Twitch Who Cried Wolf
Collab with @Mobley Eats and @Elle Joyner
Eating lunch alone was pitiful, but he didn't have any other option. He'd been ditched by his main dinner buddy, so Abraham was left to pick at the slop dejectedly, chin rested on his palm. Building a team for the Dog Fights suddenly looked a lot harder from his very lonely dinner table perspective. It was risky to bring his notes here, but he'd used the scraps of paper that Snowman had written on to spill ideas, plans. He felt almost as if he were back in his prime, on earth, sketching maps and planning heists. The promise of the Dog Fights invigorated him. He was desperate for something to do.
Perhaps he'd been a little too desperate. Watching Gram slide into the seat before him, Snowman standing pitifully behind him, Abe's posture tensed. Fuck. Instantly Abe's gaze flickered to the exits, which were ever so suddenly and conveniently occupied by Gram's men. His next option: Making eye contact with Pan a ways over, silently begging.
"Doin' just fine," Abraham said smoothly, fingers bouncing across the table, lip curling. "Somethin' you need, pal?" Shoulda known better than to lay a hand on Snowman… even if he had entertained the kid afterwards. He suspected Gram didn't care to hear it. Shit, shit, shit. This was bad.
Without tearing his gaze from Abe's, Gram pointed back at Snowman. "See his neck? See that bruise? Explain." The fingers of his free hand drummed against the table, slow and patient, but barely holding back a wave of something violent.
Not too far off from that table, Switch exited the line with her own tray, Pan by her side. She eyed the slop with lazy distaste. "Hey, Pan, wanna bet how long I'll live after ingesting this?" Her voice was half-joking, half-considering writing a will. However, when she glanced up and caught sight of Abraham...sitting with
Gram...
Dead man walking. Well, sitting. And twitching.
Switch leaned over to whisper to Pan, "So, uh...Did Twitch leave you a heartfelt goodbye note recently or…?"
"Is it the grey slop or the brown? Cause you're definitely toast if it's the gr--" Switch's change in tone, the note in her voice of caution drew Pandora to a pause and her eyes shifted across the cafeteria, a frown dropping to her lips, "Oh, Hell. Abe. What did you do? Comin' Switch? Might be less life threatening than whatever the hell dinner is."
Gritting his teeth, Abraham looked back at Snowman, avoiding Gram's very pointed gaze. "We were having a friendly pillow fight. Right, roomie?" Abraham cooed. If Snowman didn't vouch for him, well. He was out of luck. "Things got a little out hand… You know me, sometimes I get a little twitchy. Snowman knows I'm sorry." His voice didn't betray any hint of fear; mostly, it was laced with regret, which he hoped Gram would buy.
Gram's tapping ceased. His head tilted, the ghost of a smirk tugging at his lips. With amusement or something else, it was hard to tell. "Pillow fight? Cute…Wha'chu say, Snowman?" He nodded to the spot next to him and Snowman sat slowly, gaze switching back and forth between his best friend and cellmate. Ahhhh fuck, this was escalating--he could tell by the tightening of Gram's jaw. At first, his hands froze, brain failing to find the right response, before he rushed out, "Yeah, he's sorry. Boys will be boys." He tried to squeeze in a muted laugh, but Gram didn't seem impressed in the slightest.
Snowman shrunk, taking a bite of mac 'n cheese.
Slowly, Gram sat forward, closing some distance between him and Abe. "I get that, Twitch...I get that. Things get...out of hand. Crazy." He made a loose circling motion near his temple. "So fucking out of hand. We just...forget what we're doing sometimes."
Another lackey was suddenly slinking through the crowd behind Abe, towering over him like a chiseled skyscraper. He seized Abe's wrist, slamming his face to the table and forcing his hand out. Gram grinned, borderline sadistic. "Let's get out of hand, yeah?"
Switch pulled her lips into her mouth. Glanced at her dinner. Shrugged. Then tossed the whole tray aside, not caring in the slightest as it doused a stray prisoner in slop. "Yeah. You're probably right." At the sight of a prisoner forcing Abe down, she cursed softly under her breath. Shit. Fuck. Times ten. She quickly set off with Pan.
It didn't take Pandora more than a few seconds to cross the floor, but as she approached the table, she slowed. She slowed, because rushing made people sloppy… rushing made them look disorganized… chaotic… nervous. And she was none of those things. When they arrived, she slipped up onto the table as if Abe and Gram were having a chat about playing Go Fish later, and hooking one leg over the other, she grinned.
"Boys… There a problem here?"
He'd sensed the presence of another lackey behind him too late - before Abraham could even whip around, duck, do anything at all, his wrist was grabbed and every signal of panic went off in his brain. Pain exploded in Abe's temple as the oaf from behind smashed his face in. Lips curved in a snarl as his face was lifted from the surface, trying to focus on the sadistic face before him despite the aching throb.
"Problem?" Abraham muttered, looking up gratefully at Pan as she cooly slid over, biting back a groan as he futilely tried to free his arms from the grip of Gram's lackey. "Whatever do you mean, dear Pan?" He spat sarcastically.
"Pandora," Gram muttered, grinning at the addition to their fun time. "No problem. Just…" His cold eyes rolled over in Snowman's direction. "Boys being boys." He already had one hand fingering the cuff on his left sleeve, something clearly sitting inside of it.
Switch was quick to match Pan's calm pace and seated herself the opposite side of Abe, expression flat. Was she sweating? Man, only a little and that was because of the ship's horrid ventilation system. Obviously. Honest. Her eyes briefly fell to Gram's wandering hands; she knew all about the man, especially of his love for carrying his… "toys", as he put it many times before. "Man, Twitch," Switch muttered, "If only I had some fries to go with that salt of yours." A dumb attempt to hide her nerves, but she needed to try anyway.
"See… I wanna believe you, Gram. Cause you know you're my favorite little sociopath. But honey… Ya kinda got my boy's face here, smushed up on the table, and well… I'm not entirely sure how friendly-like that is." Uncrossing her legs, she leaned forward, just slightly, smiling coyly, "I would really hate to go and mess up your nice dinner… and that pretty face of yours, cause you're havin' a difficulty lettin' go of a little misunderstanding."
Abe's gaze caught the subtle motions Gram made towards his sleeve, and recoiled as much as he could in the lackey's grip. Ah, shit. Shit shit shit. Though his heart threatened to beat out of his chest, his demeanor relayed no such thing. Shooting a lopsided grin at Switch, then Pan, then back to Gram, Abe chuckled lightly under his breath. "Would be a shame," He echoed, trying to jolt out of the grip that kept him down, tugging helplessly.
"I'm your favorite?" Gram shot a grin Pan's way, mirth rolling off him in tepid waves. His fingers still fiddled. "Guess what...Snowman's my favorite too. And he's bruised. I can't let that go over a...misunderstanding."
"He's a hot head, Gram," Switch interjected with a sigh, "You know this. And you also know that Snowman," she cut a brief glare at Snowman, who recoiled from the look and hung his head in guilt, "Is impulsive. This doesn't need to get messy."
"Oh, no, no…" Gram held up a finger, clicking his tongue. "It's okay. I'm good at cleanup." Then, his gaze snapped up to the man holding Abe down; receiving the look, he reaffirmed his grip on Abe's wrist and in the blink of an eye, Gram retracted his blade and started bringing it down.
As Gram moved, so did Pandora - faster really, than a person had much right to. Her arm came over Gram's as he swung down and catching him under the armpit, braced, hard. Her other hand came up, gripping his wrist and sliding down hard and fast with her palm, she pressed against the joint in his thumb, to dislocate the digit. When the knife slipped free, Pan shifted again and catching it, flew up off the table, swung and brought the blade up, stopping mere inches…
inches from Snowman's neck.
"...The girl said it didn't have to get messy, didn't she?" She half-growled, voice a warning.
A wild grin found its way onto Abe's features as Pan swung into action. Ah, what a woman. He could feel the grip on his wrists slip, obviously the shock of Pan's little stunt registering, and Abe took the opportunity to harshly elbow his assailant in the stomach, whipping around and freeing his hands, prepared to lunge when Pan's voice made his head turn. With a blade to Snowman's neck, Gram sure as hell wouldn't do anything stupid. Not quite yet, at least. Abraham made eye contact with the scared little thing, eyes dancing with excitement. "Missin' that pillow fight now, huh Frosty?" He said, voice low and threatening. As if he was the one with the knife to Snowman's neck. Which he very much was not.
As soon as the blade stopped at Snowman's throat, the pale-haired inmate froze and his eyes widened like a fear-riddled saucer plates. He didn't dare swallow, afraid that the motion would make his skin bite into the blade. Gram fell still as well, expression unchanging even as his thumb hung dislocated at his side.
"That smarts," he muttered, studying Pan like a puzzle for children. "You gonna slice my Snowman?" Snowman's eyes widened even further, nostrils flaring with a cacophony of protests and messages residing in the back of his throat, begging to be released. Was...Was this asshole throwing him under the bus??
A long tongue slipped out, running over Gram's top teeth. "I kinda...wanna see you do it."
Despite being naturally fair-skinned, Snowman paled even further, betrayal and shock bubbling up his gut.
Meanwhile, the prisoner had taken Abe's blow to the gut fully, but had also fallen still like the rest, unsure of Gram's next orders. The men he had dispersed from earlier had cleared decent distance between them, mere feet away from the table and fists brandishing blades.
Among the burst of movement, Switch had slid behind the man holding Abe down, fists raised as she locked onto a prisoner that was nearing to throw himself into the fray. However, she had blocked his way, hands raised, palms facing forward, as they stared down one another. She grinned at the inmate. "Ah...the calm before I whoop your ass. Gotta love it."
Red flooded his face, visage tightening. He wanted to say something; it was clear as day, but his apparent loyalty (or fear) of Gram seemed to cement him in place.
Without moving her arm even a fraction in either direction, Pandora smirked, shaking her head, "No, Gram. Because unlike you, I actually possess a shred of self control. But I don't think you
really want me to ice your boyfriend, Sugar. And I don't think you wanna make this uglier than it's already gotten. Cause see… the one thing you got going for you in this joint is people think you're big and scary. And getting your ass handed to you by a woman who doesn't quite measure up… is probably not the best, most ideal thing for your cred. I really don't wanna have to embarrass you, in front of all your friends… I am, however, gonna keep your knife. Cause I like shiny things. Try to remember that, Abe." Without looking away from Gram, she flipped the knife inward, and tight to her wrist joint, "Now, then. Why don't you… and the rest of your friends head back to your table and enjoy the rest of your dinner. And what's say we don't have anymore problems…??"
Gram listened, raptly, entirely, like a fascinated and twisted child, the faintest smile upon his lips. He crossed his arms, a near chuckle escaping him. "Wrong...all wrong. You did good though, Pan." She didn't split Snowman's throat in two...Surprising. And a tad disappointing. Only a tad.
Then his gaze cut to Snowman. Ah, his precious Snowman. So scared, still shaking. Trembling. Quaking. Eyes threatening to spill over with tears...Enough of that.
"Snowman," Gram hummed, "Melt."
In an instant, Snowman stiffened, his eyes dried, and all traces of fear literally melted from his being. One hand wrapped around Pan's wrist and the blade, the edge biting into the skin of her wrist and his palm, before the other wrapped around the front of her neck into a headlock. With a powerful snap back, he started to yank down in an attempt to crush her skull into the tiles.
Now
that was the signal. With Abe's attention still snagged onto Pan, the prisoner pounced on him once more, both hands wrapping around his neck as he tried to strangle the life out of him.
"Son of a--" Switch's curse was cut short as she nearly dodged a hook cracking against her skull. She answered with a series of jabs nailing him in the sensitive pit of his arm, ribs, all the way down to his kidney. He doubled over from the rapid fire hits, blinking away stars as a knee smashed into his nose. The prisoner stumbled back, catching himself against a table and righting himself.
Switch slowly danced side to side, a slight grin peeking through. She taunted him with a wave of two fingers. "Make my day, twinkie."
Once, in her entire life, Pandora's reactions had been slow. One time. And it had cost her far too much. In the few seconds of silence that ticked between the chaos that erupted, she could hear the echo of Moses in her mind…
Nobody likes losing, Pan. Don't let your guard down. Not for one damn second… and if you got nothin' left in you, you find it somewhere else…
Snowman melted, alright. Straight into crazytown. And it was his unfortunate mistake, because he could've walked away with a little bruise and called it a day. His fingers looped around her wrist, the blade skimming flesh, and his arm came around her neck, but the sudden sting of pain was drowned out by pure concentration. It didn't matter, because she would never get caught off guard again. Snowman leaned just slightly, to shove her into the floor and instead of fighting it, Pan buckled slightly. Wielding the momentum, Pan gripped his arm around her knife-hand with her free hand, hiked her leg up and with the heft of a pissed off bull, she snapped backward, the arch of her foot slammed hard into the soft space just above his knee cap. The resounding crack was enough. Using the remainder of his momentum, she yanking the arm she held, and flipped the pasty boy with the wobbly knee overhead. Then switching from one foot to the other, she jammed her heel into his collar bone, pulling back on his arm at the same time, to all but sever shoulder from socket.
With a glare, and just the note of amusement, she eyed Gram, but not before barking to Abe, "Use your head, honey."
One word. That was all it took for the person he'd been sharing a cell with for ten years to become something quite different. Abraham watched with wide eyes as Snowman shot out at Pan like a truly trained beast, and to think, Abe believed him to be harmless. He didn't have much more time to reminisce on it, as a pair of meaty hands snaked around his neck and began to squeeze.
Use your head, honey. Ha, ha. Good one. He was gonna have a hell of a headache after this.
Snapping his head back, Abraham harshly headbutted his assailant, and as the man stumbled back, Abraham cocked his hand back to deliver an excruciating upper cut, about to be followed by another left hook.
Snowman's pained yell would never reach ears, trapped behind an invisible barrier as he hobbled on one leg. However, he barely had a chance to recuperate as Pan flipped him over and he landed hard, the air rushing from his lungs. Painfully, he rolled onto his side, cradling his knee with one hand, as the other prickled painfully. Feeling and agony came in waves, alternation erratically and starting at the severed socket in his shoulder. Trembling, Snowman's eyes burned with tears.
Gram bit the inside of his cheek--fuck. He should've known his Snowman wouldn't be able to keep that up for long. Either way, it just meant more time and practice. Practice, practice, practice. With a sigh, he walked his way over to the man, blatantly ignoring Pan and crouched over him. He pushed pale bangs back, taking in the petrified gaze fully. "We've got next time."
Then his dead gaze rolled over in Pan's direction. "You're always...so damn fun, Pan. And handy."
The prisoner grunted from the impact of Abe's skull smashing into his face. His grip around his neck gave way and stumbled back even further as his head snapped back from an uppercut. The world briefly doubled, his brain struggling to put two and two together. There was a glimmer of clarity in the fog, just enough to let him see a hook coming, and he blocked the punch with one arm, delivering a blow of his own to Abe's gut.
Switch's opponent...didn't take well to being called twinkie. Puffing up like an enraged bull, he charged forward, all forms of caution tossed aside in the face of broiling annoyance...Goddamn, these meat heads were too easy sometimes. Smirking, Switch stepped aside a mere second before he reached her, caught his right arm in a twisted wristlock, while her other arm slid along his shoulder and wrapped around the back of his head. With his own momentum, it all boiled down to a simple trip and tug to flip the idiot onto his back.
"Omg, you almost had me…" Switch yawned.
Eyes not moving from Gram, Pandora smirked, shaking her head. Her hand hung down by her hip, blood slinking from her wrist, spiraling around her fingers like snakes. Switch could handle her beautiful self… Abe, well… Abe would probably be alright, and really, she was annoyed enough at him that he'd earned a punch or two. The moment wasn't what mattered. The future was, "Call off your boys, Gram. While most of them can still walk away. I meant what I said. You're my favorite sociopath, really. But you mess with me and mine, and I promise… I will make you feel
something."
Recoiling from the hit to his gut with a grunt, Abe hissed as he shamelessly brought his leg between the man's crotch, growing tired of the gruesome fight. As he was bent over after Abe's blow to his private parts, Abe reared that left hook that had been previously blocked and sent it driving home.
"C'mon Gram," Abraham said, panting heavily, though his posture held an air of nonchalance. "I think we're done here."
Gram barely glanced the others' direction, still sweeping back Snowman's hair soothingly, though it did nothing to lift the man's agony. "That'll do me no good," he said, a bemused smirk slithering across his visage, "Your contribution...is fruitless, Pan, but the thought is...cute." Ignoring Snowman's yelp, he hefted the mute up into his arms and nodded at his servants. They responded like well-oiled machines, abandoning any (apparent) hostility in their demeanor and scattering.
At first, Gram just stood there, studying Pan, Abraham, and Switch with blank contemplation, before continuing, "...I like you. All of you. A lot...Let's play again soon." Without another word, Gram walked out with Snowman, exiting the cafeteria without a single protest on the guards' parts, who parted for him like the Red Sea.
Switch didn't dare breathe until that psycho and his little boyfriend was gone. Okay, fine, even a few seconds after that, but once she did, the relief that struck her was accompanied by a wave of pain skewering her temple, wrapping all the way around to the back of her skull. Fuck. "Well, that was...riveting," she grumbled, plopping down at the table and letting her forehead meet the surface with a gentle thud. "Thinks for the near-death experience, Twitchy. Well...promised death, now."
Turning swiftly, Pandora's eyes fell on Abe and narrowing slightly, she stepped forward to grasp the man's collar, tugging him in close, "...You tell me right now, Abe… that that is the last damn time you so much as sneeze funny in Snowman's direction. Cause the next time you screw around and get yourself into trouble like that, it's gonna be my knife you'll be worried about, and I won't aim for your fingers." Releasing him, she smoothed the front of his shirt, and shaking her head, a small smirk appeared, "That punch was pretty sexy though… You can show me how you did it, next free time…"
Her eyes flickered to Switch and she nodded, "Thanks for the backup. I think I like fighting with you, better than sparring…"
A prideful smirk grew on Abraham's face, watching Gram pick up and go, even when he hadn't done much except fight a lackey. It was a victory in his eyes, and meant he'd live another day. The grin melted away into a slightly more worried smile as Pan stepped up close. Frankly, he was a little more afraid of her than he was of Gram, but it only made their time together more exciting. Chuckling, Abraham shook his head. "Won't touch Frosty again… I swear it. Looks like he won't be bothering me for a long time anyhow." He said through an easy smirk, brushing off her threats as he swiped a thumb across her cheek. "And you can show me those moves you pulled on Snowman, love." He purred, before flashing a wink at Switch. "Thanks for the help."
"Y'all and your sexual tension is gross," Switch groaned from her spot, unmoving. There was still the hint of amusement though.
Laughing, Pan looked to Switch and shrugged, "So gimme half an hour bunk time tomorrow and it won't be a problem anymore. I'll even ask the guards to find me another chess piece for your collection…" Abe was generally more affectionate than her usual
pals... and normally that might've set her off in the wrong way, but after all that had gone down, she couldn't be mad at it, "Meantime…" Looking at her wrist, she frowned, "I need to get this wrapped…"
"Yeah, yeah," Switch sighed, finally lifting her head. The pounding persisted, but she held her traditional serene expression with little difficulty. "Welp...just uh…" She climbed onto the table, laying down on her back, hands folded over her stomach and feet crossing at the ankles, "Guard my body while I get a nap in, yeah?"
Eyeing Switch with a raised eyebrow, Abraham shrugged. "Uh, sure thing, Switch." He said lightly, frowning at Pan's wound. He'd certainly be purple and blue tomorrow morning, but he hadn't earned any bloody scratches. "Let me help you with that," Abe told Pan. "Thanks for coming to my rescue."
"Knock yourself out, Sugar…" Pan noted, holding her arm out before giving Switch a chuckle, as she climbed up onto the table. Better than eating, anyway… "But I mean it, Abe. Don't make it necessary again, okay? I got too damn much to worry about in this place, without having to worry about you. Either of you." She added, giving Switch another glance, though fully aware she was probably out by now, "And keep your eyes open. Gram's not gonna forget this, any time soon."
It was then that Romana's lovely shrieking warning bell began, and Abe groaned at the sound of it, his already pounding head protesting at the awful noise. "Sorry your nap was cut short, Switch." Abraham said with a weak laugh. "I don't plan on doin' it again, promise, but uh… might be best if I stow away in your cell for a little while…"
"Mmhmm." Pan noted with a small smirk, "For safety, right?" Shaking her head, she gestured to Switch, "Gonna need to carry her. When she's out she's out. Come on."
Abraham blinked. Ah. She was.. definitely fast asleep. Frowning at Pan, Abraham let out a grunt as he pulled Switch into his arm. At this point he was very aware of all the bruises forming where he'd been struck, but he would have preferred to look as tough in front of Pan as possible. "Why… is she so damn heavy?"
Grinning, Pan gestured to the doors, "She works out. C'mon, Twitch… You can make it."
Rolling his eyes, Abraham made no further protests as he followed Pan out of the dining hall and brought the sleeping woman to her cell. Plopping Switch in the bottom bunk, Abraham pretended to wipe sweat from his brow. "Probably gonna get shivved in my sleep tonight, so, if you got anythin' to say, love, maybe you wanna say it before I'm in a body bag." Abraham said with a gruff chuckle.
"Not funny." Pan muttered, eyeing the gash on her wrist, "You need to watch your back, Abe. I'm not… I can't always be there, and Gram's a nutjob and a half. I'm not big on burying friends, alright?"
Gaze falling on Pan's gash, Abraham reached for the thin sheet beneath Switch and ripped off a piece of the cloth. "She'll be fine without it." Abraham said, slipping his hand under hers and beginning to wind the makeshift bandage around the gash. His touch was fairly gentle, despite his fingers lightly dancing across her arm, mostly unintentional. "Aw, c'mon, Love. Don't get all sappy on me. You've got ten other boys to hop around to. Only person who'll miss me is Frosty, and I'm not even sure about that anymore."
"Ten's a hell of an exaggeration, there, Twitch. And I'm runnin' out of reliable options these days. What is it about prison that makes men so damn… terrible." Her mind flickered back to Amit and she shook her head, "But you know I'd miss you." Looking up from hooded lids, she smirked, "Some parts more than others."
"Aww. Sweet." Abraham said with a teasing smile, tying the bandage tightly, and with a smirk, pressed a kiss atop it. "It's my charming smile, isn't it? Or my darling bed head?"
"Hmm… sure. Definitely one of those things." She teased, with a wink, "C'mon. We can go back to your cell and let Switch sleep. She's a log, but no one sleeps
that heavy. Snowman's likely to be in the infirmary for… Well… for a while."
"Means I've got the place all to myself." Abraham hummed, taking her good hand and leading her forward. "After you?"
Grinning, she moved to the cell door, looking back with a wink, "You just wanna watch me walk away…"
Gaze lowering, Abraham whistled. "Maybe a little…"