Mercy [boyxboy]

Chapter Twelve

The harsh smack of skin against skin forcibly jerks Mercy into consciousness. The biting sting that resonates through his right cheek leads him to rightly assume he's been struck. He blinks, eyes struggling to slip into focus as his head throbs, wrists and ankles tender and aching.

"Good," Antonio says as his face slowly comes into focus. "You're awake."

Mercy's lips part but no sound escapes his mouth. His lips are chapped and through his muddled brain he notes idly that he's thirsty. "Wha…" he starts, voice hoarse from disuse.

Antonio places an index finger to Mercy's lips. "Ah, ah," he murmurs. "Easy there. We wouldn't want you to damage your brain by thinking too hard, now would we?" Antonio taps him lightly on the cheek repeatedly and then steps back out of Mercy's personal space, moving to stand behind him. He tugs on something metal that's coiled tightly around Mercy's wrists. "Feel that?" he asks, husking the question into the shell of Mercy's ear. "These are very special, cold-sensitive restraints. The moment anything below forty degrees touches them, it emits an electric shock. So, don't try anything foolish, mmk?"

Mercy breathes in harshly through his nose, trying to sift through his memories as his brain drags along sluggishly. "You … hit me," he manages, the pounding in his head almost unbearable.

Antonio chuckles. "I did."

"Why?" Mercy asks through gritted teeth.

"Why do you think?" Antonio counters. "I asked you to arrange a meeting for me with Cerberus and you refused on several occasions. Now it's time for you to get your just dues."

"Just dues?" Mercy echoes, the bottom falling out from beneath his stomach.

"Mmhm," Antonio hums, stepping gracefully away from him. He saunters lazily over to a chair positioned across from Mercy and sits down in it. He crosses his legs and leans forward so his elbow is balance precariously on his knees. "I don't like being made to wait."

"I already told you—"

"Spare me your pathetic whining," Antonio interrupts, face contorting with barely suppressed irritation. "I'm tired of your excuses. Cerberus isn't nearly as frightening as you think he is. Especially when it concerns you." Antonio practically spits the last word, true rage red-hot in his eyes.

Mercy's eyes narrow. "I thought you've never met him."

Antonio smirks and tilts his head to the side, considering. "I haven't," he says easily. "But that doesn't mean I wasn't watching him. People are curious creatures. No matter how tight their façade… they always slip up."

"And Cerberus slipped up?" Mercy asks tiredly, his joints aching from the way his body is twisted and restrained, the sharp coiled metal digging into his skin.

Antonio chuckles humorously. "Indeed, he did."

Mercy sighs and lets his head rest against the back of the chair. "What do you want? Revenge?"

"In a manner of speaking," Antonio says delightedly. "But really… it's more I want what was so wrongfully stolen from me."

"Stolen?" Mercy questions wearily. He doesn't have the energy to indulge Antonio with his usual biting comments.

"Yes," Antonio says simply, leaning back in his chair as he crosses his arms. "You see Mercy, everything you know, everything about who you are… It's a lie. A clever one, sure, but a lie nonetheless." Antonio laughs bitterly here, the sound strange, dark and ugly. It makes Mercy feel suddenly sick, his stomach toiling as his head pounds with renewed strength.

"How unfortunate for me," Mercy replies as rolls his head to the side, looking at Antonio dispassionately. He can't show weakness, no matter how tired he is, no matter how much his body aches.