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Liquid had so many walls.
The man built them up around his mind obsessively, though unconsciously. The sad thing was, they had nothing to do with Mantis’s presence – he had been walling himself in for as long as he could remember. It was a pitiful sight, probing into Liquid’s mind and seeing just how far he went to avoid thinking about his own weaknesses. He buried every inch of vulnerability six feet under a rock-solid floor of bravado and anger.
Of course, no amount of hiding will do any good when they’re crying out to be heard.
-
“It’s a control thing, isn’t it?”
“I’m not even going to acknowledge that with a response.”
“You feel you have too much pressure placed on you, am I correct? Too many responsibilities. Others’ unrealistic standards for you are only outweighed by your own.”
“I’m your boss. I don’t have to listen to this.”
“Sometimes it all builds up, and you just want to be free of it all, am I right? No pressure to live up to someone’s expectations. No responsibilities, no judgement. Not even the basic standards of human behavior. Someone else to make all the decisions for you.”
“You know, if you really care about it that much, you could just find the answer to your questions the same way you found out about this in the first place. Which, by the way, I don’t appreciate. What have I said about rooting around in my head?”
Mantis laughed.
“Do you honestly think I want to be looking in there? You’ve been so extraordinarily high-strung lately that your thoughts are as loud as screams. How could I have avoided learning about your little fantasies when they were forcing themselves into my mind last night?”
Liquid grimaced, turning on his heel and walking towards the door.
“Well, my sincerest apologies. I’ll try and think a little quieter next time.”
“Boss.”
Liquid paused, hand on the doorknob. He turned back, an eyebrow raised, motioning for Mantis to continue.
“I could…” He waved his hand, searching for the right phrasing. “Indulge you.”
Liquid snorted.
“Yeah, yeah, nice one. Make fun of me all you want. Just don’t you dare tell anyone else about this.”
“I’m serious.”
Confusion crept over Liquid’s face. He stared at Mantis, trying to make sense of his words. His expression abruptly shifted to disdain, and he crossed his arms.
“Octopus, what did I say about impersonating our own? It’s a nice prank, but I don’t want to have to deal with the confusion of having two Mantises running around.”
“Octopus is doing paperwork on the other side of the base.”
“Yeah, right. There’s no way the real Mantis would offer something like that. He hates sex. He’s not exactly shy about letting people know it, either.”
Mantis grinned.
“You’re right. I do. You should also know just how little respect I have for humanity as a whole. Do you really think I’d pass up the opportunity when someone’s asking me to treat them as less than human?”
Liquid’s eye twitched. He shifted uncomfortably.
“You’re actually serious about this?”
Mantis spread his arms, looking as innocent and honest as one can when they’re a semi-psychotic murderous telepath dressed in bondage gear.
“Cross my heart.”
Liquid looked like he was fighting a battle with himself, his brow furrowed as he stared at the wall behind Mantis’s shoulder. After a minute he shook his head and walked out of the room. He called over his shoulder before he turned the corner.
“I’ll think about it.”
-
For the rest of the day, Liquid’s internal struggle rang loud and clear throughout the base. Pride against comfort. Shame against desire. Logic against instinct.
Human against animal.
Mantis figured it was no big deal if he pushed the argument in favor of one over the other.
-
“Boss?”
Liquid looked up from the blueprints he was scanning. A soldier stood in the doorway, though the use of “boss” and his casual posture told Liquid that it was Octopus.
“Well, come in. What is it?”
“Nothing serious. But I wanted to ask: Is there something you’re hiding from us?”
Liquid felt the color drain from his face.
“What?”
Octopus shrugged.
“You’ve been acting uptight, lately.”
He held out a hand, stalling Liquid’s response.
“More than usual.”
“Octopus, what are you getting at?” Liquid sighed.
“I just want to know if there’s something the rest of us should know. If there’s something that’s big enough to stress you out as much as it has for the last couple weeks, it must be something that concerns the future of Foxhound as a whole.”
Liquid put his elbows on the desk, letting his head fall into his hands. He rubbed at his eyes.
“Everything’s fine. I’ve just been busy lately. Get back to work.”
-
Ocelot was a bit less tactful about it.
“What crawled into you and died?”
Liquid stood at the bathroom mirror, taking in the dark patches under his eyes, the lines of anxiety on his forehead, the look of exhaustion in his eyes. He just sighed at the question, splashing icy cold water on his face.
“Nothing.”
-
Mantis wasn’t surprised in the least when a knock resounded at the door to his room that night. He was impressed Liquid had resisted as long as he had, tossing and turning in his bed, fighting with his conscience. Perhaps with Mantis in there, helping him along ever so slightly.
Before he had even fully opened the door, Liquid shoved it open and pushed a finger into his chest.
“Let’s get one thing perfectly clear. If you tell anyone about this, I’ll see to it that Raven uses you for target practice.”
A smug smile crept across Mantis’s face.
“You have my word.”
Liquid nodded stiffly, apparently satisfied.
“Now, get on your knees.”
Liquid’s face flushed, eyes going wide. He did as he was told.
Mantis wouldn’t really have known what to do, except for the fact that he’d had an (unwilling) front-row seat to Liquid’s deepest fantasies. He knew exactly what Liquid wanted. And it just so happened to be something that allowed Mantis to see his superior humble himself right in front of him. It really was a win-win situation.
“Now, hold still.”
Mantis leaned over his boss, wrapping his leather-clad hands in a loose ring around the man’s neck.
“Mantis, what -”
“Hush.”
He leaned closer, hissing into Liquid’s ear.
“Pets don’t talk.”
He was close enough to feel the rush of arousal that sent through Liquid’s body echoed in his own mind. He shivered a little, decided to adjust his plan for that night.
Liquid stared at the fingers around his neck, looked up at Mantis in confusion. His hands twitched, aching to push the strange hands away, but he resisted the urge and kept them on his lap.
“Good boy. I’m almost done.”
“Almost done with what?”
Mantis squeezed, bony fingers pressing into Liquid’s throat. Liquid winced and shut up.
Mantis closed his eyes and focused on the final touches of his little project. When everything felt right, he lifted his hands away and stepped back, looking appraisingly at the man on his knees before him.
Liquid raised his own hands to his neck, felt nothing there. He looked at Mantis, a question in his gaze.
In answer, Mantis raised his hand and cocked a finger towards himself in a beckoning gesture. Liquid let out a muted gasp of surprise as he was pulled forward, falling onto his hands. He started laughing.
“A psychic leash?”
Mantis couldn’t bring himself to tell him to keep quiet. He sounded so impressed.
“It’s more effective than a real one. And I thought you might appreciate its discreet nature.”
Liquid smiled. He regained his balance and looked back up at Mantis, a picture of anticipation.
“Are you ready?”
He nodded eagerly.
“Good.”
Mantis walked to the door and opened it.
“Go to bed.”
Liquid coughed.
“What?”
Mantis gestured impatiently to the door.
“You heard me. Leave. Go to sleep.”
The look of sheer disappointment in Liquid’s eyes almost made Mantis burst out laughing.
“But…I thought…”
“You thought right. But right now, you’re far too worked up for me to want to deal with you.”
Liquid stared at the floor. He made no move to leave. Mantis tugged at the psychic lead, and Liquid stumbled to his feet.
“Remember, I make the rules here. I don’t expect you to be totally modest, but we’re not going to be having sex. Unfortunately, that’s what it feels like when we’re this close and you’re the way you are. Come back when you’ve cooled off a little.”
Liquid kept his eyes downcast as he shuffled reluctantly into the hallway. Just before the door closed behind him, he jerked his head around, startled at the sensation of a hand brushing against his neck.
Mantis smiled.
“Look forward to tomorrow.”
-
Liquid was sitting in an impromptu meeting with Wolf and Raven when he felt a tug at his neck. It was gentle, not enough to make him move, just enough to remind him that last night had actually happened. And tell him that Mantis wanted something.
He shook his head, annoyed. Mantis could wait. It was the middle of the day, and there was no way he was doing anything questionable until the sun went down and most of the base was asleep.
Another tug. This one enough jerk him in his seat. He braced his hands on the table, cursing under his breath.
Raven paused in the middle of his sentence, staring.
“Are you alright, boss?”
Liquid’s smile was strained. He uncrossed his legs and planted them flat on the floor, gripping the sides of his chair.
“Fine. Just lost my balance there for a moment there. Must be more tired than I thought. Please continue.”
Raven shrugged.
“As I was saying, our current resources simply aren’t enough to pull off something of that magnitude. We need to -”
He was interrupted by the sound of Liquid shouting as he fell to the floor, chair and all.
Liquid grimaced as he clambered to his feet, straightened his clothes, and muttered, “I’ll be right back.”
-
Liquid was ranting before he even opened the door to the small side kitchen tucked away in a corner of the base, where Mantis’s pull had led him.
“What is the bloody meaning of this? I would have thought someone who brags about his omniscience would be intelligent enough to know that ‘not telling anyone about this’ means not doing something that broadcasts it to the rest of our colleagues.”
Mantis leaned against the table, arms crossed. He waved off Liquid’s concern.
“What, you think this is going to be their first assumption? Not ‘wow, the boss really has gone crazy lately?’”
Liquid growled, opened his mouth to start shouting again.
“As for the meaning of this, well – you didn’t eat lunch.”
That gave him pause.
“I didn’t…what? What are you talking about?”
“I was waiting for you to take a break from working and sit down to a meal. You never did.”
“Congratulations, you’ve found out my greatest secret: I have unstable eating habits,” Liquid scoffed. “I’ve been too busy to waste time on food. Why do you care?”
Mantis smirked and reached behind his back. He picked up a chipped ceramic bowl filled with rice and vegetables and set it on the floor by the wall.
“I had an idea.”
Liquid hesitated. Mantis gestured to the food.
“Come now. I won’t let you neglect your health under my care.”
Liquid bit his lip, took a deep breath.
“Lock the door.”
Mantis smiled. A satisfying clang filled the tiny room.
Liquid had already taken off his coat, laying it neatly over the back of a chair. He got on all fours, pressing his palms into the cool tile, splaying his fingers.
He didn’t realize until he started eating just how hungry he actually was. Keeping up a healthy diet was the last thing on his mind lately, and even though the rice wasn’t exactly the most gourmet meal, he devoured it.
Mantis watched, fascinated. He ate so ravenously that he emptied the bowl in less than a minute, and when the food was gone, he licked the dish clean without hesitation. Liquid only lifted his head when every last bit of flavor was gone, panting deeply to get his breath back. Mantis laid a hand on his back.
“Slow down, boy.”
Liquid looked up at him, grinning and licking a grain of rice off of his lips. He jerked his chin towards the sink.
“You want water?”
Liquid nodded. Mantis picked up the bowl and went to fill his request.
Liquid lapped eagerly at the water. His head was so close to the bowl that some of his hair fell in the water, but he barely even noticed. When he was finished, he sat back on his knees and stared up at Mantis, awaiting orders.
Mantis took a moment to just stare. Liquid looked so…natural, this way. His hair hanging loose and unkempt, wet strands clinging to his face. His lips glistened from the water, and his eyes were shining with excitement. His posture was utterly relaxed, no traces of the wire-grade tenseness that seemed to define the man.
He looked beautiful.
Mantis unlocked the door and pulled gently at Liquid’s leash.
“Come.”
-
Half an hour later found Liquid curled up on the floor, arms around Mantis’s leg, head leaning on his knee.
They sat in one of the many abandoned offices that had been converted to a general-use recreation space for soldiers and employees. A fireplace roared softly on the far wall, flooding the room with a flickering red light and a comforting warmth. Mantis relaxed on the couch, reading a book, fingers absentmindedly curling into Liquid’s wild hair, stroking it gently. Liquid nuzzled into him at every touch.
“Oh, I almost forgot.”
Mantis stood up, walking to retrieve his coat from the rack in the corner of the room. Liquid frowned, looking put off at being dislodged from his resting place.
Mantis pulled something from his coat pocket. A small, palm-sized piece of black rubber. It looked like it had fallen off of some weapon or other.
“One of the things I saw in your dreams. I know it’s not exactly perfect, but there isn’t much on base that would work.”
He leaned down and held out the rubber piece, offering it to Liquid. Liquid smiled and picked it up with his mouth.
Mantis returned to his place on the couch, watching in amusement as Liquid tore into the makeshift toy. He teethed at it gently for a while, then tried to rip it apart, biting into it deeply. He paid no heed to the saliva that built up in his mouth, gradually trickling down his lips and chin.
He was so happy.
It was a simple, childish joy. A happiness one can only experience when they’ve truly forgotten their worries, forgotten any responsibilities. When all they need to focus on is what they’re doing right that moment.
Mantis wished he could feel this from people more often. The curse of his powers, one of many, was his overactive empathy. He felt what those around him did, and he spent his days surrounded by troubled, empty, angry people. Since being recruited by Foxhound, this might just have been the first time he felt sheer, unguarded joy that wasn’t caused by sadism or schadenfreude.
It felt nice.
He was pulled out of his thoughts when he felt Liquid’s head nudging at his knee. Liquid looked pointedly at the spot on the couch beside Mantis, before looking back to him.
Mantis rolled his eyes and patted the cushion.
“Alright, come here.”
Liquid crawled quickly onto the sofa, and wasted no time curling up beside Mantis, resting his head in the man’s bony lap.
Mantis was shocked by his audacity at getting so close with him, but in the end, he just laughed. Pet or not, he was still Liquid Snake – being overconfident and presumptuous was his modus operandi. He went back to his book, petting Liquid with his other hand.
The closeness allowed him to feel Liquid’s emotions intimately, and he was grateful for it. The man was completely relaxed. He radiated joy and contentment. Mantis hadn’t felt at peace like this in years.
They stayed like this until the fire started to die. Mantis noticed that Liquid had fallen asleep in his lap some time ago, and he wiped at the drool that had fallen onto his clothes, chuckling. He adjusted Liquid’s body to a more comfortable position, and stared down at his face, tranquil in sleep. Everything was tranquil, in that moment.
So of course Ocelot had to walk in the door and ruin it.
He took one look at the scene in front of him, did a double take, opened his mouth, closed it, and walked right back out the door.
Mantis let him go. It’s not like anyone would believe him if he told them.
-
“So, Liquid, what’s gotten into you lately?” Wolf asked in between bites of food.
“What do you mean? Oh, Ocelot, could you pass the salt? Thanks.”
Wolf placed her elbows on the dining hall table, resting her chin in her hands.
“You’ve been much calmer lately. Did you get rid of whatever was troubling you?”
Liquid smiled and rubbed absently at his neck.
“Oh, it’s nothing. I’ve just been sleeping better, recently.”
Across the table, Mantis grinned beneath his mask.
Good boy.