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[L's doppelganger very noticeably gulps at the chilling stare Tony gives him, along with the implied warning. He nods hurriedly; he's a coward where L is perhaps too brave, to the point of recklessness. The duct tape still binds him, and he immediately starts struggling against it.

L, on the other hand, looks like a massive weight has just been lifted off his scrawny shoulders, allowing him to realize his own exhaustion. He blinks, staring at the situation as if seeing it for the first time, disquieted.]

I... will go do so. Immediately.

[He stands, shuffling toward the stairs with hurried steps. He's unsteady on his feet, but moves deliberately. He might as well be escaping a nightmare.]

I'll catch up with you in a while.

[He calls after L, fully intending to give him as much time away from his doppel as possible. It's clear he desperately needs a break.]

[It's a little weird (and frightening, not that Tony will admit that aloud) to see people actually cower and be intimidated by his posturing. Once upon a time tiny, scrawny and unimpressive Anthony has certainly come a long way. He's got the glower down, the posturing, and rapidly building the physique that could easily imply he could do some damage. He'd rather not, truth be told, but sometimes being able to glare down someone into not causing him any more trouble is worth it. Did he inherit that from his Other as well? Probably, guy like him, couldn't doubt he'd use that to his advantage.

But good, being a coward makes things easier on Tony. Giving L a break is important here and he'd really hate to have that trust shattered by losing track of this pain in the ass.]

You're a real trouble maker, you know that?

[He grumbles at the doppelganger, searching around until he locates a pair of scissors to deftly remove the tape. Geeze, what a mess.]

I think there's some Gatorade or something in the fridge, come on let's get some fluid in you and a shower. You stink.

[L slinks away rather quickly and without hesitance or ceremony. Whatever Tony said or did seems to have woken him up from the dire situation he'd created, and he's all too happy to leave it for just right now. He's off for a quick shower first, and by the time Tony gets his doppel that far, he'll be raiding the refrigerator and passing out on the couch in the commons with his hair still damp.

The second the duct tape is off from around his face and circling the back of his head, L's doppel is answering breathlessly.]

It's not my fault! It's my nature... I can't help it! My existence means I'm him, and the same things belong to me...

[He starts to stand, but wavers on his feet and loses his balance fairly quickly.]

It's not my fault I know better what Lazarus Lawliet wants than he does. Not my fault...

Edited 2015-03-18 04:02 (UTC)

[Good, they can talk about it later when no one is on doppelganger sitting duty. He can't blame L for his reaction, after everything that happened it's a wonder things didn't escalate more quickly. Even so, Tony's glad he was able to snap him out of his self-destructive cycle for the time being.]

But you're not him, are you? Not really, you've got his face and enough of his memories to get by, but you're not anything like him.

[Without even thinking about it he reaches out to catch the doppelganger by his elbow and right him, offering an arm to balance on.]

Maybe not, but your fault you took advantage of the situation. Do you even have the same kind of sense of morals we do, though?

[It's curious, he's never really taken the time to try to figure the doppelgangers out. Since usually they're either acting really weird at him or trying to torture him lately that hasn't exactly given the opportunity. Come on, not!L, you need hydration.]

[There will certainly be words later. Lazarus needs a friend right now, more than ever, and Tony will have the chance to feel necessary and helpful. For now... he'll have to generate it for himself, because L's doppel certainly won't be supplying it.]

A face and some memories, yeah. Seriously, what else is there? You thought I was him.

[He's quick to remind Tony of this fact, even if he's hoarse and his voice is cracking from lack of water.]

Don't get all high and mighty about it until you can actually tell us apart, you know? You thought he was tripping, but you still thought that it was him.

[He seems relatively perplexed by the question about morality.]

It's pretty simple, guy. I want to have sex. As much as possible, with as many people as possible. His boyfriend was an easy notch. He fucked the hell out of me and he loved it.

[He is and always will be L's friend, and will be there for him later. Right now the best thing he can do is give L a break and some alone time to sort himself out without his doppelganger causing problems.]

Only because the idea of copies running around was unthinkable, so don't think so highly of yourself just because you can pull off a convincing clown routine.

[Tony gives a gentle tug to try to lead him toward the kitchen. Water first, come come he doesn't have all day.]

I didn't know what the hell it was, so don't go trying to spin your webs around me.

[Of course he would. Do they even count as human, Tony has to wonder?]

Yeah, see, that right there? Fucked up. You got any sense of compassion, of consequence? Or do you only think about yourself and what you want? 'Cause it's sure lookin' that way from where I'm standing.

[L's doppel laughs, but it's nothing like the silvery, bright laughter Tony's heard from him before. It's dry and turns into a cough in fairly short order, the kind that sounds like it hurts.]

Come off it. It's not like you're even the only person I fooled. He was inside me, for instance, and he had no idea.

[Even now, in a state of such misery and neglect, he seems to take no small amount of pleasure from that memory. He even groans slightly.]

No? I really don't... it really is all about me and what I want. I wanted to fuck him, so I did, and then I did it a few more times. I liked each time. I liked that he was paying attention to me and wanting my body. I liked that I could give him something the "real version" couldn't. I think he likes a bit of a freak in the bed, if you ask me.

You really shouldn't be proud of that, dude.

[This guy, seriously. Is he even remotely capable of decency or does he have an allergy to it or something? Gross.]

I didn't ask you, so keep it to yourself, thanks. You got a serious problem there, dude. Maybe next time I'll just let him starve you to death after all. Come on hurry up get a move on, the less of you I have to deal with the better.

Why shouldn't I be proud?

[He challenges it with a weak tilt of his head.]

I won. I fucked someone who belonged to someone else. Multiple times! Ding, ding! Bonus score!

[He seems unconcerned by the threat, and unbothered by Tony's stark assessment as he's led gamely to the promise of a more comfortable situation.]

Don't you like to win~? Doesn't everyone?

[The understandable look of absolute disgust fades into something distracted and distant, eyes dilating and the familiar expression of a dawning echo hits him. And then, swiftly as it arrived it dissipates, Tony shaking himself free of its grasp.

Now the look he locks on L is sharper.]

My you're a wicked one, aren't you? No better than a demon.

[It's almost a low growl, a hiss of disgust and disapproval.]

And what does all of that get you? A boner, your ego stroked? Meanwhile you're spending your time chained to the man you wronged while he lets you slowly starve to death. It'd serve you right, an attitude like yours won't be fixed by teaching you compassion.

Because you don't have any, do you?

[Maybe he'll off The copy here and now, save Lazarus the trouble.]

Winning isn't worth it if it's ultimately damning your soul. But you wouldn't give a shit about that, would you?

[There's definitely a difference in the quality of Tony's gaze; it's not lost on the version of L who has less difficulty reading expression, but he seems relatively untroubled by the teen's assertion.]

Maybe I'll fuck him, too. He's lonely enough. Sad enough. He breathes like there's a scream trapped in his chest. If that's what having a soul is, I don't want one.

[The look is one the doppelganger may know well, as it so closely resembles that of Tony's own, a lip curled in absolute offense and disgust.]

Shut up. I've heard just about enough out of you. Get moving.

[Yes, sometimes it is like that. Like having a scream raging to get out and no vocal cords to release it. But it is so much more than that, and this creature, this pathetic sad excuse of existence would never be able to understand.

Still, even for something so pathetic Tony didn't have it in him to make him suffer. You're lucky he has soul where you do not, copy.]

[He smirks in response to that look, humming tunelessly as the proceed.

In his mind, he really has won, shattering his "original" in his quest to become the "real" one. He doesn't think he's done a terrible job.]

So you're going to feed me and bathe me? Sounds pretty erotic if you ask me.

I'm going to let you feed and bathe yourself while I make sure you don't get up to anything funny.

[He levels a flat and cold stare at the fake L, clearly unimpressed.]

I thought I told you to stop talking.

Or what? You'll bash my head in? After all that talk about how he's better than torturing me, you'll go ahead and do it anyway? I doubt it.

That's right, he is better than that. I stopped him so that he wouldn't become a monster.

[He levels a particularly predatory stare on the fake L, grinning in such a way as to show off his unusually sharp teeth.]

But I think we can all agree it's too late for me.

[Is he bluffing? Hard to say.]

[L's lecherous doppel tends to meet predatory with more of the same, but something about the way Tony's looking at him makes puts him momentarily off-balance. It's enough to interrupt his swagger, even if he works quickly to compensate and regain it.]

If someone's going to become a monster, there's only so much you can do to stop it, you know. You might think you're protecting someone's morals, but the impulses don't exactly go away.

The best way to deal with impulses is to just give in. It's not monstrous, it's completely natural.

[This is an entirely different kind of predatory, this is the "I am going to gut you and hang you by your entrails" predatory. Typically it is a better idea to not encourage that, fortunately the copy is smart enough to see the difference.]

I'm not surprised you'd say something like that, but the thing between what you are and a human is knowing when and how to not be ruled by it. He's not acting out of impulse, this isn't some base instinct of his he can't fight off. This is fury at what a disgusting anomaly you are, and I can't say that I blame him.

Now, shut up, and move. Or I find a closet to lock you in for a while and if you're lucky you'll get an apple.

Fine, fine...

[He practically spits the words, shuffling just ahead of Tony.]

What's gonna happen after this, anyway? If it's going to be more of that, I'm honestly kind of tempted to ask you to finish me off now. There's only so much even a disgusting anomaly can take.

[Finally. He was getting really tired of hearing the guy talk.

Move your ass unless you want to lose it, doppel.]

Depends on whether or not you learn some manners. I'd start studying if I were you.

[He seems really put-out about it, but he does move his bony ass.]

My manners are fine. What you're doing is ordering me to be someone I'm not. Your precious Lazarus would never ask you to do that, would he?

I'm ordering you to shut the hell up because I don't care to listen to your gloating. It's called basic common courtesy.

[Lazarus wouldn't need to tell him to shut up because Tony wouldn't be being outright disgusting and tactless. He at least has a basic understanding of courtesy, unlike this guy.]

You can't say anything nice, or in this case not disgusting, don't say anything at all. You don't just get to do whatever you feel like when it hurts other people because 'that's just how you are'. Bullshit.

I can say something nice. You have a fine ass for a short, stupid jerk. There you go.

[Tony blinks, expression shocked, then does this funny little backwards twist thing like he's trying to see what L's even looking at. Then huffs realizing he probably looks like a gullible idiot.

Not funny don't make fun of him like that.]

Yeah, right. You don't have to mess with me. But thanks I guess. Now, food. What d'you want?

[L's doppelganger stops in his tracks, staring at the sheer absurdity of the question.]

Bacon, of course. Lazarus doesn't keep it around.

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