IC Contact

[jolting]

Work Phone: You've reached Doctor Frankenstein. Leave your name and number and I'll return your call as soon as possible. My office hours are from [time] to [time].

Personal Phone: If you're calling this number, then it must be pretty important. I'll call back soon.

Comments

[winscenario]

[ He huffs, shaking his head. ] Yeah, that's one word for it.

[ Once he slips into a t-shirt, he crawls into the bed, sitting down next to Victor. He reaches out to hold one of Victor's hands, for no reason other than he feels like it. ]

You remember Alexander Pierce? That guy that made you a sketchy job offer.

[jolting]

[He automatically scoots a bit closer, letting his head rest on James's shoulder]

Yeah, I remember. Haven't thought about him in months, though. [His brain quickly runs through possible reason to bring up the guy. None of them are especially good] Why?

[winscenario]

Well, he's gone now. From the Quarantine. [ And yes, Jim was keeping tabs on him, that alone should make it obvious. ]

But tonight... there was this guy sneaking around the guard. Looking up files, peeking into mission reports, that sort of thing. [ Jim wouldn't have thought much of it if he weren't pretty much dressed as a spy, as well as armed and ready to attack. ] He was looking for information on Pierce. Missions he'd been involved in. Stuff he'd been up to. He told me... they came from the same universe, and he knew him from before.

[jolting]

Yeah, I figured.

[This news makes him sigh and shake his head a little] He would do better looking through Prometheus Labs. That was Pierce's place.

[winscenario]

That's— a good idea, actually.

[ Victor could probably tell Bucky just that himself. Which brings him to the main reason why he's telling Victor all this. ]

Anyway. He mentioned Pierce, and obviously he could tell I recognized the name. I told him he'd offered you a job, what he'd made it sound like, and that you didn't take it. He was... well, he didn't exactly react well. I can only imagine he doesn't have a great history with Pierce.

[ He sighs, brushing his thumb over Victor's knuckles. ] He wanted to talk to you. Immediately. I think he was pretty close to threatening me so I'd call you over to the guard right away, but I refused. But I did tell him I'd let you know, so you could get in touch with him yourself.

[jolting]

[Victor lets the information settle. He doesn't really know that much about the people in Pierce's world, other than Tony Stark being one of them. But he can imagine who might be poking around in Pierce's stuff. Though why this guy is doing so now, he doesn't know. Pierce has been gone from the Quarantine for months. Victor doesn't know since he was just their doctor, but he isn't sure anyone's even working at the labs anymore.

His expression darkens a little hearing James was threatened, his hand squeezing James's a little tighter]

Yeah. All right. I'll talk to him.

[winscenario]

[ Something must've triggered him, Jim figures. He didn't really think to ask then, and at some point he mostly just wanted to make it back home. He hadn't left right away, though, too worried that Bucky might follow him and find out where he lived. ]

Okay. [ Jim nods, breathing deeply. ] If... you decide to meet him, I'd rather be there with you. If you don't mind.

[jolting]

[James did say the guy threatened him, so it makes sense he would want to be there as backup. And James being that worried about it concerns Victor. He shifts his head off James's shoulder to focus on the man's face]

If this guy is who I think it is, I might need you there.

[winscenario]

I'll be there. [ He smiles finally, feeling a little more reassured now. ] How do you know who it is?

[jolting]

It's more an educated guess than actually knowing. I talked with someone from his world when Pierce offered me that job, and I was told someone had undergone that mind control but managed to break free of it. My guess is that the guy who came in asking for information on Pierce was that same guy. It would make sense he'd want information on the guy who messed with his mind.

[Gives a sort of "take it from someone who knows" sort of shrug]

[winscenario]

[ Jim nods at Victor's explanation. ] Yeah, that's what I thought too.

[ It was almost glaringly obvious, even. The guy was on edge, and that was putting it mildly. Thankfully he wasn't so desperate that he'd risk hurting an innocent man to try to get his hands on the information he wanted. ]

Must've been terrifying to him. Going through something like that, then coming here and finding out the man who did that to him is here, too.

[ No wonder he's so obsessed with getting information. He's probably imagining spies wherever he goes. ]

[jolting]

He'd be terrified, but also really pissed. And probably desperate. [Victor brushes back James's hair] I'm glad you're okay. I don't know how much help I can be for this guy, but I'll do my best.

[winscenario]

I'm glad I'm okay, too. [ He closes his eyes, tilting his head towards the touch while shifting closer to Victor. ] I just... couldn't ask you to go there. Even if he had hurt me.

[ Especially if he had hurt him— because that would only make him surer that he'd have hurt Victor too. ]

He seemed to calm down when I said you were taking care of our daughter.

[jolting]

[Well, he would have done the same thing. He puts an arm around James to keep him close. It had been quiet in the Quarantine long enough, apparently]

Hm. So he's not too far gone. That's a good sign. Though I can't imagine this guy's going to be patient, so we'll arrange to talk to him soon. I'd say... within the next few days.

[winscenario]

[ Jim tips his head and nuzzles along Victor's jaw, pressing a warm kiss to the nook just below his ear. ]

Sounds good to me. [ He snakes an arm around Victor's waist. ] How was your day?

[jolting]

[He closes his eyes, letting out a pleasant little hum at the attention] Not nearly as eventful as yours. Just trying to keep up with patient records, checking in with Harry in case there are any other interesting autopsies. Nothing too crazy.

[winscenario]

[ He's not so tired that he can't give Victor some tender love and attention. The fact that his skin tastes so nice just happens to be an added perk. ]

Mm, hanging around corpses again, are we? [ He drawls, tone teasing, teeth dragging lightly across Victor's jaw. ]

[jolting]

[He smirks, responding with a casual half shrug and a tilt of his head to follow the path of those teeth. As if he would ever turn down attention from James]

They stay dead, don't worry.

[winscenario]

I'm not worried. [ It's just fun to tease him sometimes, but Jim doesn't think for a moment that Victor might try to revive the dead again.

He wiggles a little farther up on the bed, grinning at Victor as he leans down and kisses him on the lips. ]

[jolting]

Not about that, anyway.

[He could tell how shaken James was by his visitor. Hell, Victor was shaken just from hearing about it. But he's dealt with threatening people before. He'd rather focus on James than worry about it more. So he shifts positions so James is more comfortably over him, fingers winding into the man's hair]

[winscenario]

[ He shifts without really breaking the kiss, purring softly when fingers weave through his hair. Arms propped up to both sides of Victor's head, one of his hands finds its way to his hair too, lips parting just a hint so his tongue can dip into the kiss.

He was worried, sure— still is, actually. But kissing Victor is a pretty effective way to distract him. ]

[jolting]

[And he of course has absolutely no problem being a distraction. His fingers dig a little into the man's hair, scratching the back of his neck. Eventually he moves his lips to James's jaw and neck]

Hey. Practice optimism, remember. I've gone up against Dark Ones and wicked witches. Whatever this is, we'll be fine.

[winscenario]

[ A low hum crawls up his throat when Victor's fingers curl tighter. Eyes closed, he tilts his head to give Victor all the room he might need to kiss along the skin of his neck. ]

Yeah... I know. And I am being optimistic. [ He cants his head to press a kiss to Victor's temple. ] But I'm still going to worry about your well-being.

[jolting]

That's fair. Though you get into trouble a lot more than me around here.

[He casually scrapes his teeth against flesh just hard enough to leave a mark. He doesn't have to make it noticeable, but he does it anyway]

[winscenario]

Excuse you, I'm— a family man, now. Should've seen me before.

[ It's definitely more difficult to manage an even tone when Victor's working his skin like that, so there's a hitch in the sentence, and an airy sigh afterwards, his head tipping to the side. ]

Damn it, Victor...