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“miguel!”
the other stopped in his tracks at the hand on his shoulder and turned around. david stood in front of him in the alley. he hadn’t seen miguel in over a year.
“oh, it’s you. what are you doing here?”
something tugged in david’s chest. he felt a spark of anger at the uncaring tone miguel used, but he must just still be processing seeing david again after so long. “I came to see you. you forgot to tell me you were going to break out, but it’s fine. I’m here now.”
miguel turned around and started walking away from him again. “I didn’t forget. you’re not worth anything to me outside of prison. you may as well just turn yourself in again, you’re not going to follow me around.”
david shook his head. “no. no . I’m not going to just-”
“you are,” miguel interrupted him, glancing back. “I was using you. now that i’m out again, I don’t need you or want you here. get lost.”
he stood, dazed, for a second, watching as miguel got farther and farther away. no… he can’t lose him again . he had caught up with miguel by the time he even registered he was moving. miguel let out a grunt as his back hit the wall of they alley. “I said no,” he growled lowly, hand twisting in miguel’s shirt.
“let go of-”
his free hand shot up to rest on miguel’s neck, reminiscent of his past punishments, stopping him in his tracks. “three years. I did whatever you said for three years , miguel. did that mean nothing to you?”
miguel scoffed and david could feel the air on his wrist. “you were my tool. my attack dog, perrito . you were useful when you could find it in you to keep yourself under control, but I’m not going to get attached to a tool . so go back-”
“shut up,” david hissed, squeezing down on miguel’s throat. “shut up, shut up .”
he watched miguel struggle for breath for a few seconds, mouth gaping wide as he struggled and hands coming up to grasp at david’s wrists, before letting up a bit. miguel opened his mouth, started to say something, and david clamped down again.
“no, you’re done talking. you’ve said enough. I knew you were using me, I was fine with you using me. I was happy with it.” he leaned in closer. “and you just left ? you think i can’t be useful to you outside of prison? all I wanted was to stay with you.”
david grabbed the collar of miguel’s shirt, pulled him away from the wall, and threw him to the ground. before miguel had a chance to react, he was on top of him, pinning him down. “why wasn’t that enough?”
“perrito-” miguel started.
lightning quick, david reached behind him and pulled out his knife, holding it against miguel’s throat. “choose your words carefully.”
miguel swallowed, eyes flicking down to the knife. his voice was soft when he spoke next. “you’re scaring me, perrucho.”
david smiled and leaned down. he hummed next to miguel’s ear. “good.”
"let me… let me explain, please." miguel brought his hand up, hovering it next to david's face. when david leaned his head towards it, miguel closed the rest of the distance. he brushed his thumb along david’s cheek, and david did his best not to get lost in the touch.
it was what he had wanted, had craved for so long. but…
"what do you have to say that isn't a lie ?" he snarled, grabbing miguel's wrist with his free hand and shoving it away. "that's all you ever do, isn't it?"
david leaned back, taking a second to get his temper under control and pulling the knife away just slightly. a few drops of blood welled up where he had pressed in just a little too hard. miguel stared up at him and david could see in his eyes that he was trying to figure out what to do, what to say to get out of this. his throat jumped when david ran his thumb along the cut, pulling it down.
“you’re a good liar, miguel. you can talk your way out of anything, manipulate anyone to do as you say,” he studied the blood on his hand, “but you’re still human. you’re not perfect.”
“let me fix this perrito, I can-”
“we’ll be together?” david interrupted him, waiting expectantly for the response.
miguel nodded. “of course.”
“and you won’t leave again?”
“I would never, perrito.”
david smiled, leaning back in again. he could see in miguel’s face that he expected to be let back up any second. “I know you think I’m pretty simple-minded, and it did take me a while to figure this out. you’re a good liar,” he repeated, hand with the knife in it moving slowly back, “but you have a tell.”
miguel’s eyes widened just before david’s hand came down, knocking him out with the handle of the knife. he stood up, hefting miguel’s limp form over his shoulder. the apartment miguel had been staying in recently wasn’t too far, and if he was going to make sure that miguel kept to his word, that they would be together, a random alley wasn’t really the place for that. if miguel wouldn’t let him back into his life, he’d have to take things into his own hands.
he set miguel down on a chair and gently wiped the blood away from his neck before taking a sheet from the bed and tearing it to make a long strip of fabric. by the time he was done tying miguel’s hands tightly behind his back, the other was regaining consciousness. he pulled another chair over to sit on for a second while miguel got his bearings, struggling with the binds only a little.
“where… what the…?”
david smiled, ignoring miguel’s obvious growing panic. he brought a hand up to the back of his own neck, brushing his fingers against the scar there. “I think you need a reminder of everything you promised me.”
miguel looked up at his face, finally silent, finally realizing talking would just dig his grave deeper. david could see the fear in his eyes as they flicked down to the knife momentarily, and it sent a shiver through him. it had been a while since he’d felt this thrill, this rush . he moved forward, getting out of his chair to instead put his knee between miguel’s and lean closer, one hand braced on the back of the chair, the other holding the tip of the knife at the collar of miguel’s shirt.
“what do you think?”
it was subtle, but miguel leaned back. he hesitated before responding. david’s smile grew when he heard the waver in his voice. “I- please, I can… perrucho, please.”
david pulled the knife away just slightly. “since you asked so nicely, I’ll give you one chance. prove you don’t need the reminder. do you remember my name?”
“I- of course, I…”
“go ahead, miguel. lie your way out of this one,” david snapped after a few seconds of silence. miguel opened and closed his mouth a few times, but ultimately still didn’t say anything.
with a quick motion, david cut open miguel’s shirt. after a moment of consideration, he unbuckled his leather armband. “you can bite down on this in the mean time.”
after miguel obediently opened his mouth and bit down on the band, david got to work. as soon as his knife broke skin for the first letter of his name, miguel jerked backwards. it had to hurt, of course, but so had his own reminder of who he answers to. it’s not a decent reminder if he can just ignore it or forget about it. after the first two letters, the tears streaming down miguel’s face started falling onto the wounds. the muffled screams filtered through the makeshift gag had started getting hoarse.
he brought up his free hand to cup miguel’s cheek and wipe away the tears, relishing in the way that miguel leaned into his touch. “do you want a break?”
miguel sniffled and squeezed his eyes shut, but shook his head. david ran his fingers through miguel’s hair before getting to work with the final three letters. miguel only started trying to struggle once, right near the end. all david had to do to calm him down was rest a hand on his shoulder and push him back into the chair.
“it’ll hurt less if you stay still.”
and that was all it took. he was still shaking, his chest still rising and falling with short panicked breaths, but he stayed as still as possible through the rest of it. david ripped off a piece of miguel’s already ruined shirt to wipe the blood off just long enough to see his name carved there before the blood welled up again. he coaxed miguel’s mouth open and pulled the band from it, pausing only for a second to admire the deep bitemarks left behind.
“I’m… I’m sorry,” miguel whispered, voice breaking and weak. “I’m sorry, david.”
david moved his hands back up to miguel’s face, holding his head up for him as he cried. his hands were soaked in blood, which smeared all over the other’s face. it made miguel look stunning. he pressed a soft kiss to miguel’s forehead.
“I’m not letting you leave me again, miguel. do you understand?”
miguel nodded, tears slowing to a stop not from the pain easing up but from a lack of tears left in him. david reached behind him, grabbing the knife again to cut miguel free. once the binds were cut, miguel fell forward, one hand reaching up towards his own chest, the other grasping at david’s shirt.
“I… I need… perrucho, the blood-” david nodded, but didn’t make a move to stop the blood from flowing down miguel’s chest. instead, he helped him stand and lay down on the bed. miguel was wheezing from the pain the whole time, but he didn’t fight. his eyebrows drew together in confusion when david sat down next to him.
he brushed miguel’s hair to the side and gently shushed him. “it’ll be okay soon. we won’t be separated again.”
david watched as the meaning of his words and inaction with the wounds dawned in miguel’s eyes. tears welled up in his eyes and it was almost enough to make david back out of his plans. another part of himself was proud of the raw emotions he’d managed to draw out.
“I don’t want to die,” miguel whispered, hand clutching david’s wrist. his hands were cold, shaking as hard as the rest of him. lightly, he rested his hand on top of miguel’s.
“it’s the only way. otherwise you’ll try to leave again, but I’ll follow you, no matter what.”
miguel squeezed his eyes shut, a tear rolling down his cheek and leaving a streak in the blood. he was silent for a long few seconds before…
he nodded.
“look at me?”
miguel blinked open his eyes, staring up at david. knife poised above the other’s chest, he slipped his wrist from miguel’s grip to instead hold his hand. just as he was about to make his final cut into miguel’s perfect skin, “promise we’ll be together?”
david brought the hand up to his cheek smiling, leaning into it and pressing a kiss to miguel’s palm. “promise.”
with that, he drove the knife into miguel. there was a weak cough, blood ending up on his chin, before miguel went limp. gently he closed the others eyes, vibrant light no longer present, and pressed a soft kiss to miguel’s lips as the warmth started to fade from him.
david positioned the knife over his own neck and took a deep breath. he wouldn’t go back on his promise to miguel, they’d see each other soon.