Page 69 of Inbetweeners
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Phoenix drifted off to sleep quickly, while Emmett stayed awake thinking. His head buzzed. Did Phoenix’s confession about what he’d done at the age of ten make any difference to the way Emmett felt about him? No, it didn’t. Emmett liked him. Yes, he could be an arsehole at times, but he still liked him. Phoenix was brave. A lot braver than Emmett would have been. It wouldn’t be difficult to find out more about him. Googleten-year-old kills parentsand something would come up. Emmett had no memory of that event making the headlines, but he’d have been ten too. He’d had little interest in the news at that age.
But to send Phoenix to Hell for a crime committed when he was so young? He’d been a kid trying to protect his mother, then do the…kindest thing he thought he could do for her. If Emmett had been sitting in judgement, there was no way Phoenix would have gone to Hell for that. So maybe there was something else.
He also couldn’t help thinking about Vin. What if the demon inside Phoenix was having more of an influence than Phoenix thought? Orcouldhave more influence. Phoenix’s assurances about not taking Emmett to Hell might come to nothing. Vin might give him no choice. Dull as Heaven was, Emmett was sure he’d prefer that to the Hell Phoenix had described.
Maybe if the two of them managed to complete this…task they’d been given, there was a way to get Phoenix another chance. Emmett could speak up on his behalf, or maybe they could do more work for Tar and stay for longer.
The more time he and Phoenix spent together, the more attached Emmett would become. He could already feel it happening. Good thing or bad? It might only be because this was the most he’d talked to anyone in a long time, the firstsort ofsex for even longer, but Emmett didn’t think so. It was the sheerwantthat was making his head spin. And it wasn’t just him feeling it. Phoenix did too. Emmett had whined and bitched and Phoenix hadn’t really cared. They’d called each other names, pissed each other off, and none of that mattered.
In a weird way, Phoenix had brought out the best in Emmett.I thought I didn’t care, that I liked being alone, but I was wrong.He’d been wallowing in self-inflicted misery since he’d found himself in Heaven.Maybe before that.In giving up his memories, he’d almost wrecked what was happening now. He’d spent too long moaning that Heaven was dull. It was his fault it was dull. And he wasn’t going to blame his fucking horrible parents because really—he’d been treated like a prince compared to Phoenix. And Harry. For Harry’s parents not to even come to identify his body…What bastards!
Emmett hadn’t done anything to deserve being liked. Maybe that was the way he'd been when he was alive, but this was his chance to be different.I can be kind and caring.That facility hadn’t gone, just disappeared for a while. And if he’d been cold and aloof before he died, then it was even more important now to be the man he should be.
He wanted to help Phoenix. Emmett couldn’t let him get sent back to Hell. Emmett shifted closer to him and closed his eyes. He felt fingers wrap around his cock and he sighed. Only the grip was too tight, the drag too rough.Ouch.
“What…?” He opened his eyes to see Phoenix smiling at him, the tie that had bound their hands dangling from his fingers. Except it wasn’t Phoenix.Oh shit.It looked like Phoenix, but the eyes were wrong, blue but tinged with silver and as Emmett stared, the pupils turned to vertical slits.
“Like that, Emmett?” Not-Phoenix asked.
“No, stop it. Just a head’s up, Vin, I prefer my cock to stay attached to my body for future use.”
Vin laughed. “Mr Sharp. I can be gentle. See?”
His touch changed, but it was too late. Fear had wriggled its way through Emmett’s body to deflate his dick and shrivel his balls.
“You let the air out,” Emmett said.
“You’re easily punctured.” Vin released him.
Emmett tried not to show his relief. “What do you want?”
He was so fucking scared. He could feel the menace pouring from Vin. He didn’t smell like Phoenix. There was something chemical about Vin. Every cell in Emmett’s body urged him to run, and he couldn’t. He wouldn’t leave Phoenix with Vin in charge. Vin would probably find something horrible to do to him, or make him do something horrible.Maybe Ishouldtry to run.
“What do you want?” Emmett repeated. “You’ve used Phoenix to come to the surface, but what do you want?”
Vin stroked his finger down Emmett’s cheek. “He’s not supposed to like you. You’re dull, he’s bright. You’re dreary, he’s fun. You were born a worm, you died a worm and you’re still a snivelling worm. Phoenix will rise from his ashes to become a king.”
“Except you think it will be you who rises, not Phoenix. Except you can’t control him.”
The flash of anger that rolled across Phoenix’s face told him what Vin thought of that.
“Thenyoulet me in instead, angel. Kiss me.”
“Fuck off.”
A hand closed around Emmett’s throat and squeezed. Emmett gasped and tried to drag the fingers from his neck, but he couldn’t break Vin’s grip on his throat.
“Invite me into your body and kiss me.” Vin’s eyes glittered.
“No,” Emmett managed to say before speech was taken from him along with the ability to breathe.
“Then tell him to let me take over or you’ll be in Hell within a day.” Vin kept squeezing and Emmett thought his head was going to explode.
“Who’s in control now?” Vin laughed. “I can keep doing this. You have nine lives. Well, you did. You lost two and now you’re losing a third.”
Emmett thrashed around, trying to kick out, to hit Phoenix hard enough to wake him up, but the grip on his throat was tightening, and he could feel himself growing weaker. His limbs felt leaden, his head hurt, and his vision blurred as he fought to suck air into his lungs. Fought and failed.Oh God, not again.The world blinked out.
