Sinn'ous cuts the other off. “Contrary to your beliefs, I have no intention of killing him.”Not anymore anyway.But that’s not a detail he’ll be sharing, not when it has all the potential to circle back to Izz’s ears. “And every intention of keeping him. The only one in danger of death here, is you.”
“Am I just supposed to believe your—”
Sinn'ous talks right over the top of whatever absurdthing Reni is about to say. “I don’t give a shit what you believe.” He scowls at the wall over Izz’s head. “Where exactly were you, when he was grabbed.”
“Where were you?” Reni venomously claps back.
“You’ve only stayed alive this long for your usefulness in protecting him.” A fact. And one he is considering rectifying right now.
There’s a small intake of breath, a real‘I-understand-now’moment of clarity. Then, “it was you,” realisation bleeds into the accusation.
Sinn'ous leaves the conversation there. But Reni continues it all on his own.
“You’re the one who got me released from The Hole. I thought it was Sinj—thought he blew a guard or something. But he would have gotten himself out if he could do that.”
Hair as soft as the prison soap allows it, greets Sinn'ous’s face, welcoming him when he noses into Izz’s neck to place a kiss behind his ear. His eyes are half adjusted to the slow lightening of the cell as the sun rises and trickles in through the tiny window off centre in the cell’s back wall.
Reni is chewing his lip, clearly mulling over the pieces of a near complete puzzle. So no luck that Reni will go back to sleep until the doors open for breakfast.
“All those dead . . . You killed them all for him?”
It might be a question, but it’s clear no verifying reply is needed.
And it’s a good thing, because Rogers picks that time to do the morning walk by and count. Clicking his counter three times on a resigned sigh. Heavy soled boots thudding away to count the next cell.
After a short, sharp buzz, the doors clank open. A loud call coming from every cell in their Wing. A start to a new day.
And his boy doesn’t so much as twitch, breathing deep and heavy in his slumber. Not even when Sinn'ous snakes his hand down the boy’s pants, to cup his bulge from atop his briefs. Nuzzling into his neck, and licking over the shell of his ear. The smell of soap is so minimal it doesn’t coat the natural scent that is all Izz.
He can’t help it when his tongue slips out to taste the boy’s neck. A lingering salty mix of human skin. Another breathpasses, then he’s doing it again. A lazy drag of his tongue that he reluctantly stops when the sounds of sheets rustling indicate Reni is getting out of bed.
The sound of pissing fills the cell, as does the acidic stink of it. It’s faint, and probably all in Sinn'ous’s head, but he scrunches his nose at it all the same. Removing his hand from down Izz’s pants, he kisses his cheek and uncurls himself from the boy.
He has things to do, and the boy deserves to sleep in.
37
SINN'OUS
The whole Wing is abuzz in the usual morning ritual, and the chatter only intensifies when more men file out of their cells.
Reni straightens from drinking water in cupped hands at the sink, when Sinn'ous rises,towering over the shorter man. He doesn’t wait for any snark or snappy words. He grabs two fists full of shirtand throws Reni up against the wall, pinning him at eye level.
Reni’s eyes bug out, and Sinn'ous leans in to the point where there is nothing separating their chests.
He snarls into Reni’s face, “you will keep your hands off Izz. And you will stay by his side today, or so help me Satan I will string you up by your feet in the laundry roomand peel the skin from your body while you scream and writhe in agony. If anything happens to Izz, not only will I kill you, but I will killeveryoneyou’ve evermet.” He’s practically growling the words, voice darkening to something akin to death. “Do I make myself clear.” He enunciates each syllable of those last words. A statement marked in Satan’s brand. Should Reni disobey, Satan will have his soul. And Sinn'ous will be all but glad to retrieve it for Him.
A throat clearing doesn’t break Sinn'ous away from staring Reni down—who has turned the same colour as the walls.
“Am I interrupting?” Rogers’s voice is the equivalent of ‘tread carefully.’
On the other hand, Sinn'ous is stark still. Locked on and ready to kill if Reni so much as has an unauthorised eye twitch.
When he’s sure his point has been carved in stone he shoves Reni into the wall then drops him. The other man stumbles, but manages to catch himself before he falls.
Reni rubs a shaky hand over his throat, clearing it a few times. “No, Sir.” He addresses the guard, his voice no more than a wheezed breath.
A narrowing of Sinn'ous’s eyes has Reni ducking his own and moving away to the back of the cell, pretending to busy himself by the sink.
