Chapter Text
There is nothing wrong with liking the color red. Nothing wrong at all. Red, after all, is the color of love, and passion, and life. That he enjoys seeing it as it drains from his victim’s body, that’s entirely something else. It’s all measured, calculated, and perfectly timed, just like the rest of everything that comprises his life.
There are approximately 4.7 liters of blood in a human body and depending on where he makes the cut, his victims last from a few minutes, to sometimes an hour. He takes pleasure in running the math in his head. How long until the fraction of a second before they realize it is all over? Alex takes pleasure in seeing them understand.
That’s the part he loves the most. The moment when the pain and fear leave a person raw and their eyes show who they truly are. It is those precious moments that Alex craves the most, when all the masks fall and their essence is finally exposed, free of lies. Alex revels in those moments, he finally sees them.
This time, it is no exception.
Danny sits unconscious before him. Alex likes to see him like this, so peaceful, his features soft. He’s been watching Danny for a while, knows all there is to know about him.
He knows that Danny lives with roommates, Sara and Pavel, who even though are two of his closest friends, know nothing of Danny’s secrets.
He also knows about Scotty, knows about the man’s unrequited feelings toward Danny. He also knows Danny knows but pretends not to. Alex sometimes wonders why.
Alex knows that Danny likes going out late to dance until he can’t feel his feet anymore, or maybe until he can’t feel his own pain anymore. Danny is a lonely man with a troubled past and no real future. Alex knows this and more, he is a spy after all.
Danny opens his eyes, slow and languid. He blinks a few times, mind and body taking long to synchronize. He looks down to his bound hands, tied neatly in front of him with the softest of rope. The knots are tight and so expertly done there is no way he could break free; his feet are tied in the same manner. He looks up, his eyes show no sign of fear, yet.
Alex smiles at him and Danny, oh sweet sweet Danny, he smiles back. He still hasn’t realized what is going on.
“I know you” Danny speaks and his voice is honey to Alex’s ears. He knows this voice intimately, he’s been listening closely. Alex feels a shiver of want run through his body.
“You’re the running man” Danny chuckles at this. Seems Alex is not the only one who’s been watching.
Danny looks down to his tied hands and feet and frowns slightly.
“I don’t mean to sound put out but, don’t you think this is a little too fast?” He looks back to Alex, a slight blush dusting his nose.
Alex’s smile widens, this is not the reaction he had expected, most of his victims usually start crying and asking why they’re here.
“I… I mean, I don’t mind being tied up but, I usually like knowing my partners a bit before we… get close?”
Something seems to click in Danny’s mind because his eyes suddenly look focused and his whole expression changes. Alex can feel the excitement begin to bubble in his chest. Danny is finally alert enough to notice something is off.
“…you’re not… this isn’t…” Danny can’t seem to let his words out. He looks both confused and just a bit afraid. He tests the strength of his binds, tries to take in his surroundings. He is tied to a leather chair in the middle of a dark room, it looks like an attic but everything is bare and sterile save for the chair he is on, the full length gilded mirror behind Alex, and an old black trunk just to the side.
“No” Alex speaks, calm and controlled. “It isn’t”
Danny snaps his eyes back to Alex searching for answers, Alex has his hands crossed behind his back and he looks just as focused as the few times Danny has seen him on his morning runs. There’s something unsettling about the whole thing, there’s something off.
“Do you like the color red, Danny?” Alex ask, and it’s such a strange topic of conversation, Danny doesn’t know what to make of it so he doesn’t answer.
“It’s a very nice color, I’m sure you’ll look lovely bathed in it.”
Alex steps close, brings a hand to Danny’s face and runs light fingers down Danny’s cheeks stopping to lilt his chin up. Danny bites his own lips trembling at such intimate touch. He sighs closing his eyes.
“Such nice red lips too” Alex allows himself a moment to kiss those lips, it’s something he has imagined doing many a time. They’re just as soft and pliant as he thought they would be, and the best thing is, they’re oh so willing.
Danny makes a low whining noise parting his lips in invitation. Alex smiles against the kiss, just a little bit longer, he’ll allow himself to play just a bit longer, He’s waited for this moment for such a long time, he’ll drag it out and enjoy it for as long as possible, he needs to hear all the noises Danny can make. Alex can’t wait for the screaming to begin.
“Such a nice boy, Such a good boy” Alex runs his fingers through Danny’s soft curls while his nose tracks the lines from behind Danny’s ears down his neck to the hollow of his collarbone, here he bites down hard and Danny hisses from the pain, his body tensing.
“That hurts” He cries, but it’s not enough for Alex; he pulls Danny’s hair hard exposing his neck. He licks at the pulse on Danny’s jugular vein and hums in delight.
“Not quite yet.”
Danny is trembling under his hands, his breath quickening in time with his pulse. Alex runs the numbers in his head; 91 bpm, not yet up to speed.
“What… why are you doing this?”
Alex takes a step back, considers Danny’s question for a few seconds. Danny still has no idea what it is that Alex is doing and will do. He figures the time is right to show Danny a glimpse of what is coming. He flashes Danny a charming smile, hopes Q, on the other side of the hidden cameras, is paying attention. After all, he is not doing this just for himself.
Alex walks to the trunk, pulls out a small key from the pocket of his trousers and unlocks it. Danny tries but he can’t see what Alex is doing. His mind is telling him that something is wrong, terribly wrong, and he should try to get free. He pulls at the knots, tries to wriggle his hands free to no avail.
When Alex turns to face him one more he is holding a gun in one hand, and a scalpel in the other. Danny’s breath hitches.
“I’m not going to shoot you” Alex says matter-of-factly and to make his point he holsters the gun to the small of his back. “That one is merely for show, Got your full attention now. I need you to see, Danny.”
And Danny sees, or Alex thinks he sees. The way his pupils dilate and his nostrils flare. The way he’s pulling at the ropes tying in hands and the shimmer of the perspiration he can see slowly condensing on his features. These are all telling enough.
“Oh god… what are you” Danny swallows a rising sob. His eyes look frantically from Alex’s face to the scalpel secure in his hand.
“I would say do not be afraid, but that would defeat the purpose of this. You should be afraid Danny, very afraid. It’s the only way for both you and me to really see.”
There are tears forming at the corners of Danny’s eyes. He realizes now how wrong things are.
“Please… please just let me go”
Alex’s smile only seems to widen lighting up his whole face. Ah, the begging, Danny looks and sounds so wonderful when he begs. Alex needs to hear more of it.
He’s crouching in front of Danny now, his face full of emotion.
“Please don’t hurt me”
Alex brings a trembling hand up and catches a stray droplet of sweat and tear from the side of Danny’s face. He licks it off his finger humming in delight. Q loves it when he does things like that.
“I’m afraid that stopped being possible the moment you danced straight into my hands.”
Alex brings the scalpel to Danny’s collarbone slicing the buttons of his dark-blue shirt off one by one. Any other time Danny would have found the action arousing, now he is just death afraid of the sharp blade so close to his skin. He doesn’t want to die. Not here, not like this.
“Why are you doing this?” Danny breathes shakily, his eyes following the blade’s every move. He’s trying to stay very still.
Alex chuckles and yet his hand is steady as he runs the blade down the expanse of Danny’s pale skin very softly leaving just a thread of tiny red drops behind. Danny whimpers but doesn’t move other than the involuntary tremors that rake his body.
“Because I want you to see the world in red, it’s the only way.”
“Am I going to die?” Danny asks even though he is sure he knows the answer already.
Alex inhales deeply at that and the blade sinks deep into Danny’s skin. Danny lets out a sharp cry as the blood begins to seep out through the cut.
“…yes”