Black Hole Sun (Open Thread)

[Fangor]

In my eyes, indisposed, in disguise as no one knows,
Hides the face, lies the snake in the sun, in my disgrace.
Boiling heat, summer stench, 'neath the black, the sky looks dead.
Call my name through the cream, and I'll hear you scream again. -Soundgarden, "Black Hole Sun"


A paw pressed to his mouth as Fangor tried to stifle the cough that he knew was coming. Raspy breaths sent a vibrato through fur to gaunt ribs. He could feel the deterioration of the disease, the weight loss that he tried to avoid by working out which only resulted in hard muscle over brittle bone, still too gaunt despite his strength. Maybe it was the adrenaline that got him going, the rush as he did jobs for the boss, or decided to have some independent fun. If they were the type to fight, to scream, all the better. If not, disposable, and a waste of his time.

Lowering his paw after hacking hard, he studied the flecks of red staining his fur which he rubbed off on his dirty, white leather pants, ones that still had some blood stains from over the years. The first was when he wore the pants and white combat boots, some kitten making a crack, maybe something about tackiness. He permanently silenced the kitten, reveling in the deed as he smirked. No one ever commented on his attire again, several cats in his gang trying to imitate his style.

Except he didn’t do it for style. No. It was to blend in. To not draw attention by a contrast on his skin. Despite the whiteness of his body, it was always easier to blend in when a solid, when pressed in a crook, hiding behind a garbage bin.

A quick survey was offered to his new surrounding. He’d left Macavity’s territory, gone to unknown occupied space. Reasons? Recruitment, he told his gang, but really there were no reasons aside from it being a quiet week and the cat being terribly bored.

Today, Fangor just walked, shoulders rounded in a little slouch, the bulk of the white leather vest aiding in the illusion of him being weak. It always worked. Drew away suspicion, and it hid the “M” scarification on the left side of his chest, worn like a badge of honor. Maybe he’d get lucky and find some cats or dogs to bring back. Maybe he’d be luckier to find some that he wouldn’t bring back but wouldn’t be returning home either.

[paranoid]

There was a sort of giggle from around the corner. Not the light, playful, happy giggle of Rumpleteazer, but something lower, almost mirthless.

But as Cinder slinked around the corner, held somewhat lower to the ground than usually, you could see her smirk. It could have been scary, were it anyone else but Fangor.

The illusion was over immedietly though when she saw who it was. She straightened up quickly, grinning broughtly, practically skipping closer to him. "Hey Fangor." She somewhat chirped, tail swishing happily behind her. There was little she liked more than trying to bother him... really. Although she still wasn't quite sure how she was still alive to talk about it.

[Fangor]

A hand moved to Fangor's side as if to reach for a weapon though he stilled with the name. And, with a growl, he shoved her aside. "You trying to tell the damn whole neighborhood I'm here?" A hiss, a warning.

"There goes recruitment for today."

Another growl, though it subsided a little bit. "You fucking owe me."

[paranoid]

Cinde gave another giggle, standing straight again and taking a small step back.

"Owe you what? Not my fault I recognized you. Would it have been better if I'd just snuck up behind you and said 'boo'?" No, that wouldn't have been better. She'd probably be dead in that case. But she found this amusing.

"Don't be such a grumpy guss, it's so unbecoming." Sticking her nose in the air, she put her paws on her hips, tapping her exposed fur with two long fingernails. "No wonder everyone hates you."

[Fangor]

His eyes were always drawn to movement, years on the street training him that way, and that patch of fur was seemingly delicious. "If you said that, you'd be dead," he answered, unaware of how close to her thought that'd be. Everyone hating him was a good thing. Definitely a good thing. That'd keep the respect. Or at least that's how Jazz presented it-

The thought was cut off as he turned his head to the side, trying to keep his lips shut, a little unsuccessfully as he hacked hard, red painting his lips from blood. Instinctively, a paw shot out, pushing her back and away from him.

No. It wasn't because he liked her. He liked no one. Possibly Jazz, but that was another story. No. This had nothing to do with like. She belonged to him. Just like everyone else he kept near. She had value for jobs so long as she stayed healthy, as long as she stayed tough. The fact she was an eye pleaser bringing a set of tits into an otherwise sausagefest was irrelevant.

[paranoid]

Cinder gave a grunt, stumbling back before catching herself, mumbling a little and adjusting hare barely-existant shirt.

"You're just going to fall over one day, you know." She said, looking up at him, bright eyes narrowing slightly, head tilted, otherwise not moving. "And you won't get back up, and everything you've done won't have mattered. Don't you feel something about that?" She asked, finally righting her head, the longer fur there falling onto her shoulders.

"Everyone wants to have meant something."

[Fangor]

"Shut the fuck up," he snarled between coughs, the paw over his mouth now smeared red. "Shit..." he added, more for himself than her. Did he care? Making a difference? All that sentimental bullshit?

She wouldn't understand. No one would. It meant nothing. Who cared about what happened when he was dead? He'd be dead then, not there to witness it.

[paranoid]

Cinder shrugged, sitting down on the ground and grooming her paw contently, smoothing the damp area behind her ear slowly, her eyes closed, looking at ease. Really, just another subtle way to ride Fangor's nerves - she wasn't scared of him. Almost everyone else was. But unlike others, she actually did know when to shut up, she just didn't like to... unless he really did get pissed. So long as she was useful, she had some sort of place. She just made sure she did her job from time to time.

"Temper." She muttered quietly, giving her paw another slowly lick before opening her eyes, paused, looking to him. "It's the only thing you can't get rid of by losing it." It wasn't meant as advice. You just didn't give advice to him. An observaton. A needless observation at that.

[Fangor]

When the coughing fit subsided, again he wiped his paw off on the side of his pants, shaking his head, again a thought for himself rather than her. No. That wasn't important now. It'd been getting worse, worse way too quickly, really.

[paranoid]

Cinder looked up at him, ears slowly turning forward, focused on him. "Are you done?" She asked, sniffing slightly, head slowly tilting. Part of her wished there was a way to help. But he wouldn't even reveal what was wrong with him, so she knew there was nothing to do anyway. She almost felt sorry for him.

[Fangor]

"Yeah," he groused after a moment. "I'm done." Satisfied that he was wiped clean enough, he took the time to regard the queen, a one over offered. "What are you doing around here?" It was a simple enough question that needed a simple answer, or detailed. She had a mouth on her, but at least this one was tolerable. What was with all those queens around him with mouths, even if they weren't ones he was more directly involved in? At least Cinder had common sense, unlike Coalie. God, that was a name he hadn't heard from some time. Maybe she was actually dead. That'd be means for celebration.

[paranoid]

Cinder shrugged, smoothing down the front of her little shirt. "I felt like it." She purred, tail flicking, smiling a little at him.

"I felt like scoping out the toms. Is that a crime?"

[Fangor]

For a minute, Fangor seemed to think about it before he shrugged it off. "Do what you want." A deep exhale was given then. "I wish I could nail you."

A point blank statement, something that could be perceived as rude, but in Fangor speak it was as close to a compliment he would give.

[paranoid]

Cinder giggled, head tilted up at him. "How sweet."

It wasn't said dryly, though most might have thought it should have been. What other response was there? Even she wouldn't offer - she wasn't that crazy. He wouldn't take it anyway. At least he liked her for what he was worth. Fangor version of like, anyway. Which wasn't very well liked. But...

Oh, she knew what she meant, that's all that mattered.

Pulling herself to her feet, she looked to him, one ear tilted forward to him. "So. What were you doing out here?"

[Fangor]

"Recruiting," he answered plainly. "Was hoping for some sort of run in. Won't happen. Not today. Not anymore."

There was a bit of a grimace on his face before he approached her, arm sliding around her back. "Satisfying enough an answer?" he inquired in an attempt to change the subject. Maybe partly incase anyone were watching. A reminder of who was boss.

[Rozumbrad]

Rozumbrad licked his lips from a distance. He highly doubted the Fangor would try anything. He wouldn't want to spoil the future of the queen with his sickness. Of course, if he did, Rozumbrad would have no problem with watching. Or stepping in and taking over if nothing happened. The queen was definitely bang worthy.

He actually felt sorry for Fangor.

[paranoid]

"Sorry." Cinder said in a purr, rubbing slightly against his side with the tiniest smile, keeping her eyes one the ground.

"Little Cinder didn't mean to, she was just havin' some fun." She turned her eyes up to him, a broad smile on her face, her tail batting a little against the back of his legs. "Didn't mean nothin' by it, she don't know better."

[Fangor]

"Little Cinder's not so little, hm?" Fangor purred for a moment, the arm around her back moving so he could slide a paw toward that thin excuse of a shirt she wore. A few liberties would be fine. Ones that weren't risky. Such as that. Normally he wouldn't be so interested but any time she did that voice... ha. If he only knew her before, he'd have fucked her into the next century.

"Stop whacking off over her, Brad," Fangor said loudly, not a pause in his words, not even turning his head. A trained sort of statement, a sense for not being isolated. A smallish smirk came to his lips, however.

[Rozumbrad]

Rozumbrad wandered over casually.

"I'm sure the lady will take it as a compliment," he said, leaning against he wall casually, observing the location of Fangor's hand.

[paranoid]

Cinder gave her giggle, batting over her ear in a child-like fashion. She didn't seem to acknowledge Fangor's hand, but didn't purposely ignore it either. She didn't think there was any reason to bring attention to it.

She brushed hair from her face, not thinking of it as her pads brushed over a somewhat deep scar on her cheek. There was no use acknowledging that either, but it made her pause for the slightest of moments. "Such silly boys." She finally said, leaning the tiniest bit against Fangor with a little purr. "I must be lucky today."

[Fangor]

A broader smirk came to Fangor's face as he took that opportunity to step behind her, both arms encircling the queen's frame as he rest his head over her shoulder. No, she wasn't for fucking. No one in his gang was, nor close affiliates. Good fucks were for nameless faces, whether they breathed or not. So long as they screamed at one point, that was what he cared for.

A few he'd fucked before things changed. Being diseased was something he rarely discussed, but it was there, an elephant in the room.

[Rozumbrad]

Rozumbrad stepped forward, standing closer to Cinder. He wasn't exactly challenging Fangor, since there was no competition anyway, and he'd be happy to share in normal circumstances. Mostly it was just habit, the slightly predatory, dominating sexuality.

"Who says your the lucky one?" he asked, leaning so that he was quite close. "It might be someone else's day."

[paranoid]

Cinder put on her somewhat obnoxious smile, tilting her head slightly, her headfur falling a little against Fangor's face.

"My idea of luck may be different than yours, tut tut for trying to rain on my parade. I'm a happy cloud, even if you aren't." Some could say she was dumb from her statements. The fact of the matter was she said crazy shit on purpose... just to throw others off. You learned to live with it.

"So don't be so grumpy, chicken." An affectionate name; to her not meant as an insuilt. She found it cute. He probably wouldn't.

[Rozumbrad]

Chicken. Well, he would accept any name coming from the right pair of tits.

"I'm not grumpy," Rozumbrad contended. "I'm perfectly amiaciable." He meant amicable.

During this statement, on hand lightly grazed her stomach, around Fangor's hands.

[paranoid]

Cinder gave him a grin, her fur shifting a little and purring ever so softly.

"So says you. But, I'll take it. I'm not in a mood to argue for once." A little giggle, brushing over her cheek lightly with her paw. "Methinks the tom doth want to play."

[Rozumbrad]

The tom just smirked. He gave glance to Fangor, with an expression inviting the other tom to join the game.

He let both of his hands rest on Cinder's hips, below Fangor's arms.

[Fangor]

Fangor was remarkably silent for the interchange, mainly content at that moment to watch, maybe with a bit of a something akin to a thought. His fingers webbed out over the queen's stomach, pinkies brushing by Rozumbrad's hands as his own worked up and cupped over her chest, a bit of a warming sigh given. "There's such a lack of a good set of tits these days," he murmured, faux wistfully with a bit of a fondle, head turning a bit away to cough, his ribs quivering with a hard few wheezes. Not then. Not then. It'd been awhile since he'd had any sort of--

Another cough led him to growl and bite the inside of his cheek to keep his mouth shut. He shouldn't have been coughing so much. He KNEW he shouldn't have been.

[Rozumbrad]

Rozumbrad chose to ignore the coughing for now. It would be impolite to draw attention to it.

"You've always been a connoisseur of fine quality," he said, his arms pooling Cinder's waist to replace Fangor's, the queen now truly looped between them.

[paranoid]

Cinder gave a little squeak, somewhat startled, looking up at Rozumbrad then to Fangor, frowning slightly. She hadn't heard this before, but she didn't like the sound of it. And it was a rare occassion where she could think of nothing to say, so looked to the ground, paws gently resting on Rozumbrad's arms.

[Fangor]

"No shit," Fangor growled. "So long as it--" and he pulled away from the duo, a few steps staggered backward as a hand covered his mouth, legs feeling weak. He forced himself to stay upright, head turned away from the duo. Fucking hell. Weakness.

Clearing his throat, he shook his head. "Food. We need food."

The we being more like a singular. He.