The meeting [TTRPG bluebooking]
CW: mentions of SA, mental health issues.
This was exhausting.
Orion would even say "soul-draining," but it was never about the soul. It was about the trauma and his inability to cope in a healthy way. One can destroy their abuser, but the damage can never be undone. It stays with you as a lifetime reminder of every single agonizing minute you had to endure.
In the end, killing them didn't bring any satisfaction. If Hell exists, all of them are laughing their asses off at his futile attempts to get his life back together. Yes, Orion was successful in his field. He was living his life to the fullest. All his dreams came true, except one.
And it will never come true. Nobody wants to have a relationship with a plaything. Normal human beings are going to be disgusted. As for those who weren't normalā¦
Orion looked at the hall full of drunk mercenaries. He fucked with almost every single one of them. Well, "fucked" was an exaggeration. They used him however they pleased, and he graciously allowed that, because this is the only relationship model he deserves.
He hated them. All of them. He hated them in the same way he hated his abusers, but he wasn't so nice anymore. He didn't end their miserable existence with a bullet or two. He made them drink and drug themselves even more, because carefully placed words hurt much more than any physical injury they get during their gigs.
He could get into trouble, sure. But he didn't care. None of them are able to hurt him or humiliate him more than his father already did.
However, among these filthy pigs there was someone who clearly didn't belong. He stood out like a sore thumb at this bar. Orion noticed him immediately but hasn't approached yet. Some others tried to punk him at first, but it ended rather quickly. He may be a novice, but he is pretty capable, even though he is a "form over function" kind of guy. Tall and muscular, with the ripped physique of a performing athlete, dressing to impress. Always good-looking, with blond hair styled in a neat short haircut and clean-shaven. Orion watched him from afar, trying to understand what lies beneath his rather bold appearance and quiet personality.
It's pain. Clearly, a lot of pain that wasn't manifested for years. But what was the source of the pain? What caused self-harm? What is his solitude about?
Orion was keen to know more. And probably for the first time in his life, he was curious to feel more. This "sore thumb" is probably a normal human being. He is not for people like Orion. But the curiosity took the best of him. He wanted to talk to the man for quite some time, and tonight is the night.
The man noticed him approaching immediately. He looked rather worn out and as uninterested as one could ever be. Orion smiled at him and sat down at his table. He was right; he was just a normal human being, as evidenced by the way his eyes changed from bored to annoyed in a split second.
"Sorry. Not interested." He said, taking a sip from the glass of whiskey.
"I haven't even spoken yet!" Orion let out a tense laugh.
"I see you here regularly. I know what it is you are after. Not interested." He was speaking in short sentences and in a very dull, almost emotionless tone. "I only provide classic bodyguard services."
"Oh, so we are talking business now. How much then?" Not the first time he paid someone to be treated like shit. It's fine. It's the best side job a mercenary can get, honestly. It's safe, pleasant, and quick. No risks whatsoever.
But the guy wasn't excited about it. Quite the opposite. He finished his whiskey in one gulp and grabbed Orion's wrist. The movement was so fast that even if Orion wanted, he wouldn't be able to evade. The grip felt like steel, too. He could crush his wrist with ease.
"Let's go. I want to have a few words with you."
"Hey, there's no need to escalateā¦"
"I said 'not interested' twice, my dude. If you have trouble understanding my words, I can explain it in a different way."
Other mercenaries were amused by the situation. Some of them still had yellowish bruises left by the same hand that held Orion so mercilessly tight.
"Teach this whore some manners! His mouth should have only one available function till the rest of this life, and it's not talking!"
The burst of laughter bolstered the encouragement. The guy didn't react to this, though. Orion followed him without any protests. He simply threw the final poisonous word dart at the one who dared to speak.
"Sad that your mommy didn't make your mouth her plaything for life! That's why you only fuck with men now!"
The laughter was silenced for a moment, and then it burst anew. But now everyone was laughing, not at him, but with him. Except for that solitary predator leading Orion to his demise, of course.
"Shut the fuck up if you don't want to have the whole bar kicking you at the alley."
Orion hushed in disbelief. It was rude, yes, butā¦ it wasn't vile. It was the first time he could hear something in this man's voice. It wasā¦ care?
The next thing happened so fast he didn't even recognize all the movements made. One second he was following the man, and the next he was standing behind him, out of harm's way. Orion's remark about "mommy issues" enraged the "commentator," and he wanted to get his revenge ā he didn't even notice that!
"I will speak to this asshole by myself. Trust me, you will never see him again." His captor said in the same dull, emotionless tone as before.
"Let me join the conversation."
"I don't think you want badges here. I know how to make him disappear without much fuss. Besides, was he right about you? I don't see any reason for such a reaction then."
"Fuck both of you!" The "commentator" withdrew. Orion was quite impressed by the de-escalation skills; it was a simple, yet effective psychological trick. This piqued his interest, and he followed the man even more eagerly. He knew that he would probably end up beaten for all the trouble. But he wanted to stay with him for a little longer. He wanted to see more of him.
He fucking wanted him. In a normal human way.
If only he were the one who deserves the ways of normal human beingsā¦