Chapter Text
The DeadSec headquarters are quiet at night, it’s something that Josh is thankful for. Reggie and Jackson are the only ones here with him, everyone else has already gone home for the night.
Josh has been absorbed in his work for the last few hours. He finally looks at the clock and notices that it’s 11:30, realising why he’s so tired. He looks over at Reggie and Jackson who were having fun working on something.
“Hey Wrench, I’m going to head home” He calls out, beginning to get up.
Reggie looks up from where he is, looking slightly disappointed, “Oh, yeah, course, give me like two seconds to get ready”
Josh looks at him “Wrench, stay here with Jackson, the two of you are having fun, I can find my way back tonight” he begins to walk towards the door.
Reggie looks at him “Are you sure?”
Josh nods “I know my way back to your apartment, have fun, okay?”
Reggie nods back at him “Call me if you need anything”
Josh leaves the headquarters and begins to walk home, he knows the way since he and Reggie had made this walk many times throughout his time here.
It was about 10 minutes into his walk that Josh began to feel his anxiety beginning to creep into his mind, a strange feeling of being followed.
He didn’t want to bother Reggie, he’d be worried if Josh called him now. Instead, he decides to talk to someone else “Hey Bagley?” He asks, hoping the AI could hear him.
In his ear, he heard a familiar response “Yes Josh, how can I help you?”
“Nothing urgent, I just wanted someone to talk to on the way home, I didn’t want to worry Reg”
It’s silent for a moment “...Oh…”
Josh falters “Is that…okay?”
When Bagley speaks again he somehow sounds flustered “Of course it’s okay, it’s just that people don’t usually just want to have a conversation with me, they usually just ask me to do all the hard stuff they’re too lazy to do”
00111100 00110011
The next few minutes are enjoyable. Bagley makes for a good conversationalist when you can get past his unending sarcasm.
That enjoyment ends when someone grabs his hoodie and forces him into an alley.
He looks up to see who it is and his blood runs cold when he sees Zane smiling face looking back at him. Although he tries not to let it show.
“Zane?” His voice barely comes out “What’s happening?” he can see some people behind him, probably his goons. Zane himself has a sinister smile on his face.
The men behind him and glazing and Josh, looking like wolves waiting to pounce.
Zane walks up to him, “Well hello there Joshua, what are you doing here this late?” There’s a tone in his voice that Josh doesn’t recognise, it scares him.
“I, Uh,” He can’t find his words “I was just working some overtime tonight, walking home wasn’t my favourite idea but I’m sure you remember how much I hate buses” He pauses “What are you doing out here?”
Zane chuckles, low and dangerous “Well we were actually looking for you, I wanted to have a talk with my old friend when your little date wasn’t around…or anyone else for that matter”
“Uh…” Josh hesitates, he doesn’t know what to do.
He hears Bagley crackle to life in his ear “Josh, whatever he wants it can’t be good. Wrench and Jackson and on their way just hang on and stay alive”
Josh looks up at Zane, “What did you want to talk about? And how did you know to find me here?”
Zane once again steps closer, his goons staying back by the entrance “Well Joshua,” His name was laced with a venomous tone “I asked some of my boys to keep an eye on you, I was concerned about you after all, and they noticed something very interesting”
Josh swallows the lump in his throat, trying not to panic.
Zane leans in, far too close for a normal conversation, “You always seem to go home from the same bar almost every night with someone I could’ve sworn you said you haven’t seen in years” The smile completely drops from Zane’s face and he walks forward, pushing Josh further into the alley and forcing his back into a wall. His hand slams right next to Josh’s head, blocking him in.
“I’m sure you can figure out who I’m talking about Joshua, and you have some explaining to do” He has a dangerous glint in his eye and Josh has a feeling that nothing he says will change to outcome of this encounter.
“I only ran into him after I spoke to you” Josh tries “I’ve just been so busy with work that it slipped my mind, that’s all” There’s a clear shake in his voice, betraying his state to the man in front of him.
“Now Joshua,” His voice still sounds friendly “We both know perfectly well that you don’t forget things unless you purposely choose to ignore them, which I must say, is incredibly rude” Josh can see him pull a knife out, his voice dropping any false friendliness he still had “But that’s not surprising coming from an emotionally incompetent idiot like you, not taking others feelings into the equation”
Josh is trembling and his knees feel like they're about to collapse on him “I-I didn’t mean anything by it, Zane, I’ve just known Wrench for longer and-”
The knife comes down and slashes him across the cheek, he can feel drops of blood beginning to drip down.
He finds himself frozen, staring at the pavement wishing he had a god to pray to.
He once again hears Bagley in his ear “Just a bit longer Josh, the boys are almost there”
“Now Josh,” Zane brings a hand up to Josh’s chin, forcing him to look at him “Don’t worry, I’m not going to kill you, I mean, I can’t teach you a lesson if your dead” he laughs “Can I be honest Joshua? I think I made the wrong choice, I was ambitious and tried to go after someone with too much fight” He leans forward so that their noses are touching “I should’ve stuck to my gut and gone after you”
The hand on his face slowly moves down to Josh’s chest “But that can always be fixed, after all, you’ve always been too pathetic to stop me”
Josh can finally feel tears begin to fall, his voice is weak and shaky but he tries “Zane, please-” Only to be cut off by Zane’s forearm slamming into his throat, cutting off any words left and making it hard to breathe. Zane’s body is pushing him against the wall, pinning him where he is.
“NO TALKING!” he yells, Josh flinching at the noise. “If I’m already teaching you a lesson do you really want to get into more trouble?”
Josh tries to talk but he can’t, words just aren’t coming out.
“Well, Joshua? I’m waiting” Josh shakes his head.
Zanes smiles again, “Good, now, what to do?”
The hand not against his throat touches his face, tracing over his lips. Zane’s leg pushes between his, putting uncomfortable pressure against his crotch.
Zane leans his head back and groans, “Oh Joshua,” he looks back at him “You don’t know how long I’ve waited to feel you”
He surges forward and forces Josh into a kiss, hard and bruising as he forces his tongue into his mouth.
He separates from Josh with a moan and a laugh “You feel better than I imagined, I’m keeping you”
His hand snakes under Josh’s hoodie and when Josh feels his hand on his stomach he wants to throw up.
Zane pushes forward again, putting more pressure on his crotch as he begins to grind his leg. “I bet you’re mouth would feel great around my dick”
He grabs the side of Josh’s head “Would you like that Joshua?” he licks from Josh’s bruised neck to his mouth, once again forcing him into a kiss.