Suddenly wide awake, Cardin gaped up at the other boy, speechless in shock. In the course of the night, he hadn’t really stopped to consider what Keary’s reaction would be when he found out that he had joined the gang on the mission. Deep down, he’d imagined gratitude, respect, approval and acceptance… but he hadn’t once pictured the argent fury that was boring into him at this very moment.
“I… We…” He swallowed in a throat that had gone dry, struggling to find words. “We broke into the warehouse to finish the job… We succeeded, and everyone’s safely home now–”
“‘Safely’? ‘Safely’?? Then what’s this? ” Cardin’s wrist was snatched up in a vice grip and shaken harshly as Keary’s voice rose. “And this??” His chin was yanked upwards by fingers that felt like steel, forcing him to rise to his knees. “How did you get these??”
“I– I set a bomb, the blast pushed me forward and I fe–”
“‘Bomb’??”
“Keary, listen to me!” The words were coming back to him now, and he rushed to diffuse the other boy’s rising rage. “It was my bomb, my idea. There was an attacker behind Nigel, he didn’t see–”
“Nigel knew about this???”
The grip on Cardin’s hand and face tightened painfully, making him cry out.
“You’re hurting me!”
The iron hold on him suddenly released, and he fell to the ground. His head snapped up, but Keary had already risen from the bed and was storming out of the bedroom. Cardin picked himself up off the floor and stumbled quickly after him, but by the time he had caught up to Keary downstairs in the living room, the dark-haired boy had already retrieved his mobile from the pile of clothes discarded there from the previous night, and was pacing the room furiously, phone pressed against his ear.
“Keary, please–” he began as the line connected.
“NIGEL!” Keary hollered into the phone. “NIGEL, YOU FUCKING JOKER! WHO FUCKING TOLD YOU YOU COULD BRING HIM ALONG AND PUT HIM IN DANGER? I’M GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU, YOU HEAR ME? I'LL SKIN YOU ALIVE, YOU FUCKING FESTERING PIECE OF FILTHY SH–”
“No, Keary!” Cardin launched himself at the dark-haired boy, grabbing at the hand holding the phone. “Keary, listen to me! Nigel had nothing to do with it, it was all my idea! I was the one who forced them to bring me along, they didn’t want to, I was the one who–”
His plea broke off mid-sentence as Keary jerked roughly out of his grasp. He fell, hitting the floor once more. He saw Keary twist like a loaded spring, the arm holding the phone winding back, and instinctively flung his arms out in front of himself in defence, closing his eyes tight to brace for the blow. He heard the other boy bellow, followed by the loud crash of something smashing into glass, before the room went still.
Trembling, he looked up slowly to see that Keary had hurled the phone straight into the television, shattering both gadgets. The dark-haired boy stood with his back to Cardin, bare shoulders heaving as he glared unseeingly at the broken things. The white bandages along his back and arm were stained dark crimson. His fists, balled tight and hanging by his sides, were shaking.
After a few moments had passed, Cardin tried to break the silence. He had to say something, anything, that would get through to Keary; to explain, to appease his wrath.
“It was me. Keary, it was me. I was the one who insisted on joining them. Nigel said no, but I practically forced them to bring me along. I thought–”
“And who,” Keary cut in with a low, terrible voice, “gave you the right to butt into my business?”
The question hit Cardin like a shot in the chest. His throat shut tight, preventing any response from passing through. The blue eyes blinked rapidly, fighting to clear their vision of the tears that stung them so that they could watch Keary slowly turn to tower over him, casting a stark silhouette against the brightening windows, save for the biting silver burning holes through him.
“Do you even know what I do?” His voice, usually so soothing and darkly melodic, was a snarl. “Do you even know what it takes, to do the things I have to do?”
At this, the hurt and fear in him gave way to anger. Keary wasn’t the only one who knew fury.
“And how the hell could I know?” Cardin rose to his feet and drew himself up tall, pushing back tears. “Every time I ask you, try to find out more about you, all you do is evade and push me away! I keep trying to get closer to you, and you just keep–”
“And why do you think that is? You think this is something to be proud of?” Keary’s tone hardened. He advanced towards Cardin, aura threatening. “You remember that man who kidnapped you? Assaulted you, tied you up, beat you senseless? Almost killed you? That’s the kind of thing that I do! You have no idea the number of people–”
“I have no idea because you don’t let me! You shut yourself off from me, but then you get carried back in the middle of the night covered in blood–”
“That’s exactly why I didn’t want you to get too close! Because I know–” Keary’s words caught in his throat. Because I know you’ll leave me once you realise how much darkness is in my life. He grimaced, then burst out, “This is precisely the kind of life you said you wanted to leave behind when you said you wanted to stay!”
“I can take it!” Cardin shouted, slapping his hand to his chest. “If I did it before, I can do it again! I held my own against the four of them:”–he numbered them off on his fingers, feeling the anger build and rise inside him–“Shun, Mikka, Kumiko, Finn! And during the raid, I fought off a whole load of them on my own, without any of them stepping in to help! If the morningstar asshole had been there, I would have fought him as well, and I know for a fact that I could take you on too–”
His arm flashed towards Keary’s neck to grab him, intending to throw him to the ground, to show him how strong he could be, to stop this mad argument once and for all. He had the element of surprise, and there was no doubt in his mind that he could do it.
Suddenly wide awake, Cardin gaped up at the other boy, speechless in shock. In the course of the night, he hadn’t really stopped to consider what Keary’s reaction would be when he found out that he had joined the gang on the mission. Deep down, he’d imagined gratitude, respect, approval and acceptance… but he hadn’t once pictured the argent fury that was boring into him at this very moment.
“I… We…” He swallowed in a throat that had gone dry, struggling to find words. “We broke into the warehouse to finish the job… We succeeded, and everyone’s safely home now–”
“‘Safely’? ‘Safely’?? Then what’s this? ” Cardin’s wrist was snatched up in a vice grip and shaken harshly as Keary’s voice rose. “And this??” His chin was yanked upwards by fingers that felt like steel, forcing him to rise to his knees. “How did you get these??”
“I– I set a bomb, the blast pushed me forward and I fe–”
“‘Bomb’??”
“Keary, listen to me!” The words were coming back to him now, and he rushed to diffuse the other boy’s rising rage. “It was my bomb, my idea. There was an attacker behind Nigel, he didn’t see–”
“Nigel knew about this???”
The grip on Cardin’s hand and face tightened painfully, making him cry out.
“You’re hurting me!”
The iron hold on him suddenly released, and he fell to the ground. His head snapped up, but Keary had already risen from the bed and was storming out of the bedroom. Cardin picked himself up off the floor and stumbled quickly after him, but by the time he had caught up to Keary downstairs in the living room, the dark-haired boy had already retrieved his mobile from the pile of clothes discarded there from the previous night, and was pacing the room furiously, phone pressed against his ear.
“Keary, please–” he began as the line connected.
“NIGEL!” Keary hollered into the phone. “NIGEL, YOU FUCKING JOKER! WHO FUCKING TOLD YOU YOU COULD BRING HIM ALONG AND PUT HIM IN DANGER? I’M GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU, YOU HEAR ME? I'LL SKIN YOU ALIVE, YOU FUCKING FESTERING PIECE OF FILTHY SH–”
“No, Keary!” Cardin launched himself at the dark-haired boy, grabbing at the hand holding the phone. “Keary, listen to me! Nigel had nothing to do with it, it was all my idea! I was the one who forced them to bring me along, they didn’t want to, I was the one who–”
His plea broke off mid-sentence as Keary jerked roughly out of his grasp. He fell, hitting the floor once more. He saw Keary twist like a loaded spring, the arm holding the phone winding back, and instinctively flung his arms out in front of himself in defence, closing his eyes tight to brace for the blow. He heard the other boy bellow, followed by the loud crash of something smashing into glass, before the room went still.
Trembling, he looked up slowly to see that Keary had hurled the phone straight into the television, shattering both gadgets. The dark-haired boy stood with his back to Cardin, bare shoulders heaving as he glared unseeingly at the broken things. The white bandages along his back and arm were stained dark crimson. His fists, balled tight and hanging by his sides, were shaking.
After a few moments had passed, Cardin tried to break the silence. He had to say something, anything, that would get through to Keary; to explain, to appease his wrath.
“It was me. Keary, it was me. I was the one who insisted on joining them. Nigel said no, but I practically forced them to bring me along. I thought–”
“And who,” Keary cut in with a low, terrible voice, “gave you the right to butt into my business?”
The question hit Cardin like a shot in the chest. His throat shut tight, preventing any response from passing through. The blue eyes blinked rapidly, fighting to clear their vision of the tears that stung them so that they could watch Keary slowly turn to tower over him, casting a stark silhouette against the brightening windows, save for the biting silver burning holes through him.
“Do you even know what I do?” His voice, usually so soothing and darkly melodic, was a snarl. “Do you even know what it takes, to do the things I have to do?”
At this, the hurt and fear in him gave way to anger. Keary wasn’t the only one who knew fury.
“And how the hell could I know?” Cardin rose to his feet and drew himself up tall, pushing back tears. “Every time I ask you, try to find out more about you, all you do is evade and push me away! I keep trying to get closer to you, and you just keep–”
“And why do you think that is? You think this is something to be proud of?” Keary’s tone hardened. He advanced towards Cardin, aura threatening. “You remember that man who kidnapped you? Assaulted you, tied you up, beat you senseless? Almost killed you? That’s the kind of thing that I do! You have no idea the number of people–”
“I have no idea because you don’t let me! You shut yourself off from me, but then you get carried back in the middle of the night covered in blood–”
“That’s exactly why I didn’t want you to get too close! Because I know–” Keary’s words caught in his throat. Because I know you’ll leave me once you realise how much darkness is in my life. He grimaced, then burst out, “This is precisely the kind of life you said you wanted to leave behind when you said you wanted to stay!”
“I can take it!” Cardin shouted, slapping his hand to his chest. “If I did it before, I can do it again! I held my own against the four of them:”–he numbered them off on his fingers, feeling the anger build and rise inside him–“Shun, Mikka, Kumiko, Finn! And during the raid, I fought off a whole load of them on my own, without any of them stepping in to help! If the morningstar asshole had been there, I would have fought him as well, and I know for a fact that I could take you on too–”
His arm flashed towards Keary’s neck to grab him, intending to throw him to the ground, to show him how strong he could be, to stop this mad argument once and for all. He had the element of surprise, and there was no doubt in his mind that he could do it.
