t a game anymore. At least not in this moment. “If I was going to use your parents to get rid of you, I would have done it after that first truck ride. I would never have endured your childish antics, or lied to them about what was happening.
“I meant what I said, Alex. I won’t bring your parents into this. You being an asshole has nothing to do with them…” When they finished their verbal lashing, they turned back towards their project. “Now get out.”
Alex stood still for several beats, watching the other starting to fit a piece into the contraption. He had nothing to say to that. What could be said? Morgan just admitted they knew, and had known, how easy it would be to get rid of this threat to themselves. They had taken pains to ensure his parents were not affected by their own schemes in this game.
All Alex could do was turn and walk out of the building, closing the door softly behind him.
He stood on the porch for another minute, just thinking. Had he misjudged this situation? He suddenly wasn’t so confident in his own motivations.
With a sigh, he stepped down off the porch, and into a sudden, crushing pain. “Fuck!” He snarled, looking down to see something resembling a bear trap clamped around his leg, digging in deeply enough that he could feel the teeth scraping bone. He turned his golden glare to the door. “Morgan! Is this one of your cayote traps?” He called.
“That one is multifunctional!”
The answer made Alex growl, and he stomped down on the trap until it resembled a piece of postmodern art.
As he stormed away to dispose of his ruined pants, he could swear he heard Morgan laughing.