Hexus: Neo

)22( Defect

[10:08PM, January 14, UTC +02:00]

ECRU cried out and clawed at the mattress, ripping the fabric layer and spilling the stuffing. His legs jerked with uncontrolled spasms as his fangs throbbed painfully and his open jaw quivered. Warm hands held the back of his neck and guided him towards a pulsing artery which he bit into without hesitation. The sweet metallic flavour burned into his taste buds, shooting intense bolts of pleasure into his brain as flashes of light exploded behind his eyelids until his body went limp and his mind went fuzzy, overloaded with ecstasy. He retracted his fangs with practised ease and sucked off the trickling blood before the wounds closed. He rested his head against the muscular shoulder as strong arms held him up, the hands caressing his back slowly lulling him into a stupor.

"Our only real shot is the Synarchy."

The voice sounded dampened in his euphoric haze, and for a moment he wasn't sure he heard correctly.

"Hmm?" he asked, confused.

"I'm just saying," Adam replied, his voice low, "we have four sets of twins in training, and if we can get them to trigger a synarchy, the exponential power boost can easily counter this grapevine effect."

Ecru blinked slowly and leaned back until he could look at Adam's face. "What?"

"It should work," Adam continued, his eyes unfocused, "if we can figure out how to trigger it. I mean, we've only seen it once and all my research hasn't revealed how exactly-"

"Wait," Ecru said, "That's what you've been thinking about the whole time?"

Adam blinked and focused back on Ecru's face. "What?"

Ecru grabbed Adam's shoulders and pushed off, and with large strides, he cleared the length of the mattress, stepped into the ensuite bathroom and slammed the door behind him, locking it with a wave of his hand. He leaned back and forced in a deep breath, then slowly started counting down from fifteen. He heard Adam's movements on the other side of the door, and fisted his hands as he stepped away from it to distance himself, the tiles sending sharp tingles of cold up his bare feet.

"Ecru, I..."

The voice broke his last thread of restraint and he grabbed the sink, ripped it off and threw it against the wall. It shattered, spreading sharp fragments all over the floor. The burst metal pipes sprayed him with frigid water, fuelling his anger, and he squeezed them until the flow was shut off. He tore the towel rack off the wall and smashed it on the toilet bowl, sending chips of ceramic flying around the room.

"I'm sorry, okay? I wasn't thinking. Well, technically, I was thinking but...please open the door."

"Fuck off!"

He moved to the shower, punching the plexiglass repeatedly until it broke. He ignored the blood on his fists as he ripped the shower unit off and punched several holes in the walls. He needed the pain. He had to to numb his thoughts or he was really going to lose it. As much as he had tried to ignore it, it was becoming painfully clear how much Adam was pulling away. He thought they had patched things up after their near-break-up, but from Adam's attitude after he disappeared for a week - making Ecru go through the indignation of begging Maureen for blood - to how he always chose to be occupied with other matters, Ecru should have known something was wrong. He had excused the behaviour as part of the stress of the situation and tried to accommodate these changes because he trying to show that he could put Adam's needs before his own and prove that he was making an effort to be a better person. But this...

This was just...

"Ecru, open the door. Please."

He screamed back in rage and hurled a piece of the broken sink at the medicine cabinet, shattering the mirror and knocking it off its hook on the wall. Their toothbrushes and other contents sailed out and tumbled across the cold tiles. He looked around at the damage. It wasn't enough. But he knew no amount of destruction could release the knot of emotions tightening inside his chest.