Base. Instinct. verseXVelvetKitty

[Verse]

Rowan had always taken care of Joseph.

They were like the good parts of brothers. Rowan had badness in him and he always meant to spread it around. The other children he palled around with were rotten, and bound to be worse. He liked it in the midst of them. It was all he ever cared to know. But when they circled the bird-boned Joseph, something tasted wrong in Rowan's mouth. He had stopped them that day, and he and Joe had been attached ever since. Maybe Rowan liked the good that followed Joseph. He did a lot of bad things so Joe could stay good. Rowan had found that he liked protecting something. Something that was his. He even followed Joe to a short stint at college before they got jobs at the same company.

The new work pulled them apart. It was good pay and it turned out to be a pretty good life. Every time he saw Joe, Joe seemed happy enough. Bright smiles in a blue suit. And the bosses liked the darker streak in Rowan. Had him do things that made it hard to explain to other people. But at least he got good compensation so his lower booksmarts still put him at the same salary bracket as Joe. Over all, Rowan was grateful.

Until there was a woman.

She was like Joe, with he bright smiles. Rowan thought she was beautiful too, the first time he saw her. But when she put her arm around Joe's, Rowan thought of the already bloodied shovel in the back of his new, black car, given to him by the bosses of this multifaceted company. The teeth in her smiles looked sharp to the would-be older brother then. Because she was a predator with a pretty face and decent tits. She mesmerized Joe.

At first it wasn't much. Rowan had scared away tougher girls before. There was a reason Joe never had long relationships. But when Joe confided in him that the girl was pregnant, and that they were ecstatic to keep it, Rowan knew he'd made a mistake to let her be around for so long. What a monster.

So now the tall figure that had always loomed about Joseph Marner like a thick shadow, protecting and isolating him, had a dilemma. He smoked about it, a bad habit that had kept his face almost gaunt in its youth even when his shoulders grew. He liked the tar tendrils on his tongue, it helped him to think and it reminded him of the person he would have been without his beloved, weak friend. He needed to show Joseph just the kind of menace she was. He smiled into the filter when he realized how you convince someone their significant other is rotten. Because she was. She had to be. Nothing good would come between Rowan and his Joseph.

Rowan tied his black hair back and swallowed the next mouth of smoke. He killed the cigarette with his thumb and buried it in his chest pocket.

He just had to show his friend the kind of unmitigated whore he'd impregnated.

 

[VelvetKitty]

Jessica​ Jessica had met the love of her life. Tall, loving, and kind, Joseph was the perfect gentleman in every way. She was an administrative assistant at his office. Despite her college degree, it was a position with even less prestige than the receptionist and none of the job security of the janitor. But, good jobs were few and bills had to be paid. Her life was defined by a mix of stress and ennui. It had gotten to a state where she had briefly considered becoming a stripper, at least then someone would appreciate her contribution. She certainly would have made more than her current job. She was a brunette with her long wavy hair, worn in a ponytail during work hours. But, it could be let down into a luxurious mane. Combined with her perfect hourglass figure, she would have made any Victorian man salivate. Standing at 5'4" with coffee coloured eyes that twinkled when she spoke and a ready smile hiding her inner apathy, she could pass under most people's radar during a regular workday, but could effortlessly command attention when she put in the effort to do so. Meeting Joseph was a scene straight out of a cliched romance. She had dropped some files and he had stopped to help pick them up. An invitation to dinner was followed by regular dates and weekend trips. It seemed they really only had each other with the amount of time they spent together. It was not far from the truth. Jessica had drifted away from her friends when she moved to the city, and Joseph seemed to only have that one weird friend. Rowan, who worked some blue collar role at the company. Joseph listened. He was considerate. A simple turn of phrase or gift at exactly the right time would send shivers down Jessica's spine. Her kisses were given freely and were reciprocated with burning passion. Jessica did not know how he did it, but Joseph smelled like fresh laundry even after a long day at work, with only the slightest hint of musk. She liked placing her cheek against his chest, listening to the slow steady beat of his heart. His arms around her made her feel like the world was a safe place and nothing could threaten her. Sex with him was magical. They did it frequently and vigorously in his apartment, hers being too small to accomodate them both. Soon, there wasn't a single piece of furniture in the place where he had not taken her. Jessica loved clinging onto him as he carried her around the place. Propping her up against the walls. Splaying her on the dining table. Taking her from behind on his bed. She had helped clean up afterwards of course, but if anyone was ever murdered in the apartment, the forensics blacklight would be quite useless in determining the position of any washed stains. Joseph was generous to a fault. She soon moved into his apartment, bidding good riddance to the rent that was eating up most of her paycheck. With their combined incomes, they figured they could afford the downpayment for a house if they saved and scraped for a few months. Their timing was impeccable. It had been six months since Jessica was pregnant with their child and the Obstetrician had told them it was a girl. They were estatic. At long last, it seemed life was finally going her way. ​