FIC: Pawns (Oz, R)
Sep. 3rd, 2018 12:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vanillalimeTitle: Pawns
Main Characters: Tobias Beecher, Bob Rebadow, Chris Keller, Mondo Browne
Rating: R
Word Count: 871
Summary: Rebadow has ulterior motives when he invites Toby to play a game of chess.
Notes: Written in response to two prompts from![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
cmk418 for this summer's Oz Season-based Prompt-A-Thon. I chose Season 4a, and she gave me the Minor Character prompt of Bob Rebadow and the Quote prompt of "My relationship with Beecher started with brutality and that's where it's ending. Love was the smallest part." My original intention was to write this from Rebadow's POV, but Toby was calling to me instead.
___________________________________
Toby paused as the words drifted slowly toward him. He heard them, felt their vibrations as they moved through Em City’s stale air, but his sleep-deprived brain barely registered their meaning.
"Care for a game?"
The words were louder this time, and Toby mechanically moved his head in their direction.
Rebadow sat alone at a table, looking patiently at Toby with his omniscient eyes. With a little flick of his hand, he motioned toward the chess pieces carefully arranged on the board in front of him.
Toby blinked. "Sure."
He pulled back a chair and gingerly sat down. Mondo's dick wasn't as big as Chris's, but he lacked the finesse that Chris had. Toby waited for the pain in his ass to fill the hollow in his chest, but it never got there.
Obviously, Mondo hadn’t hurt enough. If he couldn’t get the job done, Toby would look for others who could.
Rebadow stared at him as Toby stared at the board. "White goes first," he gently reminded him.
Toby touched a round-headed pawn with a fingertip, then suddenly became aware of its phallic imagery. Eight dicks eagerly stared up at him, waiting to be serviced, while eight more aggressively planned their attack.
Toby snorted as his dick twitched in his pants. He drew his hand backwards and moved his knight instead.
Rebadow slid one of his own pawns forward. "He still loves you, you know," he said.
Despite Rebadow’s calm demeanor, the words shot across the table, piercing Toby’s heart. Even in his fog, he heard them loud and clear.
"No, he doesn’t," Toby countered softly. "If that’s what God told you, you should go get your hearing checked."
Rebadow tilted his head. "I don’t need to hear God’s voice when I can use my own two eyes."
Toby moved one of his white pawns to directly challenge Rebadow’s black one.
"He was watching you last night," Rebadow continued. "He watches you all the time."
Toby responded with a grunt. It didn’t matter if Chris had watched what he’d done. All he knew was that Chris hadn’t cared enough to put a stop to it.
Rebadow captured his pawn. "As a matter of fact, he’s watching you right now."
Toby raised his head but successfully fought the urge to look around. A corner of his mouth shifted in a sad attempt at a smile. "Maybe you’ve got it wrong," he told Rebadow. "Maybe he’s watching you."
Rebadow smiled back at him. "I know my sexual magnetism is off the charts, but I lack those mystical qualities of yours that Keller finds irresistible."
"Used to find," Toby clarified. "Otherwise, he would never have allowed Mondo Browne to come within ten feet of me." A small sigh slipped out as he moved to protect his king.
"Keller still loves you," Rebadow repeated emphatically, "even if his actions suggest otherwise." He paused before adding, "I'm reminded of the time he broke your arms. He was in love with you back then, too."
"All we do is hurt each other," Toby quietly lamented. "Ninety percent brutality and ten percent love... that's what our relationship is. Or, was."
As Rebadow positioned a sacrificial pawn, a shadow fell over the table. Toby glanced up and saw Mondo standing over him, a leer on his face.
"Yo, Beecher," he called. "The food truck is runnin' late. I gots an unexpected break from kitchen duty, and I know just how I wanna spend it."
"Now?" Toby asked incredulously. He suddenly became conscious of all the people in the commons area, many of whom were watching their interaction with interest.
"Yeah, now," Mondo repeated impatiently. "My boy Leroy will stand guard while you tend to my business."
"We’re in the middle of a chess game," protested Rebadow.
Mondo snapped his head around. "Shut up, old man," he spat. "I don’t give a fuck what you’re doing. One more word from you, and I’ll dump all the cafeteria’s prune juice down the drain."
Rebadow fired a murderous glare in Browne's direction, but remained silent.
Toby stood and murmured, "It's okay, Bob." He tilted his chin up. Using a louder voice, he announced, "Besides, when it comes to Mondo's business, I'm pretty sure I can squeeze out a return on my investment."
Toby attempted a grin, but the effort fell short. Turning abruptly, he began walking toward his pod, and Mondo promptly followed in his wake.
Rebadow returned his attention to the board in front of him. When a body slid into the seat vacated by Toby, he didn’t bother to look up.
Chris studied the placement of the chess pieces. In a low voice, he said, "Thanks anyways."
"I’m sorry I wasn’t more persuasive."
"Regardless," said Chris, raising is head, "I owe you one."
Looking up slowly, Rebadow met his gaze. "Well… " he began. Then he hesitated, but only for a moment, before continuing. "I, for one, would shed no tears if Mondo Browne were to suddenly show up dead."
A smile broke out across Chris’s face. He gave Rebadow a short nod, silently agreeing to his suggestion. Then he quickly regained his composure and moved his queen toward Rebadow’s pawn, picking up where Toby had left off.
Main Characters: Tobias Beecher, Bob Rebadow, Chris Keller, Mondo Browne
Rating: R
Word Count: 871
Summary: Rebadow has ulterior motives when he invites Toby to play a game of chess.
Notes: Written in response to two prompts from
cmk418 for this summer's Oz Season-based Prompt-A-Thon. I chose Season 4a, and she gave me the Minor Character prompt of Bob Rebadow and the Quote prompt of "My relationship with Beecher started with brutality and that's where it's ending. Love was the smallest part." My original intention was to write this from Rebadow's POV, but Toby was calling to me instead.___________________________________
Toby paused as the words drifted slowly toward him. He heard them, felt their vibrations as they moved through Em City’s stale air, but his sleep-deprived brain barely registered their meaning.
"Care for a game?"
The words were louder this time, and Toby mechanically moved his head in their direction.
Rebadow sat alone at a table, looking patiently at Toby with his omniscient eyes. With a little flick of his hand, he motioned toward the chess pieces carefully arranged on the board in front of him.
Toby blinked. "Sure."
He pulled back a chair and gingerly sat down. Mondo's dick wasn't as big as Chris's, but he lacked the finesse that Chris had. Toby waited for the pain in his ass to fill the hollow in his chest, but it never got there.
Obviously, Mondo hadn’t hurt enough. If he couldn’t get the job done, Toby would look for others who could.
Rebadow stared at him as Toby stared at the board. "White goes first," he gently reminded him.
Toby touched a round-headed pawn with a fingertip, then suddenly became aware of its phallic imagery. Eight dicks eagerly stared up at him, waiting to be serviced, while eight more aggressively planned their attack.
Toby snorted as his dick twitched in his pants. He drew his hand backwards and moved his knight instead.
Rebadow slid one of his own pawns forward. "He still loves you, you know," he said.
Despite Rebadow’s calm demeanor, the words shot across the table, piercing Toby’s heart. Even in his fog, he heard them loud and clear.
"No, he doesn’t," Toby countered softly. "If that’s what God told you, you should go get your hearing checked."
Rebadow tilted his head. "I don’t need to hear God’s voice when I can use my own two eyes."
Toby moved one of his white pawns to directly challenge Rebadow’s black one.
"He was watching you last night," Rebadow continued. "He watches you all the time."
Toby responded with a grunt. It didn’t matter if Chris had watched what he’d done. All he knew was that Chris hadn’t cared enough to put a stop to it.
Rebadow captured his pawn. "As a matter of fact, he’s watching you right now."
Toby raised his head but successfully fought the urge to look around. A corner of his mouth shifted in a sad attempt at a smile. "Maybe you’ve got it wrong," he told Rebadow. "Maybe he’s watching you."
Rebadow smiled back at him. "I know my sexual magnetism is off the charts, but I lack those mystical qualities of yours that Keller finds irresistible."
"Used to find," Toby clarified. "Otherwise, he would never have allowed Mondo Browne to come within ten feet of me." A small sigh slipped out as he moved to protect his king.
"Keller still loves you," Rebadow repeated emphatically, "even if his actions suggest otherwise." He paused before adding, "I'm reminded of the time he broke your arms. He was in love with you back then, too."
"All we do is hurt each other," Toby quietly lamented. "Ninety percent brutality and ten percent love... that's what our relationship is. Or, was."
As Rebadow positioned a sacrificial pawn, a shadow fell over the table. Toby glanced up and saw Mondo standing over him, a leer on his face.
"Yo, Beecher," he called. "The food truck is runnin' late. I gots an unexpected break from kitchen duty, and I know just how I wanna spend it."
"Now?" Toby asked incredulously. He suddenly became conscious of all the people in the commons area, many of whom were watching their interaction with interest.
"Yeah, now," Mondo repeated impatiently. "My boy Leroy will stand guard while you tend to my business."
"We’re in the middle of a chess game," protested Rebadow.
Mondo snapped his head around. "Shut up, old man," he spat. "I don’t give a fuck what you’re doing. One more word from you, and I’ll dump all the cafeteria’s prune juice down the drain."
Rebadow fired a murderous glare in Browne's direction, but remained silent.
Toby stood and murmured, "It's okay, Bob." He tilted his chin up. Using a louder voice, he announced, "Besides, when it comes to Mondo's business, I'm pretty sure I can squeeze out a return on my investment."
Toby attempted a grin, but the effort fell short. Turning abruptly, he began walking toward his pod, and Mondo promptly followed in his wake.
Rebadow returned his attention to the board in front of him. When a body slid into the seat vacated by Toby, he didn’t bother to look up.
Chris studied the placement of the chess pieces. In a low voice, he said, "Thanks anyways."
"I’m sorry I wasn’t more persuasive."
"Regardless," said Chris, raising is head, "I owe you one."
Looking up slowly, Rebadow met his gaze. "Well… " he began. Then he hesitated, but only for a moment, before continuing. "I, for one, would shed no tears if Mondo Browne were to suddenly show up dead."
A smile broke out across Chris’s face. He gave Rebadow a short nod, silently agreeing to his suggestion. Then he quickly regained his composure and moved his queen toward Rebadow’s pawn, picking up where Toby had left off.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
Wonderful!
Date: 2018-09-03 07:58 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2018-09-03 08:02 pm (UTC)And I enjoyed this little exchange:
"Maybe you’ve got it wrong," he told Rebadow. "Maybe he’s watching you."
Rebadow smiled back at him. "I know my sexual magnetism is off the charts, but I lack those mystical qualities of yours that Keller finds irresistible."
I don't go out of the way to read a lot of Mondo Browne fics but I think you've nailed his character as well.
Thanks for participating in the Prompt-A-Thon!
(no subject)
Date: 2018-09-05 04:43 pm (UTC)LOL, a little of Mondo goes a long ways. :D
Thanks for giving me the prompts! It was a fun idea.
(no subject)
Date: 2018-09-03 08:05 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2018-09-05 04:44 pm (UTC)more comments :)
Date: 2018-09-05 07:25 am (UTC)Great description and dialogues of Toby & Rebadow.
I don't know why but I almost cried when I read the words: "He watches you all the time."...
"A small sigh slipped out as he moved to protect his king"... the way Chris *didn't protect* Toby like he should have, right? :(
I understand Chris, but It's sad that he didn't forgive Toby. It was a terrible time, with Querns taking over Em City.
It surprised me that Chris asked Bob to say all those things!
I love how you added another hidden reason for Chris to kill Mondo Browne.
"picking up where Toby had left off."... wonderful ending for a wonderful fic. There's more than one meaning to that sentence...
Re: more comments :)
Date: 2018-09-05 05:54 pm (UTC)I'm glad you liked my Rebadow dialogue. He can be a tricky character to write--he doesn't talk much, but his words carry a lot of weight.
Oooh, you picked up on my chess metaphors! I wasn't sure how obvious they were. I love it when things have more than one meaning/interpretation.
I understand Chris, but It's sad that he didn't forgive Toby.
I know what you mean--I have so many feelings about this! Toby was out of his mind with grief when he believed Chris was responsible for Gary's kidnapping, and Chris should have realized that. But at the same time, Toby's accusation clearly hurt Chris deeply (especially considering everything he'd done to win back Toby's trust), so I guess I can't say I blame him. And then Toby just sort of gave up and didn't even try to win Chris back! But I guess he was caught up in so much guilt and self-hatred that he couldn't see how winning Chris back was possible. I think that was what I found most frustrating, because I thought it was obvious that Chris still loved him. :(
Re: more comments :)
Date: 2018-09-06 09:00 pm (UTC)As I mentioned in my comment to your last fic, it was even worse that Toby gave up fast on Chris in S2, when they were still pod mates and he had much better conditions to try (at that night).
If he had done it, maybe Chris would have revealed the truth, and Toby's trust in him wasn't so fragile and he would know better than to believe Zabitz...
Chris had a general faith crisis at that time in S4, and maybe it caused him to take Toby's lack of trust in him with even more despair.
I think Toby tried to draw attention from Chris when he fucked other guys, and he was less upset with the outcome than he wished he would be...
Re: more comments :)
Date: 2018-09-07 04:52 pm (UTC)Your comment reminds me of one of my favorite lines from any Oz fic:
"It wasn't Shemin's death churning Toby's gut: it was how much he didn't care."
It just so perfectly sums up Toby at this point in the series. I think of that line a lot when I'm trying to get inside Toby's brain.
The line is from A CROOKED MILE, written by
Re: more comments :)
Date: 2018-09-08 04:45 am (UTC)I loved that line: "Gary would be home in his grandparent's fancy fucking mansion, playing croquet or riding unicorns or whatever the fuck it was Beechers did when they were alive and had all their limbs"...
I already read "Higher Education" thanks to the sequel in AO3 - definitely one of my favorite fics! :)
BTW, you are one of my favorite writers in AO3 :)
Re: more comments :)
Date: 2018-09-09 04:54 pm (UTC)BTW, you are one of my favorite writers in AO3 :)
Aww, thanks so much! You just made my day! ♥ ♥
Re: more comments :)
Date: 2018-09-08 04:53 am (UTC)I agree that line sums up Toby :)
I think Toby didn't trust Chris also because it was difficult for him to find out about the three murders (Mark Carachi etc.)
(no subject)
Date: 2018-09-11 08:34 pm (UTC)I really like that Toby's still feeling the after-effect of Mondo's cock. I always love that kind of detail. :-D And that his cock twitches just thinking about pawns as cocks. This Toby is so very messed up.
Copy edit note: "you should [ go ] get your hearing checked"
You have Rebadow's voice perfectly. I don't even know what it is that makes him distinct, but you've got him speaking aloud in my head. And I like that he's conniving.
(no subject)
Date: 2018-09-13 02:56 am (UTC)Alas, I haven't posted much fic this summer (or winter for you, I guess), but I am doing an Oz Rewatch and writing up my thoughts on that.
This Toby is so very messed up.
Well, that's my favorite kind of Toby! Happy Toby is boring. Luckily for me, Toby is rarely happy. ;)
I was very careful with Rebadow's voice, so I'm happy to hear that you thought it rang true. He's such a great character, and I really wanted to do him justice. It can be tempting to view him as some non-threatening old man, but he had his moments in the series that showed he could be just as vicious and vengeful as any other inmate in Oz.
Thanks for the commenting!
Copy edit note: "you should [ go ] get your hearing checked"
GAH. Thanks. Do you know how many times I read through this? (Answer: not enough) *sigh*