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Who: Darth Maul (

no_reload)
What: After some cat and mouse antics, Maul finally hunts Reaper down for a confrontation.
When: Mid/late April
Where: The Farther Shores

Content Warnings: Language, threats of bodily harm, potential violence, body horror due to corruption.

[Reaper knew there was a problem, knew he had a problem and knew he was a problem. In his deranged state of mind that was full of paranoia and corruption, he was convinced that he somehow had a handle on the addiction that raged throughout his body and mind. How did he convince himself? The household remained safe along with the occupants he had vowed to protect against all odds and for all costs. He hadn't attacked them, had even tried - and failed - to upkeep many duties that would be considered normal.

He was away from the house more, aware that his ever changing body was dangerous. He had also hit the point of always being on the lookout for an opportunity to steal from Sleepers. Never kill them, but he would take their blood without a moment's hesitation.

When he came to realize Maul was hunting him, it stirred a rabid anger all packed around a deep unforgiving hurt that had hit the point of both being completely unreasonable. The corruption made it even worse, so when Maul would catch up with him, he'd flee. The shadows, high buildings, a crowd of people all allowed him to slip away and he provided only a glimpse of his fleeing form with an unhinged laugh.

Sleepers who froze to stare at moths made easy prey. He took from them, then ran away before he could draw too much attention to himself. By attention, he had become a swell of black smoke, tentacles, eyes and mouths, allowing him complete awareness of his surroundings. His form ebbed and flowed like an angry body of water, stirred up easily, but it also provided him an easy way to haul off.

He was aware of Maul on his trail tonight, but he didn't care. He squirmed and teleported away, having drank well in the Boardwalk. While it might seem the worst place to be - and it was - Reaper moved along the Farther Shores where the wind was whipped up on the sand and the spray of the sea was close enough to feel. Reckless, uncaring and certainly bold, he moved along towards the cliffs where he could hide in rocky crevices to avoid Maul's questing.

Go away. Come on. Go away. Help me. Get lost. Kill me.]

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[Maul had been after Reaper for quite some time now. He was determined to either bring his mate back from the cliff he was about to fall off or kill him. One or the other was going to happen but Maul sincerely hoped he wouldn't have to kill Reaper again. That would tear him up in a big way.

Reaper kept frustratingly evading him but Maul persisted. He wasn't going to let anyone get hurt on his watch. Following the trail he'd left on the Boardwalk, Maul felt he was closing in on him now. They were right by the ocean now and it sparked an idea in Maul's mind. Hopefully, he'd be able to put it into action.

He put on an extra bit of speed and could see Reaper (or what he'd become) ahead of him. If he got to the cliffs, Maul would be hard-pressed to smoke him back out again with all the crevices and caves he could hide in. So he reached out with the Force and grabbed Reaper. Maul almost never used the Force bodily against a person, not after Sidious had done it to him so many times, terrifying him as he was slammed into anything nearby. But in this case it was necessary.

He grabbed Reaper and yanked as fast as he could, throwing him into the nearby ocean. A dark part of him was tempted to hold him under for a moment, wanting to wash him thrash, but he quickly tamped that part down. The Sith Lord released him once he was thoroughly soaked and he knew that his lover would be unable to smoke out the way he'd been warranted to. He stepped close to the water's edge, letting it lap at his metal feet. Up this close, he saw with a sinking heart just how Reaper's corruption had mutated his body. He looked like a monster.

But Maul wasn't about to give up yet. He was stubborn that way.

With one hand hovering over the saberstaff clipped to his waist, he called out to the man he still loved so dearly.]

Reaper. This needs to stop. Now.

[Maybe it was arrogance, maybe he wasn't quite so aware of his surroundings as he liked to think, or maybe he had hit the point of not caring enough to take much in the way of caution. While he knew Maul was on his trail, he still had gotten away every time, so it didn't matter to him to know that the Zabrak was hunting him now.

He howled an inhuman sound when he suddenly found his purchase on the ground to have been robbed of him, and his form twisted as he flew through the air. Tentacles stabbed into the sand, others whipped out to spear or swat anyone even remotely close and toothy mouths opened up all along them. He landed in the water, and it was like meeting an old enemy.

He hissed and seemingly rolled out of the waves, slithering, crawling and walking all at the same time with different parts of his warped body. The main portion of his form consolidated upon hearing Maul's voice, but much of him was warped beyond measure. After a few seconds of trying to shake off the water, he managed to pull himself partially together as he stared up at his ex.

He noted the hand on the weapon, and the obscenely large mouth pulled even wider.]

There's only one way this stops. Go on. Let's get this started.

[He didn't flinch away from the sight of Reaper, though it was hard to see what had happened to him. Reaper had always been more than just human but he'd never been....this before, morphed into something that was clearly more monster than human being.

Some of the firmness dropped from his voice. If he was going to bring Reaper back from the edge, he was going to have to let some of his walls down, make himself vulnerable. It still wasn't easy to so, not even with his mate despite the length of time they had been together. But for the man he loved so dearly he would try.]

I should never have left you alone for this long.

[Reaper had said he wanted space and Maul thought giving it to him was a good thing at the time. But now with the Force only knew how many people had been fed upon, he was beginning to realize that he had been an idiot to think that. Leaving Reaper alone had just let his corruption fester and become addicted to blood. He took a few steps towards Reaper, though not so close as to be grabbed by any of those tentacles.]

This isn't you. You can still come back from this. You're not so lost yet you can't still be found.

[Reaper was fully willing to enter into a fight. It would be refreshing, even exciting, to let loose and see what his warped body could do. He might not have his regeneration abilities without drinking blood to fill the need, but his body's flux was so out of whack right now that he was confident that he could take a crippling blow and survive to keep fighting.

He flicked his hands to shake off water that dripped from his body. He was limited in his movements when went, consolidated. Even teleporting was risky and the distance between where he was and where he had to go to escape was almost too long to estimate.]

Yes because it's all about you. I choose this, and this is mine to control. I don't need you.

[The household was safe, and yes, he had an issue of addiction. He knew it, but he wasn't going to stand here and let Maul of all people tell him how to run himself in such a situation. His tentacles lashed across the sand, a threat without his main body having to move. Distance meant very little to either of them; Maul could pull him in but doing so was dangerous.]

Go back to your little bonds and leave me alone. I can stop any time I want to.

[No, he couldn't, but admitting it would be considered a weakness at this point. He couldn't do that. He had to get away, but he also knew better than to turn his back on Maul. The Zabrak had already knifed him a few times just before they parted ways.]

[Maul's temper rose and he had to fight to push it back down. If he turned this into another fight between them, physical or just verbal, he'd just end up fucking things up worse than they already were. So instead he swallowed down his pride and said what he should have from the start.]

I was wrong. I was wrong to bond with Obi-Wan, especially after we'd just fought and without even telling you. I betrayed your trust and I hurt you and I never said I was sorry for it. But I am now. I'm sorry.

[Apologies from Maul were as rare as rain and he had the words of Usagi ringing in his ears right now, how apologies that were given weren't always accepted by those they were given to. He was bracing himself for that, for Reaper to just brush him off with more sarcastic words. But he had to at least try and reach the man he loved.]

Now you're hurting other people. You've always hurt and killed people before. It's part of who you are. You're a killer. [They both were. Maul had never judged him for it. In fact, that had always been part of the attraction for him from the start.] But never like this, all wantonly and without purpose. You've lost your way.

[For a few moments, Reaper was convinced the wind coming off the waves behind them had blurred out what Maul had said. There had never been much of an apology between one another; it was a statement he had made many times over that he wanted no apology for Maul being Maul. His apologies were even rarer, so he stared with multitudes of glaring red eyes.

His twisting blackened face resolved to half of his normal face for a few seconds before the smoke twisted his narrowed eye back into the twisting mess that he had become. Lies. Just let them fight and get on with it.]

I don't want your apologies. I want you gone. You won't change; neither will I. We are the monsters we were molded to become.

[His voice might have been the usual echo as many mouths vocalized the words, but they were far more aimed than usual. Normally, the voices clamored over each other, sounding off, but there was less of that. Like he had a momentary grip of control of the many mouths.]

I have my purpose. I protect the household and everyone in it. I will burn this place to the ground before letting anything happen to them.

[Even in this state, his obsession with that singular goal even drew his eyes, his head even the focus of his tentacles. They were far from the house, yet everything he was turned in its direction, as if he could pinpoint where the house was from the beach.]

You're right. I'm not going to change. I've always been in the darkness and always will be, the same as you. I'm not ashamed of it. But I'm not going to hurt you without cause, not anymore. You thought you could push me away and that I'd leave for good, the same way everyone else has always done with you. But I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here and I'm not leaving you again. Because we need one another. I never thought I needed anyone, that love was something for other people, that it weakened them. Not with you.

[He was perceptive enough to pick up that Reaper's form had settled just for a few moments when he'd apologized. So, his words were having an effect on his wayward lover, no matter how small. He kept pressing onwards, talking. As he did so, he took a few more steps forward. His hand still stayed close to his saberstaff but he was growing more hopeful now he wouldn't need to use it.]

You've always been a monster in control of himself. But not anymore. And that's why this needs to stop. How much longer will this state last? Before your sanity is completely gone and all you see when you look at those kids is a convenient meal of blood the way you have with everyone else? You don't want to hurt them but how much longer is that going be a choice you actually can make?

I don't need you, not anymore. Letting you in was a mistake, and I don't plan on making it again ever. [He hissed a warning when Maul decided to move in closer, and he took steps to the side to keep the distance. Perhaps it would be his turn to toss the Zabrak into the ocean if they kept up this dance.] This isn't going to be another one of those situations where you get to do whatever you want despite protests.

[His form began to break down again, turn into a mass of glaring tentacles that hissed and snapped at Maul's mechanical legs. They were just out of reach given his own motions, and he was starting to move away from the waves. The wind meant he could dry out faster, but it would still take time. Just like Maul to hamstring him.]

I won't hurt them. [Not yet. He couldn't, right? Paranoia pulled at him, dragging him in many directions mentally. No, no, no, he wouldn't. He had made a vow, and Gabriel Reyes kept his word, the political fall-out be damned. He let Jack be destroyed before he would break his word.

It was the same here. Right? RIGHT? Yes, he'd drain this place of blood to protect those in the household. He'd kill the 'gods' if that's what it took. He was justified. He was a monster with a cause. Burn this world!]

It doesn't hurt. Risks can be taken. Yes, I don't fear the consequences. Whatever it takes. Build a better world. [He was talking to himself, convincing the many facets of himself that had degraded with his addiction.]

[Maul could feel through the Force that things were going bad with Reaper mentally. He could sense the madness in his mate's mind, the breakdown of sanity. Whether or not he could bring Reaper back from the edge, he wasn't letting him leave this beach. He was too dangerous to be left alive any longer.

Still, he wouldn't give up, not until it was proven to him that Reaper was completely a lost cause. He decided to put everything on the line and make himself as vulnerable as he could.]

Gabriel.....I love you. I have for a long time now and that has never stopped. I love you the way I've never loved anyone else. If any part of you still feels the same way for me....let me help you now.

[At the sound of his name, his 'head' whipped around to stare at Maul, multiple eyes opening across his face. There were very few people in Trench that knew his name, first or last. It was jarring to hear it uttered, momentarily breaking him from his corruption-caused insanity.

He snapped mouths along his whipping tentacles, continuing to side-step in an attempt to increase the distance. It wasn't even subtle. He didn't even care.]

Don't call me that. He's dead. I don't tell that name to anyone. [Except for those who were extremely close to him. He clenched his hands at his sides.] You can't help me. No one can. Kill me. Let this reset.

[His voice was rough with a hint of unusual desperation. Stop him. Make it stop. He wanted to but he couldn't avoid temptation.]

You told me that name because you trusted me. You were able to do so before. You can do it again.

[Hearing that part of Reaper actually wanted to die was alarming to Maul. Perhaps he should have indulged him. Just run him through with his lightsaber and be done with it. But he'd been where Reaper was a few times before, trapped in a cycle of rage and hate he hadn't thought he could break. Someone had always dragged him out of it before, even Reaper himself when he'd been lost in the form of a deer.]

I can. [Maul insisted. This time when he took a few steps forward, it was purposeful and deliberate. He wasn't letting Reaper get away that easily.] I've been lost in the dark before and I've learned you can't leave it without help. Trust me. Just this one last time.

I did trust you, and you betrayed me.

[He shook his head in agitation, clawed hands forming and lifting so he could grip his head. Hand prints everywhere. I love him echoed from mocking mouths along his tentacles, soft and mostly lost on the wind. But Reaper heard the words. He felt them, lashing tentacles and hissing mouths, though they didn't strike or capture Maul. They struck backwards towards the ocean.

He glared at the insistence that Maul could help. He gnashed his teeth, still moving away as he waited for himself to dry out enough to be safe to teleport away.]

...what do you get out of helping?

Yes, I did. [He said mildly, not trying to defend his actions or make excuses. He'd hurt Reaper badly with his actions, there was no denying that. Maybe, if he hadn't been so short-sighted and selfish, maybe he could have prevented Reaper's descent into corruption and madness. But there was no use in looking to the past. Right here and now was more important.

He noted that, for all his agitation and aggression, Reaper still hadn't attacked him. That had to mean something, right? He came closer, now within striking distance of those tentacles. Still he didn't attack.]

But I believe in balance. If you hurt someone, trying to help them later on is a way to make things right. That's the only motivation I have right now. I don't have an angle. Please, Reaper.... let me in.

[Reaper glared at the admittance. He would have preferred if Maul would just skirt the issue, backtrack and make claims that would allow him to continue to more easily stranglehold his hatred and hurt. He wasn't used to a Maul that was reasonable when it came to taking responsibility.

Maybe it was because he never pushed Maul to unlike others.

As Maul came in, his tentacles lashed out as they had done with Luke. They went for the legs first, winding around them, moving higher and higher towards thighs then hips and then trying to restrain wrists.]

Balance is a lie! [He hissed and began to move away, but he also didn't care if he pulled Maul with him at this point.] You can't make this better. It's on me to do this. It's always been me pulling this mess of a body together.

[There was a grunt from Maul as the tentacles lashed out and restrained him. It took everything in him not to start struggling. But he knew he was close to reaching Reaper now. If only he could just find the right words.....]

No. You only think you have to do this on your own because that's the way you've always done it. You've been in pain and won't let anyone else get close. I thought the same way for a long time too. That letting people in and having them help me was just weakness and vulnerability.

[He did flinch when those tentacles came for his wrists. A Sith who had the Force on his side was never truly helpless, but the lack of mobility and being unable to draw his weapon still made every instinct in him scream this was a bad idea.]

But I learned differently when I came here. I learned sometimes you can let people in, that love like that can make you stronger instead of weaker. Maybe it will hurt and maybe it won't last forever. But knowing love like that is worth it in the end if it is with the right people. And you? You're one of them for me.

This pain is different. It's empty, and I filled it up. Filled it to the brim with blood over and over again, but it goes empty again when the cravings get bad.

[It wasn't the normal pain that he remembered before coming to Trench. His life after Overwatch fell, the pain of existence of being aware of individual parts of himself dying only to be pushed out by quickly regenerating cells to fill the void was something he had grown used to.

The empty pain, like a hungering void was something he had tried to sort out. Blood made it feel better then worse. So much worse, but the high was worth chasing no matter the consequences.

Tentacles drew Maul in, pulling the Zabrak over the sand to be right in front of him. He formed up chest, arms and head out of the churning mess of the smoke.]

Maybe it won't last forever, hmm? Truer words have probably never been uttered. I was one of many for you, wasn't I?

[Maul was finally beginning to get a glimpse of what was going on in his mate's head. Oh, Reaper. The addiction he was feeling had swallowed him up.]

Then stop trying to fill it up. The emptiness you feel won't be satisfied with blood alone. You're hurting. Let me heal that pain inside.

[He tried to resist as the tentacles drew him in closer but they were too strong. Maul's prosthetic feet left grooves in the sand. His breathing increased and became a bit more rapid up this close to Reaper. He knew if his lover wanted to drain him dry right now he could. But he wouldn't show any fear. That wasn't in Maul's character.]

You're an old fool if you think that. I never felt about anyone the way I feel about you. Sometimes, you just find someone you're meant to be with. You're that person for me, Reaper. You're my mate.

[Then, reckless to the very end, Maul pulled against the strain of the tentacles until he could wrap his arms around Reaper. He held him there close, knowing those many mouths could latch on and start draining him of blood at any moment. He didn't care. He'd rather die trying to save his mate than give up now. He whispered quietly, the words almost taken by the wind.]

I love you, Gabriel.

It is satisfied. I feel alive, like I can do anything for however long as I need to. People like us don't heal; we hurt.

[That's what it was to be a monster, wasn't it? They could contain parts of it, hide it when necessary, but they were always at risk of causing injury of some kind. That's what they had been doing for years, and that's what they would continue to do, even in those situations of bad people making good choices. Momentary glitches, right?

He reeled Maul in, mouths along the tentacles gripping cloth and metal but not actually flesh. Maybe there was a nip or two, but he was far more likely to pick Maul and toss the Zabrak into the ocean to steal blood from him. Yes, there was opportunity, but he was holding back with the emotional turmoil of this confrontation.

He growled when suddenly Maul was all up in his business hugging him. His hands snapped out to grip the Zabrak's sides, pushing at flesh to try to get Maul to let him go. Maul was warm, always had been warm, and it was something he realized he missed after so long keeping everyone at a physical distance unless he was feeding from them.]

You're a fool. You say nice things, but we aren't allowed to have nice things for long.

[His arm tentatively encircled Maul's waist just to feel that body against his own for a brief moment. He'd slip off soon. Of course he would. Reaper was hard to pin down, or so he told himself.

Much like with his victims, swirls of black smoke was whipped up around them, covering Maul in darkness.]

You can't fix this. Walk away, Maul.

If it was truly satisfying to you, you wouldn't care at all about being in pain. But I know you better than that. Maybe the pain won't ever go away but at least it can be lessened.

[Maul stubbornly refused to let go when Reaper tried to push him away. Reaper could try but Maul wasn't going to go anywhere unless much more of an effort than that was made. He considered it a small triumph when Reaper's arms curled around him in return. Maybe this was working and he really would be able to bring Reaper back to his senses.

He leaned in close, the same way he had the day he and Reaper had parted at the Deerington lighthouses. Back then, he thought he'd never see his lover ever again. Now here he was, trying to bring him back to himself. The darkness that surrounded him didn't bother Maul. He'd been born in darkness and Reaper's felt familiar, comfortable even. It felt like he was right where he was meant to be.]

So we don't fix it. When people are as broken as us, you can't fix that. You just look for someone whose broken pieces fit with your own. And us? The broke parts of ourselves match up perfectly.

I hate the emptiness more than anything else. I'm not designed to get tired or weak. I can't.

[People he was close to died if he failed, if he faltered, if he tired. It hadn't happened in three decades for him, and he would rather take the chronic agony of his condition rather than the emptiness or the exhaustion that came with using his powers.

His arms were loose around Maul, willing to take this in but aware that it couldn't last. Even the many tentacles took a turn to wrap around the Zabrak in the form of a hug, keeping any nibbling to a minimum. For a time, he just leaned there, drinking in the heat, concentrating on keeping parts of himself from being blown away with the winds off the sea.

He began to tremble subtly, fighting the instinct to slip away.]

You aren't corrupted. Not like this. It doesn't go away with words, only action.

You don't have to shoulder this burden alone. Lean on me a little and it will help.

[A look that was close to being a faint smile crossed Maul's face as he gazed at Reaper with soft eyes, a look he reserved only for his mate.]

Well then, it's fortunate for you I have the ability to remove corruption, isn't it?

[He wasn't sure if he could pull it off. He wasn't perfect with that part of his powers yet but if ever there was a moment to try, this was it. He could already sense a little of what was going on in Reaper's mind. If he could just get some of that corruption out, it might be enough to turn the tide and get him back to himself.]

Do you want me to try?

It's my burden. I'm not giving it up to anyone.

[He hissed the words out roughly, tentacles tightening around Maul. Corruption warped some of his senses; he wasn't often possessive. The fact that blood fed his corruption, but it also filled the void and gave him an seemingly endless amount of energy for his abilities meant he wasn't so eager to give it up. His burden!

Many red eyes from his face to arms, chest and tentacles turned to stare at Maul. The two main eyes on his face darted back and forth, suspicious.]

You're trying to tame me, take away what makes me able to protect the household. You'll probably even betray me again...

[He began to withdraw, suspicion and paranoia of losing what he knew he didn't have control of but wanted anyway. Corruption was unreasonable, especially coming from a stand point that he had nursed hurt and anger at Maul.]

[The Zabrak thought things were going to be alright but then the paranoia which was fueling Reaper came back. Shit, he was losing him again. Maul's hands came up, migrating from Reaper's waist until there was one on either side of his distorted face. His golden eyes bore into his lover's.]

Listen to me. If I didn't care about you, if I wanted to watch you fail, I wouldn't be here right now. I'd just let you continue on and on until there was nothing left of you and someone in this city was forced to put what remained down like a rabid animal.

[He took a deep breath, willing his words to get Reaper's blood-addled state. His clawed thumbs moved gently over the solid parts of Reaper's face.]

But I'm not doing that. I'm right here because I love you. And I know you still love me. Please, come back.

[He hissed, starting to dissolve to smoke before his face was seized, and it forced his focus on Maul. Multiple red eyes fixed an unblinking stare, and he curled his upper lip in a snarl. Other mouths along his body snapped without making contact.]

You can't save me. I fell a long time ago, and now I'm just as ugly on the outside as I am on the inside. Don't try to take it from me.

[He winced and shook his head a little, trying to dislodge Maul's hands. His own finally raised to mimic the hold on his face, and he shuddered and seemed to shrink and collapse in on himself.]

It won't work.

[Maul's claws pressed in, hard but not quite enough to puncture the skin. He wasn't going to let Reaper go off. His mate was stubborn but Maul was digging in his heels this time as well.]

If you want to be a monster, go right ahead. I've always known you were one. It's always been part of what has drawn me to you. But be a monster who is in control of himself. Don't let this hunger and madness rule you. You need to be in charge of it instead of the other way around.

[His voice became low and harsh, a growl to go along with the fury that had begun to blaze in his eyes.]

Don't be a coward. You've never done anything passively before in your life. Are you just going to give in? I need you to fight right now!

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