Cassius felt his heart drop in the pits of his stomach. He swallowed the lump in his throat. His hands balled into fists. He held them to his side and willed his magic to settle down. It was hard to not start throwing bursts of fire at President Maxem. He somehow managed to talk himself out of burning the man alive. It wouldn't be easy anyway. There was a reason why Maxem was president of Xtavia. During the war—the first Extermination—he had been the savior. As rumors went, he slaughtered thousands of Mekiahs.
The only thing keeping Cassius from attacking was the fact that he was no match. He knew his limitation. And though he liked to push the buttons of people who had more power over him, he wasn't looking for an unfair fight. He would no doubt be killed for even acting out against the president.
Maxem walked ahead of Rexton. His nose was almost pointed at the sky.
Cassius cooled his features. His lip twitched to curl up in disgust, but he bit it into submission. The taste of copper filled his mouth. The taste reminded him of his first failed escape and the look on Rexton's face when he captured him once more. His eyes flickered to Rexton.
He was stoic as ever. He wore the face well, always a brick wall with nothing to reveal. Cassius knew there were things Rexton was hiding beneath the rough resolve. They were the kinds of things Cassius had once fantasied about when he was younger. It was normal, but even when he was younger without a specific person in mind, he felt disgusted for wanting something like that.
But ever since Rexton had shown an inkling of interest in Cassius, it was hard to look at the man and not see the hidden desire. It was wrong. Yet, that wrong was like a drug Cassius wanted to explore more than anything else. It was intoxicating and every time he thought about it, he got a sickening thrill.
Rexton stared blankly back. The heat Cassius had seen the other night was gone. He looked away and focused on the tall Exteru coming his way.
Maxem quirked his mouth up into a half smile and half smirk. Cassius could tell where exactly Lucius had gotten it from.
"Finally, I get to meet the talk of the Capital. Tracker Cassius." He held out his hand.
Cassius stared down at it. His stomach twisted and he looked back up at Maxem.
"Ah," Maxem said, pulling his hand back. "Of course. Mekiahs are still fickle as usual."
He sent a sweetly tight smile toward Rexton. Then, he turned back to Cassius, the smile gone, replaced with a grim look that made him look a decade older. His soft angelic face easily hid that he was hundreds of years old. But when he looked like this, Cassius could see the wrinkles coming through. Old age didn't look well on Maxem and that filled Cassius with a joy he hadn't felt in years.
"I've heard a lot about you, young Mekiah." Guess he was back to calling Cassius 'Mekiah'.
He was fine with that. He didn't like his name on the old shithead's lips anyway.
Maxem didn't look surprised when Cassius didn't reply. Instead, he went on talking.
"In fact, I've heard you've taken on a demon by yourself." There was something behind those words. It was a threat, though Cassius didn't understand why he would be threatened by the president when he was just a lowly slave.
He was less than dirt on the bottom of his shoe.
Maxem's eyes narrowed. The thump in Cassius's chest wasn't because he was scared. He hadn't been scared of this man since he was a kid. He was older now. He knew how the world worked and he'd been through a lot more in the years he hadn't seen Maxem.
And Maxem didn't remember him. He didn't know how he'd destroyed Cassius's life.
That was the most frustrating thing. Cassius was just another cog in the machine. He was just another Mekiah who was forced to join the military and forced to be a slave to the Exteru. He would never be remembered by anyone. Just a slave.
The smile was slowly turning into a grimace. Cassius saw the facade falling away to reveal the monster lurking under the pretty face. Exterus lived for hundreds of years. Maxem was the oldest, the first born they say, but he showed no signs of aging. At most, he looked to be in his late thirties or early forties.
Cassius wanted to smash his fist into that perfect face. While others could see beauty, Cassius only saw the blood of thousands of Mekiah. He saw the terror brought down upon the innocent.
He saw a heretic sitting on a thrown of lies.
"Mica," Maxem said as he snapped his fingers.
Rexton's eye twitched.
Cassius saw it even though it was gone a second later. Rexton didn't look like a Mica. He didn't look like the type to have a first name at all.
It was a connection. Cassius was trying to form that he knew would lead no where for the two of them. As he looked at the cold man now, wondering if there really was something more under the exterior, he got a sense this wasn't a passing feeling. As much as he wanted to believe the infatuation would fade, he knew that it was going to take more than time to make it go away.
"Yes, President." The words were without emotion. Cassius knew better. He could see how bad Maxem was getting under Rexton's skin.
Cassius clenched his hands behind his back. The warmth of fire licked at his fingertips. He saw the look in Rexton's eyes. It was as if they were somewhere else, meeting once again though it didn't feel like they knew each other any better. The feeling lasted only for as long as it took for Rexton to avert his eyes, breaking the connection Cassius thought was there.
Maxem was staring at Cassius like a piece of meat he couldn't wait to fry over a fire. He had the curiosity of a killer and a child. The dangerous wonder was only stopped by the fact Rexton ruled over Cassius's body now. He was a member of Rexton's SWARM and Maxem had to do a lot more than ask to put his hands on Cassius.
Curiosity. It turned to ugly and disgusting lusts of people's mind when it rotted too long. Cassius was sure Maxem wanted only to know what made him tick because he knew he'd survived two high demon encounters. The girl was another thing entirely.
But Cassius was also sure Maxem was after something else. It was a sick thing that was eating at the back of his mind.
Maxem turned slightly to face Rexton. His slim and porcelain hand slid along the juncture of Rexton's arm. Cassius followed the touch. It harbored secrets. Those offending fingers lingered at the base of Rexton's neck until they found their place at the middle of Rexton's back.
Rexton was close to Cassius's height. Maxem towered over the both of them. The power and confident radiated off him. His height was just another thing to make the rest of them feel threatened.
Cassius bit the flesh of his cheek. The pain did nothing to squash the magic shaking under the surface of his palms. The need to smack the offending hand away was one that he couldn't push away.
"Have you seen Mica in action, Cassius?"
His name was stripped of all meaning when Maxem said it. The name given to him by his late mother, the only thing of respect granted to her, was like nothing to Maxem. Just another word lost in translation, floating away on the wisps of a soft breeze.
Cassius shook his head.
Rexton brushed Maxem's hand away. "Is this necessary?"
Maxem took the brush off in stride. The smile was back. Cassius had been just fine without ever seeing the bladed look.
"For me," Maxem said, almost preening with anticipation, "It is."
He stepped away from Rexton at long last. Cassius kept his eyes on the space where Maxem had touched Rexton. His gut twisted. The heat and the unknown lurking in his stomach had him questioning if he knew what he was truly feeling. There was a lot of things he didn't know about the outside world. He'd never been outside the base unless it was to do a mission. Interactions were only made for a certain reason. It had a purpose and when that purpose was served there was no reason to keep in touch.
Not that Cassius wanted to keep in touch with anyone in this fucked up world.
He was getting strung along by his dick.
That was it. Simple as that.
There was a fleeting look that came over Rexton's features. Before Cassius had the time to decipher it, it was gone.
"Fine."
Rexton slipped off his jacket. The medals and lapels that signified his status clanked as it was roughly folded and thrown onto the bench that was by the wall of the buildings. The training court was eerily quiet as the jacket made a soft thud upon the concrete bench.
Maxem appraised Rexton. Then he grinned, teeth curly white and all at Cassius.
"Good luck. He's a wild one."
Cassius didn't want to unpack the hidden meaning. He gritted his teeth as he thought about Maxem's perversive gaze on Rexton. The relation between them felt more than general and his boss. It made Cassius sick and furious all at once.
And all those thoughts faded when Cassius caught the tight black shirt Rexton was wearing.
It looked to be a size too small, but also like it was the perfect fit. Cassius's eyes roamed down the thick arms and the veins rippling under that tan skin. He locked his lips, imagining what those arms could do.
"Let's get this over with." Rexton steered Cassius away from Maxem by the arm. The touch was molten lava on Cassius. He wrenched away from the touch.
Rexton let him go with no resistance. Irritation flared up.
What the fuck? Did he want Rexton to be rough with him?
By the sudden spike in his pulse, he assumed yes. And that was just not acceptable.
Maxem clapped with giddiness. Cassius rolled his eyes but went along with Rexton as he walked out to the center of the training yard. The targets were burnt to crisp. Cassius noted the look Rexton gave them. He was calculating how strong Cassius was.
He should know by the fact that Cassius had survived two demon attacks and was no longer suppressed by the Dissipater. Which was by no ones doing except Rexton.
A small smirk quirked at Cassius's mouth. He bit his lip to get the smirk off his face before Rexton saw.
They took their stances at around ten feet. It was harder to not skim Rexton's fit body when Cassius had to size him up. He felt Rexton's burning gaze. Then, he was back to that night he'd pushed Rexton down on the bed. The tingling warmth in his hands reminded him of the way Rexton's skin had felt under his palms. He wished he'd sealed the gap between them.
Even if that would have ended in his own death.
Down to his black boots and back up to the belt hugging his hips. The curve of his thighs and all made Cassius's mouth go dry. He couldn't quite describe the feeling, if he wanted to at all when he should be thinking about the best course of action to take.
He'd never seen Rexton out in a fight a proper one at that. He wasn't going to count his own capture and the tussle between them. Since day one though, he'd sensed a power flowing through Rexton's veins that was quite unlike anything else. Remus were good for hard labor and strategy thinking. They weren't able to withstand magic the way Mekiah and Exterus were. In fair honesty, it was the sole reason they had not been able to fight against the Mekiah before the Exterus came. Before the first Extermination, they had been weak and frail.
Cassius saw nothing like that in the man he faced now. He was something other than any typical Remu.
That was all that time he got before Rexton lifted his hand and a stream of dark purple magic shot out at Cassius. He slid to the right just in time to dodge the shot, but another burst hit him in the shoulder.
He scrambled back avoiding another blast that was weaker. Panting, he glared at Rexton.
Rexton was unbothered. He sauntered closer to the center of the training area, closing the gap between them.
There was a difference between getting hit by a certain stream of magic and only feeling it in the air. He wanted to draw it closer to him, until it was in his lungs, flowing through him along side his own magic.
The feeling was like being held in the tightest of hugs. Hit with so many currents that he couldn't tell them apart. The first time he'd felt Rexton's magic, he thought it was just a fluke. It was had to believe that there was anyone who was that powerful and wasn't an Exteru. But it was more than that. Rexton felt in control all the time lurking beneath the surface was a monster that could do more damage than Rexton was letting on.
That calling to Cassius was one more thing that made him sure Rexton was hiding something.
Cassius maneuvered to the left as another burst of electric sailed his way. His coattail rippled as he swiftly turned around. His eyes narrowed on Rexton, no longer seeing him as the man he'd pushed down on the bed or the general that he was. He was nothing more than a thing he had to beat. This was nothing like he was used to feeling. In battles, it was all about staying alive or completing a mission so he wouldn't be punished. Things had once against changed in his life. The last two missions hadn't gone well and yet Rexton had punished him.
He swallowed whatever strange feeling that was crawling through him. He wouldn't have any of that when he was trying to do this. Whatever this was. It wasn't meant to be a competition, but Rexton had a way of riling him up. When he was trying to do one thing, his body pulled him in the opposite direction, swaying him to do things he would never had thought him capable of doing.
And that was how he found himself smirking as he danced around Rexton's next attack.
He was preening as he saw Rexton struggle to keep up with him. His heart was beating so fast and his gut twisted as he longed to see Rexton broken down as Cassius had been broken.
Rexton huffed as Cassius threw a fire ball at him. He knocked it away with an electric blast.
"Harder. You won't break me playing like that."
Cassius stumbled, blinking as he processed the words.
Rexton took the chance. Before Cassius knew it, he was sprawled on his back. The electric current bloomed over his chest. This feeling was familiar to the one he'd felt when he'd first felt Rexton's magic. Back then, he didn't know as much as he did now about the general. He didn't know his own body's response. But lying in the sand, the wind knocked out of him while electric bursts that felt like fingers dug into his skin, he understood then that this would be a losing battle.
His body was against him in this. It wanted what it couldn't have and that made it even more difficult to say no. The illicit lust that wormed itself into his head and trailed down to his toes, knew that it wouldn't be long before he gave in.
He heaved himself off the ground. He shook his shoulders. The heavy material of his coat irked him. He ripped it off him, buttons popping out as he roughly threw it somewhere to the right of him. Stripped to his black undershirt, he felt a new surge of confidence. He wasn't going to lose Rexton and he wasn't going to lose to his bloody body's attraction. There was nothing likable about Rexton. Not his face, not his body, and definitely not about his personality.
One show of kindness didn't mean anything.
Rexton gave a firm nod. That small acknowledgment made Cassius grit his teeth.
He was being nice. Fucking nice. That wasn't how this was meant to go down. He wasn't supposed to be one of those savoring types that wanted to help the weak and poor. He was supposed to be like Iza, Felix, and goddamn Maxem. Oppressive and seeking out as much power as he could get his hands on.
He was supposed to be all around evil in every way. But he kept showing this small kindnesses that made it hard for Cassius to hate him fully. It made it a lot harder to see him as an obstacle that Cassius had to throw out of his way. Because if he did that, would that mean he was no different than the people that had hurt him in the first place?
"Again," he gritted out. He gave Rexton a few seconds to get into stance.
Then they fought. Harder and heavier this time. There was no let up in their strikes. They danced around each other, in circles, throwing blast and hit after every turn. It was hard to keep up with how many times Cassius had blocked a hit or when he'd been able to knock Rexton back with his own.
Sweat ran down his temples. He swiped it away as he rolled to the ground. Rexton was closing in on him, drifting closer and closer. Cassius had done the same, trying to get a hand above Rexton, but it was getting harder the more he tried. His energy was fading and Rexton wasn't giving up. Neither of them were.
And then it finally happened.
Cassius slipped up. He tried to dodge a hit, but he hadn't calculated Rexton's next move. In a split second, Rexton was there behind him. He wrapped his arm around Cassius's neck and with his other arm, he held a knife to Cassius's stomach.
Cassius choked as Rexton's arm tightened, cutting off his airway. The knife he hadn't known Rexton carried, pressed deeper into his lower belly. Without his coat, he was left exposed. He hadn't thought this was going to be anything more than a magic fight. But he should have expected that Rexton would fight dirty.
Rexton panted in his ear. Cassius wiggled as he fought off the shiver and the coiling of need in his stomach. Yet, with the warm arm and knife holding in place, he didn't have anywhere to go.
He was flush against Rexton's front. All that separated them were two thin undershirts. He closed his eyes, counting long enough to stomp out the flutters in his stomach.
"Do you surrender?"
Cassius gulped. "You didn't fight fair."
Rexton gave a dark laugh. It tickled Cassius's ear, leaving it burning. "I hadn't realized that was in the rules."
"I didn't know you followed rules."
Rexton hummed. He played with the hilt of his knife. Cassius was transfixed by the moving veins of his arm. He wondered what they would feel like under his hand.
The grip was loosened from his neck just as the knife fell away. He caught himself before he made a fool and fell face first into the sand. He accidentally grabbed Rexton's arm, clutching tight as he found his footing. He jerked it away soon after he saw his mistake.
He avoided Rexton's face. He hoped Rexton mistook the reddening of his cheeks for exhaustion instead of embarrassment.
Clapping started up.
"That was truly something." Maxem slowly walked to the edge of the sand. He made sure to keep his shoes clean.
Cassius couldn't help looking at the tan suede leather shoes. They were more offending than the slight joke that was playing on Maxem's face. He was thinking something and it irked Cassius. That small smile that crept over Maxem's thin lips was untouchable. Maxem was untouchable.
He stepped away from Rexton. He hadn't noticed that his hands were shaking until he grabbed his coat. It was covered in sand. He shook it off, but there were still grains everywhere he looked. With a heavy sigh, he gave up and folded it over his arm. He'd been given new clothes and he'd already ruined them. How typical of him.
When he turned around, Maxem was standing close to Rexton.
It was odd seeing them close together. Maxem placed his slim hand on Rexton's shoulder. Cassius saw the slight squeeze. His own hands tightened on his dirty coat. But if he thought Rexton was going to bat that hand away, he was mistaken. He thought that if he valued his life he would have done it for Rexton. It would have been an honor.
And even if there wasn't anything going on between Rexton and Maxem, Cassius still couldn't stand Maxem being so close to him. He knew it was his body being stupid once again. He could blame it on nature all he liked--he didn't know if it was Mekiah nature or whatever--it was still him in the end. If he pushed this too much, it would be him paying the price and not anyone else.
Rexton would be disgusted.
As much as Cassius's body wanted the man, Rexton wouldn't have it. Cassius was a Mekiah and that was just it. Even Mekiah sex slaves were a hole to fuck.
He dusted his coat off more as he walked past the two.
Rexton finally slid away from the slimy hand.
Cassius didn't know how much it affected him until he could breathe again. That wasn't good. Not at all.
"I hope you've had your fun." Rexton grabbed his coat and slid it on. He buttoned it up. Then, he was back to being the general. Nothing more than a man trying to rule his part of the world.
Like a snake, Maxem slithered his way to the door. "Hm. It was enjoyable."
He slowly turned his gaze to Cassius. Cassius held the look. He hoped Maxem read all the horrid thoughts he was thinking.
"I'll be seeing you again, Mekiah."
A promise.
Cassius was already planning all the things he would do to Maxem when he got the chance.
And that was his promise.