Fear of the Dark, Pt. 1

Tavros was having a bad day. Well, more like a shitacular day. His attempt to troll the Knight of Time had failed with embarassing impotency, he had ached all day where his flesh met his metal prosthetic legs, which always seemed to be too cold or too warm anyway, and when he went to take a piss, Equius came in the room midstream so he had to stand there and pretend the other guy had not just taken the urinal right beside him and was not watching him with morbid curiousity; and those were the least of his misfortunes.

For example, he was currently being dragged who knows where by his disobedient robot legs. Once, he had legs of his own. Once, on such terrible days, he would have used them to ride the quintain outside his house and tilt at the dummy knight until his practice lance shattered into splinters. Or he would ride on the wide open plains around his home, wind in his hair and howling in his ears. But his home and Alternia were gone now and he had lost count of how long he and his friends had been in this facility where there were no quintains or room to ride around in. He had never felt so restless in his life. Though he didn't feel quite so restless that he welcomed his legs scampering around of their own accord. 'No,' Tavros thought with chagrin, 'not their own accord.' There were two people who could override his will with these damnable blessings: Vriska and Equius. If it was Vriska, she would doubtless just try to provoke him into whatever emotion she was looking for again and he would have to pretend it didn't bother him in the least. Even though though it did bother him and he really did not need it right now. It was the opposite of what he needed. If it was Equius doing this... Tavros recalled the urinal incident and decided to stop thinking about that. Vriska was not much better but better the devil he knew, he supposed.

For once, he wasn't smiling. He usually did to stave off pity from the others and rueful outrage at whatever unbelievable shit he was going through at the time from himself. Usually, it helped. Today it had only drained him and left him with dark thoughts usually pushed too far back to surface. 'Maybe I should just let go.' If there was anyone he could let loose on it would be Vriska and the others probably wouldn't even blame him too much anyway... No, no, that way lay madness. He would have to tough it out. Later he could... he could... Tavros didn't know what he could do. He tried to push the frustration from his mind. He was approaching one of the empty rooms of the bulding, remote from the places the other trolls frequented.

"Helloooooooo, Taaaaaaaavros! How kind of you to join me." Vriska bounded towards where he stood now. "We're going to have such fun."

He clenched a hand to discover that he was full in control of himself again. That was unusual. "Uhh, Vriska, hey. So what brings you here, or me I guess. Actually, it's pretty obvious it was you. Who brought me here, I mean. Can I help you?"

She frowned. And was silent for a moment. Apparently she hadn't thought this far.

Finally, she said, "Just what is it about Nepeta anyway?"

"What?"

"Nepeta. What is it about her that you like so much?" There was an odd look in her eyes that did nothing to ease the strangeness of her inquiry.

"Uh-"

"She's not so great. So she's all cutesy and nice, ooh. I don't believe it. No troll's as happy as she is, just what is she hiding?"

"I don't think she's hiding anything. Well, not anything dangerous. Maybe she only says she liked Sgrub but she really doesn't and just says so but thinks it was stupid." Tavros theorized.

"She's got to be hiding something," Vriska insisted, "Something important. Why else would she call that stupid dirty cave her home? Did you know the walls are covered with blood, too? And theres all sorts of furs on the floor? I know, Equius told me! Isn't that soooooooo weird? Kind of makes you wonder if we should even keep her around! Who knows what kind of bloodlust she's got brewing under that dumb, fuzzy hat of hers?"

"That's not very nice, Vriska. The uhh, blood and fur thing is kinda unsettling. All those nice animals. She doesn't kill anything she doesn't eat, though," Tavros responded with a weak smile and a shrug, "and I don't think you have to worry about her. I trust her."

Vriska stepped right into his face in fury. He guessed he hadn't said what she wanted to hear, as usual. "What? Why? What has she ever done for you that you trust her so much? She's obviously insane! I mean, look at how she acts. That's not how a troll should act. She's too... too sane! And so annoying! Always sticking that stupid catface in her messages and pretending she's some sort of cat beast with kittens. What a freak. And she never really hung out with us. She never even played games with us. What was she, too good for our little group?"

"Vriska-"

"Oh Gog, what an iiiiiiiidiot I am. Okay, just forget this dumb flighty broad even brought it up," she said with genuine distress. But the look passed just as soon as it came. "That's probably it, isn't it? You think I'm a retard. Even that crazy cat lady's better than a retard, right?" She was starting to raise her voice.

"That's not true," Tavros pleaded, "I think you're perfectly intelligent. Maybe even too intelligent. I don't think you should talk about yourself like that. Like you're dumb or something. Which you're not."

"Bah! You are so infuriating! What do I have to do to make you treat me like I deserve? Why haven't you ever hit me? Or yell at me? Or even frown at me? I crippled you, for fuck's sake. Show SOME sign you're not the second fucking coming of Troll Jegus! It's like you're not even a person! You're just- just- too perfect!"

Tavros tried to make his voice calming. "Stop-"

"AAAAAAAARGH!!!!!!!!  Nothing I DO to you works! Maybe I should beg! Just get on my goddamn knees and kiss your feet or put on a sackcloth and weep and gnash my teeth! Hell, I'll find a stick and flog myself in penance! I'll even use my super strong robot hand. Whack whack whack whack whack whack whack whack!" She mimed the self flagellation with abandon, nearly hitting herself with the metal arm several times.

He rushed towards her and grabbed her wrists hard, stopping her from moving any further. Metal plate cut into his hand where he grasped the robotic arm and the pang of pain and smell of blood hit him like a ton of bricks, making his blood course faster and his mind reckless. "VRISKA," he hardly recognized his own voice "STOP IT."

She looked up at him with watery eyes. Oh no. He could handle the bruises, the yelling, the headaches- but he'd always dreaded this. This was what he'd always avoided and now... His insticts told him to do a million things but all his mind registered was the frantic drumming of his heart. Tavros loosened his grip and let his arms fall to his sides, hot brown blood dripping down his fingers. He didn't do anything even when Vriska's hands clutched him the sides of the jaws and forced his mouth to hers. She kissed him hard for a moment then pulled away, looking down mournfully at his right hand while Tavros tried to process what the hell just happened.

She took it in her own and kissed his palm where the open wound bled. With slow, gentle motions she licked the blood off his palm, then off the webs between his fingers, and finally she sucked the sticky brown from his fingers and held his hand tight in hers to staunch the bleeding. That was definitely not what he expected. Then their eyes met and he felt even more dumbfounded. For a long time, they stood just gazing at each other. Tavros felt like she expected him to do something but he didn't know what and he didn't know what to say or even if he could say anything even remotely intelligible. He fumbled with is thoughts for what seemed an eternity, not knowing what to do. Then he was noticing Vriska's expression change, like a thundercloud covering the sun. Suddenly, Tavros was aware he wasn't alone in his mind. He couldn't have moved even if he shook off his stupor and willed himself to.

Vriska slid his collared shirt off his shoulders and pulled it off, hands lingering on his skin as she pulled it off and let it fall to the ground. He recoiled mentally when she ran her hands back up his arms, pressing to feel the muscle and sinew underneath, and across his shoulders to clasp the back of his neck. Once again, Tavros was pulled down into a kiss. This time he was reponsive, though not of his own will. He felt his lips part without prompting and then her tongue sliding against his. She continued hungrily, him unable to resist and not knowing if he would even if he could. Vriska broke away, leaning her head down against his jaw. Her breath tickled.

She stepped back and let her own overshirt flutter to the ground then hooked a thumb in the waist of  her pants. Languid as molasses, her hand crept up her belly, pushing up fabric as it went. Slowly, slowly, slowly she bared her torso, giving Tavros a teasing look, mischievous smile on her wet lips. Vriska paused just before her breast. Thumb and forefinger slid nderneath her shirt and swirled languidly around a covered nipple. He found himself wanting to feel her as she did him, to tickle the ridges of her ribcage in her sides and squeeze the soft flesh on her chest. Finally, unceremoniously, she pulled the shirt off over her head. Her breasts were modest but not so much that they didn't bounce back from the tug of fabric when they were bared.

"Your turn." Vriska drawled.

Vriska undressed him with his own hands. When his t-shirt caught on his horns being pulled up, she bade him tear it clean off with his bare hands with the same languid pace she had teased him with. His own command for his arms to push her away when stepped uncomfortably close went unheeded, to his growing frustration. Tavros tried to ignore the scent of her hair tickling his nose and her hands tugging at his belt but when she planted a slow kiss on his jawline and began to nibble at the sensitive skin of his neck he could think of nothing else. His own hands raised and began feeling her all over. She made soft sounds, breath prickling his neck, and pressed her body hard against his.

The feel of her flesh under his hands, the sensation of her hot lips on him, and the cool air where she left his skin wet on his neck and shoulder, her hands exploring his body with a light, teasing touch that left goosebumps in their wake; it was about all Tavros could handle. His pants felt annoyingly tight and though he didn't want to, Tavros undeniably wanted her. He wanted her so bad it hurt. Vriska stood on tip toes, and breathed in his ear.

"Settle down, big guy," She said in a low, demure tone, "I'll take gooooooood care of you."

She hoped she hadn't let any of the arousal she felt pooling in her belly slip into her words. It wouldn't do for him to know how hard it was for her herself to hold back. She sensed the desire in his mind and intended to make him wait as long as possible.

She nuzzled into Tavros' neck and inhaled his musky scent, tasted the salt of his sweat on her lips. She arched her back under his touch at the small of her back, a rough callused hand trailing down her spine to her rear. She let his hand linger there and squeeze gently before she made him withdraw his touch. As much as she wanted to take him right then, Vriska knew he wanted it more. That much was vivid in the hazy landscape of his mind. There was something else there, fuzzy and indistinct with an air of danger. But, loathe as she was to admit it, being in Tavros' mind always had a soothing effect on her. She felt reckless.

She unclapsed her own pants with his hands and lowered him to his knees pulling down her clothing, panties and all. Vriska bade him take his time and she could feel his trembling hands flow down her waist to her thighs and calves. When they lifted again to hold her by the waist, she took her sweet time sensing the impatience in him and his breath between her legs grow heavier. She moved his head closer by torturously small degrees, savouring the want mounting in his head and hers.

When she finally had him continue, his tongue and lips took her with a hunger that made her moan and sent her panting. There was more of his will in his actions than she thought. Vriska's knees began to feel weak under his forceful licks and she had to grasp at his horn to keep herself from falling. It was futile. Kneeling face to face, she realized she had lost control of him entirely as languidly licked her moisture from his lips and wiped his mouth with a forearm. She took command of his body again with some difficulty before he'd completed the motion but for a moment, she could have sworn he had a decidedly un-Tavroslike look in his eyes.

Shaken but if anything only egged on, Vriska made him lay back and ran a hand along the inside of his leg, slowing where he bulged against the fabric. When she finally unbuckled and unbuttoned his last pieces of clothing and pulled them off lazily, she heard him sigh in relief. She sat for a moment, just taking in the sight of him laying helpless to her whims on the floor. All muscle and sinew and metal. All hers. Tentatively, she leaned forward and dragged her tongue up the length of his cock. He shivered and let loose a shuddering groan of pleasure. Grinning, Vriska continued to lick all over, looking up occasionally to meet his impetuous eyes. She circled the head languidly and watched him squirm. She licked her lips stopped, aware of the growing ache between her legs. She couldn't hold back any more. When she straddled Tavros and saw an intense craving in his eyes. Vriska didn't even stop to think of delaying the moment any longer.

She needed him just as bad. His hand guided his cock, slick with her saliva into her. Vriska had never been so wet in her life. Still, the hurt made her bite her lip as she lowered herself onto him. The sensation was a heady slurry of pain an pleasure, overwhelming her a couple of times so she had to stop and rally herself to continue. When she had taken all of him, Tavros gave a shuddering moan that sent a tingle up her spine. She sat still for a while,  getting accustomed to the strange ache. She still hurt but now it was a good hurt, sweet and enticing. She wanted more.

Vriska rocked her hips and focused on the feel of Tavros inside of her. The feeling was unbelievable. She intensified her pace, quickening the throbs of pleasure from under her. She threw her head back with a moan. Not stopping, she raised a hand to her forehead to throw back the hair in here eyes, plastered with sweat. In the lull of concentration, she felt like something was off. She realized with a start that her hips were caught in a vice grip, guiding her movements. Their grasp did not soften when she willed it. Anxiously, she looked back down and met his gaze, watching her with an intensity that meant for certain he was no longer under her power.

Suddenly, she was squeezing her eyes shut tight and her cheek was pressed to cold, hard ground. She could not sense the cloudy calm of his mind entangled in hers. Vriska's mentally reached out again but it was like trying to scratch through a brick wall. Tavros entered her again forcefully, giving no heed to her cry of shock but to cover her mouth with an impatient hand. His grip both on his face and hip both was hard and unyielding. In no time, he was fucking her so hard it hurt and there was nothing she could do but take it. Dread built up inside her just as much as the heat of anticipation.

'No,' she thought, 'not like this.' But the visceral pleasure stirred by his hard thrusts came unbidden anyway. Her muffled cries were more sobs of panic and pain than shock now, with the occasional uncontrollable moan. His own wild exclaimations more grunt than groan. She was close, she could feel it. And he was too. She could feel the way his hands gripped more tightly and a palatable tension in his movements. Heat poured over Vriska in a torrent from where they were joined and she shook uncontrollably, mind numb with a bestial ecstasy. Above her, he shuddered as well with a deep groan of the same origin. That shook her from her trance.

Her movements were clumsy from the rapture that had just overwhelmed her but so were his and his grip had loosened enough that she could lunge into him and throw him on his back. She whirled and reached out with her robotic arm. It was more than a match for even Tavros' thick bull neck and clawing hands. He thrashed but her grip remained firm. Slowly, his squirming weakened. Then his brain had all the oxygen depravation it could take and he fell into unconciousness. She sat a while just to make sure of it.

Even so, she still scrabbled away from him in fright, never taking her eyes off his body. Was it really his body? Was that really Tavros? No, it couldnt be. He would never... What just happened? Vriska had no answers. Instinctively, she circled the sleeping troll over to her discarded pants. Cautiously, she felt for the ever present scabbard at it's hip and drew her dagger.