Bound to Lose [o, fight]

[OCTANE.]

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OCTANE AND CAUSTIC

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cw // mentions of drug use, drug withdrawal symptoms, violence, dues ex machina because I can’t make a reason for it

Octane is a danger to himself and everyone around him. This is what he thinks as he shimmies, shaking his head back and forth and hyping himself up. He has so desired this- its an impulse. Octane never decides to do things, he just does them. The cheetah has only blabbered his complaints about this life to Caustic- the only one who had the patience to listen, as always. He wasn’t going to listen to whatever shitty thoughts Caustic had now, let the other stop him.

He couldn’t imagine Caustic would stop him- the scientist tended to let Octane make his own mistakes. His partner didn’t care about anyone, didn’t love people, as far as Octane knew. He only knew Caustic as himself- the brute force Toxic Trapper who only knew to kill.

“Okay, come on-” Octane inhales sharply, then exhales, licking his lips as he threw the racoon into the pond. A gator snapped it’s jaws upon the corpse. This was good- it wouldn’t know where the handouts ended and Octane’s hand began. This is what he wants, some kind of danger, something that could kill him. Octane wants the rush, heart beat in his ears, blood pumping in his veins- it’s how Octane feels alive.

This is what he needs. Few things in life are powerful enough to rev Octane’s engine, and close brushes with death may as well be nitro fuel. Octane is a junkie at his core- it’s all he cares for. The next hit, the next rush, the next death. He won’t admit to the state of his brain, how he was in privacy after coming here.

Crashing was hard. It’d been weeks since he got here and Octane didn’t consider the consequences of dropping Stim like that after using it daily. He couldn’t get back some drug that didn’t exist, crack couldn’t be made, it drove him up the fucking wall. Maybe Octane had himself to blame for not fitting in the Typhoon- if he wasn’t running, trying to challenge himself, he was laying in his hut, too tired to move. The speedster didn’t know fatigue and depression till the weeks after arriving. Perhaps, that’s why it was good he was with the scientist now. Caustic kept him from going too far. Thinking about it made Octane chew on his paws, how he would pant and shake, vomit in the dead of night.

Perhaps he’s pathetic, chasing after danger just to get a kick. Doesn’t matter- death is the cost of his desire. Octane knows this, Caustic knows this, and it’s the only way he can feel something. Stabbing himself in the chest all day with Stim really destroys the nervous system.

“Alright, let’s do this,” Octane steps closer to the pond, throwing in the other prey, a squirrel, letting the alligators ravage and tear. He needs them to get a taste for flesh, get their blood pumping.

What if he dies? Like, for realsies? Would Caustic care? Would anyone care? Octane grumbles, he doesn’t have friends, he has fans. He has a lab partner and Ajay, that’s all he should need, right?

Caustic wouldn’t care. He’d fucking take notes, knowing him. Octane bundles himself, ready leap into bone crushing. The scent of coffee whiffs into his nose, and he hisses, turning around to see the devil himself.

He knows what Octavio is like, like this. He’s unreachable, too far away in his own brain to be reasoned with. If he’s chasing after death wishes, especially now, when they have too much to do and better things to do with their time together. Well, no, that’s a lie. Without his own work or the hope of return to their home, the only work left was each other. Caustic is an enigma, he likes it that way. He doesn’t want people to get too close and even less wants them to get to know him.

The speedster doesn’t even know his name.

“Octavio,” he starts, tilting his head over to look behind his partner, at the alligators ravaging prey. “You do realize you may not come back, correct?” He has to ask. Octavio is not known for his brain in any regard.

“Yeah, and if I didn’t? You don’t care.” Octane hisses, his tail lashing. Caustic thinks he’s so fucking smart. He didn’t know shit, he didn’t fucking know what was wrong with him. Caustic cares about the physical body, never the mental.

“I would be… disappointed. You are an amazing subject, Octavio,” Caustic knows he’s playing with fire. Octane is fire- dangerous and volatile. The daredevil’s manic psychosis is likely to take him with it, fire consuming both. “I don’t care about anyone, Octane, but I need you,” Caustic realizes, it’s one of the closest ways he can express to Octavio, “I love you.” He knows the other does not want to be loved- he wants a best friend. He wants a partner.
Caustic is one of those things.


“Amazing subject, fuck you,” Octane spits, raising his hackles and feeling claws dig into the ground. He shouldn’t be angry but he is, he’s lashing out at Caustic. “I’m fucking tired of being here, Caustic,” he pants, watching the scientist slowly close the distance between them. “You were supposed to get us out of here, fuckface!” Octane screams- there’s tears in his eyes now. “I wanna kill something, I wanna run off a high cliff, no strings attached,” he keens, sitting up a little as Caustic stands inches away now.

Caustic’s tail falls between his legs, and his ears back. The words bite at him, twisting into his chest. He is never one to fail, and now he has. “I know, I’m sorry,” he attempts to be sympathetic, raising his paw to place it on Octavio’s shoulder.

The daredevil slaps him away with a hiss, biting insults at him in snake tongue.  “Fuck you, I hate you,” the statement is said with bared teeth and a hiss.

“You don’t mean that,” Caustic says, looming over his partner and taking another step closer. He can let the image reconstruct in his mind. Octavio’s young, angry face, spitting at him, gun or knife in hand. The daredevil would have to tilt his head up to meet Caustic’s gaze- which is what he was doing now.

“And if I did?” Octane hisses again, stepping closer himself and remembering just how fucking small he is. The scientist’s gaze is cold as ever, and he remembers just how easy Caustic could snap him in two.

Caustic knows the other doesn’t mean it. He could never leave Octavio’s side at this point- despite all the other’s shortcomings. He was someone familiar, someone that could be trusted. They know each other inside and out, brain and body, “then you can leave.” Caustic knows he won’t.

Octane’s mouth snaps shut, bundling his nerves. He.. where would he go? If he left? He… he can’t be alone, loneliness kills him and Caustic is a listener. The rational part of his brain knows this, knows he shouldn’t push Caustic away, shouldn’t being a stupid fuck like he always is.

He’s not rational right now, though. Caustic is to suffer the force of his blow. The cheetah leaps, tackling into the wolf and sending both of them tumbling to the mud. Octane screams, because this is good, this is what he needed. Caustic bites down on him, venom entering his veins but pulls back just as quickly.
Octane is pinned beneath the wolf, watching Caustic recoil at his action. “Octavio, I apologize-”

No. Fuck you. You don’t get to apologize, Octane wanted to fight, and he’s gonna fucking do it. Octane kicks out with one of his legs, getting Caustic in the gut. The scientist falls to his side, winded, choking on air as gas blows from his mouth in furious fumes. They turn each other again, he watches Caustic spit blood on the ground with a lip of his lips. Caustic leaps at him with bared teeth this time, and their brawl began.

// you... just need the last two paragraphs

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Original code by lexasperated / artwork by quibbs, commissioned by dangerjunkie

[alaric g.]

    Octane and Caustic had always seemed like a weird couple to Alaric. Dysfunctional would probably be the best word to describe them. In the time that Octane had been in Tanglewood, Alaric had observed that Caustic didn't seem to be entirely fond of the cheetah, at least based on the words and attitude that the wolf employed in their interactions. But his actions told another story — he seemed to harbor some sort of fondness for Octane, as was made evident through the things he did. It was clear that they had some sort of shared history, but as to what that history was or what it entailed Alaric was still unsure.

    Alaric was out in the swamp when the sound of heated commotion caught his attention. He could hear Octane and Caustic's voices; they sounded angry — furious, even, especially Octane. He could hear movement, too. Out of both curiosity and boredom, the tabby found himself making his way over, a metaphorical and thoroughly nonexistent eyebrow cocked out of a mixture of confusion and intrigue.

    Upon arrival he spots the two locked in a fight. He has to admit, it's pretty entertaining to watch. He almost wants to not intervene just to see what the outcome would be. It's a morbid sort of curiosity that he feels at the moment as he watches them exchange punches and kicks and attempts at bites. But he figures that, as a chaser, he probably shouldn't allow them to continue to throw down like they were currently doing.

    "As entertaining as this may be, perhaps you should both stop with the theatrics," he suggests from a safe distance, regarding them both with his icy blue gaze.

♔ don't do love, don't do friends

[Ivan]

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IVAN
slav. "god is gracious"
---
a son
a brother

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ALYOSHA, MY DEAR, MY ONLY SON, I'M AFRAID OF IVAN —

He hated the gators.

And he didn't care if anyone thought ill of him because of it.

So Ivan had not been nearby of his own accord. Octane's scream reached his ears and Ivan stood to attention in a daze, paws fumbling at his open book. He left it. He figured with Octane screaming in such a way, Caustic would not be far behind. And, like anyone else, he was naturally and curiously drawn to catastrophic events. When he arrived shortly after Alaric, he discovered that Caustic was not only there, but played a sort of instigative part in the scene. Ivan lingered, only because he didn't like the gators and not because he didn't want to interfere.

Caustic's secret was safe in the boy's stormy heart. Seeing the two of the fight, and knowing what he knew, he could make some guesses as to why this had happened, though he was still vastly ignorant of the actual connection and relationship between them. It didn't mean he liked it. In fact, he watched the brawl with a wide-eyed gaze. His limbs stiffened and his fur rose.

"What are you doing?" He yelled. "Stop!" It was a far more startled and harsh reaction compared to Alaric's own. Ivan might later realize he had raised his voice in such a way because he himself held destructive wishes against another. He might not understand the deep reasons between Octane and Caustic's brawl — if it were truly a life and death battle or just a spar — but in a flash of the moment, he saw himself and Atticus there.

— I'M MORE AFRAID OF IVAN THAN THE OTHER ONE.

[VIGENERE CIPHER.]

[glow=white,1,400]EVERY FEELING IN MY BONES TELLS ME TO LASH OUT AND TELL YOU TO FUCK OFF ! — ｡+ﾟ.[/glow]

Octane reminded Vigenere of Caesar. Both of them were rather impulsive and always acted before they thought things out, they both craved violence and wanted to get in a fight whenever possible. Vigenere knew Caesar only caused chaos because it seemed to fuel him; he thrived on chaos and enjoyed the feeling of pain (hell, Caesar's told him that himself, years ago) - and perhaps Octane wasn't the same in that manner, Vigenere assumed he was.

On the other hand, Caustic reminded Vigenere of himself. Quiet, stoic, calculating. Both of them observed the situation before making a decision and liked coming up with a practical solution, usually one backed up by science. While science wasn't exactly Vigenere's thing, there were just some things that could be backed up with facts - and Vigenere would always go that route. Of course, Octane and Caustic appeared to be a couple, while Caesar and Vigenere were brothers; and perhaps that difference is what made this situation unique. But at the same time, Vigenere couldn't help but watch the bickering from a distance and seeing himself and Caesar - especially when Octane leaped at Caustic.

As soon as an actual fight broke out, however, Vigenere was quick to react and ran over as quickly as he was able to. The savannah tried to jump in between [member=11110]OCTANE.[/member] and CAUSTIC - a dangerous attempt, sure, but this was getting too far now. These two were clanmates and this wasn't The Pitt; Tanglers weren't supposed to be savages.- trying to obviously stop the fight. Specifically, Vigenere was trying to get a hold of OCTANE's scruff, and if successful, tried to pull the cheetah back from Caustic.[glow=COLOR,1,400] ━ ✧*:･ﾟ[/glow]

[DELILAH.]

DELILAH EVERGARDEN

"The Gods have forsaken us."

The forests had no room for theatrics. With the work needed to be done, Delilah had no clue as to why people were fighting- the Gods were unhappy and punished the clans, and Delilah was eager to keep the peace now that she was home.

She was out on a walk, weaving her way through the mud- radioactive waves from the swamp only serving to make her memory much, much worse. Screaming caught the dragoness' attention, the woman lifting her head to peek through bushes.

And there was Vigenere- she would recognize that bright yellow pelt from anywhere. However, the other two who were currently there? She didn't recognize them, and so to protect the two younger creatures that were there watching, Delilah huffed and slithered out of the bushes, teeth bared in a grouchy snarl of warning.

"That's enough. Stop acting like children!" Her voice croaked, the older woman more focused on scolding the two- however, she had lunged for Caustic instead. Unaware of venom, or gasses- Delilah aimed to lift Caustic up by his scruff, hoping to lift him off of the ground with the size difference to make some distance between the two with the help of Vigenere.

tags - penned by [member=1260]ryuu-tan[/member]

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