Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Flawn wasn't familiar with the facility they had found themself in, sure it was another one of urbanshade's however it wasnt like the one on the surface, it made no sense to Flawn why they would place a terrestrial creature like them in an aquatic environment, however that was the least of their worries

What was one of their worries was the fact that not even a week after their transfer, a facility wide lockdown started. At first they were terrified that they would be locked in their cell for who knows how long, until amidst all the chaos a snake, fish, angler type of creature broke them out of their cell, as well as many of the others 'monsters' there

They were fully lost, wandering corridors for god knows how long, the sound of their hooves echoing throughout the vacant halls. They came across some USB sticks, files, random items and stuff, they took it along with them in case they need it for some reasons, it couldn't hurt

They noticed some glowing bugs surrounding them the further they went, they seemed to be swarming around their antennas, which were kind of like an anglers Esca, but there were two of them, they were short, and backwards. not very useful. The bugs seemed cute though, harmless enough, they helped illuminate dark rooms

Coming across a locked room, they noticed a vent and gently opened it, crawling inside imaging it was merely like any other room. They heard some horrid radio noise as they moved inside, making them grimace. Flawn pushed open the other side of the vent and glanced up, Seeing the angler, snake, fish like creature they recognized as the one who broke them out and probably also started the lockdown

"ai fucK-" Immediately in panic they raised their head and slammed the back of it against the edge of the vent, stupidly knocking themselves out. As their vision blurred and faded they heard a concerned voice before passing out

-

Once they came to, they felt that they were laying on something other than the ground, slightly opening their eyes they saw that they were on the tail of the creature. They froze up and panicked again, this time not moving. A very faint smell of cigarettes caught their attention however it wasn't potent, and most certainly wasnt important at the moment. The other seemed to notice them waking up and spoke cheerfully

"Oh hello, youre awake! Dont worry i don't bite.... probably. " a masculine voice spoke as the tail Flawn was laying on urged them to stand up, which they did shakily, they avoided looking at the tails owner

"My name's Sebastian i collect various items and trade them for files, data, you name it. How's your head? it seems i gave you quite a scare, if it makes you feel better you gave me one too, i believe we haven't met yet, youre a new addition it seems, what's your name? i see you have some sparkly friends with you"

Dear gods he talks a lot. Flawn glanced up at Sebastian, finally being able to see him properly in this lighting

'holy fuck hes giant-'

After a moment of silence Sebastian could be heard again "Do you speak?" he said half sarcastically

"ah- yes i just- Yes i do" they spoke, still clearly panicked

"Calm down Bambi, if i was going to harm you i wouldve already" Sebastian quipped

Flawn felt their ear and tail twitch in irritation, feeling their skittish demeanor slipping away as they listened to this giant snake's snarky remark

"bambi my ass, you fuckin-" they grumbled on, inaudible as they looked away, crossing their arms as they tapped one of their hooves

Sebastian would be lying if he said he didnt find it amusing "you still haven't answered my question" He nudged further, wanting to see if he could irritate the smaller deer-like creature some more

"Its Flawn" They spoke, glancing over at the shopkeeper distrustingly, Still unsure of if he was truly as harlmess as he claimed

"Well then, Flawn " Sebastian moved closer to the smaller creature "What are you planning to do? you don't think you can escape the facility, do you? its well underwater, and i dont believe you're quite equipped to be able to get to the surface" he hummed out, hinting at the fact that they weren't an aquatic creature like the others

Flawn went quiet, they didn't quite think that far, all they knew is that they wanted out . Out of here, out of this hell hole.

Sebastian seemed to notice the lack of response and chose to push further, "You know, im planning to get out myself, but first i need to gather enough data to make my rescue worth It. If you were willing to help me aquire the items and data needed, im sure it won't be much of a hassle getting you out as well."

They seemed unconvinced, looking over at Sebastian with reasonable suspicion "How can i trust that you will keep your word? not like promises are worth anything down here."

He seemed to be looking right back at them, his hands clasped together as his third arm adjusted his coat "Well, not like you have much of a choice. Besides, i can provide you with shelter and safety, no more wandering the corridors jumping at every little noise... do you not wish to have a peaceful sleep for once in a place like this?"

Sebastian proved to have quite the point, Flawn couldn't deny that as much as they wanted to. They averted their gaze, hesitantly giving the other a nod, "Fine, what is it precisely that you need of me?" they huffed as they moved over to the wall near the vent, ploping down on the floor as they leant against it. Their eyes wandering up to Sebastian, studying him quietly

The other seemed pleased at the reply, a slightly grin tugging at his lips. "i would need you to scavenge various items, since you're quite small i would assume it wouldn't be an issue for you to do such a task, as you may imagine its quite difficult for me, not quite easy to stay hidden like this"

"Yeah,i got it" Flawn replied, pausing for a bit before deciding to push Sebastian's boundaries as well "So, what's your deal? did you also have needles and wires poked into you, or were you another creature they captured like one of those things in the hallways?"

For the first time Sebastian seemed put off the tinest bit, instead of giving a long winded explanation as he has done for everything so far, he merely replied shortly "Same as you."

Silence fell upon the room, the awkwardness slowly began seeping in, making the conversation die down. Flawn was most certainly not looking forward to whatever this uneasy alliance would entail

Chapter Text

Some time had passed, Flawn had slowly adjusted to the way things were going to be for a while. Every now and then an Expandable team would pass, or perish close their little hide out, and they would begrudgingly scavenge whatever it was they had on them, most times some items, files...

However this time on their little expedition they had found a pack of cigarettes and an old metal lighter on one of them, it made them remember when they first awoke in Sebastian's hide out, the faint smell of ciggar smoke soaked clothes still present in their mind. They pocketed it along with the blacklight they had found and made the journey back

Once they had climbed back inside, Flawn chirped out "Hey guess what i found!" , they stood up and dusted themselves off, their tail shook slightly, like a dog's would as it bought a stick to their owner, all proud

Their unusually cheery tone intrigued Sebastian "Well you seem to be in a good mood, i do not know, tell me, what is it that have you found?" He said as his ear twitched in interest, Watching the smaller creature

Flawn stepped closer and pulled out the pack of cigarettes they've found, "Your clothes smell of smoke, i figured you might want this" They extended their hand, offering Sebastian the the pack and lighter they have found

Sebastian seemed to be slightly taken aback, not only by the fact that the other could pick up on the smell, but also that they took it upon themself to bring this to him at all, he could've sworn the deer despised being in the same room as him.

After collecting his thoughts Sebastian took the gift offered to him, "My my, well thank you, haven't seen one of these in a while" he hummed out as he examined the lighter

"So you do smoke?" Flawn spoke as they watched him pull out a cig and flick the lighter on, inhaling a lung full of that sweet nicotine filled smoke. They moved to sit atop sebastians tail (near the end), they had learned that the other didnt mind it over the course of last week

"Indeed, used to do so way more before all of this, kind of hard to find something like this down here since most of the researchers and guards escaped", Sebastian reiterated, taking another inhale of the smoke which seemed to seep out of the gills on his neck

Flawn seemed to go quiet, merely watching him for a moment. They never truly stopped to take in the details about Sebastian, yeah sure they've noticed hes a giant fish snake whale man but they haven't taken in the way his inky black hair fell over his eyes, which had a slight glow to them, nor the bandages on his third arm. They stayed silent, soaking in his appearance

Sebastian seemed to notice, a small chuckle slipping out "Are you enjoying the view?" he teased sarcastically, huffing out a small puff of smoke

The comment seemed to snap Flawn out of their thoughts, their tounge was faster than their thoughts
"Yeah, actually"

Sebastians face seemed to scrunch in a expression of confusion before he let out a small...giggle? it caugh the other fully off guard, "Really now?" he hummed out with a smile as he leaned down slightly twoards them

They never regretted say something more in their life, but figured they should stick to it, They felt their cheeks heat up, "Indeed" they spoke, their words not matching their nervous tone

"Why's that?" Sebastian hummed out once more, watching the other, rather amused, wanting to see what they would come up with

A few seconds of silence followed before Flawn found their voice once more, clearing their throat as they looked up at the other, meeting his eyes "Well, someone’s got to appreciate your charm. It might as well be me" They spoke, having had a small boost of confidence

Sebastian seemed slightly suprised at the reply, he let out a chuckle and leaned back "Maybe you're not as uninteresting as i thought"

"Woww..." Flawn huffed out, crossing their arms "you are meann.." they muttered, Gaining a chuckle from Sebastian

a few moments passed, the faint smell of smoke in the air, They decided to switch the topic to ease the awkwardness

"whats with the... you know?" Flawn gestured vaguely

"You going to need to be hell of a lot more specific" Sebastian said as he took another lungfull of smoke before snuffling the cigarette out on the table, not caring if it leaves a mark

"you know, with the angler things in the hallways? most of them didnt seem too interested in me but this one thing nearly fucking killed me, it was black and had lot of eyes, i hate it, it smelled like it was rotting-" they went on a small rant

"Ah, pandemonium" he spoke, pausing "it smelled like that because it is rotting."

"ew! actually?!" Flawn seemed baffled at the idea

Sebastian let out a small cakle at their reaction, "yes, actually, you can read its file if you want i have a copy of it somewhereeee..." he said as he looked through a bunch of papers in one of the drawers, before pulling out the file as he glanced back at them "for a small fee of course" he added, not attempting to hide his grin

They let out a huff, "what, you want a kiss or something? give me the damn file" they snatched it out of his hand and opened it, their eyes scanning across it

"Hey-! ugh you little brat. fine, have at it" He rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms, he exhaled loudly as he looked down at the smaller creature, curiously reading the pages, he couldnt lie he found it slightly endearing

"Oh my days its actually a corpse" Flawn spoke, snapping Sebastian out of his thoughts

"mhmmm" Sebastian hummed out, his third arm fiddling with the end of his shirt as he watched the other

"I could've gotten eaten?!" They asked, looking up at Sebastian with those big panicked doe eyes of theirs

He let out a evil chuckle "Mhm, i dont blame it, you do look quite yummy" he said in a playful manner

Flawn looked horrified and immediately tensed up "ew! Ew ew ew! hush it fish guy!!" they said as they hopped up on the table next to him and attempted to cover his mouth, unsuccessfully as Sebastian gently grapped one of their wrists, their other hand not coming anywhere close to his mouth

"Ive never had deer meat before, i wonder what it's like" he grinned as he continued taunting them, laughing like a maniac, their look of horror only intensified and fuled Sebastian's want to mess with them more

"Shut uppp!!!" they practically whined out, taking a chance to lean forward in an attempt to cover his mouth, Unfortunely one of their hooves slipped off the desk due to some papers being there

They let out a small yelp as they closed their eyes, expecting to fall face first into the flithy concrete floor

however

they never hit the ground

Flawn opened their eyes in confusion, seeing that they were a few inches of the ground, they glanced up to see Sebastian still firmly holding their wrist, before hurriedly scooping them up in his arms

They felt a small sense of relief.... if only for a moment before Sebastian started his shit again

"Now that i have you right where i want youu, i can finally feast upon your flesh!" He flashed his teeth at them in an attempt to frighten them

Instead he got two hands on his mouth and a disapproving glare "Shut." they frowned, cheeks slightly flushed from embarrassment

Chapter Text

The last week had been a bit hectic, urbanshade had started becoming more and more desperate to get back the Crystal and in turn just kept throwing more and more expendables into the pit hoping one of them lived

It wasn't a bad thing, for Sebastian at least, more files, one step closer to getting out. 

However, that doesn't mean it wasnt stressful, Flawn had to scavenge way more often, looting expendables that were still intact after they perished, hoping they had something, anything on them

They finally had a moment's rest after finding a few medkits along with a blacklight, returning to the hide out to find one of the humans browsing at Sebastian's wares, he seemed... displeased ? They wondered what was up with that

"Hey Seb, i got a few more things" Flawn spoke as they climbed out of the vent, their tail shaking slightly, it was mostly out of nervousness, they hardly saw anyone besides researchers since they were a kid. They knew that the humans here wanted out as much as they did, however that didn't make them necessarily approachable

"Thanks sunshine, give me a moment" Sebastian hummed out as he tucked a strand of his inky black hair behind his ear (or fin more like), the nickname made even the expendable raise an eyebrow.

Flawn still hadn't gotten used to subtle affection the other had been giving them, they didnt mind it however it was... hard to get used to, to say the least. 

They noticed why Sebastian seemed displeased when saw him glaring at the flash beacon of the expandable, Flawn had seen him scream at the little shits more than once when they flashed him, but this time he had a different look in his eyes, it made them curious, if not anxious

They decided to place what theyve gathered on the shelves and settle down near the (now turned off) radio, as they sat down they watched the interaction between the two

The expandable seemed to take their time picking things, which seemed to be irritating Sebastian even further. Eventually they picked up a medkit and some batteries, they turned around to leave and then-

-Flawn saw them grab the flash beacon.

'Not again..'  they thought, not happy with the idea that Sebastian would be irritated afterwards

As the expandable turned around in a swift motion and flashed Sebastian, He yelped and just as quickly snatched them off the ground, raising them up as he held them by the collar, his chest raising and falling quickly, it looked as if he was about to slam them into the ground

Flawn immediately jumped up "Sebastian! hey! hey!" They ran over as He glanced down at them, having that slightly feral look in his eyes, his breathing still panicked

"Its okay! breathe! please? im sure they didnt mean to, right? it was an accident? the room outside is dark im sure they didnt mean to" Flawn reasoned in a hurry, their ear twitching nervously as their frantic eyes looked between the two

The expendable nodded in a panicked agreement as Sebastian looked up at them, seeing genuine fear in their eyes. He let out a heavy sigh, glaring at them before eventually and hesitantly setting them down on the ground, rubbing his eyes since he was still seeing spots

The tiny thing quickly apologized, dropped some files and scurried off back into the vent as fast as they could, leaving the two alone again

"...fuck, it hurts." Sebastian nearly whined out "It always hurts, i just want them to stop doing that shit." he hissed out, "i didnt mean to-... ugh." He muttered, still rubbing his eyes due to the pain, seeming irritated and regretful

Flawn moved to stand atop the table next to him so they were to his eye level, gently wrapping their arms around him and feeling him relax ever so slightly in return, "i know Seb, i know, just deep breaths, the pain will subside, i know you didnt mean to hurt them" they reassured

"It was an instinct-" he spoke, opening his eyes slightly to look up at them, he really looked somewhat soft in that moment, flawn couldn't even imagine what must've happened to him for that to become an instinct

"I know" they replied softly, placing a hand on the back of his head and gently pressing it against their chest, He seemed to sink into them further, letting out a heavy exhale as he finally returned the hug

A few moments in silence passed as the two beings that once used to be human shared an embrace, Soft and warm fuzz pressed against cold scales and flesh. 

"If another one does that next time ill smack them myself, how does that sound?" Flawn hummed out with a smile, which earned a chuckle from Sebastian

"Deal" he replied, closing his eyes as he leaned onto them

-

A short while later, Flawn had decided to rest for a bit, they had been sleeping on the floor for a good while now. While it hasnt been the most comfortable its not as if they could complain. Sebastian had done what he had promised, gave them shelter and kept them safe, he had no other obligations.... right?

And yet the sight of the smaller creature curled up in the corner behind him in that uncomdortable position made him feel, something . Be it empathy or pitty, he didnt know. What he did know was that the way they shifted constantly, twisting and turning, half asleep, was hard to ignore

Despite his better judgement and with a heavy sigh, Sebastian chose to gently pick them up and curl up into the corner himself, coiling his tail like a makeshift bed as he slowly placed them down upon it, if anything it should be softer than the ground. They were still half asleep, even if they noticed that they were moved they didnt seem to care

it kind of reminded him of when they came into his shop for the first time, when he gently cleaned up the small cut on the back of their head and placed them on his tail in a similar but less... vulnerable, way

Now he was merely staring at them, taking the time to take a proper look at them. They seemed to have very small short furr on most of their body, like a deers, but he knew it wasn't just the deer dna that altered them, the antennas were still very odd to him

Sebastian glanced around the small hideout, a lot of things changed since Flawn came, he had to turn off the radio because it was causing them actual pain, having learnt that their hearing was insanely sensitive, now he only ever turned it on when they were out scavenging..

It felt less lonely having them around, their endless chatter and curiosity made this place less mind numbing. Sure, the souls urbanshade sends down here are technically company, however he wouldnt consider them to be good  company. At least large chunk of them.

He inhaled a deep breath, Why did he care? he shouldn't, this is nothing but a mutual transaction, they give him items, and he gives them shelter, Nothing more nothing less. 

He exhaled and relaxed, looking at down at them as he felt them shift, having wrapped their arms around the end of his tail as if they were hugging a pillow, finally seeming to have settled down.

Sebastian could swear he felt their heart beat again his tail, slow and rhythmic just as their breathing was. 'What a tiny, fragile thing.' he thought 'Probably would have perished like those pesky expendables if i hadnt made the offer' his mind continued, then paused.. 'im kind of glad i did...'

Chapter Text

 Days went by, or so the two assumed

With Flawn still relentlessly scavenging
And Sebastian attempting to make deals to get himse-...

... them.

To get them both out. 

He couldn't lie to himself, he was going to betray the tiny thing. They were so willing to help him, so clueless, so naïve, it would've been so easy... However, he found out that his heart hadn't frozen over, just yet.

Sebastian knew it was stupid, useless even, to get attached to anyone or anything down here, they would either die, get ripped a way from him, or betray him. And he didn't know which one of those he would prefer at this point. He hadn't felt this way since he last saw his Husband a decade ago.

He hated their stupid little hooves, he hated their face, he hated their annoying laugh, he hated their smile, their empathy...
 
Most of all, he hated that he cared.

He hated that his stomach turned whenever they would take too long to come back from scavenging, or how when expendables talked to them, made them uncomfortable, he wished he could chuck them back out through the vent. 

He let out a loud sigh, rubbing his forehead. Where was the little shit anyway? They don't usually take this long. 

A faint yell of a voice Sebastian knew all too well rang out though the halls, snapping him out his thoughts 

Well there was his answer, certainty not the one he was hoping for

Sebastian jumped slightly and immediately headed out though the vent "The fuck- You better be dying!" he yelled as he slid out, looking around the dark room in front of him, hoping for his eyes to land upon the other

and yet, nothing

"Uh.. Bambi? where the fuck are you? this better not be a fucked up game of hide and seek, I swear to whatever you believe in--" there was a loud crash a few rooms over, okay, something was definitely wrong.

As Sebastian moved through the rooms, 51, 52, 53... he was growing increasingly concerned as he didnt catch sight of the other. 

Until he did

A room ahead of him, sitting and leaning against a toppled over desk, was that tiny creature he had grown so accustomed to, clutching their stomach with a pained expression on their face, their breathing seemed quick and uneven. They noticed Sebastian as they raised his head, removing their hand from their abdomen, wincing as they did, revealing a bullet wound. Sebastian's eyes widened as he felt his heart sink, Rushing over

-

After taking Flawn back to the hide out in a frenzy, questioning them all the way back, the only reply he was getting out of them being a half conscious grumble. Sebastian quickly bandaged them up, They had fallen unconscious soon after. His mind still racing with questions regarding what the hell even happened, how, why, where even... Why did he care? he didnt, of course he didnt, this was merely him ensuring that his supplier of items was alive..

...Of course. thats just what it was. nothing else.

Sebastian quickly closed the vent fully, ensuring no expendables would disturb them. He gently picked Flawn up and curled up in the corner once more, coiling his tail and placing them down as carefully as possible. 

When will they wake up? 

Will they even wake up?