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Steel was well aware of his effect on Joel, was the problem.
He held both of Joel’s wrists in one of his hands, firm and unyielding, and had him crowded against a wall in some dark alley, and the problem was that he knew.
“Let go, motherfucker,” Flint said through gritted teeth.
Steel huffed a laugh. “Like you’d want me to,” he said steadily. He looked calm, and amused, and Flint kind of wanted to punch his teeth in.
“Why else would I fucking ask?”
Steel just hummed. “You might wanna start actually trying to pull away, then.”
Joel scowled. He wasn’t actively trying to escape, that was true. And it was also true that he couldn’t quite bring himself to want to move, not when he had all of Steel’s attention for himself. But neither of those things meant Steel could call him out on it and get away with it.
Joel spat on him.
Steel immediately let go of his wrists, hands coming up to wipe the stained mask in disgust. “What was that for?”
“Take a guess,” he deadpanned.
“I regret letting you go so often, now.” Steel sighed, taking a step back. Flint did not move. “You're a real pain, did you know that?”
“Oh, you're too nice.”
Steel rolled his eyes, and that action had no business being hot, but it was because it was him, and that was infuriating.
Flint still hadn't moved.
Steel gave up on cleaning his mask, instead turning back towards him. Slowly, he stalked closer.
“Too nice?” he asked, an edge of danger to his voice. “Do you want me to stop being so nice, Flint?”
But Joel wasn’t having it. Steel was full of shit. “You’re a vigilante. Don’t pretend you’re not too righteous to properly lift a finger against me.”
“But you’re right, Flint,” he said, and he was already up against him again but that didn’t stop him from moving even closer still. “I’m a vigilante. I’ll be a criminal whether I lift a finger against you or not. Might as well, right?”
And, see, Flint had always liked a challenge. He grinned, excited and cocky. “Fucking try, cunt.”
The small detail Joel had forgotten about was that Steel could summon chains with the flick of a finger, and within seconds his arms were chained to the wall on either side of his body, which was just bloody annoying and kind of hot.
“Kinky,” Flint said, just to say something. Or for lack of brain-to-mouth filter.
“I…” Steel sighed, and it was on him; he should’ve expected it. “I hate you.”
“Then why don’t you leave me like this, call the actual heroes so they’ll lock me up, huh?” he poked. “Why do you play along?” His smile had not faltered for a second.
“Oh, don’t act like you couldn’t free yourself if you wanted to. You’re here because you want to be,” he scoffed.
“Is that a compliment I hear?”
“It’s a call-out, asshole.”
“A compliment, then.”
“As if I’d ever compliment you.”
“As if you’d need to compliment me for me to know you think I’m hot.”
Joel’s smile was sharp. He wasn’t pulling against the chains, just leaning forward ever so slightly to mess with Steel.
Steel set his jaw. “I’ll call the heroes on you.”
“And have them touch me?” Flint asked, mock surprised. “You’d let them?”
Steel didn’t respond. Flint’s grin widened.
“That’s what I thought.”
“You’re a villain. Of course I would,” Steel said, but it was too late already.
Joel laughed, only then pulling on the chains, and just so he could get closer. If anyone stumbled upon them then, they’d think all sorts of interesting things. And they wouldn’t be wrong, not entirely.
They were a sight to behold, a famous vigilante and an infamous villain. If anyone saw them…
But they wouldn’t understand them either. They’d probably think all the fights were an act or that they knew each other as civilians. They’d get it wrong. Both of those things were false, and that was what made it fun.
The thrill of a fight, in Joel’s opinion, was the best part. If Steel hadn’t chased him for fifteen minutes before pinning him against a wall, he would’ve been mad. But Steel never disappointed him.
“Pussy,” Joel said, and stopped straining against the chains. He didn’t need to; he knew Steel would cover any distance he put between them.
He was right. The second he leaned back against the wall, Steel was up against him again, maybe even closer than before. He had taken an arm up to Joel’s neck, forearm not quite pressing down but just shy of it.
“See? Pussy.”
“Don’t make me knock you down a peg,” Steel said. Joel laughed.
“I don’t think you can,” he said. “I think you’re too much of a coward.”
It was a bold statement considering Steel had him chained to a wall, an arm ready to press down and choke him, and the centimeters between their bodies were so scarce that Joel wasn’t sure he’d manage to squeeze a hand between them if he were to try. But Joel had always enjoyed riling him up.
Steel’s eyes narrowed, and he let out a long breath, and Flint wished the fucker didn’t insist that the stupid mask was necessary. A maskless Steel would open so many new and exciting doors.
“I hate that bloody mask,” Joel said, just because he could and because he loved to whine.
“I think we’ve long since proved I don't need my mouth to make you squirm,” Steel said. And oh, okay.
He’d just–
Yeah. Okay. Alright.
Steel smiled. Joel could see it in his eyes, in the way their corners crinkled, but it was far from a happy gesture.
It was predatory. He’d realized the effect that one line had had on Joel. He’d realized Joel’s hands had tightened around the chains, and that he’d stopped breathing quite right, and that he’d been rendered speechless. Steel had realized he’d won back control.
“See?” he echoed back at him, mocking him and his long-gone confidence.
“Shut up, motherfucker.”
But Steel wasn’t giving up power and, really, defensiveness had never done either of them any favors. So when Steel’s own confidence only seemed to grow at his words, Joel was fully to blame.
“You’re too easy,” Steel said, and wow okay. “I’ve barely said anything and look at you. Weren’t you supposed to be scary?”
“I said shut up.”
But Steel had long since figured out how Flint worked. He leaned in further, putting just the tiniest bit of weight onto the arm by Joel’s neck as he turned his face slightly to the left, making him look the other way, and—
“You’re fun to mess with, Flint,” Steel whispered into his ear, and between the mess that was his chest, and the slimming oxygen supply, and the fact that his face was turned the other way, Joel almost didn’t realize it.
He’d felt Steel’s breath on his ear, on his neck. Steel had lowered the mask for him.
For the first time all night, Joel felt stuck in place. Steel laughed as he backed away, eyes bright and cocky.
“Nice seeing you,” he said, and he sounded so satisfied with himself that Joel wanted to punch his teeth in again. That or rip off that goddamn mask and have him kiss him until he couldn’t think straight.
But Steel simply strode away calmly, and with him went the chains, and yet Joel didn’t move for another five minutes.
When he walked away, his steps were slow but determined.
It was fine. Flint would get him another time.