Fate stared down at the chains confining him with a resigned look, a sigh escaping his lips as his gaze traced the metal all the way back to the wall. Every once in a while a small glimmer of light would escape from the small overhead window, catching on the cold steel of his confinements and casting shimmering reflections onto the dark walls of his cell. He often found it very amusing to make his manacles dance, watching in turn as the reflections rippled across his confining walls. It was especially entertaining when someone was in the room with him, because then he could attempt to blind them with the shimmer bouncing off the very same thing that they had put him in. He had always enjoyed irony. 

He leaned his head back against the wall, his seated position leaving him with his legs bent and hands dangling between his knees. He was wearing black again today, blending in with the walls surrounding him. The only touch of colour was his chains and, despite having the ability to, he refused to break them. There was too much at stake for that. If it had been so easy to get out of this damned hell hole then he would have accomplished it months ago. Which was confusing really, because breaking out of his confinements would have been as easy as blinking, one push of willpower that would set him free. He wouldn't even have to pull at too many strings of reality. It would be all too easy. Manipulating fate to make one of his guards accidentally drop the key into his hands without thinking twice. Or perhaps the metal of his cuffs mysteriously rusting and breaking in a matter of seconds while the rest of the household was miraculously still asleep. 

But he wouldn't do that. They knew he wouldn't do that. And that's why they smiled so triumphantly when they saw him.

Just like this bastard was doing right now.

The ginger-haired weasel sat on a stool directly in front of him, leering down at Fate with a cruel smirk and a kind of look in his eyes that suggested complete and utter insanity. His jawline was as sharp as the knife he held between the tips of his fingers, his other hand caressing the sharp edge in an incredibly taunting motion but Fate, for lack of a better word, was undeniably bored. This freckled maniac repeated the same threats every day, droning on and on and on about it as if he could forget it. Threats such as the ones he had received were not ones to be forgotten easily. 

"Are you listening to me?"

Fate let out a dark chuckle, expression holding more malice than humour as he bent over to rest his head on top of his knees. The metal around his wrists was far more taunting than the knife in his captor's hands, the substance so unbelievably weak compared to his own brute strength that it would be laughably easy to break free. And it was killing him. "Not at all. I didn't hear a word you just said."

He raised his gaze from the floor to see his captor looking anything but amused, eyes narrowed into slits as he raised the knife to point it straight at him, the bladed edge metres away from his chest. Fate could see the muscles ticking in his jaw, ticking over like a bomb, one more push and he would explode. He didn't tolerate disrespect. Which was really unfair because Fate thoroughly enjoyed disrespecting him. In fact, he couldn't wait to finally push him over the edge, tormenting his detainer was really quite entertaining. "You watch what you say, Fate, we wouldn't want your little human friend to get the wrong end of your attitude, would we?"

Fate rolled his eyes so far upwards that he was surprised they didn't jump out of his sockets and escape from this hell hole. "Don't try to threaten me, asshole, I'm not worried about you hurting him. You won't. Because he's the only leverage you have over me and as soon as he's gone, you can't control me anymore. I won't do what you want and I'll kill you on my way out as a hearty farewell." He was smiling as he said the words, full on grinning as he saw his companion's body heave with anger, breaths getting heavier as his eyes seemed to turn a shade darker. He knew all too well that Fate was telling the complete truth.

Fate dimmed his smile to a smirk, raising his eyebrows in challenge as he picked himself up off the floor, arms crossed over his broad chest as he studied the rodent sitting in front of him in a highly amused manner. "So you're actually going to do it, then?" The ginger spoke with a small smile on his face, voice quiet and eyes in a far off place, speaking the words as if they were some sacred bible reading. "You're really going to kill her." It was whispered. And it wasn't a question. As a matter of fact, he looked way too excited at the prospect of death. It made Fate want to reach forwards and tear the vocal cords right from his throat. He had truly never seen someone so exhilarated by murder and he was best friends with Death. 

"Well, you haven't exactly given me a choice, have you?" Fate sighed, turning his eyes to the ground as his stomach churned at the thought of slaughtering an innocent person. Or even aiding in the action. It was strictly against his laws, let alone his morals. It would strip him of everything, of his abilities and immortality. But it would save Oscar. And...besides, he had been alive for far too long anyway.

The psychopath in front of him pouted, shoulders shaking with barely contained chuckles. What a piece of work, Fate thought to himself, tilting his head to the side as he tried to work out how messed up this guy really was. "Aw, is the poor little god feeling sorry for himself?" Fate just gave him a look of disbelief, furrowing his eyebrows and shaking his head in a way that openly questioned what the hell was going on in this sadist's head. "Well, newsflash honey, you wouldn't be in this situation if you hadn't fallen in love with someone so vulnerable." Fate's eyes narrowed, jaw muscles pulling taut as his fists clenched into tight balls of anger. Even if it wasn't a direct insult, he didn't like the idea of Oscar being disrespected. It wasn't something that he could help or explain, but he felt an inbuilt need to protect the human boy from harm. Ever since he had first laid eyes on him. The very thought of him harmed or hurt in any way, mental or physical, made his chest squeeze a little tighter and, if he had had a heart, it would have pumped a thousand times faster. "I have to admit, you did make it rather easy for me to blackmail you, Fate. I've been keeping an eye on your little boyfriend and he is rather innocent, isn't he? It would be a real shame if something were to taint that."

The sickening grin on his face made Fate growl out in anger, the sound feral and uncontrolled as his nails began to dig into his skin from how tightly he was holding his fists. Every muscle in his body had become tense, immediately on the defensive whenever Oscar was concerned. His mind was racing with horrific images that he had never seen, hallucinations of the boy he had so desperately fallen in love with beaten and bloody. With no one to help him and no idea what he had done to deserve this. Which would be nothing. It wasn't his fault that he was a god's only weakness. He had no way of knowing. Fate closed his eyes as the images began to become more intense, he could practically hear his pleas for help in his ears, begging and questioning reality to help him. It was painful to even think about. Fate checked up on him sometimes, reaching out with his mind to get a good picture of what the person he loved was up to. If he had moved on. He had seen the way he sat at their table every Saturday, waiting for him to return. He was still waiting for him after all this time. It would be so much better for him if he just forgot all the time they had spent together. 

A single tear escaped his eye. He couldn't remember the last time he had cried. His eyes were still closed, his voice quiet but deadly as he spoke. "Stay the hell away from him."

He opened his eyes at the sound of a nauseating laugh. The maniac was enjoying this, standing up from the stool now and walking closer to Fate until he was only centimetres away. So close that Fate could smell the repellent odour of rotting blood and decaying skin leaving his mouth as he breathed. He was still grinning, his head tilted to the side and voice a mere whisper as he spoke. "Well, as long as you behave and keep yourself chained up, I won't have any reason to hurt him, will I?" Fate didn't respond, staring him dead in the eye in a way that was halfway between murderous and begging. For years, he had had nothing to be afraid of. Because he had had nothing that he was capable of losing. The feeling of having something to suffer the loss of was as humbling as it was terrifying. "You know, I never expected someone as almighty as you to be gay."

Fate let out another humourless chuckle, resting his head back against the wall once more, staring up at the ceiling with an amused expression gracing his handsome features. "Welcome to the twenty-first century, dude, so glad you could finally join us." His smile only tightened at the growl of anger that escaped the lips of the waste of space in front of him. "And, for your information, I'm bisexual."

His captor studied him for a moment, head rotating from one angle to another as his gaze narrowed on the chains binding Fate to the wall. A smirk crawled up onto his features, a deep chuckle rumbling from his mouth and echoing around the walls of the cell. "Tell me, Fate, how does it feel to be chained up and powerless?"

Fate brought his head down to look him dead in the eye once more, grinning at his furious expression. He always found it highly amusing when the rodent attempted to remind himself of the power he had over him. It only allowed Fate to recall his pitiful thurst for power. "Pretty good, actually, I didn't know you were into this kinky stuff, McAllaistar."

"I'm not a toxic gay like you, Fate."

Fate rolled his eyes, honestly bewildered as to how his eyes still had the will to live after all of the exasperation this man was causing them. "You can insult me all you want, psycho, it's not going to affect me." He took a moment to move a little closer to the boy who was now trembling with fury, grinning as he breathed right in his face. "Because, unlike you, I'm quite happy with who I am." His voice was low and accusing, having to refrain the urge to chuckle as the guy practically smouldered at his words. 

However, his opponent seemed to have nothing to say at the indictment, simply glaring at him with hard eyes before spinning roughly on his heel and storming towards the door of the cell. But he paused just as his hand rested on the cool metal of the handle. Fate knew what he was going to say before he said it. It was what he always did when Fate pissed him off, just to remind him that he wasn't the one in charge here. "Recite our agreement, Fate."

"You always make me do this; I'm beginning to wonder if you have memory loss and actually need me to remind you."

"Do it."

Fate sighed, closing his eyes as he allowed his posture to collapse against the wall. "If I aid in the circumstances leading to the death of Eleanor Clarke in a way that leaves no trace of purposeful murder, Oscar Hart will not be harmed in any way."

The sadist had the audacity to grin, turning around and stalking closer to Fate like a lion shadowing its prey. Right before it went in for the kill. "Go on, state why I'm able to threaten you like this. Remind me of how you're not as powerful as you think you are."

Fate looked the bastard right in the eye, jaw pulled so tight that it was beginning to cause him physical pain. He was standing tall once more, fists aching to connect with the enemy's face so much that they had begun to shake at his sides. "As a god, I have laws. I must not aid in the killing or resurrection of others. I must not interfere with the will of humans or try to influence events for personal reasons."

The psychopath was laughing now. "Go on." Fate closed his eyes, tilting his head down towards the dirt covered floor and shaking his head in what almost appeared to be denial, feeling another wave of tears begin to prick at his eyes as he attempted to hold in the words that had condemned him for all these months. "I said go on."

His voice was barely a whisper. "Which means that if I tried to stop you murdering Oscar, I would be stripped of both my immortality and my abilities, thus leaving room for you to kill him anyway. By aiding in the murder of Eleanor, I get sentenced to death but Oscar...Oscar is safe."

He didn't look up again until the door had slammed shut, looking up into the lens of the security camera through watery eyes and holding up a very offensive finger before allowing his body to slump to the ground once more.