Felix lets out a whistle. "You take this shit seriously, don't you? Damn," he murmurs, seemingly impressed despite himself. Well well. Maybe Taylor over there is as good as his word.
Which doesn't mean he plans on letting go that quickly.
"Of course, you're keeping me around for the fun missions. Right partner?" He glances back with a smirk as Locus lowers his shake, frowning.
"I'm a man of my word." Reasons he doesn't promise shit to much of anyone ever. But he's promised Locus and means to make good. With D sorting out the details hasn't been taking as long as he might've thought but, there are still some questions. "There aren't a lot of photos after y'all started riding the merc train full time- you still want that undercut?"
Keep him focused on things other than Locus. Like himself. Vanity is always a safe bet.
"Fuck yeah, I do. I want everything just like it was. Why mess with perfection, right?"
It works, and Locus lets out a breath, taking another drink of his milkshake, his shoulder brushing against Taylor's quietly. Hopefully, this isn't the case for very much longer. Hopefully, Felix takes to the new body and they can go their separate ways.
"...I'm not gonna say it made you look like a cross between a hipster and a greaser- but." It did, just a little. A tiny bit. Then again Taylor also is the master of hobo chic, dressing up infrequently and spending most of his life in denim and flannel. So.
"You've got no room to talk, Seventeen." Felix flips his hand dismissively, unbothered by the criticism. Or at least as much as he's willing to show, at any rate.
Locus tosses a look at Taylor. Really? We're going to encourage this behavior?
"Is that a thing? I guess that's a thing. I was an only child." Never learned how to deal with the picking and nagging he saw swinging back and forth between the twins all the goddamn time. For a visceral moment he misses them so much it sucks the air out of his lungs-
But only a moment. Knifework prompts a quirked brow and-
Delta tries, bless his little green heart, but a snapshot of Brandon's skin cut up and flayed flickers through his memory all the same. "...what the everloving fuck, Sam."
"Locus just needed a little inspiration. Nothing I haven't done before, but man. Picked it up like a champ." Oh, Felix is grinning now, and Locus glares over his shoulder at the AI.
"Uh-huh. Side effect of dating a Sadist, I guess." That- he doesn't know how to feel about that. Until he can flick through his head and find an answer, humor. Buy himself a little time. The hooks, okay, eye for an eye and all that shit. Beating him up, breaking his teeth? Okay.
skinning someone tips past cruel and unusual and goes somewhere far and weird and- he knows Sam's capable of violence. He's seen him kill. But keeping something efficient and clean in the field is very different from hunting down a civilian and cutting them up.
"...man I'm not gonna be able to eat bacon for a week." Still no answer, so. More humor!
He needed him to hurt. To be afraid. And the suggestion had been there, and he'd just...leaned into it, rather than rejecting it wholly. He'd been angry. Furious. And he'd meant to break him. It seemed the most efficient way, at the time.
Watching Taylor skate away from that is cause for concern, and there's a faint furrow in his brow. "It's done. No need to dwell on it."
"Photographic memory that shares storage with Delta." Sure, D could tuck what's for him and only him away in a box but that shit tends to leak after awhile. Christ. D does manage to send a pulse of, well, remorse.
Not for approving, but for Taylor having to see any of the recording. He shakes his head, scrubbing at his face before pointedly leaning against Sam and sipping his Milkshake. This is fine. They are fine. "I'm putting knives on my 'hard no' till Felix isn't subletting your skull, man."
Felix manages to look somewhat put out by the nonchalant response and huffs, blinking away to find something else to entertain himself with for the moment. Locus, meanwhile, turns to look at Taylor with a raised brow, before just...accepting it.
Taylor doesn't lie. He's terrible at it. So if he's letting it go, best to let it go.
Let it go. Let it go, let it go, Don't think about it, don't dwell on it, just. Let it go-
Yeah, no. Not letting it go. "You're not doing anything to Carolina."
Sure they may or may not have had a thing and yeah he might have gotten jerked around and yeah, she might've dropped a goddamn ship on them- but no. And there's no way in hell he's bringing up any of his other exes now. Ever.
No more than what's already been done. Trying to kill her repeatedly, along with Wash, had been part of the job then. What he did to Brandon, what he might have done to her, had been nixed the moment Taylor said he wasn't interested in seeing her pay.
He only has to say the word. That's always been the case.
"It kinda feels like it bears repeating." He can't think of anything he said or implied other than 'I hope I'm not like him' to prompt this little trip and dip into personal vigilante justice. There must've been something, he's sure.
Fuck.
"D now is not the time to review that footage, for fuck's sake." He snaps, out loud, and Delta has the good sense to flicker into being and look sheepish.
"Apologies."
"Go do some recon or something." Anything but flipping through that rather involved night.
"Affirmative." He winks out, a little green trail of light zipping to the nearbye terminal as he begins doing some kind of work or another. Taylor's not paying attention, too busy trying to focus on the warmth of Sam next to him and the simple pleasure of a milkshake. The small things.
Frowning, Locus reaches to stroke a hand along his shoulder, gentle as you please. He'd never hurt him in that sort of way, and he's safe as safe can be with him. But anyone who crosses him, who does hurt him?
He couldn't promise what he would or wouldn't do.
Meanwhile, Felix takes to hovering over Delta shoulder with a smirk. "Glad someone appreciates the artistry that went into that. Honestly, you're not as uptight as I thought."
"Keep in mind the mind that created me." A man that thought torturing himself into breaking was an ideal scientific endeavor. There will always be threads of Leonard Church in him- and a particular manner of detached vindictiveness comes with the territory. "He should not, however, have allowed Brandon's remorse to temper his hand. Had Locus continued at the rate, he could have easily removed 36 percent of Brandon's skin before shock set in."
Taylor ignores the conversation as best he can. It's easier than he might like.
He leans closer, nose nuzzling briefly against Taylor's temple. The AI are going to chatter amongst themselves? Let them. It certainly seems to be cheering Felix up, as he sniffs and rolls his eyes.
"I know, right? He had to get all merciful and shit. There's just so much you can do with a knife, if you've got the motivation for it. Guy's got no sense of fun."
"He lives in my brain." And while he can take Delta out- it feels kind of childish and petty. Call it solidarity with Sam, call it an addiction- both are probably accurate.
"The desire to do harm came more out of anger than out of any sense of sadistic pleasure." Were it otherwise he might have reservations trusting Sam with Taylor. "Anger lacks...finesse."
"Yeah, just wanted to hear the guy say he was sorry for hurting him and shit. Ah well. We got to have a little fun, at least. And it was nice flexing my fingers for a bit. Taste of things to come, right?"
Felix gloats, while Locus reaches for Taylor's empty hand, twining his fingers through with his. "You still find ways. Trust me. I've had to. He'd have driven me mad by now, otherwise."
"I am certain arrangements might be made if you wish to indulge in other physical activities, as it will take some time yet to collect everything needed to build and test your body." But yes, a taste of things to come.
Taylor sighs and squeezes Sam's fingers, nudging back every time Delta thinks 'Locus'. He responds to Sam, so. Sam he is. "I got used to not having to. We're usually pretty well on the same wavelength.
"Yeah?" He perks up at that, cocking his head at Delta as he works.
Locus, meanwhile, runs a thumb along the back of Taylor's knuckles. "Ours is...more selective. Some things we agree upon wholly, and others we remain staunchly opposed to. I have to find ways to block him out, or..."
And the milkshake is set aside so he can rub briefly at his own temple.
"It would take both Locus and Taylor's cooperation but, in the interest of keeping things fair, I think they would find it in themselves to agree." Delta's hands pause from where they're flicking through data, helmet angling to Felix. "What do you miss most?"
Migraines, Taylor knows. That cognitive dissonance of having an extra presence in your mind- one implanted with your consent? Still a bitch. One put in place against your will? How Sam hasn't had screaming migraines on the regular is amazing to him. He reaches up, smoothing chilled fingers against his temple. "We're fine. He's cooperating, yeah?"
"He is. That's what worries me." But he tilts into the touch, allowing those chilled fingers to soothe away the throb. Most of the time it seems like background noise, a discomfort he can ignore if he pushes him down hard enough, but some days...
Felix considers this question with a great about of gravity, folding his arms and considering. Eating? Drinking? Jacking off? The possibilities are all there, but he knows what he misses most. "Honestly? I just want to get back into the fight. I'm in my prime, you know? There's still so much I can do. But yeah, fat chance, I know. I'm still in the time-out corner because you two don't trust me."
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Which doesn't mean he plans on letting go that quickly.
"Of course, you're keeping me around for the fun missions. Right partner?" He glances back with a smirk as Locus lowers his shake, frowning.
But he doesn't deny it, either.
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Keep him focused on things other than Locus. Like himself. Vanity is always a safe bet.
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It works, and Locus lets out a breath, taking another drink of his milkshake, his shoulder brushing against Taylor's quietly. Hopefully, this isn't the case for very much longer. Hopefully, Felix takes to the new body and they can go their separate ways.
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The hell does he know, yeah? yeah.
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Locus tosses a look at Taylor. Really? We're going to encourage this behavior?
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He doesn't look that young, come on.
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"He's going to do that. Just don't give him more fuel."
"Hey." Felix waves a hand, leaning low to get Locus's attention. "Right fucking here, partner Speaking of which."
And he straightens, eyes lighting up.
"You should see him with a knife. God, I'm so proud I could cry. Or tweak a program to look like it. Whatever."
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But only a moment. Knifework prompts a quirked brow and-
Delta tries, bless his little green heart, but a snapshot of Brandon's skin cut up and flayed flickers through his memory all the same. "...what the everloving fuck, Sam."
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No sign of remorse, though. From either of them.
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skinning someone tips past cruel and unusual and goes somewhere far and weird and- he knows Sam's capable of violence. He's seen him kill. But keeping something efficient and clean in the field is very different from hunting down a civilian and cutting them up.
"...man I'm not gonna be able to eat bacon for a week." Still no answer, so. More humor!
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Watching Taylor skate away from that is cause for concern, and there's a faint furrow in his brow. "It's done. No need to dwell on it."
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Not for approving, but for Taylor having to see any of the recording. He shakes his head, scrubbing at his face before pointedly leaning against Sam and sipping his Milkshake. This is fine. They are fine. "I'm putting knives on my 'hard no' till Felix isn't subletting your skull, man."
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Taylor doesn't lie. He's terrible at it. So if he's letting it go, best to let it go.
"Understood."
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Yeah, no. Not letting it go. "You're not doing anything to Carolina."
Sure they may or may not have had a thing and yeah he might have gotten jerked around and yeah, she might've dropped a goddamn ship on them- but no. And there's no way in hell he's bringing up any of his other exes now. Ever.
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No more than what's already been done. Trying to kill her repeatedly, along with Wash, had been part of the job then. What he did to Brandon, what he might have done to her, had been nixed the moment Taylor said he wasn't interested in seeing her pay.
He only has to say the word. That's always been the case.
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Fuck.
"D now is not the time to review that footage, for fuck's sake." He snaps, out loud, and Delta has the good sense to flicker into being and look sheepish.
"Apologies."
"Go do some recon or something." Anything but flipping through that rather involved night.
"Affirmative." He winks out, a little green trail of light zipping to the nearbye terminal as he begins doing some kind of work or another. Taylor's not paying attention, too busy trying to focus on the warmth of Sam next to him and the simple pleasure of a milkshake. The small things.
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He couldn't promise what he would or wouldn't do.
Meanwhile, Felix takes to hovering over Delta shoulder with a smirk. "Glad someone appreciates the artistry that went into that. Honestly, you're not as uptight as I thought."
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Taylor ignores the conversation as best he can. It's easier than he might like.
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He leans closer, nose nuzzling briefly against Taylor's temple. The AI are going to chatter amongst themselves? Let them. It certainly seems to be cheering Felix up, as he sniffs and rolls his eyes.
"I know, right? He had to get all merciful and shit. There's just so much you can do with a knife, if you've got the motivation for it. Guy's got no sense of fun."
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"The desire to do harm came more out of anger than out of any sense of sadistic pleasure." Were it otherwise he might have reservations trusting Sam with Taylor. "Anger lacks...finesse."
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Felix gloats, while Locus reaches for Taylor's empty hand, twining his fingers through with his. "You still find ways. Trust me. I've had to. He'd have driven me mad by now, otherwise."
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Taylor sighs and squeezes Sam's fingers, nudging back every time Delta thinks 'Locus'. He responds to Sam, so. Sam he is. "I got used to not having to. We're usually pretty well on the same wavelength.
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Locus, meanwhile, runs a thumb along the back of Taylor's knuckles. "Ours is...more selective. Some things we agree upon wholly, and others we remain staunchly opposed to. I have to find ways to block him out, or..."
And the milkshake is set aside so he can rub briefly at his own temple.
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Migraines, Taylor knows. That cognitive dissonance of having an extra presence in your mind- one implanted with your consent? Still a bitch. One put in place against your will? How Sam hasn't had screaming migraines on the regular is amazing to him. He reaches up, smoothing chilled fingers against his temple. "We're fine. He's cooperating, yeah?"
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Felix considers this question with a great about of gravity, folding his arms and considering. Eating? Drinking? Jacking off? The possibilities are all there, but he knows what he misses most. "Honestly? I just want to get back into the fight. I'm in my prime, you know? There's still so much I can do. But yeah, fat chance, I know. I'm still in the time-out corner because you two don't trust me."
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