Chapter Text
Scar misses Vex. He misses being Neit. Misses being in Vex's lair just the three two of them there all day. Cooking and watching movies and maybe going to Vex's gym together.
Here, in the quiet of Scar’s own apartment when no one else is here, he can admit as much. Even if it's just in the privacy of his own mind.
Grian has been avoiding him, Scar thinks. Coming around less. Grian claims it's because of a work thing, but Scar knows better.
Grian doesn't trust him. At least, not as much as he did.
How could Scar blame him for that? Sure, they've been friends forever and ever, and Scar's- He's done his best to be there. When it really-really matters.
It's selfish to linger on having given up the last his carefree time, in that lair he's not supposed to want to be in, for Grian's comfort. For Grian to not even seem to notice or appreciate it- It's fine. It's fine. Friendship is a give and take.
How mad will Grian be when Scar goes back? If he goes back? ...when he goes back. How much more of that trust will be eroded?
Why did Scar's heart have to set its sights on someone so completely incompatible with his life? Why did Vex have to make it feel so possible when it is clearly, under true light of day, impossible?
The call of simplicity rings through Scar's over-full brain. He has another evening to himself. To stew in his own thoughts. He can sit here and think until he's long in the face, or-
Or he can reach into his newest secret stash in his room, so new not even Grian knows about it, not anyone but Scar. He can reach in there, and openly covet the scrap of fabric that means so much more to him than the materials it's made of.
The fabric is soft between his fingers. Just as soft as when Vex first put it on him, those fleeting million days ago. His neck has been feeling bare and exposed without it. Especially as the bruises and hickies Vex left on him heal. Returning him slowly to the blank canvas he is.
Was. Can't quite call himself blank with all these scars crisscrossing on his skin.
One of them is a gift from Vex. A mark. A claim. It's been a tingle on his thigh every time he thinks about it. Something he's been doing a lot, nearly obsessive in his need to hide it from everyone until it's healed. Until it's scarred.
His stomach turns at the thought of how Grian might react to Scar openly, proudly carrying Vex's claim.
Banishing those glum thoughts with a decisive sweep of the collar, Scar snaps it onto his neck.
Relief sets in immediately as his mind quiets. Even knowing there's nothing else there, no magic, no tech Vex uses to boost his powers, just fabric, doesn't lessen the effect. It still sweeps Scar up just as wonderfully as if he were fully under Vex's thrall.
Has he ever felt the full force of Vex's thrall? He'll have to ask, if he remembers. If When he sees Vex again.
Scar hasn't seen Vex since leaving his lair. The ConCave, as Vex calls it. Vex hasn't been up to his usual mischief. Now, wearing the collar, Scar gets to be sad about that. Disappointed he hasn't seen Vex. The collar affords him these little luxuries. Like openly missing his Vexy.
It's only been... Dunno, Scar doesn't remember exactly but like. He knows it hasn't been that long. A month? A week? A very extremely normal amount of time to not see Vex, between schemes.
But.
The yawning chasm of empty months inside Scar whispers poison in his ear with every minute that Vex doesn't make an appearance.
He can't hear that poison with the collar on, but he knows it's there. Waiting. He can't keep the collar on forever.
But it's his right now, this respite. This soft ache that’s more longing than fear. This simplicity.
These stolen fragments of Vex. He doesn't take up the mask. That would be too tempting. That has to remain tucked deeply into his stash, safely hidden.
Empty hands are dangerous hands, though, hands that might reach-
Scar has a simple solution. He merely has to fill his hands with something else. The collar brings back the memory of colors, of explosions.
Vex didn't know it, but- Well, Neit had been a selfish, sneaky little thing, copy-pasting the game onto his phone when no one was looking. Only took a couple of tries, luckily, before the errory thingies stopped.
A prize Scar can now dig out to revel in!
His phone is bright in his hands when he picks it up, fairy cat princess and rainbow and Hotguy and a single hidden Vex glitter stickers sparkling brightly at him. More often than not, they bring a smile to his lips.
Unlocking it, Scar flips through the homescreen pages to find the firework-explody game. Only to arrive to the deep page it lives on and find a new picture next to the colorful bomb icon. This unfamiliar icon looks like the picture for a chat app, pale blue and bright orange text bubbles on a light purple background. The blue one is bouncing with a ‘1’ inside it. Scar takes long moments of silent lip movements to sound out the tiny letters under it. 'Vexting', the app is called. Scar double-checks his word-sounds. Twice. It still says 'Vexting'. Is this something Vex smuggled onto his phone? Must be, the app has Vex’s name in it.
With no further thoughts on the matter, Scar taps the button, opening into a chat window. Text field at the bottom for typing. Two microphone pictures next to it. A paperclip picture. A smiley face. Colorful soapy bubbles float lazily in the background of the chat, exploding into fireworks when tapped. There's a single message in the chat, its bubble Vex-blue on the soft purple background. Big soft clear letters that don't fight him reading them as much as others do. A speaker icon next to it.
Of course Scar hits the speaker. Only to crow in delight when a vaguely Vex-sounding voice reads the message aloud to him. 'Hey, Neit. Text me when you see this. Vex.'
Neit's fingers are moving before his brain catches up, tapping the text entering field. Even if he has to immediately stop and stare in wondrous bafflement over how Vex has somehow pinned down all the letters there, in neat little rows that don't wiggle or shuffle or change or all fall off the screen to pool together indistinctly. They're... Heavy? Something about the letters feels weighted.
But that doesn't stop him long, since Neit has a mission. A mission given to him by Vex. 'Vex?' Neit types and sends the word, just as he was told.
Barely takes any time before three bouncy dots appear at the bottom. Time Scar spends tapping at the soapy shiny bubbles and making them explode into fireworks.
'Neit?' The message pops up, with a little sound and a burst of new bubbles.
Neit wants to answer with giddy abandon, delighted in the sounds and the bubbles and Vex, but Scar hesitates. 'How do I know you're you?' Scar sends, instead.
'you bit my shoulder' the answer comes. Then. 'where did i bite you?'
Scar's hand, drifting down to run over the knots of scar tissue. He's letting it air out right now, unlike the hiding he usually has to do with the bite Vex gave him. 'My thigh' appears on the screen, tapped out and sent by fingers learning eagerness again.
This is Vex. It's really-really him! Scar can- He can talk to Vex! That's- That's so much. Is that too much?
The next thing that Vex sends is not more words. Instead, it's a picture. A picture of Vex's shoulder, pale blue skin and a pushed back mint green shirt. Barely visible, the silvery impression of teeth. Then, more text.
'mine’s scarred. how’s yours?'
Scar tries to tippy tappy on the picture to save it, but discovers it has instead gone into some kind of gallery inside of the Vexty-texty app. Well, as long as Scar can find it again! He wants to bite. He wants to make more marks, harsher scars-
Shit. Right. Answering!
Scar scrambles to swipe his way back to the text field. He... Isn't sure how to send a picture in this new thing, so he fumbles through using his words. 'still scarring, almost there. Looks good'
'good.' The short message pops up once the jumpy dots are done. 'can i see?'
Scar types and deletes a half dozen bluffs and distractions before Neit slips in a 'how?' and sends it. His collar's lace under his knuckles while he waits for an answer.
'the paper clip icon lets you send pictures and other files. Also has the camera function option'
'Weird' Scar sends, before tapping the paperclip to explore. Takes him a couple minutes to figure out how to get the camera bit open, and then how to get all the settings and focuses on it exactly-exactly how he likes them. And then a couple of minutes more where he shuffles around, dragging lights here and there in his bedroom and finding the perfect blanket to sit on, before he snaps his shot, displaying the full span of the bright still-healing bite scar adorning his thigh. Along the very edge of the frame, just the slightest curve of Scar's soft cock graces the photo.
And sent!
'delicious' Vex sends back. 'i could just eat you up'
'I wish you would.' Scar answers back immediately. 'I miss you' He adds the words before he can second guess himself.
'i miss you too' pops up so quickly Scar almost doubts Vex actually read his message. Only almost. He knows others can read faster than him. Even if reading has never been as easy for him as it is with Vex's magic heavy letters.
Scar lays back on his bed. Snaps a closeup of his neck, with his collar on it, with only a cheap, common blanket beneath him in the background. Sends it, because he doesn't know what else to even say, right now.
'youre wearing it? at home?' Comes the response.
'Was thinking of you and no one's around right now' More bubble taps, more fireworks. Vex seems to like those, doesn't he? Well, Scar can't fault him on that one.
'how are you holding up? beside missing me'
'Got my foot and back taken care of' Scar answers back, and doesn't think too much about how it feels like he's lost his closest confidante, the person he'd always go to when he had snarls of emotion he needed to talk out, or have sliced through with sharp words. Physically, he's fine, as fine as he gets.
When the message sends, there's showers of confetti that shoot out from it. It feels too cheerful for Scar's ignored glumness.
'good to hear' Vex replies. Then 'we'll see each other soon if everything goes to plan'.
Scar tries tapping the part about seeing each other soon, until he can do something that he thinks might be pouring his own confetti out of it in torrents and gushes.
Something to look forward to, a bit of cheer to hold onto. Eventually he gets around to typing 'Can't wait' and 'gonna knock you outta the sky'.
'i see you found the reactions menu' Vex sends. 'there's a question mark at the top left that opens a few quick tutorial animations in case you're curious what else you can do' And then. 'Have to catch me first to knock me out of the sky.'
'Catching you I've got plenty of practice with.' Scar answers, considering the tutorials and then brushing off the thought. Maybe if he gets bored later, when there isn't Vex to be had. 'only I get to. You're all mine' At least most heroes understand the silent agreement to back off of each other's archnemesises, when possible.
'i am. and youre all mine' Vex agrees. 'i hope youre on duty day after tomorrow around lunch. might be some CATchy action then. wouldnt want you to HISS out'
Scar giggles, kicking his legs in the air. 'That had better not be a tall tail you're telling.' Hmmm, what else? 'Ive got a feline that I'll be ready, you're done fur'
Perfect! It's a date!
'we'll see' Vex texts, followed by a moving little picture of a cat swiping its paw at Scar. 'animated stickers are with the emojis. hit the smiley face then swipe right or press the moving sticker tab. type your search term or use the microphone with the letter on it for speech to text'
'Peach to text?' Ah, geez, Scar was trying to delete that, not send it, just wanting to try out the mentioned button. Oh well, not much to do now. 'Huh neat.' He sends half a dozen cat stickers instead of caring.
'it's nice when you don't want to bother with typing. figured you might appreciate' Vex is right about that. 'do tell me if you want buttons moved around i can update the app no problem. or any other issues you find' One by one, all the cat stickers release a shower of fish shaped confetti.
'I like it where'd you get it I've never seen anything like it.' Scar barely bothered to breathe the whole time he was saying those words, and sends it as-is without any prettying up. Maybe never is a stretch, but like. Not for adults.
'made it myself. while you were helping Cuteguy out of his armor'
'You can. Do that?' That's too fast, it has to be. But the app is real. Like. How Dare Vex have another unreasonable skill. Doesn't he know he already has too many? How is Scar going to find the time to kiss him enough for this? Very inconsiderate.
'of course. just a matter of using the right basic structures' Like Vex just went and built the app out of Legos or something.
'stop being so good at things.' Scar pouts and flops back on the bed again. rolls over. Looks down at the app, all bright and colorful in his own colors. A way to talk to Vex. He's not over that. Scar scribbles a messy camera onto a post it note and sticks it to tomorrow's date on his calendar. Maybe he could catch Vex at that stuffy job, and make it a little bit less stuffy.
'never. how else will i impress you and earn the right to be your arch nemesis?'
'you impress me too much. rude. dastardly. you have to be my arched nemesis because i'm the only one perfect enough to match you.'
A smiling cartoon Vex face pops up in the chat, with a Vex laughing a warm chuckle sound effect. Which sounds like an actual recording of Vex. Scar goes to see if he can make it launch confetti too, only to discover the sound plays again every time he taps it.
'well then, i guess we're stuck with each other'
'theres no one else id rather be stuck with'
'yeah' Scar taps the Vex face over and over again, listening to that laugh, as if Vex were right here with him, just out of sight.
Not knowing what else to say, and with no message from Vex to respond to, Scar decides to instead take a look at the tutorial. Maybe he'll have questions for Vex after it.
The question mark opens a lil row of pictures and short words next to them. Each word again has the speaker picture next to it, and is nice and heavy and steady. Scar doesn't even need the speaker reading the words out for him! He can read them himself! Still, he taps the speaker just to hear the voice that sounds similar to Vex's say the words. Words like 'Intro' and 'Text' and 'Menu'.
Scar selects 'Intro'. Because it seems like a good place to start, and because there's swirly sparklies dancing around the button.
A full screen picture of the app opens up, with a popup that has two buttons on it. One with a regular speaker and one with a speaker with a line through it, like a mute button. The text above reads 'Voiceover?'. Scar selects the regular speaker.
The popup disappears. Instead, there's now an animated cat paw that walks him through the different things the app can do with silly pictures, sound effects, and most importantly of all, clips of Vex's voice explaining everything. What the different picture buttons do. How to make messages do cool effects. The difference between the two microphone pictures. All the settings he can change in the menu, like the amount of bubbles, or the time it takes for the confetti to stop. That he can edit a message even after sending it. How he knows if Vex has seen a message he sent.
In the end, a Vex voice clip tells him to ask Vex if he has any questions the tutorial can't answer, or if he has anything he wants changed or added.
The giggle that means he's got a new message interrupts Scar before he can go mess with the 'Game Options' in the settings, as the tutorial called them.
Another picture. A picture of what looks like Vex's dinner. Doesn't look to be anything too fancy, a tomatoey-cheesey pasta dish, a bowl of salad with lots of shredded carrots, what appears to be a whole baguette of garlic bread, and some kind of dessert bowl. There's text under the image, as well.
'i miss your cooking. the ordered stuff is good but not the same'
"Gonna cook so much more for you, next time!" Scar tests out the voice messaging function the tutorial explained, stomach fluttering with the thought of his words reaching Vex despite all the distance between them.
The message appears as a little cartoon Neit on screen, complete with Vex mask and collar. Just like the tutorial had shown. He also knows he can edit the picture, swap out the mask for the Hotguy visor and take off the collar. He might do that later. For now, this works.
The response comes long moments later, in the form of another Vex cartoon face Scar now knows is the voice message function. A short message. A single warm chuckle, followed by "I'm looking forward to it, Neit. I'm looking forward."
'Me too' Scar's smile hasn't left him for long enough that his face muscles are getting sore, but he doesn't care. He has so much to look forward to! So many fewer worries than he started the night with! He can kick the vanquished corpse of those poisonous whispers and laugh!
'whatre you having for dinner? or what did you have, if youve already eaten?'
Shit. Right. Of course Vex would expect him to be eating! Vex and his so so many meals- Neit doesn't want to disappoint Vex, though, so he scrambles up, and out into his tiny kitchen.
There's still not much, but he's been gradually starting to gather up ingredients again. What can he throw together that will look decent-
Some freezery chicken dices he'd found on sale, and a bag of frozen mixed veggies, and some instant mashed potatoes- A quick bit of roasting and frying so that everything's a pretty golden brown, the potatoes whipped up to fluffiness, and Scar plates it all up. A paper towel underneath to hide the counter, and he snaps a pic, sending it to Vex.
'nothing much, really' He adds, so casual. No one will suspect a thing!
'looks delicious!' comes the reply. No mention of Vex noticing Scar's deception!
A voice message. "Good Neit."
Scar's fork clatters to the table, a relaxing shudder sweeping over him entire. Even meals here can get him Vex's praise? Shopping lists and budgeting spring up whole and ready in his thoughts.
He blazes through the meal so quickly that he doesn't even remember if he used cutlery or his hands or what any of it tasted like, just finding himself with his cleaned dish at the sink, blinking back to remembering that his phone is even a thing. 'Thanks. It's nothing special, but having it at the same time is kind of like sharing a meal.' Scar dictates his words to the phone, before bundling himself back over to his bed, where he can tap on the "Good Neit." button and melt into his blankets.
'id be happy to kind of share more meals with you if you want' A slight pause. 'maybe even make it a standing appointment'
'You're trying to kill me. Yes. Yes, please. When?' Scar's bad at keeping appointments, but he wants to try, he wants this. He can do it this time if he wants it bad enough, right? That's what people tell him, that if he really wanted it, then he'd be there.
'how does monday evening at 7 sound? we can do tuesday lunch if one of us cant make it that day. my meetings sometimes run late or are at impossible times' Vex uses so many words, but Neit revels in managing to mostly keep up with them. 'do you want me to add a calendar option to the app? in case you dont want to put it in your main calendar for fear of people seeing it'
'Oh no, people might find out that I eat meals sometimes.' Scar giggles to himself.
''dinner with vex' might cause some questions in your calendar'
'The with Vex part is just for me to know. Heart.' Eh, close enough, Scar sends it anyway. And then imagines a world where he actually could put 'with Vex' in his calendar. Without Grian throwing a fit.
'if you want spoken message emojis just add the word emoji to the word. like so. red-heart-emoji'
Following that is a screenshot of what looks like a calendar, the date being the upcoming Monday. Several things are obviously blocked out, but one appointment is clearly visible to Scar. An event at 7 in the evening, titled 'dinner with Neit'.
' ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ' Scar only barely resists adding more hearts, clicking send just to stop himself. After a minute of deliberating, he marks his own event as 'dinner with sugarplum faerie'. Silly enough he can write it off as just being his own way of reminding himself to eat. He had a good reason for wanting to eat more, he thinks. Whatever it was, it's gone now. But now he has dinner plans with Vex! Which is even better!
Doc is going to scream. Cub is sitting in Doc's office, shirt off, displaying a torso littered in hickeys and bite marks. The large plaster covering the bite wound on his shoulder has been removed, showing that the healing progress is actually very pisspoor, considering just what the ointment Cub uses is capable of. The edges are still pink and puffed up, and the first silvery pink-flushed white bits of scar tissue are visible under the scab. Meaning he had skipped doses.
There is no remorse on Cub's face. There never is.
"So run that by me again. You did what?" Doc pinches the bridge of his nose.
"Gave Hotguy an fMRI, gave him one of my old prototype masks to wear during, then when those showed no signs of interference with his neural activity when thinking of me without the collar, we fucked and I gave him a claiming bite he's letting scar and a nickname because he doesn't answer to Hotguy when not in the Hotguy mask. Which, that makes sense, yeah, makes sense." Cub nods. On the tablet in front of him are the results of said scans. Doc can see at first glance just how aroused the person being scanned is.
"Aha. And I assume you took no precautions before biting him? Like disinfecting the area? Or your mouz? No? I thought so, man. Really. What were you thinking?" There is no amount of lecturing that will make Cub feel any different about his past actions, Doc knows. Why did he have to choose this stubborn idiot as his boyfriend again?
"No. Though I did clean it out and apply the regular regenerative salve right away. That has to count for something, come on Doc." Cub bargains. Sadly, he is right. After letting the bite Hotguy gave him get infected, immediate cleaning is an improvement.
"Yes, yes, I guess you have a point there." Doc concedes, grumbling. "Now let me look over these, and if I do find something amiss, you're in for it. I explicitly told you he cannot consent while under the effects of the collar." Doc baps Cub on the forehead with the tablet. "Though I do want to know why he's so horny in this. That can't be normal."
"Oh, yeah, I think he has a big thing for being tied up. He asked me to, so he'd have an easier time laying still. So I put him in a bit of a shibari harness. Like you guys taught me." Cub shrugs. There's been little change to Cub's demeanor throughout, though he did perk up in that happy-excited way of his when mentioning the bondage.
Doc's hand is back on the bridge of his nose. He's once again glad that part of him is still wholly flesh. While the sensory feedback on his cybernetics is good, the lack of synthskin takes away the give flesh has. It's also just that bit different, to have the input from the metal skin over real skin or fur or synthskin.
"Cub. Little horror. MRIs of any kind do not require shibari. Or any other kind of bondage. You know this."
"Well yes, but it can make them more fun. And Neit definitely enjoyed it." Cub can be such a little shit. He hides it well, under a calm and serious exterior. But inside, he's always been a little shit. A little shit and a big slut. So maybe, Doc shouldn't be too surprised by this. Given how kinky medical procedures between them can get. Exemplified wonderfully by Doc's care for Cub's bite while at the ConCave.
"I assume you have audio and visual recording?"
Cub nods.
"Good. Get them to me by tomorrow." Then again, so long as both of them clearly consent...
Speaking of clearly consenting. In Doc’s professional opinion, Cub has done quite enough thinking these past few days. Time to revoke those 'privileges' and turn him into a nice, needy slut for Doc. At least for a few hours.