Your love for me is poison

TABOO meme

Most societies have certain mores that are unspoken rules; humanity itself even has such conventions, grilled subconsciously into our minds for our own safety. Don't go out alone at night. Avoid getting wet when it's cold. Don't pick fights with those stronger than you...okay, some of us missed the boat on the last one, but the point still stands. Society's rules tend to be more variable, though they apply to most aspects of life - including sex. In fact, bending the rules on what's considered acceptable in romance and sexual encounters can lead to anything from ostracization to death, depending on the time and culture.

So, play it close to the chest if you're going to do a big, big, big t a b o o. Is it worth the risk?

How to Play

- Comment with your character and preferences. Be sure to include what you want and what you DON'T WANT. Blank comments are fine; info is even better!
- Reply to others.
- Be fun and respect others, as this will deal with some heavy topics and potentially triggering material s.

Prompts

A G E ( DIFFERENCE ) - light of my life, fire of my loins. you're supposed to stick to those your own age, but you can't resist.
I N C E S T - you're of the same blood, yet something draws you together. you'll keep your secret thicker than water.
C H E A T I N G - when you were young, they should have taught you to not take things that belong to other people.
I N ( PUBLIC ) - to involve unsuspecting others in your sex is insidious, but you can't resist it.
S U P E R F L U O U S - some conservative societies view sex outside procreational purposes as taboo. that means anal, oral, and toys are all no-go.
F I X A T I O N - you're nearly obsessed with one part of your partner - breasts, ass, lips...whatever the case may be, you always focus on that.
D E V I A N C Y ( IN SUBURBIA ) - there are some things that should be sacred. the home should be one of those. should.
S I Z E - pick on someone your own size. couples with large size difference, be it height or weight, can be looked down upon; don't let that get you down.
P H O B I A - unfortunately, in some societies, being with someone of the same gender is a taboo, no matter how much progress the modern world has made.
F E T I S H - some just can't get off without their fetish, and the varieties run the gamut: feet, crossdressing, autoerotic asphyxiation, foodplay, bondage...it goes on and on.
U N E X P E C T E D ( DOMINATION/SUBMISSION ) - the masculine must be dominant. the feminine must be submissive. what if you're dominant in life, though, and just want to be submissive in the bedroom.
V I O L E N T - more than mere lover's spats, what goes on between you two is dangerous. if people knew, they'd be horrified. still, you can't stop.
F O R B I D D E N ( LOVE ) - your relationship may be taboo, but there's genuine love in your copulation. this isn't merely a thrill.
L O O S E - monogamy isn't what you're after. no matter how looked down upon it is, you're going to have fun while you can.
S T U D E N T / T E A C H E R - what goes on between the sheets is not an appropriate subject matter to teach. there's so much to lose; is it a smart game to play?
A U T H O R I T Y - perhaps they're the boss, the president, the king, but you, you're a lowly peon. are they using their powers over you or is this something you both want?
I N T E R S P E C I E S - kind finds kind, and don't you be a traitor by being with one of them.
B E S T I A L I T Y - one of the most primal taboos. will you go into that moral wilderness?
S O C I A L ( CLASS ) - the rich. the poor. it's like they're in two different worlds. what will the uppercrust say if they saw their golden child with a tramp?
C E L I B A C Y - you are supposed to keep your chastity, but things are never that easy.
S T O C K H O L M - prisoners should never fall for their guards.
D U T I E S - whether it be saving the world or being the world's best bodyguard, your sworn quest and purpose keeps you from enjoying the sins of the flesh - especially with your charges.
I N N O C E N C E - one of you is much more worldly, and to ruin the "innocence" of the other feels unclean.
F E R T I L E - you aren't supposed to find mothers or fathers sexually alluring. however, there's something so enticing about fertility...perhaps even pregnancy.
C O R R U P T I O N - society expects you to treat your partner well, not try to destroy them through sexual degradation.
N O N C O N S E N S U A L - consent is rightfully important to a healthy sexual relationship. to break that trust is taboo.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ His leg itches to step forward and close the distance between them. Krause never promised anything beyond those steamy nights, and Leon wasn't a child who didn't know the difference between love and sex -- even if he couldn't separate emotional ties from physical acts, he knew many could -- but did it all mean so little that Krause could cut his throat and leave him for dead?

Instead of taking that step, his hand tightens around the knife. This isn't only his life on the line; if he fails, the entire world is doomed.]

Me. You taught me that, too. I never thought I'd have to use it against you.

[ If he rushed in, Krauser could block his move. Leon's best hope is to wa --

Or is it? Is he stalling, hoping to see some flicker of something in Krauser's eyes? ]

Damn it! Don't make me use it against you!

[The knife keeps circling around his fingertips, round and round, and he seems unfazed by Leon's pleas.]

They'll use you up and spit you out. You'll end up like me. Another broken tool, thrown away when it's no longer useful.

[Abruptly he tightens his grip. The knife goes still, and Krauser stares intensely at him for a moment. His teeth grit. His hand moves... and his knife returns to its sheath at his chest.

There is the very slightest of wavers in his voice.]

I always wanted to save you.

Save me?

[ With the knife sheathed, the situation calms slightly. Leon is finally allowed that step with the assurance that, should Krause go for the knife, he'd have time to react before he found a blade buried in his chest. The dark of the night and dim flickering of the candles offer little light, but when Leon pulls down the neck of his shirt to show more of his body, the dark veins are visible in his throat. ]

What they did to you was wrong. [ Leon won't justify it; he's pissed that somebody he admired was tossed aside like trash and not valued for the effort and service he offered his country. There's little in the way of defense, and he won't even try. ]

I'm running out of time before I become their puppet instead. By tomorrow, if I don't find her and the cure, I'll trade this outfit for a robe.

Did they do the same thing to you? If you're being controlled, if they have you stuck, say something, and I'll find a way to help you break out, too. They abandoned you... I didn't. I won't. Just tell me you're not really working for them.

[A faint, twisted smile settles on his lips as Leon keeps pleading with him. Offers to save him, too, even though Jack's been beyond saving for years now. It's just so like him. That wide-eyed, bighearted rookie, still there inside the perfectly trained and honed body of an agent.

If only Jack could tell him what he wants to hear.]

I'm not like you. Never was. I can't remember having what you have. Something that makes you... more. More than a weapon. More than a tool. [He absently reaches to touch his left arm, grazing a few fingers over the gnarled scar that peeks out beneath his shirtsleeve.

With a harsh, rueful chuckle, he takes a step closer.]

I did what I had to for survival. But you... change everything.

[ Leon is no fool -- Krauser is an expert in close-quarter combat and should be misstep, everything he's worked toward is lost. The words and the step forward all lead into what Leon hopes to hear, but caution keeps his body alert. ]

Yeah? What do I change?

[ All he needs is a hint of change in Krauser, anything to suggest they were moving in a better direction. His feelings were laid bare with his previous plea, but Leon won't let this go further south to save some pride. Krauser has every reason to be angry and while Leon can't approve of his actions, he won't give up on him. ]

What are you gonna let me change?

[One step closer goes well enough. He dares to take another. They're within lunging distance now, but Krauser put his knife away. He keeps his hands out and visible for the moment, trying to keep Leon from seeing him as a threat... for all that it matters. They both know Krauser can kill a man with relative ease, armed or unarmed, and even Leon stabbing him may not stop him from doing so anymore.

But if he doesn't have to kill Leon... if Leon is...

He doesn't answer him. Just keeps on staring him down, then gestures at him with his chin.]

Show me your hands. Show me you mean it.

[ The alarm bells in his head are a result of his training; the knot in his stomach can be tied to something more organic. Krauser has conceded some ground and if Leon wants to make some kind of connection, he'll need to do the same. It's a risky move for someone carrying the world on his back, but the world isn't some vague concept for him. It's the individuals inside of it with each person being an important component.

As if it wasn't even more personal than that. As if this isn't Jack Krauser, brought back from the dead.

The gun and the knife are both holstered. He can hear Krauser's voice telling him he's being too sentimental, that an enemy is an enemy, but Leon's had a way of going as rogue as someone can go while still following orders.

He holds up both hands. ]

You know trickery's not my style. I'm not hiding anything. I meant what I said.

[There's a moment of agonizing stillness as Leon raises his hands, no indication that Krauser is going to respond or react at all.

Then he moves. Not quite a lunge, not quite a step, somewhere in between. It's quick and decisive, and he grasps one of Leon's hands by the wrist and shoves back, aiming to push him against the wall. The other hand, tellingly, does not reach for Leon's free wrist. It aids in the push until Leon thumps, pinned, then a fist lands right over his shoulder, alongside his ear.

Krauser's lips collide with Leon's in an instant, hungry kiss that only a good deal of force will discourage. His fist against the wall unfolds, then slips in to cup Leon's jaw and hold him into it.]

[ The timing couldn't be any more inappropriate. Ashley waits for him, terrified, while in their clutches. Both she and Leon carry their blood, blood that darkens their veins in the same way it darkens their hearts. Should he fail here, should he even be a second too late, the world falls into the hands of a madman. While he'd always been a healthy male with a healthy sex drive, he'd always been able to wait until the right time, the right place.

The initial resistance is more surprise than refusal; it feels so good and so familiar that the world around them melts away, and they're hidden in a private bed or taking a chance at a training center. Life is still messy and complicated, but the strength and assurance found in Krauser's strong arms offer a comfort he can find nowhere else.

Isn't this better than fighting him? If this had turned into hand-to-hand combat, that, too, would've taken a lot of time. That excuse lasts long enough for Leon to respond with a hungry kiss of his own, his strength and weakness presented in the same longing desire to give in to it all. The world doesn't matter... until it does. Leon longs for him with the same depth he can feel in that kiss, but it can't be here. He pulls his head back against the wall -- there isn't far for him to go. ]

Wait. This can happen, but it has to be after I save her.

[The moment he feels Leon kissing back, Krauser's in another world and utterly lost in the act. It's only been two years, but it feels like two dozen since the last time he had him in his grasp like this. Rage, agony, terror, and the endless, desperate need for power-- the chaos of his mind is cut through so easily by one shining glimmer of want. The same one that's been there for years now, but could never fully sate more than those old brief, stolen encounters. It's the same want that made him keep that picture, the one Leon may have found with the rest of the ghosts and memories haunting Krauser's tent.

A bolt of fear goes through him when Leon pulls away. He stares at him, wide-eyed, tensed. His hand is in a frightening position where he could easily snap Leon's neck if he wanted to. For the moment it stays against his jaw, holding gently. Leon's words run circles in his head, trying to make sense.]

It can?

[Masterfully phrased, honestly. It gives him a strand of hope to hang onto so he doesn't go immediately berserk at being pushed off.]

The girl...

[ Once upon a time, Leon pretended that he could offer his body without his heart. Tossed into a tumultuous sequence of events, he pretended Krauser was nothing more than willing stress relief, but he was a liar. He found something in their nights that satisfied more than his basal needs, and then, that too was taken from him. Now, the man stands in front of him, damaged but alive. How could Leon turn his back on something he so desperately wanted? ]

She's infected. We both are.

[ His tone was more of a reminder than one conveying new information. ]

There could be a way to save us, but I don't have much time. I know you're pissed, but you know I can't let that happen.

[ Admittedly, Leon has selfish reasons as well, but neither of them could pretend he wouldn't have the same drive even without the infection. ]

Don't try to stop me. Come with me, or meet with me after this is over.

[ His eyes stay trained on Krauser's face. It's a crucial moment, one that could be a refreshing sense of gain or another nightmare to add to his long list of existing nightmares. ]

Then we can really catch up.

[ With all that it entailed. ]

[Oh, he's aware Leon is infected. Can already feel the juvenile plaga calling out to his from inside of him. One of the higher grade ones... seems they intend to keep his intellect once the parasite fully takes hold, not turn him into one of the mindless ganados that wander the village or make up Krauser's own merc troops. Useless, brainless cattle. He throws what's left of their "lives" away as easily as the US government threw away those of his men.

But Leon isn't like them. Not like the mercs, not like those dead soldiers. He always has been, in Jack's eyes.

He stares at Leon, and it is entirely impossible to tell what's going on in the storm of those blue eyes. Gears are turning. He's standing on the edge of a precipice, and it's terrifying to realize he doesn't care one way or another about what happens to him, or what happens as the result of this decision.

But Leon does. Very much so.

Again, it's a few moments too long to be comfortable before he responds, or even moves. He lowers his hand from Leon's throat and takes one step back to let him go.]

[ Metaphorical shoulders relax, but Leon can't fully believe his eyes. Krauser was a proud, stubborn man, and yet, he'll really allow this to happen? Perhaps, just as proud and stubborn as he was, he was equally as intelligent. All of crap he managed to get himself into ... It was bad news. Now, maybe Leon is allowed to hope that he could have his proud, stubborn, intelligent man back. ]

Are you going to leave the island?

[ With a push from the wall, he takes a step forward before stopping. ]

Where can I find you when it's over?

[ The talk of 'later' wasn't a delay tactic. Leon wants to meet him again, in a time and a place that will allow them to explore their reconnection, but Krauser would be impossible to find if he didn't want to be found. ]

[Intelligent... dead inside... hopelessly fixated on one man to the point he'll do anything he says... Krauser doesn't know himself.

He doesn't answer, either. Mostly because he isn't sure where there is for him to go. But he has time to think about that for a moment, here.]

This way.

[All business again, it seems. He gestures for Leon to follow him deeper into the ruins.]

Act casual.

[ At most, Leon hoped Krauser would step aside and let him finish the mission without resorting to something they'd both regret. At worst, they'd come to blows, and their relationship would end in tragedy. Never in all of his imaginings did he think Kauser would actually help him.

Another step follows; he isn't the more cynical of the two, but you didn't make it this far by being naieve. ]

You're helping me?

[ Leon came on this mission solo, and he planned to finish it alone, but he isn't stupid; an assist from someone of Krauser's skill would be invaluable. ]

Unless you'd rather fight your way through all these idiots.

[He has no doubt Leon could do it. He's Krauser's mentee, after all. But why make him, when Krauser can literally turn the mercs away with the slightest of ease?

He feels crazy. Crazy for doing this, crazy for even considering that Leon meant what he said about wanting to reconnect later. Crazy at the thought that he might not mean it. But in the end, he holds no real loyalty for Saddler, no loyalty for the cult. They were always a means to an end to achieving the power he sought, and now there was nothing more they could do for him. So what does it matter?

Leon matters. Leon has always mattered, more than anyone else, for reasons Jack has only vaguely dared to consider.

He continues through the ruins, towards a large tower in the distance. On the other side lies an encampment, and on the other side of that the run-up to the Los Illuminados sanctuary. That's where the girl will be. If Leon has a plan beyond that, it'll be up to him to enact it after that.]

I was over fighting these idiots when they started showing up wearing cow masks.

[ Thay was fairly early in the mission, but Leon considered himself impressive for still finding the drive after they started using a chainsaw. Throughout the training, he didn't have practice with that particular weapon. ]

But I can't say I expected backup.

[ His steps soon matched Krauser's place, and for the first time since their reunion, he smirked over at him. ]

I won't turn it down.

[Backup, an escort... a little of both. Krauser takes him through the island facility as much as he can, his rank and advanced plaga allowing him to simply order away most of the mercenaries. It's not until they get closer to the sanctuary and laboratory complex that he gives up on subtlety and starts knifing his own men to get them out of the way.

They reach the sanctuary, where the president's daughter is unconscious on a stone slab. And there, once Leon has recovered her, Krauser steps away to take his leave. He doesn't accept any thanks or answer any questions. He simply backs away towards the shadows, meets Leon's eyes, and utters one sentence.]

I'll find you.

[Then he vanishes. Off the island, off the radar entirely. And it seems for some time that he may not be coming back at all... ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Your love for me is poison

TABOO meme

How to Play

Prompts

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Sorry! Traveled for the holidays

omg wow Krauser makes a good life choice?????

Miracles do happen!

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