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Teruko made a mess, and David is stuck on cleanup duty. Figures that this is how things would go.
He runs a hand over his face, the fingers of his free one brushing against the secret he received. You are a murderer, and you hold no remorse. God damn it. Of course. Of course the guy that they assigned guard duty for an attempted murderer is an actual murderer. Of course that’s how things worked out.
Before David there are two choices. On the one hand, he could just make a public announcement now, telling everyone that it would be in everyone’s best interest if they freed Xander. The problem with that was there was no way David could logically argue for that without giving away that he had Levi’s secret. The only thing stupider than talking with an attempted murderer unarmed is telling a murderer that you knew he was a murderer. No one had been too terribly bent out of shape upon seeing the bruise on Xander’s chest and his bloodied, tearful face after Teruko had gone and fucked up her own interrogation, and that was how David knew he was in a den of hyenas.
Besides, David faces the possibility of retaliation if he says that. Who knows which one of them has dirt on David, and what secret could it possibly be?
No. He knows the latter.
There is the other option. Be righteous. Keep quiet, but sneak Xander out while everyone is asleep, or at least cut his binds.
But if you told David that, he would laugh. David thinks of Xander’s broken expression. That smile, bright enough to overpower even the shadows. His idiocy.
That rolling wave of anger returns, and David has to settle his beating heart. The only thing David hates more than deceiving others is others deceiving him.
Did Xander have fun, pulling one over him?
Sneaking into Xander’s room at night is a rather easy task, as he’s the one with Xander’s room key. An entrusted duty, one David wasn’t supposed to abuse.
Oh well. Too bad for Xander.
In the darkness, asleep on his side with his arms tied for everyone’s safety, Xander has an eerie sort of beauty. His unbuttoned white shirt melds with his pale skin, David’s shadow seeming to swallow Xander whole, starting with that slack expression.
David pulls Xander up by his hair, tugging him with more force than necessary. Shit, even when starved, he’s still fucking heavy. And God, this is rich coming from David, but he needs a bath.
Xander blinks the sleep from eye, seemingly unfazed by the pressure on his scalp. “Where’s your secret?” David hisses.
“...Mr. David?”
“I apologize for the use of force, but this is important,” David lies. “Where’s the secret MonoTV gave you? Quickly.”
“You would probably have an easier time finding it if you turned the lights on, Mr. David.”
Shit. “I can’t,” David lies again. “Listen, like I said, this is important. I’m not here to hurt you or kill you. I just… need to know if anyone has a reason to kill you.”
A reasonable way to test the waters. If Xander believes him, then no, Xander didn’t get his secret. If Xander doesn’t…
“Are you worried that someone is coming to kill me over the motives?” Xander answers slowly. “You think that since I can’t fight back, people are going to target me— and you, since you have my room key.”
But fuck, was dealing with Xander difficult. David hates these types, those smart hotheaded ones. The ones that were intelligent enough to take down whatever stood in their way, but just not astute enough to see that it was all pointless. You may as well protect yourself above all else, if the fight is unending anyway.
Xander continues: “Or are you worried that I got your secret?”
David grinds his teeth down as he drops Xander back down on the mattress, Xander’s face pressing into the sheets. He clambers onto the bed, where his hands dig into Xander’s pant pockets. The rebel makes a pathetic sound as David’s hands move up his bare sides, searching for the secret. David doesn’t move his fingers any higher than Xander’s ribs though, and lets out a frustrated pah sound, empty handed. Stage 2 it is. “Fine. Be like that then. When Levi comes to kill you, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Levi?” Xander repeats, confused. “Why would Levi hurt anyone?”
He rustles the secret in his pocket. In the darkness, Xander squirms, clearly understanding, though the reason for his movement, David doesn’t know. Survival instincts, perhaps? “So you do understand that I’m being serious,” David settles with. “I know you hate murderers… like yourself. I’ll tell you the secret I received, if you tell me which one you received.”
This is getting dangerous. Xander’s silence makes the darkness around them feel like a prison, an endless maw they are both ensnared in. “It isn’t yours, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Xander answers.
David shakes his head, even though Xander can only see very little of the movement. “That doesn’t tell me anything,” David says, letting out another sigh. “Unless I see the secret for myself, I can’t believe you. And knowing you… you could be covering for a secret even worse than Levi’s.” He pulls himself up off the bed, and Xander squirms again. Strange. “It’s a shame. I wish I could trust you, but you’ve proven yourself to be untrustworthy time and time again.” He starts to pull away. “Goodnight, Xander. I’ll leave—”
“No! No, please…”
“Keep your voice down,” David commands, pressing his hand down on Xander’s head. It actually keeps Xander quiet. “Come on. Don’t beg so pathetically. What do you want from me?”
“Your hand, please, please—”
“Get it together and control yourself. What about my hand?”
David doesn’t expect the next thing that comes out of Xander’s mouth. “Please, just touch me again. Please.”
The inspirational speaker tries not to gape. “Are you making fun of me? Or is this an advanced form of sexual harassment I’ve been unaware of?” He slaps Xander straight across the face, and Xander makes a hiccuping sound. “Like that?”
God, it was incredible how much they’d broken this man down after a measly three days, though David suspects Teruko’s involvement earlier had something to do with Xander’s state. “You’re acting really pitiful,” David says, almost remorseful. “How about this: I’ll keep touching you, only if I can give you a bath, and you tell me where your secret is.”
This is dangerous. He’s about to make a very risky, risky bet. Like a gambler that won’t leave the casino without any winnings, David isn’t just playing stupid, he’s going for broke. If Xander decides to attack him once he unties Arei’s rope, David is, for lack of a better term, utterly fucked. He saw what Xander did to that table, from better days.
Another danger: the water. The rooms aren’t soundproof, and David doesn’t know if Teruko can hear the water from the bath running, and if she catches him now... David flicks the bathroom light on. “Against my better judgement, I’m choosing to trust you on this. Don’t—”
Xander dares to interrupt him. “I understand, Mr. David.” Cooperatively, Xander holds his hands out for David to untie. “And I won’t get in your way.”
“Good.” Slowly and deliberately, David removes Xander’s bindings from his arms. The ropes falls on the bathroom tiles in a coil, snakelike. David thinks about taking it away for a brief moment, before the reality hits him: when did he become scared of Xander? Deep down, David knows when it happened, but he would rather die than acknowledge that Xander’s words meant something.
David starts the water, carefully measuring the temperature so that it’s not too hot or too cold. This isn’t meant to be torture, though how Xander takes this is entirely up to him. Xander shrugs his unbuttoned shirt off before the rest follows including his eyepatch, baring his broken soul to David. He has to look away. “Just get in.”
The taller man clings to the tub as David dunks his head under the water to wet his hair. When he brings Xander back up, David says, “I’m being kind, you know.”
Shampoo first. Xander closes his remaining eye. “Yes, I know.”
David rinses the rest out, carefully taking his time running his fingers through Xander’s hair. “Whose secret did you get?”
“Arei’s,” Xander answers. Hm. David will verify the truth of that soon. He lathers the body soap in his hands. “Thank you, Mr. David.”
“What? For touching you?”
“That, and for doing this. Despite how cruel you were acting, you were kind to bathe me. You know that tomorrow, whoever comes to guard me next will figure out you did this for me, right?”
“... I know,” David admits. “I just think that someone should do this for you. Is it unfair of me to want a reward?”
He has no idea what Xander has figured out at this point. His eye doesn’t give away anything at all, no sadness, no grief, not even anger at David’s blatant abuse. “I don’t think so. It isn’t that you want a reward.. your secret it must be—”
Xander gasps as David’s hands find the gooseflesh of his neck. “Mr. David—”
“Don’t.” David growls. “Didn’t you say you were going to treat me like a normal person? Drop that— stop calling me ‘mister.’ Or else,” David pulls his hands away. “I just can’t stand that. Especially from you, in spite of everything.”
“I’m sorry. I told you I would, didn’t I?”
“You did,” David agrees, rubbing the soap on Xander’s back. He thinks about, maybe, just maybe, rubbing some lotion into that wound on Xander’s head. Fuck, this hurts. Even if he’d never come here tonight, Xander probably already knew everything. He’s intuitive in all the worst ways. “Why do you let this happen to you?” David can’t help but ask. “You had already chosen violence— you could easily fight your way out of your imprisonment. Like you said you would.”
Xander looks away as David rinses the soap from the top half of Xander’s body away. “Because,” Xander starts, dooming David. “When you’re tired, when you know you deserve to be punished— even if it isn’t making up for anything at all, doesn’t it feel better when you’re hurt instead of remembering?”
David can’t answer. Pin-like prickles run down David’s body, from his head to his toes.
“I’ll keep your secret,” Xander whispers, like a reverent prayer as David’s hands move toward his legs. “I promise.”
In the end, Xander tells him that Arei’s secret is in one of his uniform blazers, the one under the first one folded neatly inside Xander’s drawers. He goes back to the illuminated bathroom to read the slip of paper and find that yes, Xander was telling the truth. Blackmail, rumors, lying, stealing, slander. You did everything you could to ruin your sisters’ lives. So he’s got another one of those types to contend with, huh?
Xander might not be able to see him in the dark as David turns off the last remaining light source, but Xander must know he’s not getting this back. He’s coherent enough to understand that, arms bound again and back on his side, his wet hair like a bloody halo.
David places a kiss on Xander’s limp form. He thinks of Xander’s promise, smiles bitterly and thinks he won’t.