Quote:
occurs immediately after Burning through time
The door to his apartment slammed shut, only to bounce back open at the impact, vibrating at the abuse it took. Aelius stopped his forward motion to turn and shove it closed with finality. His hand braced against the blue door before his body joined it, leaning against it like a life line. He took a moment to lock the bolt. It felt like every ounce of himself was used up with that one movement but he forced himself away with a gentle push.
Keys were deposited in their usual place on his counter, the tink of the ceramic bowl promising his half-assed attempt to toss them into their home was a success. Not pausing, the young man moved into his living room and promptly sat on couch. Elbows pressed into the top of his knees while his head dropped into his hands.
So much wrong had just happened and he was still trying to fully process it all.
The fire that had kept him moving, had gotten him to his house was now gone. Instead, Aelius was left bone tired. Every part of him, mind, body and soul, just ached in a way he hadn’t felt in such a long time. Years in fact. Part of it was his doing and the other part..well, the other party damn well knew how he felt.
The meeting had been a s**t show from the moment Aelius had walked into Emmy’s apartment. He had already been wiped out and to find his own brother sitting on that couch like it was the most normal thing in the world for him to be there had completely thrown him for a loop. A loop that quickly spiraled out of control. Aelius was willing to accept he had ******** up. Emotions had risen high and he’d lashed out in the only direction he had. It was like he was nothing more than a newly fledged recruit again taking out every ounce of his ire on the cause of his pain without thought of repercussions.
But ******** damn if the anger hadn’t been warranted. What did Faustite expect keeping something like this hidden? Had he been under some strange impression that Aelius would never be in the same room as Trey powered down? The results of the meeting were the perfect example why certain things shouldn’t be kept hidden.
And to tell albite before anyone else? Helio’s hands fisted into his hair.
Add onto the fact that he’d just ******** proved himself incapable of tact in front of the whole god-damned team and Aelius almost felt like the entire encountered had been nothing more than a well placed trap. Faustite’s own reaction to Aelius seeing Trey guaranteed the whole encounter had been anything but planned.
He heaved a sigh and sat back, letting his head lean awkwardly on the back of the couch, stretching his neck out like an offering if any should dare.
And Trey. His brother had looked exactly as he remembered. The expression on his face after Albite flourished out introductions had been so painful to see. Desperate to believe but terrified at the same time. Had he thought it was a trick? A joke? Some ******** sick joke to play on a teammate if that had been the case. How the older sibling had practically leapt from the couch to Aelius said so much. But, the way he’d left. That controlled balance between emotions was a long lost talent of Aelius’s. Something that died with Rowan.
He feared that simmering rage had chosen him as a target as well. That was a hurdle Aelius wasn’t ready to tackle even at his brother’s request to see him ********. Later. It was too soon and too far.
Aelius grabbed at the grey knit blanket that continued to lay draped over the back of the couch and let himself drop onto his side. As expected, the furniture's stiff cushions made a very undesirable resting place but he didn’t care. The thought of moving himself to his bed felt like too much of a task. Instead, he curled up with the blanket.
He felt so alone at that moment. He’d gained someone so incredibly important to him, but felt like he’d lost more in the process. Pulling the blanket up closer to cover him entirely, Aelius grabbed one of the small scratchy throw pillows and shoved it roughly under his head as tears he hadn’t even realized were at the forefront began to drain from his eyes. He wiped them roughly with the blanket though they continued to leak even past now closed eyes.
Exhaustion was the only thing that spared the young man from laying there and ruminating over every last minute detail of the night's proceedings. Instead, he’d get to do it upon waking. What was shoved to the side for would only come to haunt him again later.