Chapter Text
„Come on, Jake, don’t be like this.“ He growled at the other man, eyes narrowing at the hand that presented him food.
„Fuck off, Quaritch.“
The other man tilted his head, scanning him up and down slowly.
„You need to eat something, sweetheart. You’re going to eat something.“
He felt disgust rise inside him at the nickname, hissing at the other man.
„Just tell them to shoot me already, I don’t know why you’re dragging this out.“
He met the stare of the other man and shivered at the intensity of it. Then suddenly a laugh ripped out of the other man. He just stared at him until the other man finally had himself under control.
„Kill you? Oh, cupcake. You really think I would go through all this trouble to let them kill you?“
He felt his stomach tightening, not understanding what the other man was getting at.
„What do you mean? What else would you do?“
The smile on Quaritch’s face managed to make him even more uncomfortable.
“Corporal, you’re mine. For now, forever. I can do whatever I want with you. Nothing more, nothing less.“
Jake just stared at the other man, for once completely dumbfounded.
“...What does that mean?”
He couldn’t react when he felt a hand on his left cheek, Quaritch’s hand touching him. The only thing he could do was stare into the other man’s yellow eyes, so different from the steely blue ones he linked to the other man.
“That means that I have been given full control over you. Whatever I want to do with you is within limits.”
Suddenly he felt like he was drowning, everything moving far too fast, too loud to his ears. It had to be a hallucination. That was not at all what he thought would happen; he had fully been prepared for death when he had given up his life for his family.
His lips felt dry when he tried to speak again, screaming at his body to stop fucking around.
“And what do you want to do to me, Colonel?“
Jake didn’t move, hands bound in front of him, back pressed against the cold material of the cell they had put him into. The hand on his cheek felt so fucking wrong, touch far too soft for coming from Colonel Miles fucking Quaritch.
He felt like prey, trapped inside the fangs of a hunter. He swallowed when he saw a sparkle inside the other man’s eyes, something he had not seen there before.
“I’ll make you mine, Jake. In any way possible.”
He heard the words but his mind was not able to assign any meaning to them. He slowly ripped his eyes away from Quaritch and looked around the cell. He could see scientists busying themselves with computers.
“How exactly do you plan to do that?”
He didn’t know how he was able to remain so calm after what the other man had told him, after those absurd words. He watched as the other man slowly tilted his head, eyes no longer fixed on his but on his lips.
He didn’t move when the other man slowly moved closer, hand on his cheek moving to his neck, fingers tangling inside his hair. He knew the other man was prepared for him fighting back.
His eyes were still open when Quaritch kissed him slowly, lips moving and claiming his mouth. It didn’t feel close to the loving kiss of his wife; it felt more like the other man claiming ownership over him, daring him to fight back.
For now he decided to remain calm, wait until it was over, figure out what he could do with this new information.
When the kiss ended and the other man slowly moved back, he felt the possessiveness of the stare intensify.
“Seems like you’re not as stupid as I thought.”
He just stared back at the other man, for now not caring what the other man thought of him. They both knew it wouldn’t be as easy as that. But Jake was not ready to show his cards. He needed time to figure out how to deal with this. To find out how this situation could be played, how far he could go.
A minute before he had been prepared for death; now the situation had changed. There was a deal he could make.
“Where is Spider?”
A smirk appeared on the other man’s face.
“Oh, he is doing well. Feisty as always, giving those lab coats a run for their money.”
Jake studied the other man’s face, looking for a sign that he was lying. But he had seen how much Quaritch cared for Spider. Had witnessed how he had saved the boy again and again.
“What is the end goal with him? When they’re done examining him?”
Quaritch stared at him, eyes going to the side in thought.
„He’s my son, Jake. So I will be his father.”
Jake stared at the other man, trying not to growl. The hand in his hair tightened and he winced, didn’t dare to move when Quaritch moved closer to his kuru. Visions of Varang using the connection to subdue her enemies flashed through his mind.
„What does your new girlfriend think of this, Quaritch?“
He spat the word girlfriend out, thoroughly disgusted with the woman. He had seen the madness in her eyes and had to admit that he was frightened of what the both of them could still do.
The other man grinned, white teeth gleaming.
“Jealous, sweetheart?”
Jake just growled, growing more and more agitated the more time he had to spend in Quaritch’s close proximity. His eyes jumped to the other man’s throat, pictures of him ripping out the other man’s jugular flashing through his mind.
He imagined the blood shooting out of the other man’s throat, painting him and the whole room red. He could see in the way Quaritch’s eyes darkened that he knew what he was thinking.
The hand in his hair moved closer to his kuru and Jake froze. He swallowed, trying to calm his mind and still his violent thoughts. There would be time for that later.
“I got what I wanted from her. I don’t need her any longer.”
His eyes snapped up to the Colonel’s eyes, searching for lies. Why would Quaritch just throw away such a useful connection? The woman could still be used for torture. For now he couldn’t detect a lie inside the other man’s eyes and decided to believe it.
For now he didn’t need to worry about the crazy woman.
“This is how this will work. You will behave. You will do what I tell you to do. Understood?”
He stared at the other man, raising an eyebrow. Then he shrugged his shoulders, grinning.
“Understood, Sir.”
He could see the annoyance in the other man’s eyes. The hand in his hair tightened its grip.
“For every disobedience there will be a punishment. But if you behave, I will allow you to see Spider, grant you access to the gym, good food. All the nicest amenities. Understood?”
He knew he would lose if he attacked now. His hands were bound, and Quaritch was expecting him to strike at any moment. The other man knew him almost as well as he knew himself. Jake didn’t want to admit it, but he suspected that Quaritch might know him even a little better than he knew himself.
But still, anger hummed through him. His wounded pride screamed at him to attack. Quaritch knew exactly what he was doing. Knew exactly what buttons to push.
Jake lowered his head, staring at Quaritch from underneath his dreads, not letting the other man out of his sight.
“Understood, Sir.”
He knew that Quaritch was just waiting for him to do something stupid. And it felt good to play with the other man in any way possible. He knew that he had to play his cards in any way possible.
He needed to get a lay of the environment, find Spider, and get out. He tilted his head and balled his fists.
“Can I see Spider?”
His heart ached a little when he thought about the boy.
The other man hummed, as if deep in thought, but he knew that the other man already had an answer.
“Depends on if you can do something for me, right now.”
Jake stilled, anger flooding through him.
“What might that be?”
Something rustled and Jake looked up.
“Kiss me, long and deep enough to convince me that you want this. You know that I could make you do much more, Jake. Take it as a win.”
Jake winced. It didn’t really feel like a win right now, but he knew that Quaritch could have asked for much more vile things.
He thought about Spider, knew that what they were doing to him was hell for his boy. If he could see him, he could make sure the boy was alright, give them both something to be strong for. He had to do it for Spider. He knew that the boy needed to see him. See it as a mission. Something to get over with.
He slowly leaned forward, eyes focused on Quaritch’s mouth. He slowly placed his lips on the other man’s lips. They felt so strange to him, so different than his wife’s lips. He kissed the other man slowly, almost ready to pull back at any moment. He stilled the thoughts inside his head, focusing on getting this over. He deepened the kiss, imagining his wife, moving like he always did with her. He heard her laughter in his mind, her glittering eyes when they kissed like that. The deep love he felt for her.
He slowly ended the kiss and pulled back, eyes resting on the other man’s face. He met the other man’s stare, knowing that the colonel had expected him to fight, to try something. But he was not ready to give up on the chance to see Spider. He needed to see his boy, and after that he could start scheming.
He was not able to figure out what Quaritch was thinking, his expression completely unreadable. The other man slowly let go of his hair, getting up from the ground. He followed the other man’s movements with his eyes, waiting for the other to make a decision.
“Alright, sweetheart. You win this round.”
Jake lifted an eyebrow, not moving a muscle. Quaritch turned to the window, staring at the people behind the glass.
“Get the collar, boys. Our princess is ready for his little walk.”
Jake watched as one of the humans stepped towards the door of his cell, holding a collar in his hands. He watched as they handed it to Quaritch through a hatch. Quaritch picked it up and turned towards him, watching him like a hawk.
“I will put this on now, Jake. You will not move. Understood?”
Jake swallowed, eyes raking over the collar. He noticed a small box on the side of it, knowing instantly that it was a kind of shock collar. He knew that it would lessen his chance of escape tremendously. But if he fought now, the kiss would have been for nothing. He knew that Spider needed to see him. Needed something to fight for. Jake needed to see Spider just as much.
He growled, fists tightening. He slammed them on the floor, muscles twitching. Quaritch watched him closely.
“Fuck you, Quaritch. I’m not your fucking dog.”
A smile appeared on the other man’s face.
“Don’t be like that, princess. You’re almost there, then you can see Spider.”
Frustration ran through him and he scowled, anger humming through him. He lowered his head and slowly breathed out. In the end, Quaritch could just wrestle him down and put it on him. The outcome would be the same, only without him being allowed to see his son.
He slowly breathed in and out, then he looked up at the other man.
“Alright.”
A grin appeared on the other man’s face. He moved closer to him, saw the way his whole body was ready to move whenever Jake decided to fight him. Jake clenched his jaw when he felt the cold metal of the collar against his vulnerable throat. The collar clicked shut with a sound that felt far too final, and he felt the box on the side of it push into his skin. He knew that the collar could turn out to be fucking vile.
“This is how it works, sweetheart: You’re not allowed to move further away from me than one meter. If you do, you will be shocked. The more you move away, the harder the shock will get. Understood?”
Jake lowered his head; he had assumed as much. He nodded slowly, realizing that Quaritch wanted a response.
“Understood.”
Quaritch hummed and motioned for him to stand up. He slowly did, hands still bound in front of him. He didn’t like the feeling of the collar around his throat. It seemed to restrict his breathing.
“Let’s go, Jake.”
Jake followed the other man out of the room, knowing how vigilant the other was with every move he made. He knew the other was ready at every moment to activate the collar. He could only imagine what it would do to his body. He didn’t want to find out; he needed his strength.
He ignored the humans inside the room, ignored how they stared at him. He didn’t acknowledge Quaritch’s men, staring at him carefully, ready to wrestle him to the ground at any moment. Quaritch directed him where to walk, always one step behind him.
One time he felt the collar prickle when he moved a little too fast, moving out of the perimeter Quaritch had set. He gritted his teeth; he had to admit that the collar had been a far too good idea from the other man. The colonel knew how good he was at escaping.
His eyes took in whatever he could as they walked through multiple corridors; he took stock of his surroundings, cataloging everything into the back of his mind. Everything could be useful when he escaped.
Then they walked into another room and he saw a similar cell like his. He heard the familiar shouting of Spider, saw his boy kicking the glass. He wanted to run to the boy, almost forgetting his collar. A hand on his neck reminded him of Quaritch.
“Slowly now, Jake. I’ll let you both talk for a little bit. You earned yourself that much.”
He swallowed, nodding to signal the other man that he had understood. He was led in front of the cell, eyes raking over Spider’s body to make sure the boy was not injured. Aside from a few bruises, the boy seemed fine. He smiled when the boy finally noticed him.
“Jake! You’re alright!”
He nodded, wanting to move closer to the glass but was stopped by Quaritch’s hand on his neck.
“Are you alright, Spider?”
He looked into the boy’s eyes, trying to convey to him everything he couldn’t say out loud. He felt the same relief he could see inside the boy’s eyes.
“I’m alright, Jake. And you? They told me that they would have you shot in the morning.”
He could see the panic that this thought had instilled inside the boy’s mind, could see the reason for the bruises on the boy’s body.
The deep voice of Quaritch could be heard from behind him.
“I told you that I would take care of that, Spider.”
Spider’s eyes moved from Jake to Quaritch, taking in the way Quaritch held Jake by the neck. Jake tried to convey to Spider not to say anything. He was here now and he would make sure they would be alright, as much as he could.
“I want you both to realize that I am the only reason you both are still alive and well. If not for me, you would be permanently medicated, Spider. They don’t need you conscious all the time to examine you. And you would be dead, Jake. I already told you as much.”
Spider stared at Jake again, for now remaining silent. Jake put his love for the boy into his eyes, silently telling him that they would be alright. He saw that Spider understood it.
He nodded, trying to show Quaritch that he understood. Right now he needed to play along as much as he could. He had gotten further than he had thought with that approach. He guessed that even Quaritch hadn’t expected that. They both knew how stubborn Jake could be.
“I want you to stop fighting, Spider. If you can do that, I will allow you to see Jake again.”
Spider’s eyes grew bigger and Jake swallowed. In the end, they would do whatever they wanted with Spider anyway. Him fighting wouldn’t change anything. He tried to convey to Spider to agree. Together they could find a way out of here.
Spider slowly nodded, hands balling into fists. Quaritch seemed to be satisfied, probably having expected much more backlash from both of them. Jake knew they were doing something right when the grip on his neck lessened.
“I’ll let you talk for a bit. Then it’s bedtime for both of you. I’ll get you something to eat, Spider.”
Quaritch didn’t leave them, allowing Jake and Spider to sit down and talk for a bit. They talked about their family, trying to stay away from dangerous topics. Jake could feel himself relax; he had needed this. Had needed to see Spider to remember what he was living and fighting for. His family, the only thing he needed in his life.
It felt so good to talk with Spider. He didn’t know how much time passed when Quaritch finally told them to say goodbye. Quaritch pushed a sandwich through a hatch and Jake nodded at Spider to eat it. They needed the strength.
Quaritch motioned at him to step away from the cell, watching him carefully. Jake could only look back at Spider once more before he had to follow Quaritch quickly to remain in the perimeter of the shock collar. Then the door of the room closed behind them, leaving Spider behind.