Chance Avaritia "Greed" (better_than) wrote in nevermore_logs, @ 2013-03-15 20:14:00 |
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Current mood: | depressed |
Current music: | "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" |
Entry tags: | greed, zoe hansen |
Who: Greed and Zoe
When: Tuesday, March 12th [Backdated]
What: Talk of lockets Give it up Zoe!, the past, murders and the return home.
Where: Lithuania
This yellow brick road was coming to a dead halt now that Lust loomed over his head with a threat and a bargain he'd made. His title came with a price, one she had called him out on. Zoe was a distraction, but he couldn't let Lust believe that or George's little prediction would become a hard cold reality. Greed owed her a life for the one he'd taken. Maybe if he'd let her have a taste then of this heaven they wouldn't be doing this dance now. No matter what he wanted now, Lust would try and take it away. It was why when Zoe went to the kitchen he took the opportunity to search his suitcase for the little slip of paper Lust had given him. On it was a number. His instructions were pretty minimal. Steal something valuable, a trinket, fancy jewelry, something that was of value to who Greed did not know. He tapped in the number to his phone expecting to hear a voice on the other end, but there was nothing but dull static and a light ring that was never answered. Greed huffed in angry frustration, about to turn his phone off when he saw the name that appeared instead of the number he'd dialed.
Zoe's.
It was under the only nick name he could come up with that was irrelevant to everyone else but himself. Sprinkles.
Fuck. Fuckity, fuck, fuck. He knew immediately with or without Lust's prod that she must have run into Zoe's favorite granddaddy. He also knew that trinket was of more worth to Zoe than anything her family wanted with it. He'd taken it once. Could he take it again?
Greed thrashed his phone onto the bed in an angry tear, ripping the paper into a million different pieces as if that erased everything. It didn't and he still had a decision to make, real boy and Sin. Which side did he play for?
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Zoe raised a brow as she walked into the bedroom just in time to see the end of the paper confetti, “Are you angry or celebrating..?” she wore nothing but his plaid shirt that still smelled like him, it showing off her long legs. The top buttons were undone and the gold locket she always wore was shining against her skin. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she had a large spoon in her hand since she’d been cooking for them but now was more curious as to what had Greed so riled up. She was having fun relaxing for once..
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He didn't reply. His eyes went straight to the locket like a beacon on her neck, calling him forward and he followed. He fingered the chain, letting it bounce over his fingers. He was inspecting it.
This wasn't going to be simple.
He could have just swiped it off her neck but that would have been too quick. Instead he took the spoon from her hand, licking whatever coated its smooth surface.
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Zoe didn’t move when he came closer, why would she? She wasn’t afraid or anything. She did find it odd that he played with the chain. He hadn’t done that since he was obsessed with it. He barely looked at it ever since he gave it back.
She smiled some, “I was still using that..” she said in reference to the spoon. Her hand on his waist, her fingers dipping into the waistband of his jeans to pull him closer to her.
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He continued to devour the chocolate and caramel off the spoon, as if he were in the room all by himself. Moaning and grunting his way through the taste.
It still did nothing to curb this quest of Theseus' that had now turned into his own.
"Mmmmmmm, you're not getting this back." There was a little string of caramel that hung off his bottom lip onto his chin, tempting her.
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She laughed and wrinkled her nose, “Are you having sex with that spoon? Should I be jealous?”
“Can I say that this is more gross than sexy but I still can’t resist..” she tugged him closer and stood on tip toe to slurp the caramel off his chin before she kissed him full on the mouth. She’d meant to do it slow and teasing but to hell with it, she just wanted him.
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"It's so good," he let his voice hit a low point where it nearly vibrated off his vocal chords into a pleased hum.
Then he felt her tongue. Then lips. He had to taste too! The spoon was now a sticky metal stick in one hand, the other curving against her arch, where it traveled down to the curve of her bottom that peeked from behind the plaid shirt of his she was wearing (which he had to add was incredibly sexy).
For the moment he was going to keep this to himself, but he couldn't mask that it was on his mind. To please Zoe or please himself? He couldn't just...ask. But, it could be a start.
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Zoe’s arms went around his neck and he tasted like sugar and Greed, she could live off this taste forever. When she felt just one hand on her derriere, she raised her brows and spoke against his lips, “Are you already bored with me or is something on your mind?” she broke the kiss but stayed close to him, a soft smile on her lips. She was teasing but at the same time it was unlike Greed to just drop the spoon, mess be damned and use both hands to grab as much of her as he could.
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He did drop the spoon fondling her squishy butt. He thought by doing so it would cover up his thoughts. "What makes you think that?" Honestly were humans this perceptive or was that what happened when he'd welcomed himself into this super secret society of hearts and feelings.
He picked up one hand to lick his fingers, which also wasn't hiding the fact that he had stuff to say but no way to say it.
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Zoe looked thoughtful and towards the ceiling, “Well.. there’s the fact that you still have your clothes on and haven’t tried to wrestle me into bed..” she looked at him, “Or maybe the more important fact of..” she rested her brow against his, her nose to the tip of his, “I know you really well, Avarice.” she said it like it was his last name, like a cop would bust a perp.
She took his hand away from his mouth, “And finally there’s you answering my question with a question which means there is something on your mind. Orrrr you really are bored of me..” she frowned, not liking that idea but not entirely sure if it wasn’t true.
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"I'm not bored," he said flatly pulling away to run his fingers through his hair. "I need to think...because I think...no...I'm positive my sister and Theseus are working together. Or fucking. Or both...."
He still hadn't gotten to the question at hand.
The locket.
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Zoe blinked and shook her head, “I’m sorry, what?” her hands spread out in front of her at rib cage level. Out of all the things that could have been said, that was one she never would have guessed ever.
“We are a million miles away from them on vacation, they don’t even know where we are... and how would they know each other, and.... just...” she gestured with her hands trying to see if she could make sense from what little information he gave her and Nope. She looked at him with such a flabbergasted face, “....what?”
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"I need that," he pointed at her locket. "I don't know details Zoe, I just," he flopped onto the bed, "when Lust made me King all of the excesses she gave me a project. Something to steal. I had a number with little description. I didn't know it was you." It a frustrated growl he ruffled his hair and flopped his back on the bed. "You gotta give it to me." Or Lust was going to hurt her and throw her six feet under with Stella and Devlin.
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She looked shocked when he pointed at her locket. Hadn’t they been through this before? Her hand encircled it protectively. Why were the Sins all crazy? Why did it feel like Lust was just out to ruin everything she had? She looked hurt and angry. His stupid sister. His stupid self! When he pretty much demanded she give it to him, she just said a flat and hard, “No.” and swiped the spoon off the floor, stalking off to the kitchen.
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It was the reaction he expected, but it was there looming now. When Zoe walked off he laid there for a while, hitting his head repeatedly against the mattress, starring off into the ceiling.
Then it came.
An idea.
Greed jumped up from the bed, almost falling into the floor as he did. He raced into the kitchen, picking her up off the floor into his arms. "I got an idea," he sucked his bottom lip in with a smile, biting down on it, excited for her to ask about it.
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The dirty spoon was in the sink and the brownies with caramel looked like she’d added other things to it. When she was stressed, she baked. Luckily she was in the middle of baking already so it could calm her down some.
She’d finished pouring the batter into the pan and stuck it in the oven when he swooped in and grabbed her. She was not excited and she had that look. That girlfriend look of you’re in the doghouse buddy. “Hooray.” she said in a dull voice, still unhappy with how he just told her to hand him the locket. Frankly, if his idea wasn’t disowning his sister she really wasn’t interested.
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"We'll replace it. Give Theseus a replica. Hmmm?" He kissed her cheek. He didn't want it now anymore than he had the day he returned it.
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She still looked upset. “Why do we have to give him anything? And what if it’s not him? How do you know he’s working with your sister? Maybe it’s Poseidon. Or maybe your sister just hates me and is bored.” because she wouldn’t put it past Lust to know how much the locket meant and use it to torture her.
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"And? We'll have someone forge it in Paris or something. Somewhere. I'll figure it out." He would. He'd lose sleep to to find a way. "I promise," he whispered into her ear. "No one is getting it."
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She sighed and slowly wrapped her arms around his neck, she felt weak and tired. “And.. why do we have to do any of it? So what if she wants it? So what if they want it?” She was tired of immortals just taking what they wanted like the rest of them were rag dolls to be played with. Granted, Greed did too but this was different. Somehow.
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There was that long pause because there was more to this than a locket. There was a bigger store he'd yet to really dive into. With his flip-flop of human emotions it was the worst time to think about it because the guilt would drag him down like a rock at the bottom of a lake. "Because with Lust there's a catch."
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Zoe really didn’t like the sound of that, she didn’t know why but she was feeling suddenly afraid. Her arms tightened a little bit as she warily asked, “What’s the catch..?”
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"I lose you in the worst way possible because I stole her happiness once." He tore away from her then. Memories were awful when he was in complete human skin.
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She grabbed his hand, “Chance.. what’re you talking about? What happened?”
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He'd thought he'd talked about it before but it was brief. "After Josie I sought Lust out but she was getting married and she tied me up into it." His finger tightened into his hair when he put them against his temples. It wouldn't block it out.
There was a searing pain that shot from his gut right to his head. He could joke about it all he wanted but he'd murdered two people just because they'd been standing in his way. He'd let that dark boy take the driving wheel and it turned ugly.
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She recognized the story when he started to tell it. She’d try to forget it in all honesty. She put a hand on his back, “I remember this.. you told me in Kansas. You guys married siblings. And then you killed them. Because you wanted Lust by your side. You... never said she was happy.” she couldn’t imagine Lust actually being with a mortal. She seemed to have such a low opinion of them. And she was getting the strong feeling that Greed had glossed over that story not to spare her gory details.. but because the details were going to change things.
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"She traded me out for him. She started putting me on the back burner..using less and less influence on him. It made me so mad on top of everything. And I took it from her because how dare she have it first? How dare she ignore me?"
He paced over to the couch where he slid right down into the cushions, curling his feet up onto the seat, and knees up under his chin.
"She said I'd pay one day."
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Zoe followed him and sat down next to him, trying to piece it together. “Chance.. you said that it was after Josie. So hadn’t you traded her for Josie..?” she knew he wanted her on his side for this but she couldn’t just blindly do that. She wanted to understand this whole thing and she wanted him to not live in his blindedly one sided truth which is what it was sounding like.
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He wrapped his arms around his legs protectively like a shield from the things she was saying.
"What?!" He was on the defense. Why wasn't she on his side?! "No...I...just..." But he couldn't finish that sentence.
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Zoe pursed her lips, trying to tread carefully here. “You told me before you were with Josie for months. You took her from her family, made her rely on you, right..? Where was Lust in all that?” she’d never thought to ask that before but he said he’d sought out Lust after Josie so it meant Lust wasn’t nearby, it wasn’t this perverse situation Zoe was in with them..
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He didn't like where this was headed. She wasn't supposed to be against him. Now, it was Greed that was putting up the walls because this was a gray area. He tripped on either side with the history of this part of his immortal life.
"Lust wasn't there because I'd been gone for years. I wandered away from her. From Glutt to do my own thing." He just got weak when he did that. He was stronger in the company of both, decent with one. On his own it was a nightmare. A five year old running away to be an adult.
It didn't work.
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Zoe looked hurt but tried not to show it. “You can do that? You can be away from her?” he’d led her to believe he’d die without his sister or something. He had the ability to be without her and he chose not to leave her? It stung. More than that, it was just another stab to remind her she wasn’t enough.
She swallowed and shook her head, no, she wasn’t going to get into that. They had agreed they wouldn’t discuss what they were and relationships here. She got the conversation back on track, trying to speak before he could answer, “Greed... you were gone on your own which meant she was on her own. You found Josie. She found someone too. Josie.. passed away. And you were alone.. so you went to find Lust.” she was piecing it together, “Who was still with someone. Marrying these siblings.. did Lust do it for real?”
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"I have at various times. Just the longer I spend away the more destructive I become." Lust was the mother and the sister for a reason. She was the start of the trio and he and Glutt fell into place.
"I think for her it was a game at first but she cared for him and I hated it."
He hadn't just hated it, he'd destroyed it. Lust lorded over him and up until now it was a joke. Now, the rules had changed since Zoe.
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Zoe nodded as the wheels turned slowly, “So now the shoe’s on the other foot. You have someone you care about and it’s her turn to take it away from you.” it was a shame that Lust wasn’t a reasonable person. But there it was, wasn’t it. He had hated Devlin on principle, Lust would never accept Zoe. She wasn’t looking at him as she thought, and she didn’t have to say it, the look on her face gave it away. George was right, they were doomed from the start. The only outcome their relationship had was blood and heartbreak.
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"She won't get you," he was determined to not let Zoe fall into the same pattern as those who got really close to a Sin. "That's why I need the locket."
Greed put his chin on his knees, shuffling when Zoe seemed distant. "She will be my enemy." It wasn't what he wanted to do, but that would be the price if Lust stole from him.
Zoe was reaching her end in this, emotionally she couldn't keep going forever.
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Zoe didn’t respond to anything he said except the last bit. “No, she won’t.” she said it quietly but with acceptance. Lust was number one. Zoe was an afterthought. “Not for long anyway.” and did he want to argue that? At New years he picked Zoe only to disappear for five days with Lust.
She still didn’t look at him, “Tell me about him..” asking about the person Lust had cared for, “Was he cold and rich and evil?” basically a male version of Lust, “Were they together like you and her are?” is that why Greed killed him? Because this guy was just another Greed. She wanted to try to hold on to this last straw she was grasping at. Because if Lust’s beau was a copy of Greed then it made sense. Maybe Lust wouldn’t feel replaced because Zoe was nothing like Greed’s evil sister.
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Greed shuffled his cheek to lay on his knees, watching Zoe like a bird perched on a rooftop waiting to sail down. "No. He was rich and had money, but when I think about it now I would have liked him. He was....he was a lot like you. He saw something in her." He'd seen her like Zoe saw him. If he'd had the chance to know, he may have even accepted Lust as she was.
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She smiled. But it was one of those I’m trying not to cry because this is so fucked smiles. Tight. Sad. The irony was amazing. Lust might have had what Zoe and Greed have. She might have understood and left them alone. Her husband would be dead by now as a mortal but maybe she wouldn’t be so hellbent on their destruction. But Greed couldn’t wait. He could never wait. So he killed an innocent man whose only crime was loving a Sin. Wasn’t Zoe guilty of that too?
“She’s never going to let you be happy with me.” it wasn’t a question, it was a fact. “And you’ll never let me be happy without you.” another fact. He wouldn’t let her go. He couldn’t. So basically they were fucked. She got up off the couch. She felt restless.
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Greed instantly grabbed her clinging tightly to her arm. She was walking away? He was frantic that she even wanted a way out.
He dropped his knees from their position. She wasn't a part of his collection anymore. She was the collection.
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Zoe looked at his grip on her arm and shook her head. She was exhausted. She tried to pull away again, “Greed..” she didn’t know what to say. This was not okay. None of this was okay. “I just need a little time to myself, okay?” she knew he had fears she would leave so finally looked at him, “We’re in the middle of nowhere in Europe. Literally the middle of nowhere.” she was in just his flannel shirt, not really an appropriate running away outfit.
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"Let's just stay here," he said in a hurt voice. He knew he couldn't. This was only temporary. He slid his hand down to clasp her fingers with a squeeze. He could give her that couldn't he? A moment?
He tugged her for a kiss, a plea that she wouldn't just disappear. He wouldn't let her.
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Her fingers were loosely in his tangled ones and she had a heartbreaking look on her face as he said that. “You know we can’t.” he had no idea how badly she’d love that. To just stay here. Let the world think they died for all she cared. They’d have a good life here. They’d be happy. “You’re getting sucked back to New York in a few days.” and there was that. That they literally physically couldn’t stay.
She knew he needed reassurance so gave him his requested kiss. It was chaste but the best she could provide at this time. It was her offering in return for her freedom for the moment. She tried to get up again, “Just a little time..” she said gently. Her head was pounding. She couldn’t be next to him right now.
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It was difficult to watch her walk out the door for even five minutes. She needed to be alone, but Greed even as a human didn't understand that concept. It was dark out when he couldn't wait any longer. He'd fidgeted a hole right into the floor.
Like a caged animal being let loose, Greed went to look for her. When he couldn't find her he felt his chest close up and he dropped right to the ground in the middle of the trail leading to the lake. It was panic that set in, more human emotions he wasn't used to. She may have reassured him, but a child didn't understand.
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Zoe had thrown on a pair of jeans and left Greed’s shirt on. She liked wearing it. It smelled like him and was comforting. She still had his zombies t-shirt from Valentine’s and had purposely ‘forgotten’ to return it because she liked sleeping in it when he wasn’t there. She wasn’t a fan of being alone but Greed wouldn’t let her think otherwise. She’d gone down to the lake, walked around for hours to the point her legs hurt.
She was on her way back to the cottage when she saw the big lump in the trail. She frowned when she saw it was Greed. What in the world...? She approached him carefully, reaching out and touching his shoulder, “Chance..?”
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He felt like a boa constricter had tightened around his entire body. He was paralyzed into that spot. At her touch his head jolted up, a little choked to the point that he didn't say a word. There was relief that washed over him, he just couldn't move.
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At his sudden jolt, Zoe jumped back like the scaredy cat she was, “Jesus!” came out from under her breath. She put a hand on her chest and took a breath. Then she looked at him, her eyes veering to the side and then back to him in a confused state, “What’re you doing...?” did he realize he was just sitting outdoors in the middle of the trail in the dark?
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"I went looking for you," but he'd been unsuccessful. As a human he got tired quicker, even when he was naturally an energizer bunny. She had been gone for hours. Hours. That was an eternity for him.
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Zoe sighed, “I told you I was coming back..” she held her hands out to him as an offer to help him up. She sometimes couldn’t believe how safe she felt with him when really a lot of the time he was like a little kid.
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"I didn't know you'd be gone for hours!" He took her hand, but instead of pulling himself up, she was brought down to his level.
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She was going to reply when she got pulled down with an ack! She tumbled into his lap and blinked as she looked up at him, her body stiff. She stayed there though, moving her gaze from his face to the stars. There were hundreds of them. You couldn’t see this many stars in New York no matter how high the roof top.
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He engulfed her with himself, arms tender in the embrace even with her stiffness. "I can't stand five minutes, let alone hours." He couldn't just sit still.
There was something calming amidst this storm. He quieted down the moment he had her within reach, no longer feeling as if his chest would explode him into a million pieces.
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She kept looking at the stars despite his embrace. Her voice was quiet, “You could.. if we were in New York.” heavily implying he would have just run to Lust or some other floozy after five minutes. She really didn’t want him to correct her because he knew she hated it when he lied.
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"I'm not in New York right now. I'm here and you want to leave." It bothered him now what she was thinking and what she wasn't saying. His simple mind weighed in that she might try anything she could to escape. He wasn't assured at all, especially while she was stiff.
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“I don’t want to leave.” her voice had an edge to it that she didn’t like, “I hate myself because I really don’t want to leave. All I can think about is how we have so many problems that I couldn’t fathom having any more but no, here are some new ones. And they’re all waiting for us back in New York. So no, Greed,” she said his name through clenched teeth, “I don’t want to leave.”
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Her voice changed, it was tense and stern. He listened, curling against her, his cheek on her back. "I'm sorry I can't let go." At times, like with Josie he wished he could. Patience had screamed at him then that all the sins were selfish. They were monsters. Greed didn't chose to be, he just was.
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She curled into him, close to tears, “You have to tell me what happened. All of it. I.. need to know. How did you kill her, how did you kill him.. did you regret it..? Did you guys get.. I mean it’s the death penalty in France isn’t it?” if Lust was his mirror then maybe if he had some goodness in him, she might too. And then they could tackle the rest of their problems.
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This wasn't going to be easy. After that day where he'd taken Devlin from Lust, they never talked about it. Lust didn't like when he hinted at that period in her life, or even say the name. It was a sore subject for them both, but they had remained silent on the details.
He pressed his nose into her back, he felt paralyzed again but from the neck down. "Stella was 19..." The regret was already hanging on his voice. She'd annoyed him, she had pushed the wrong buttons, but she was still incredibly young. He'd been far more gentle in killing her than he had Devlin, or in his treatment of her. She had deserved that much, it wasn't her fault. "Rainy day. We'd gone for a walk by the lake." He squeezed his eyes tight. "I went in dragging her with me when it started to pour from the storm." There had been little struggle, once her arms had stopped flapping. "I just let her die from the struggle." Lust could forget that, but not what he'd done to the brother.
"I'd thought it would break them apart, draw Lust back to me but it didn't end that way, and she was too young." He'd have ruined her reputation and her life, but at least the poor girl might have survived it if he'd been in a better frame of mind. "I wasn't in a good place i "I feel like rolling around in a ball I hurt so much…" inside, Zoe." He hadn't been the happy Greed, and it made all the difference.
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Zoe physically shivered, she was in the arms of a killer right now and she wasn’t going to be completely okay with it. He was a Sin, he’d killed before, she knew it. But it was still different. This tale, because it haunted him, was different. It was like listening to a horror story but the dark woods couldn’t scare her half as much as what he was saying. But she pushed on, “And the brother..?” her voice was small, she almost didn’t want to know but he had to tell her the rest. They couldn’t have this between them.
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"That took a little more time because Lust wouldn't let him out of her sight." He took a deep breath and exhaled. "He'd been drinking, I'd been fucking. Lust was asleep, so I knew he was alone." Greed paused remembering bits and pieces of the conversation...things that Devlin said then that made more sense, but that Greed had been too angry to listen. "He said Lust was his wife and that he loved her. That..." He swallowed that lump in his throat, "that I would never be able to give her that," his voice shifted as if it made sense now. "He was right...Lust and I are family but its possession not love." It was why they were ultimately attracted to the humans that saw them best. They could give in the areas as Sins they lacked.
Zoe was uncomfortable he could feel her muscles stiffen further in his arms. "I started to choke him, but he was still alive when I dragged him outside. There was a storm that night too. Lust came, we argued, but I wouldn't listen. I was angry that Devlin wanted to take her away from me, and I would be left with nothing. I didn't know what I wanted more, to kill or have what she had." Another long breath released. "He died with her by his side. I even think he forgave her for what she was. All of it. He knew because I told him and it still changed nothing."
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Zoe was thankful Greed’s face was out of view because hearing the story was bad enough. She broke as he talked, tears streaming down her cheeks. She wept for this family that Greed destroyed, she wept for Greed himself, even for Lust. And Zoe wept because this story was a vision of what their future would be. She wanted to tell him that Devlin saw the person under the Sin of Lust, just like she did with him but what was the point? He knew that. She knew that his time with Devlin now was viewed very differently by him.
But what an awful way to die. “Then what happened..” she whispered but she really didn’t know how much more she could take.
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He needed a moment for himself before he could answer her, his face still buried in her back. He hadn't wept for either of the siblings he had killed. He hadn't wanted to do it, but it made Lust need him and him alone.
"I hardly remember." Everything after that was a blur. "We left. That's all I remember. After that..." He just shook his head. He knew he hadn't wanted to do it, but the swarm of emotions hit like a ton of bricks to his gut. Greed had meant what He said when he told her he didn't like killing people. He only did it when it served his purpose or got in the way of what he wanted.
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“Did she get to bury him? Say goodbye..?” Zoe never wanted to see Lust in a human light but she knew that closure on these things was important. It wasn’t the act of burial that meant anything, it was just a way of putting the matter to rest. Goodbyes were painful but not as much as never getting the chance to have an ending.
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"No. The servants had stirred, we had to leave the estate and start over." Having Zoe had turned the tables, everything he saw was in a different light. "We got out of France after that." His arms still hugged her, using as support though she felt like she would collapse at any moment through her own tears.
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Zoe was quiet, even though her tears still fell. “I don’t blame her for how she feels.” was what she finally said. A person could barely forgive what Greed did, but a Sin? And then she didn’t even get to say goodbye? It didn’t make what Lust was doing right. It wouldn’t make Zoe’s death or the end of their relationship make anything better. But she could not blame Lust for how she felt. The Sin was entitled to it. But it meant that she and Greed.. they really didn’t stand much of a chance.
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He released one arm, swiping a tear from the bridge of his nose that crawled down his face. "She'll destroy me first. Death is too easy. She won't touch you." He sniffed back that clump of tears that welled up in his throat. In all this time, he'd yet to make amends with Lust for what he'd done. It was just that unspoken event that plagued them both. Greed had brought his own grief to her.
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“And how do you think she’ll do that.” it was low, barely above a whisper but it wasn’t a question. She wouldn’t touch Zoe? No. If Lust learned how much Zoe meant to Greed, she’d use Zoe to destroy him. It’d be worse than anything she could do to Zoe physically. She leaned into him and felt miserable. They were stuck in a horrible spot. They couldn’t be apart. And they couldn’t be together.
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"I don't know." Lust was as unpredictable as he was. She charged the hardest when the iron was hot.
"I didn't want it to end that way. We don't talk about it."
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“We have to talk about.. us. But not tonight.” fresh tears came and she shook her head, “Just.. no more tonight.” she couldn’t handle it.
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"Let's go back to the cottage," both arms unwrapped her so he could stand. He wobbled a little, as if all his energy had sunk out his feet the moment he was upright. He looked to Zoe expecting her to follow.
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Zoe couldn’t even muster the energy to stand right now. Their vacation away from their problems didn’t really work. The problems were still there, demanding to be paid attention to. She didn’t get up, just leaned forward, her face sinking into her hands.
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She was just this lump on the ground. He nudged her with his foot but she just caved. "Zoe come on," he leaned down and pulled her to her feet, his arms around her waist. Her body was heavy. "Zoe, can you walk?"
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She didn’t respond. She laid her head on his chest and leaned into him. She wiped her nose with the back of her hand and then quickly nodded, “Yeah..” she sniffled.
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The walk back felt so much longer than it had before. With each step the cottage was pushed further away. It was the only place they had to each other that was their own plastic bubble away from everything.
He held her when they got inside and shut the door. Shutting the door on reality and into their pretend world.
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She need to be with him and it wasn’t long before clothes were on the floor and they were back in bed tangled up in each other. It was different than before. It wasn’t sexy or sensual, it was the kind of comfort that only they could give each other. It was a need more than a desire. It was something they couldn’t have in the real world so they took advantage as much as they could.
By morning, when Greed would wake, Zoe was hunched over sitting up in bed closer to the foot than the head. She’d squirmed out of his arms and was naked with just the sheet tucked into her torso, her back naked with only the occasional small bruise marring the skin. A memento from him the night before, and she wasn’t a rough and tumble kinda gal but last night how he crushed her in his embraces was the best kind of pain. Right now it was quiet with the sun shining in and she had her locket in her hands, turning it over and around, looking at it and touching it.
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He'd thought she would ghost away or leave him, both blows he couldn't handle right now. He'd imprinted her skin in trying to hang on as tightly as he could without suffocating her. He felt her wiggle away, his arms light. He gripped the pillow, clutching it tightly to his chest.
When he opened his eyes blearily, he could make out her shape at the end of the bed. He snuck up behind her, his touch softer than the pelt of bruises. His hands ghosted over them. There was no magic in his hands to make them disappear, but he liked to think there was. His hands moved down her arms, his chest pressed against her back as he kissed the bare skin on her shoulder. "I didn't mean to...." He placed a kiss on one small purple bruise.
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Her body stiffened when he first touched her but then calmed. Greed always seemed to do a lot of things he didn’t mean to. She wanted to tell him it was okay. She didn’t mind. All those reassuring things but she didn’t. He was going to forever apologize and she didn’t feel like telling him it was okay. Because sometimes it wasn’t. She relaxed in his arms and stayed quiet for awhile, her attention on the locket in her hands, the gold chain clinking lightly against the locket itself. “I always thought I’d give it to my daughter one day..” she said softly. They say you weren’t supposed to talk about things like kids and the future with your love, it might scare them off. At this point though, fuck it. She wasn’t going to have kids, was she. Certainly not with Greed. And he’d never let her go to start a family elsewhere.
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Why couldn't he just sleep with her and forget all the things she wasn't going to have with him? Why did it strike another blow? Because Greed wanted to take care of her. Like the bruises he left, he was never going to be able to keep her forever.
He kissed another bruise the size of his thumb. He watched her play with the locket, fingering the gold chain then against the pad of her palm, a kiss to her cheek, though it wouldn't take away her thoughts. "If you'd have met Mike first you would have had that." He still felt she was starting to regret which would turn to hate---just like Josie.
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She smiled a little, “I did meet Mike first. We broke up. Then I met you. And him again. He changed.. but so did I.” his little kisses were soothing but they wouldn’t erase her thoughts. The chain was twined with her fingers partly as she continued, “I just thought I’d get a family again one day.” her eyes filling with tears. He knew how important family was for her. She had no one now, her smarmy grandfather didn’t count. Her whole family was dead but she thought she’d grow up and meet someone and they’d start their own family. But now..
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"You have me..." He would be her home, her family until she disappeared. He pulled the hair back from her face and dragged it around to the other shoulder. He kissed her again but it was shaky.
"Do you hate me?" It mattered right now. He had picked the girl that didn't have anyone, instead of taking her from her family.
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She shook her head and said softly, “Part time.” he was her home, her shelter, her.. did it matter though? It wasn’t solid. It was only when he felt like it.
She didn’t look at him and considered his question. Thinking hard. Did she hate him? Unfortunately no. But she was honest when she said quietly, “I want to.” but she couldn’t. She had tried to be logical and it failed and she fell in love and now she was stuck.
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That was a slap in the face even just a little. He stopped the motion if his hands up and down her arms, but they didn't leave her. Along with the lack of action was the softest sound in his throat, much like a whimper. "Josie hated me. You don't now but you will." He wanted this to be different. She was different. This was never going to be conventional, but he was damned to make it work as long as he could.
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Zoe shook her head, “I’ll hate you when you leave me.” because then she’d really be alone. She had chosen him out of choice. She chose him over a normal life, over children, a family, and someone who would love her till she died. She would get older and she had a hard enough time keeping him with just her looks. Those would fade too. And then she’d have nothing to give him and he’d leave and she’d just be a stupid old woman with a broken heart.
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He kept losing his breath, like he had to keep catching it. She broke down, he followed because he was in tune to her feelings. He wanted to take it away. "I don't want to leave you." But eventually her mortal body would give out.
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She leaned into him, “You will. I’ll get old and unappealing.” she tilted her head back to look at him, “Maybe your sister will kill me before then.” which didn’t seem like such a bad idea really. Better than living alone in old age.
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"Shuuush," he didn't want her to say things like that. "Don't...." Things like that upset him when he didnt want to punch through to the future. Greed liked living in the now unlike most humans who wanted to fantasize on the future or the lack thereof. "Please," he asked in a small voice. He didn't want to talk about this anymore on their last few days here.
"We can leave for France tomorrow." Though he wanted to stay right here.
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She barely had him now.. she didn’t want to think about the future either. She kept the locket’s chain tangled in her fingers as she shifted in his arms so she could curl up against his chest. “I don’t wanna go..” she said quietly. She wanted to see France, she wanted to travel. But they wouldn’t get this in New York. He’d leave her for someone who could give it to him. His sister or his floozies. Here he was just hers.
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"You said you wanted to see France?" He'd let her bury herself in his wall of muscles. He liked her there as if she were built to hide within his arms.
"I thought I could find someone to forge a replica of your locket." If not he would research until he found someone. He still had a little time to kill. "I won't take it from you. I did once and it wasn't what I wanted." He squeezed her softly.
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She shook her head, staying small and hidden in his arms, “We won’t get to do this in New York and you’ll be off fucking your sister or some floozy when we get back.” so she was a tiny bit bitter. Their relationship was so fucked up. Because she loved him they couldn’t have sex and he happened to be the one guy who literally needed it. She sighed and buried her face in his chest, hating everything.
Her fingers were wrapped tight around the locket, the chain digging into the flesh. She had to choose between replicating her locket or getting to have him for one more day.
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Those tears of hers splashed down his chest, his fingers curling into her hair, cradling her head gently. He didn't say a word because he knew that much to be true. Maybe not so much the floozies, but once Lust dug her hands in, it wasn't going to be like this. This was why this tattoo was so important. Why her letting him have the locket long enough to trip up Theseus and please Lust. He never wanted to lose this. It was his to keep.
His lips were soft against her forehead. Just a gesture that this was where he wanted to be.
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His silence was like a brick in the face but she knew deep down she was thankful he didn’t lie. She stayed quiet and cuddled up in his arms for a few minutes. She knew what had to be done. She took a deep breath, “We can’t discuss what we’re going to do about..” she pressed her lips together and pointed between the two of them, “..us until New York or at least until you’ve had a day to detox from here. We tried that in Kansas and it did not work.” he held on to being just friends for a day or two. But the way she was talking, them being together was definitely not a sure thing.
She played with the locket again. She would be lost without it. Was another day of something that wasn’t real really worth it?
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"Just give me some time to think. If we don't go to France, I will find someone to forge one for me. The Greeks have someone that does that right? Just let me think." He'd research without sleep if he needed to. There would be an out and Greed would find it.
Just as he would find a way to have this with her until he died of exhaustion.
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Zoe shook her head, “No, let’s go to France.” she said suddenly. She felt sick. She almost chose a day over the only bit of her family she had left. Was she crazy? “If you think we can find someone there then let’s do it.” she was feeling a little mean. She didn’t want him to spend the money but damnit why was his sister an insane bitch? She put the locket back around her neck. He wasn’t going to get it until the last possible second. She shuffled in his arms, trying to get out so she could lie down on the bed again.
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"I don't know if I can Zoe, I just thought there might be someone...but this was forged by Greek hands. It's going to be a lot more convincing if I find a Greek artist and tradesman than the average Joe in Paris." He didn't want to leave now. This was all they had left and fuck it he was going to enjoy it.
She shuffled but he wouldn't let her go yet. "Considering all the shit I've told you, you have no reason to believe me---but you're going to have to trust me."
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She let out a frustrated noise when he wouldn’t let her go and squirmed again, “Fine Chance, let’s go to Paris or Greece or New York or wherever. Because I am not letting your sister have this too.”
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"So let's stay here for a few more days. I'll handle this when we get back." He let her go only to curl himself around her protectively when she laid down. He wasn't about to go back early just for Lust..
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Zoe faceplanted into the pillow, “Whats the point..” was her muffled response. Was she supposed to leap for joy they could have a couple more days for sex? And then what? They would go home, he’d go bury his bone elsewhere and she’d be stuck fending off crazy immortals after her locket.
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He couldn't help but feel rejected. She had made a pretty good habit of that since they'd gotten there.
"Could you not sound like you're going to slit your wrists." He laid his cheek against her shoulder. "It's depressing." They'd gotten this far only to hit a new roadblock.
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“Don’t tempt me..” she sighed and then wriggled around until she could be cuddled up with him, “This whole situation is depressing. We had like five days of bliss and now it’s over. That is depressing. And unfair. I don’t have anything waiting for me in New York. And I can’t stay here.” she gave him a sad look, saying flatly, “Yay.” she had nothing to be happy about it felt.
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"God you're as bad as Sloth." He grunted against her woe is me rant. "Maybe I should just get your memory erased and you can live without me," he said it sarcastically, knowing full well despite feeling it now, in New York he would refuse to let go.
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She cracked a small smile, “What? Just Eternal Sunshine you from my mind? Would you really let me?”
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"No, I wouldn't. But right now you're not happy and I don't want that." His human boy self wanted her heart to not bleed so much.
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“Then that’s stupid.. I was hoping I could just etch a sketch my mind.” she slipped her foot inbetween his legs, rubbing his calf idly with it before stretching it out and letting her leg lay tangled with his. “Sometimes I wonder what would have happened that day if I hadn’t returned your wallet.. or if I was wearing a shirt that would have hidden my locket. Do you think we’d be here right now?” she wanted to know if he thought they’d still have found each other. They did at the skating rink. Would they have met for the first time there? If she hadn’t had the locket, would he have taken an interest?
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"The locket was bait. I wanted the bigger fish." He doodled on her arm with his finger like a paintbrush. She was asking about fate which as a Sin he wasn't sure how that worked. Virtues paid attention to that. "I think I would have found you. Not fate and all that shit, but eventually I would have." He would have stumbled upon her because Greed was attracted to the things he couldn't grasp. "But I hadn't expected to find someone who found me." He meant the face that wasn't a face at all. The real boy under the Sin.
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She had to laugh at that, “You do realize you’re insinuating that I was trying to use the locket as bait to tempt you to stay long enough to go after me, right? Which I was doing no such thing.”
She smiled a little and kissed him softly, “I don’t think we expected half of what’s happened. I know you didn’t expect to love me. I know I didn’t expect to want to be with you. I certainly didn’t expect you to have so much depth.”
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"I think you're craftier than you realize." Her lips were always invited. They were soft and pouty, which felt like velvet against his own. Pure, sweet, pouty lips. He took a moment (or two) to stop and enjoy them.
"You thought I was a shallow pretty face?" He snuffed his nose into the air. "You stereotyped me. Rude."
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His kisses always made the fog roll in her brain. No one kissed like Greed. And it wasn’t just a sexual thing. His kisses were the kind of kisses you dreamed about, the one that made you go weak in the knees and feel like butterflies were in your stomach. She couldn’t give him up. “Yes, getting you in bed was my nefarious plan all along.” she rolled her eyes with a small smile.
“Pffft... as if you didn’t stereotype me. You always say you noticed my eyes and locket and stuff. But I bet you thought you had me figured out from the get go.” she raised a brow challenging him to correct her.
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He kissed her in such a way that there was a promise for more. He would never tire of those kisses. "I feel so violated," he mock gasped.
"You looked like a little bunny. I thought I'd have fun chasing."
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Her eyes stayed closed, a pleased hum emitted from her when the kiss broke, “I think you like feeling violated.”
She wrinkled her nose and opened her eyes clearly not impressed with his stereotype, “A little bunny? I’m not a small fluffy thing..”
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"A cute bunny that's turned into a sexy bunny. You're still soft under those big brown eyes." He grabbed her as a predator on its victim. A tiger that was in the grass and just pounced.
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She squealed with laughter, unlike a victim that would be scared, whenever Greed pounced on her, it always made her laugh. He always managed to make her smile, even in the darkest of thoughts. It was something no one else could do.
She was in his clutches but happily so, a dreamy look in those big brown eyes, “You still having fun chasing me?”
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Her laughter was a drug. He took one dose and kept taking it even when he didn't need it anymore. The more she grinned and giggled he gnawed on her in various places playfully. The louder she laughed, he growled with the bite, tickling her with his lips.
"I'm still trying to catch you," he whispered into the air, kissing her lips with his breath.
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Zoe couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled up in her at his antics, he could tease her into a good mood and it was a rare gift. His words caused a pink to light up her cheeks, “That’s so funny because I’m pretty sure I’m running right to you..” she leaned up to capture his lips in one of those long heated kisses they wouldn’t get to have anymore soon.