Actions

Work Header

Rating:
Archive Warning:
Category:
Fandom:
Relationship:
Language:
English
Collections:
Yuletide Madness 2018
Stats:
Published:
2018-11-19
Words:
538
Chapters:
1/1
Comments:
5
Kudos:
24
Bookmarks:
2
Hits:
195

you're a ray of sunshine (but i ain't got no sunglasses)

Summary:

Titus decides Messiah needs some company.

Notes:

Work Text:

Titus takes to sleeping just outside of Messiah's cell, wrapped in Messiah's greatcoat to ward off the prison's chill.

"You know, with very little effort, I could strangle you while you sleep."

Titus grins. Titus has already discovered nineteen of the twenty-three secret pockets in Messiah's greatcoat, and Messiah is depressingly certain that Titus is going to find all of them before Messiah's prison term is over - or else ruin the greatcoat trying. "Nah. You may be a psycho, but I trust you."

"That is not very logical."

Titus stretches luxuriously, as if he is lying in a feather bed instead of sitting propped up on a cold hard floor against a cold stone wall. "Logic ain't my thing, anyway."

Messiah considers the time and effort it took him to catch Titus and his gang, then decides to let it go - or save it for another occasion, more likely. Intuition tells him that he and Titus will talk again.

"I have no intention to escape. There is no need to guard me."

"Tsk," Titus says. "It ain't you I'm worried about. It's all those other people in here. I mean, what if one of 'em takes it into their head to get a bit of pay-back on the guy who caught them?"

"I am far from helpless. I have no intention to die here."

"Yeah, sure, but - " Titus grins " - this way, you might end up owing me your life. Think about that! And anyway, don't you get lonely all by yourself? I know that when it was me in there, the worst thing was that I didn't have anyone to talk to, 'cause someone had decided it'd be best to put all the members of my band in different parts of the prison, just in case we were planning a breakout."

Messiah wants to say that he finds no particular pleasure in talking to people, especially to petty thieves who have slugged him in the face. He has resolved to tell fewer lies, though.

Titus shakes his fist. "Man, I ever get my hands on whoever came up with that bright idea, I'm gonna - "

" - steal his coat and sit outside his prison cell like a lost puppy?" It was a logical recommendation to make. Messiah knew, after all, how strong the ties of loyalty were that kept Titus and his gang together. Strong enough to break them. Strong enough to bring all of them to justice at the low, low cost of threatening the life of a child.

"Whoa." Titus laughs. "My being here's really getting to you, huh? Gotta admit, the first time I saw you lose your cool, I was kinda freaked out, but now, I think I'm beginning to like it. Makes you look more human, somehow. More like a regular person."

"I'm not a regular person," Messiah says. And neither are you, Titus Ram.

"Whatever." Titus nestles into the greatcoat.

Messiah watches his head droop, listens to the slowing of Titus's breath. It would take very little effort to make good on his threat, to reach through the bars and put his hands around Titus's throat.

Foolish thief. Messiah wonders, for the second time in his life, if this is what love feels like.