Chapter Text
Something moving, deep in the shadows of the hallway. Something… No, someone, stalking him. It moved too quickly for him to catch, sending chills down his spine. Paranoid? Yes. Scared, afraid? No. That wasn’t it.
Quincy sighed, continuing to walk down the hallway of the abandoned mall.
Nothing out of the ordinary… Except for this.
Had the others noticed it? They hadn’t said anything yet, so maybe not.
He side-stepped some of the techrot.
Arthur had been complaining about his stuff going missing. Was this thing to blame? Or was it just him being forgetful? Sol only knows.
Quincy stayed quiet, listening for whatever was following him, hoping to catch a glimpse or catch it off guard. No luck. It was faster than he was.
Amir had been acting strange lately, more jumpy than usual, not playing the arcade games, wanting to be left alone… Quincy thought that perhaps the circumstances had finally set in on him, how serious this all was. Maybe he was sick? Could they even get sick anymore? Injured? No, Lettie hadn’t said anything. But Amir wasn’t like that, he wouldn’t follow him like this. Quincy was the one to chase after Amir in their games of cat and mouse, not the opposite. Not techrot, it wasn’t intelligent like that. SCALDRA? No. Quincy ran a hand over his face. He usually didn’t think like this…
Why was this messing with his head so much? He wanted to find out what this thing is, no, needed to.
~~~
Quincy stood motionless in front of the mall’s sliding doors, staring into the reflection of the glass. Nothing. He sighed and slid the doors open, stepping into the main hall The Hex called their home. He’ll call it quits for now. Whatever it was didn’t want to reveal itself, and he didn’t want to be out longer than he should.
“Patrol’s done!” He called out to the others, “Nothin’ out of the ordinary.”
Quincy didn’t want to alarm the others, just in case he was actually losing his mind. Whatever that thing was, it was only interested in him . Weird… Why him and none of the others? He didn’t want to know, he just wanted to get his mind off of those thoughts. Yet he couldn’t help but wonder…
Quincy growled and pinched the bridge of his nose. No, he was just over-thinking. He started walking toward the shooting range he claimed as his. Maybe a rest would do him well… He started setting his gear down, placing his gun in its respective place, before heading toward the storage room where he slept.
A quick nap perhaps? Maybe.
He placed his hat on his desk and sat on the edge of the mattress. He had found the desk in one of the now-abandoned office rooms of the mall. The mattress he, of course, had gotten from the furniture store that was now Eleanor’s space. It was quite comfortable…
“Huh?”
Something was missing. He hadn’t noticed it at first, but one of his pillows was missing. Quincy huffed, who had taken it without asking? Who would even need to borrow one of those things? There were plenty in the old furniture store! Maybe Arthur wasn’t insane, maybe someone really was stealing his things, and Quincy’s too for that matter.
Whatever , he would deal with it later, for now he was going to rest and clear his mind.
~~~
Quiet, dark, a heavy breath… Amir sat perched on the stage rafters, watching from above. He knew Quincy only came up here when he was stressed or in a mood. It did give quite the view, perfect for watching a certain someone …
He had been watching him lately, something about the other man had intrigued him, maybe the way he thought he was weak. Maybe he wanted to prove he wasn’t. Watching had then turned to following, and now… This… Whatever this was. Stalking? Perhaps. But Amir didn’t want to call it that, it wasn’t harmful, no. It was all just fun and games! He was bored and wanted to prove something! That was all! He couldn’t imagine it turning into anything more.
Boy was he wrong. Amir slowly climbed down from the rafters. How long had he been up there? No matter, as long as he got what he wanted. Quincy wasn’t shooting like he usually was, meaning only one thing… Amir couldn't help but purr at the thought; he must look so cute! But, he had to be stealthy! Amir slowly rounded the corner where Quincy’s space was and quietly opened the storage room door. Lo-and-behold, there the beast was. Amir nearly died on the spot, it was adorable! Big scary Quincy curled up like a kitten and even hugging a pillow!
The sight was too much for him to handle. He didn’t want to risk waking the man and getting caught. He reluctantly closed the door and sped off to the arcade. Amir shook his head, not quite shaking the thoughts away…
~~~
Sol, why was he so desperate? Amir inhaled sharply, a light groan slipping out soon after. He closed his eyes tightly, biting the pillow harder, soft sounds being smothered. The techie thrust slowly, growling in the back of his throat. He took a deep breath through his nose, Quincy’s scent filling it. Sol, he smelled so good… Amir whined, gripping Quincy’s pillow harder. Oh how he imagined all the things Quincy could do to him… Just thinking about it pulled him closer to the edge, thrusts speeding up. Amir couldn’t help but moan the sniper’s name under his breath.
“Quincy~ H-hah ...” That man was gonna be the death of him… “ Ngh-! ”
Amir’s mind wandered; What if Quincy pinned him down, covering his neck in bite marks with those sharp fangs? How would it feel to be held down by those strong arms, claws digging into his carapace? What would he feel like inside him, stretching him out? Ah, he would be so nice and rough… It would hurt so good!
He let out a sharp whine, panting heavily. He’s never felt this way about anyone before… So why now?
Even when they were still human, Amir never thought of Quincy in this way. Sure, he had a small crush on the man. He was handsome, but he always ignored Amir, thought of him as a bother. Even in their military days, he called Amir useless, weak , a drag. Amir bet he couldn’t even fix a radio. He didn’t know how important technicians were out in the field.
But things are much different now, they don’t even know everything about their new bodies. Sure, Quincy still calls him weak, but now more of a petty insult. Quincy knows how useful he is, how crucial he is to their survival.
Hell, who else would fix the gennies?
Amir remembers when he taught Quincy how to fix a generator. The way Quincy looked at him, how his eyes dilated on him, the cross-hair-like pupils zooming in on him. Amir thought nothing of it at first, but now he just can’t shake the way he looks at him…
Quincy listened to him closely, taking their situation seriously. Just in case the techie was incapacitated and the generators gave out. Quincy even asked questions for Sol’s sake! He usually acts like he knows better! But not this time, no, the man actually respected him for once.
That look in his eyes, the way his pupils now resembled cross-hairs, the way they dilate when he focuses on something… It was wild. It drove him crazy. What was the sniper thinking? Only Eleanor knew for sure.