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¢aius ʂtrauss


Reed looked at Alan for a moment, about to answer his question when something made him look back up. He stiffened and quickly wrapped an arm around Alan's waist. "There's no time, we have to go!" He picked the scientist up with ease and put him over his shoulder as he narrowly dodged a strike from Caius.
"No, don't leave." Caius said in an eerily gentle tone. His eyes, when visible through his hair, were practically glowing with hatred, and his casual smile made it creepier. Large black wings sprouted from his back, feathers covered his forearms and gave them the appearance of claws. "We have so much to catch up on!"
Reed clenched his jaw and jumped sideways with each lunge from Caius. They managed to get away from the park and to the car parked a little ways off, to which the musician put Alan on his feet. "I'll explain everything later. Start the car while I hold him off!" he ordered while eyeing the flying man. He lifted his arm and pointed his strange gun at the beast then fired.
Caius dodged at the last second. He paused for a second to recover himself then looked back at Reed and flew straight at him.

¢aius ʂtrauss


By the time Alan had gotten in the car, Reed and Caius was entangled in close combat. Caius was overpowering Reed, who was struggling to keep his grip on the claws that were right now trying to punch him.
"I heard your daughter is gone." Caius grinned pleasantly as he applied pressure to the man, his teeth fangs now. "Such a shame. It must be hard losing someone you care about." he snarled through his teeth.
Reed winced as he felt Caius exert more pressure. He wouldn't last much longer, and his focus was badly shaken by Caius' words. How did he know about-?
He turned his head to see Alan turning the car on. He looked back forward to the furious man and swiftly headbutted him. Caius let out a yelp and immediately released the musician, grabbing his nose instead. He hadn't expected that. By the time he lowered his hand, Reed was in the car that drove off. He snarled and flapped his wings, only for one of them to get shot.
"Drive to my apartment!" Reed yelled over his shoulder as he pointed his gun at Caius from outside the car window. He fired another bullet at the beast before he could chase after them again. Those wounds would distract him long enough for them to get out.

Ellery nodded, sitting on the bench beside Fredrich and crossing his legs. He tried to keep himself from bouncing, but he was just too excited. He loved surprises! What was it? A puppy? Oh, he hoped it was a puppy. He loved animals. "I wish you'd give me a hint," he said, wrapping his arms around one of Fredrich's and looking all around.

"The fountain, I think," answered Basil, rubbing his neck absently. It still hurt from the drive that was longer than he'd expected it to be. "I don't know. His voice is so low, I can barely make out one word from the next."

"Really?" He leaned his head on Fredrich's shoulder, looking up towards the sky. "Change my life, huh?" Maybe it was a dog. Dogs tended to change family dynamics.

Basil kept walking, silent at first, then nodding. "More than I've ever been. I really hope he likes me." He chuckled nervously. "I mean, I'm not the coolest, smartest, any of that, but I hope that he likes me for me. It's weird, you know? I can't get my head right."

The teen blushed. "You're too nice to me," he gushed, then pointed at a dark figure in the distance. "Hey, is that him?" he asked, the fountain now in sight.

Confused, Ellery stood, the puzzled expression on his pretty face never altering. What was he talking about? He hadn't been this mushy since he gave Ellery that ring (the thought of it made the silver tingle from around his neck, a perpetual reminder of his future). He blinked twice at the last sentence, even more confused than before. "An uncle?" he repeated, then finally looked over to where Fredrich had been looking before. A young boy, no older than sixteen, and a tall man with dark hair and a strange, casino-like uniform were coming towards them. He glanced back to Fredrich, then back to the couple, his eye catching something about the boy. He had dark hair, almost black, but it was easy to discern the round ears in his hair. A tail flicked out behind him, helping him keep his balance. It wasn't until they were closer that the songwriter saw those pretty hazel eyes, just like his stepmother's.
"Oh my God," he whispered, taking a few short steps away from Fredrich.
Basil stopped several feet away from Ellery, taking in the sight of his elder brother. He looked almost exactly like he did in the photos, albeit older and a little more tired. But nothing could disguise those vibrant green eyes, nor that shining "Little Brother" necklace around his neck. It was the near copy of his own, although he was certain that his would fit around the one around Ellery's neck. A perfect match.
Ellery looked over the boy, taking another cautious step. "... Basil?" he whispered after a few minutes.
The mouse swallowed the lump in his throat, then nodded, taking a step closer to Ellery and away from Dealer. "You're... You're my big brother, right?" he asked, voice small.
Ellery nodded in reply, moving closer slowly. Once they were close enough, he reached up a shaky hand touching Basil's cheek. Tears escaped his eyes, and when Basil looked up at Ellery's face, he saw that the taller male was crying too. "You look just like Dad." Ellery smiled through his tears, leaning forward and setting his forehead on Basil's.
Basil closed his eyes when Ellery did, then moved his head to the side and embraced his brother, hugging him tightly and sobbing into his shoulder. The elder brother hugged him back, his hand moving from Basil's cheek to the back of his head and smoothing down his hair. He didn't want to ever let him go, fearful that if he did, he'd lose him all over again.