Chapter Text
Moonlight dripped into the room from a small windows at the top of the left wall displaying the rooms dirt and wear from over the years fairly visible on the bricks that made up the walls, within said room was a man, his white hair disheveled in a half put together ponytail partially illuminated by the moonlight seeping into the room, his wrists were bound by metal cuffs the chains letting little movement for his hands to move close to him, similar restraints were around his ankles his legs pressed together but the room for movement with the chain was about the same as the ones on the wrists.
He felt practically naked, stripped of his coat and the defining crest on his chest left only with his undershirt and pants as his back was to the cold stone wall of the room.
Frederick had no clue how long he had been here waking up with the chains around his legs and wrists. The composer wanted to scream, it was humiliating enough to be at this manor for the reasons he was, but this,
This made it ten times worse.
The voices in his head were screaming, making his head a frantic and a disastrous mess, he could barely hear anything around him but it really did it matter. He didn’t care, he couldn’t bring himself to care, it was all too much.
“Stop. Stop..Stop…,”
He was frantically mumbling to himself trying to calm his rapidly moving thoughts but to no avail. He tried moving his hands to his head to ground himself but only felt a tug when he did so, his hands being in the same place as before he’d started moving them.
A quiet laugh escaped him, sounding like a madman from the hysterics he was feeling at the moment. Faintly, the composer could hear footsteps approaching a mumbling as well coming from outside the room.
“T…Exper……as…su….s,” (The Experiment was a success) the voice was something vaguely familiar but with the hysteria and constant noise in his brain caused the composer to not be able to place it.
“Yea…ha..ver..et’s..just…t…is.over with.” (Yeah whatever let’s just get this over with.) The voices were getting clearer as he tried his best to compose himself, the voice he was hearing sounding uninterested and deep, something Frederick wasn’t familiar with.
“Awh…ou.act like you don’t like me.” (Awh! You act like you don’t like me) The mumbling was closer now as his head became less busy, the voices dying down more in the presence of noise making the composer acutely aware of one of the people approaching.
Orpheus.
That damned novelist, did he do this to me?!
Frederick tried to think back to how he had gotten here remembering now what had occurred previously, the deal he and the novelist made for him to chase miss Journalist after he claimed the jewel and she was knocked out went successfully.
But that went wrong very quickly for him, he heard Orpheus approaching, wanting to ask what the purpose of this deal was by turning to him only to see a gun grasped in Orpheus’s hand pointed straight at him.
He didn’t know how to react thinking maybe he could pull his own gun himself and maybe beat Orpheus to the shot but decided against it as the novelist got closer and closer.
Orpheus was going on about something regarding his intelligence but Frederick was far more focused on the barrel of his gun pointed straight at him.
If he moved he was dead the gun pointed to his head. He’d tried to say something but felt something, or rather someone behind him.
They forcefully grasped at one of his hands the other trying to desperately hold onto the box with the jewel in it, he felt the hand forcefully muzzle a rag to his mouth with the other.
He felt himself struggle a bit getting a brief glimpse of Orpheus concealing his gun as he’d slowly lost consciousness.
That’s what had happened.
He couldn’t believe he’d let himself be cornered like that, the one thing he wanted to collect gone too! What a fool he was for believing such a deal from a man like that novelist.
Frederick seethed internally at the memory, making him want to jump at Orpheus, even the mere idea or sight of him insighted that feeling of anger within him. He raised himself to try to stand but stopped midway and tried to rationalize and calm himself so as to not make himself look like more of a fool.
The door to the room opened revealing two persons cast in the darkness of the room, he recognized the novelist almost immediately but not the man next to him, he had black messy hair and hat with a unlit candle in the front with suspenders and a normal buttoned shirt.
He couldn’t deny that the man was somewhat attractive but he also took notice of his face with, what he assumed, were piercings that went through the bridge of his nose but what was the most noticeable to him was the scar that sat over one of his eyes, the scarred man seemed to pick up on his look towards him as he shied that side of his face away from him.
Frederick had a feeling that this man had to be the one who knocked him out considering he was working with Orpheus but he’d have to see if he was correct on that theory later, there were bigger problems to face at the moment.
“Frederick! Good to see that you’re finally awake!” Orpheus smiled seeming far too enthusiastic to see him considering the position that Frederick assumed he had placed him in.
“Orpheus..,” he spat out glaring at both of the men in front of him.
“So how are you feeling all held up there?” He mocked with a laugh, causing Frederick’s glare to become more intense. It was obvious bait, just to make a fool of him so he didn’t bite at the statement.
They all stayed there in silence Frederick’s glaring and Orpheus smug demeanor, not making any of the tension in the room less apparent. Eventually Orpheus gave in, letting out a sigh at Frederick’s unwillingness to play along with his teasing.
“Wow you really aren’t budging are you Kreiburg~,” he shot him a cocky and sinister smile. “ Well if that’s how it’s going to be.” He moved himself over to the door he and the other man had entered from.
“Then i’ll leave you to figure out what’s going to happen to you from now on, alright~,”
Orpheus glided over to the other man as he whispered something into his ear and began walking out the door.
Then there were two.
Him and the mysterious man that’d entered with Orpheus.
The man looked tense shifting his weight between his feet as he tentatively looked towards the composer. Frederick trained his eyes straight at the man. He didn’t know why he’d stayed back, possibly to mess with him more.
“So then-,” The mysterious man apprehensively spoke up.
“Save it.” Frederick cut him off looking away as he interrupted. “I don’t need you trying to talk to me.”
The stranger looked peeved from his comment as he crossed his arms avoiding the composer as much as Frederick was avoiding him.
“Look. All you need to know is that these next couple of days aren’t going to be fun for you.” He had a bite to his words glaring at the man on the floor.
“I would’ve never guessed.” The composer stated as his gaze shifted between the chains and the man.
“Christ you’re annoying.” The other man angrily seethed, A smirk made its way onto the composer face.
“And you’re a lap dog.” The man flinched, balling his fists scowling.
“Why else would you be working so closely with someone like Orpheus.” Frederick had a feeling this would get him angry seeing the clear indicators from his expression and balled fists, he was expecting the man to hit him instead he moved his hands into his pockets angrily sighing.
“I know why I work with him and you have no right to criticize me on that.” The man strode over to the door clearly peeved by his comments.
Frederick had opted to not say anything seeing as he had riled up one of Orpheus’s lackeys, god forbid he had any others, and to him that was satisfying enough.
He watched as the man stomped out the door slamming it behind him. It wasn't too loud but enough to show the man’s anger.
As the door closed and he was alone once again Frederick found himself grinning hysterically as he realized that anything could be done to him in this state.
He’s vulnerable, all that time building up his carefully crafted facade just to be shattered now that he’s chained like this. He’s always hated feeling like this but now he feels it more than ever.
He shifted his gaze over to his hand with the restraint still confining him to the wall, his smile dipped into a frown as he felt tears threatening to spill as they welled up in his eyes.
He held them back to the best of his ability, going back to a neutral expression with a few tears running down his cheeks.
He knew that there would be nothing to come for a while but decided to find comfort in a rhythm he’d created in his head to at least get his mind a bit clearer.
He hung his head in defeat at the evident restraints, a demoralizing feeling that they were present on his wrists and ankles.
Frederick tried to close his eyes and sleep but he knew that even though he was trying he wouldn’t have any success in slumber.