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whatwekeep2009-11-16 04:46 pm
khemlab.livejournal.com) wrote in whatwekeep2009-11-16 04:46 pm
Fic: Controlled Violence, Ch. 14/30
Characters: (for this chapter) Liev Schreiber, Nick Oliveri, Hunter Parrish, Doug Anderson, Charlie Hunnam, Benny Ciaramello, Carmine Giovinazzo
Rating: PG
Warnings: Slavery, Eating Disorders, Profanity
Word Count: 858
Previous Parts: Ch. 1: Liev's Provenance, Ch. 2: Liev v. Madsen, Ch. 3: Lord Bale's Gym, Ch. 4: The Charity Ward, Ch. 5: On Tour, Ch. 6: An Unwelcome Interruption, Ch. 7: Hunter's Provenance, Ch. 8: Home Sweet Home, Ch. 9: Training Begins, Ch. 10: A Fighter's Life, Ch. 11: Growing Up, Ch. 12: Music, Tattoos, and Women, Ch. 13: Liev Fights
Summary: In an age when slavery is mandated by law, a type of gladiator-style fighting has arisen. Liev is an aging fighter who brings extra income to Lord Bale's household by training other fighters. Hunter is the newest fighter in Lord Bale's stable. This is a little interlude about Hunter's interaction with his fellow fighters.
Author's Notes: Character photos for Lord Bale's household can be found here. Thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
poisontaster for opening up this sandbox, to devilc for introducing me to it, and to fleurlb for some choice casting suggestions.
Lord Bale's House, Present Day
The fighter's kitchen was filled with a jubilant energy the morning after Liev's win against Clive. Hunter hadn't realized it the night before, but Charlie and Carmine had both been there with their masters as well. Now Carmine had them in stitches with an impressive blow-by-blow account of the fight, inflated with fanciful interpretations of Liev as a superhero, flying in to the cage to save the day against the dastardly Clive, performing superhuman feats of strength. Even Liev hadn't been able to hold out and was having as much fun as the rest of them.
Hunter got up from the table to clear his plate off into the trash. "Hey, don't throw that away. I keep telling you to eat up, kid." Hunter looked over his shoulder and Liev winked at him. "I know you used to be a body slave and all, but trust me, you'll still be pretty at 150." Hunter blushed and the other fighters gathered around the table chuckled. "Take Charlie, for instance. He's a big guy and still a looker. You could be just like him."
Bringing his plate back to the table with him, Hunter quipped, "Yeah, if I wanted to look like something that just came out of a meat locker." Carmine let out a low whistle and everyone except Charlie started to laugh.
Charlie gave him a dirty look and smacked him on the back of the head. "Keep talking, kid, see where it gets you."
"And what about Benny? He's crazy skinny, and you never give him a hard time about how much he eats." A hush fell around the table and Benny flushed, looking down at his plate.
"Shut up, kid," Liev said, going back to his meal.
"What? I was just saying..."
"It's all right," said Benny. "He didn't mean anything."
"No, it's not all right. Hunter, you need to learn to think before you open your mouth. You're done talking today."
"But I..."
Liev raised an eyebrow. "Did I stutter? Keep your trap shut, kid, or I'll shut it for you."
Confused, Hunter looked at Benny, then at the other fighters. None of them would meet his gaze. Eyes burning, Hunter turned his attention back to his own plate, shoveling the now-tasteless food into his mouth so he could escape the kitchen as quickly as possible.
***
Later, Benny stopped him in the hallway. "Hey," he said softly. "Don't say nothin', because I don't want to be the reason for you breaking Liev's rules. It's just - " Benny looked away, hands stuffed into the pockets of his pullover. "Listen, my master has this thing, all right?" He toyed with a piece of dirt on the floor, nudging it with his toe. "Like, he doesn't like seeing any fat on people at all, and even if I just put on muscle, he thinks..." Benny trailed off, and looked back at Hunter. "Anyways, I just wanted to tell you I know you didn't mean it, and I'm not mad." Benny nudged Hunter's toe with his own. "Liev's not really mad either, you know. He's just protective of us. He'd be the same way if someone said shit about you." Benny clapped him on the shoulder, squeezing gently, then walked away.
Hunter leaned against the wall and looked up at the ceiling, but hard as he tried, he couldn't stop the tears from falling.
***
Every time Hunter opened his poetry book to read it that night, he found he couldn't even get through two lines without his mind wandering. He felt like such a stupid kid, like a complete asshole for not noticing what had been right in front of his eyes. Benny hardly ate. It was a lot for him to get through one whole egg in the morning, much less a piece of toast. All the other fighters ate every meal as if it was their last, shoveling food in by the plateful to compensate for the energy they expended. How could he not have noticed? He finally put the book aside and threw an arm over his eyes, afraid he was going to start crying yet again. So unbelievably stupid. And now all the other fighters probably hated him for being such an idiot and ruining their day. He sighed and sat up, reaching for his desk lamp. Might as well try to sleep and forget this crappy day ever happened.
"If you're through with your little pity party, thought I might come and keep you company." Nick filled the doorway of his room, clutching a guitar in one meaty hand. Nick grinned. "Or, you know, I could just leave you alone with your stupid fucking self."
The way Nick said it somehow made Hunter feel a little better, and he rolled his eyes, still not daring to speak. Nick must have taken that as an invitation to come in, because he planted himself on the floor, leaning against Hunter's dresser, and began plucking out a tune on his guitar. Hunter laid back on his bed and the two of them stayed that way, Nick singing softly sometimes, until Hunter finally fell asleep.
Ch. 15: A Born Boxer
Rating: PG
Warnings: Slavery, Eating Disorders, Profanity
Word Count: 858
Previous Parts: Ch. 1: Liev's Provenance, Ch. 2: Liev v. Madsen, Ch. 3: Lord Bale's Gym, Ch. 4: The Charity Ward, Ch. 5: On Tour, Ch. 6: An Unwelcome Interruption, Ch. 7: Hunter's Provenance, Ch. 8: Home Sweet Home, Ch. 9: Training Begins, Ch. 10: A Fighter's Life, Ch. 11: Growing Up, Ch. 12: Music, Tattoos, and Women, Ch. 13: Liev Fights
Summary: In an age when slavery is mandated by law, a type of gladiator-style fighting has arisen. Liev is an aging fighter who brings extra income to Lord Bale's household by training other fighters. Hunter is the newest fighter in Lord Bale's stable. This is a little interlude about Hunter's interaction with his fellow fighters.
Author's Notes: Character photos for Lord Bale's household can be found here. Thanks to
poisontaster for opening up this sandbox, to devilc for introducing me to it, and to fleurlb for some choice casting suggestions.The fighter's kitchen was filled with a jubilant energy the morning after Liev's win against Clive. Hunter hadn't realized it the night before, but Charlie and Carmine had both been there with their masters as well. Now Carmine had them in stitches with an impressive blow-by-blow account of the fight, inflated with fanciful interpretations of Liev as a superhero, flying in to the cage to save the day against the dastardly Clive, performing superhuman feats of strength. Even Liev hadn't been able to hold out and was having as much fun as the rest of them.
Hunter got up from the table to clear his plate off into the trash. "Hey, don't throw that away. I keep telling you to eat up, kid." Hunter looked over his shoulder and Liev winked at him. "I know you used to be a body slave and all, but trust me, you'll still be pretty at 150." Hunter blushed and the other fighters gathered around the table chuckled. "Take Charlie, for instance. He's a big guy and still a looker. You could be just like him."
Bringing his plate back to the table with him, Hunter quipped, "Yeah, if I wanted to look like something that just came out of a meat locker." Carmine let out a low whistle and everyone except Charlie started to laugh.
Charlie gave him a dirty look and smacked him on the back of the head. "Keep talking, kid, see where it gets you."
"And what about Benny? He's crazy skinny, and you never give him a hard time about how much he eats." A hush fell around the table and Benny flushed, looking down at his plate.
"Shut up, kid," Liev said, going back to his meal.
"What? I was just saying..."
"It's all right," said Benny. "He didn't mean anything."
"No, it's not all right. Hunter, you need to learn to think before you open your mouth. You're done talking today."
"But I..."
Liev raised an eyebrow. "Did I stutter? Keep your trap shut, kid, or I'll shut it for you."
Confused, Hunter looked at Benny, then at the other fighters. None of them would meet his gaze. Eyes burning, Hunter turned his attention back to his own plate, shoveling the now-tasteless food into his mouth so he could escape the kitchen as quickly as possible.
***
Later, Benny stopped him in the hallway. "Hey," he said softly. "Don't say nothin', because I don't want to be the reason for you breaking Liev's rules. It's just - " Benny looked away, hands stuffed into the pockets of his pullover. "Listen, my master has this thing, all right?" He toyed with a piece of dirt on the floor, nudging it with his toe. "Like, he doesn't like seeing any fat on people at all, and even if I just put on muscle, he thinks..." Benny trailed off, and looked back at Hunter. "Anyways, I just wanted to tell you I know you didn't mean it, and I'm not mad." Benny nudged Hunter's toe with his own. "Liev's not really mad either, you know. He's just protective of us. He'd be the same way if someone said shit about you." Benny clapped him on the shoulder, squeezing gently, then walked away.
Hunter leaned against the wall and looked up at the ceiling, but hard as he tried, he couldn't stop the tears from falling.
***
Every time Hunter opened his poetry book to read it that night, he found he couldn't even get through two lines without his mind wandering. He felt like such a stupid kid, like a complete asshole for not noticing what had been right in front of his eyes. Benny hardly ate. It was a lot for him to get through one whole egg in the morning, much less a piece of toast. All the other fighters ate every meal as if it was their last, shoveling food in by the plateful to compensate for the energy they expended. How could he not have noticed? He finally put the book aside and threw an arm over his eyes, afraid he was going to start crying yet again. So unbelievably stupid. And now all the other fighters probably hated him for being such an idiot and ruining their day. He sighed and sat up, reaching for his desk lamp. Might as well try to sleep and forget this crappy day ever happened.
"If you're through with your little pity party, thought I might come and keep you company." Nick filled the doorway of his room, clutching a guitar in one meaty hand. Nick grinned. "Or, you know, I could just leave you alone with your stupid fucking self."
The way Nick said it somehow made Hunter feel a little better, and he rolled his eyes, still not daring to speak. Nick must have taken that as an invitation to come in, because he planted himself on the floor, leaning against Hunter's dresser, and began plucking out a tune on his guitar. Hunter laid back on his bed and the two of them stayed that way, Nick singing softly sometimes, until Hunter finally fell asleep.
no subject
These are both really difficult things to achieve, so to achieve them both so well......it's sickening, actually. :)
no subject
no subject
Anyhow, you capture that perfectly, and I love Nick for seeing and getting it.
no subject
Controlled violence
Re: Controlled violence