Chapter Text
"Fuck collars," Kota growls, squeezing his hands into fists. "We can take him, we don't fucking need it!" As predicted, he lunges for Virion's hand, and then, also as predicted, tries to climb up his companion's side to get the key from him when the taller villain holds his arm up.
"I told you, he can go through things. And it won't be forever, so suck it up." Virion pushes Kota away with his free hand and shoves the key into his pocket. "The heroes can get it off themselves after we get what we need."
"That's stupid! Take it off!" Kota snaps his teeth at Virion, and gets pushed away again for his trouble.
"We can't! He'll escape, and then we're fucked!" Virion turns to face Kota fully and takes half a step forward, and Kota refuses to move back. "If he gets out, he'll bring his team back here, and we'll be surrounded and outnumbered, and they'll put us both in collars and you'll go back in the cage. Is that what you want?"
Kota bares his teeth in a snarl and begins to pace the hall, and Virion settles.
They wait a few more minutes for their hostage to awaken, Kota occasionally putting his ear to the door. They've put a lock on a windowless room in their hideout for him, and a stolen twin sized mattress. Not even a secondhand one, they got it new.
Finally, Kota freezes, and looks to the door with wide eyes. Vyncent takes his cue to walk in.
The pale young man lying on the bare mattress winces as a hand moves up to his head, eyes still closed. Virion hadn't hit him hard enough to make him bleed, but there is a good size goose egg there, and it stings to the touch.
He hisses as he pulls his hand away, and slowly cracks his eyes open. Where the hell...?
"Hello, Whisper." Virion speaks suddenly, and their hostage jumps, bolting upright. And then he sinks back down, clutching his head with a whine.
"Who...? Wha's happening?" He mumbles, squinting his eyes open and peering across the plain bedroom.
At least the lights are dim in here, Virion thinks. The thin hero is already concussed, they don't need to add to the pain without reason.
"It doesn't matter who we are," Virion says, at the same time Kota puffs his chest up and says "We're gonna sell you."
"I- what?!" The hero's voice pitches up in fear, and he visibly flinches when Virion swats Kota in the back of the head.
"We're not selling him!" Virion says firmly, and then looks back to the hero. "We're not selling you. We're holding you hostage, and trading you back to the heroes in exchange for money and cool weapons."
The hero blinks slowly. "Oh. Uh.....no, that's okay. Thanks, though." For a split second, just a fraction of a fraction, his fingertips begin to go invisible, and then a tiny light on the power restriction collar around his neck flashes red.
The hero jolts, his eyes going wide, and buckles forward. His hands fly to the collar, thick and metallic, and the noise he lets out is strangled and wet. He slumps down slightly when it ends, gasping for breath. It takes him a few seconds to sit back up, and he's swaying as he does so. "Fuck," he mutters, and looks away as he clears his eyes of involuntary tears.
Virion watches silently, and the key is practically burning in his pocket. Kota said the power of the shock in the collar was directly tied to how powerful you were (actually, his exact words were "The more power you're trying to use, the more it fucking sucks"), and Virion knows it's for the best that Whisper is in it. He remembers the burning pain of it when he tried to call upon his own magic and was forced to the floor, back before his escape with Kota.
"Take it easy, Whisper," he advises, vaguely aware of Kota pacing the room again. The floor squeaks and his partner growls softly. "We're not planning to hurt you, but we have to keep you here. You get it."
"I mean I understand, but you're still an asshole for it." Whisper glares at him, and Kota lets out a surprised laugh. "And it's Whisper er."
"Whatever," Virion waves a hand. "I just wanted to let you know what's going on. This will go a lot smoother if you cooperate, and you can't do that if you don't know anything."
Whisperer blinks. "That...makes sense. And you're not going to torture me?"
Virion glances at Kota, who looks confused. "Do you want us to?"
Whisperer quickly shakes his head, and then hisses and holds a hand to his temple. "No, no, that's okay, don't let me impose. Just...I'm just checking. I don't think this is gonna go how you guys want, and I don't want you to get mad at me for it."
"Is that a threat?" Kota takes a menacing step forward, and Whisperer flinches back.
"No!" He says quickly. "No, no, I just mean- they might not agree to the trade, is all. And I'll have nothing to do with it, but sometimes hostages get murdered, and- yeah. This is all...a lot."
"Relax, both of you." Virion says calmly, putting a hand on Kota's shoulder. "We're not planning to hurt or maim or kill our only leverage. But you're powerful, so it'll be easier to get shit done without you in the way."
"The recognition I wanted comes from villains," Whisperer mutters. "Cool."
Virion laughs in spite of himself. "Don't be a baby about this. They need you, so I don't think it'll be more than a couple days, and we'll feed you actual food and everything."
"It's pizza." Kota adds.
"It's pizza." Virion nods.
Whisperer stares at them for a moment, and then slowly nods back. "Yeah...pizza. Okay. That's cool."
Virion turns away and opens the door, gesturing for Kota to leave first. "Don't get too comfortable," he says, slipping a key from his pocket. "Someone will be back in a few hours with dinner."
Whispered doesn't reply, and Virion closes and locks the door.
Kota gives him a toothy grin. "I think that went good!"