. even with that prevailing thought in the back of his mind that he wants ky’lar to win ( if only not to feel PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE for bringing his friend in and caging him with whatever means necessary to prevent such mass casualty again ) bobby knows he can’t waste time. the terms are laid out and the icy mutant gives a short nod of assent. he’s looking to immobilize ky, knock him out if he has to, but they’re pretty evenly matched.
IT WON’T BE AN EASY FIGHT.
lips press together and he gathers the condensation in the air, funneling it into a blast of ice directed right at his friend’s feet. if he can freeze him in place, even for a little while, it gives him more opportunity to strike the finishing blow.
IT NEVER WOULD BE AN EASY FIGHT.
even when they used to train, ky had warned bobby OVER AND OVER AGAIN about what could happen, and how he could lose control of himself. back then, his abilities were only able to be used when he was angry, and EVERY LITTLE THING set him into a spiral of pure unrestrained HATRED.
over the years, he had learned to EMBRACE that part of him to keep it untamed and ready to strike at any given time. ready, to be unleashed at the first person who -in his mind- deserved it. for the moment, that was – someone who he could consider . – a friend. all he had to do was time everything just right and he could end it quickly.
he knew how bobby fought or used to fight at least. knew that it was going to be a game of speed on the part of them both. a reason to why he moved as quickly as he could forward; hoping to not just escape the blast, but also close the distance between them.
❝ is that… all you got? ❞ maybe it wasn’t the best thing to say, but truth be told he didn’t care at the moment. ❝ maybe you need to go back to school. ❞ ironic since it was ky who should have stayed there longer, but none the less, he wasn’t going to do anything drastic… at least to bobby.
❝ or maybe, ❞ he said, moving to send a fist towards his friends chest, ❝ you should clean up after me like the old days. ❞
. the stench of sulfur fills the kelpie’s nostrils, obscuring the rich aroma of blood throbbing just beneath his thumb poised on this victim’s throat. a DEMON. his fury is immediate, rotten-corpse body stiffening and the sharp nubs of his spine pressing hard at the flat expanse of his suit jacket. his cheeks are sunken with hunger, and NOTHING will stop him from this feast. he will consume this fledgling witch body and soul. ❝ you’ll not rob me of this one, demon. her soul is beyond your reach, and whatever pathetic allegiance she may have to your kind cannot save her. ❞
❝ you forget yourself, ❞ the words were said cooly; no traces of malice behind them at all. in-fact, it even surprised the demon himself on how expertly he managed to pull it off. ❝ the soul of that one means NOTHING to me. ❞ it was, in all reality, the truth; one soul wouldn’t make or break him. ❝ take her soul – take a HUNDRED other’s. ❞ no, they could have their feast; have several in-fact. it didn’t matter to him. not truly at any-rate. ❝ it matters not to me, ❞ he said bluntly. ❝ an’ it’s not why i’m here. ❞
. that’s the damn truth. anything DIFFERENT is wrong. luckily bobby at least LOOKS normal and can play well enough at ACTING normal that he can pass in society. not everyone’s so lucky, and it’s those people bobby tries to stand up for. even the dangerous ones. like KY’LAR.
bobby snorts, eyes rolling in a measure of petulance that makes his privilege SO obvious. ❝ yeah, that’s convenient. years later you claim you cared all along, you were just trying to protect us. ❞ it’s scathing, even moreso than he’d thought himself capable of.
❝ i’m starting to think your family isn’t the problem. it’s YOU. it’s always been YOU. too scared to let someone close, you gotta run away and destroy shit in the process. whatever, i’m over it.
❞
oh, bobby was spot on. he was RIGHT. if things were under the CORRECT circumstances ( or even said the proper way ), ky wouldn’t have left – hell, an arrangement could have been made so he could have stayed. all it would have taken was some bargaining.
the only problem was that back then ky was TERRIFIED; even more so than he was now. when he left, he wanted to not deal with rules OR even training, and looking back on it? it was BOTH a mistake and BLESSING at the same time.
he wasn’t ready back then to deal with everything – all he could do was run. DESTROY everything around him and then RUN away from what he had just did. it was a CONSTANT cycle, but at lease these days he had LEARNED to focus his attention ( even if he didn’t think it was needed ).
❝ or, maybe, ❞ a step forward was taken and ky’s right hand moves to touch bobby’s shoulder for a moment, ❝ it was the WHOLE LOT of YOU. ❞ his words burned; even as he said them, but they needed to be said – at least maybe then ky could GATHER himself together once again. ❝ i was given a CHOICE to stay or leave; i MADE mine due to the fact I- ❞ the words caught in his throat as he tried to control his breathing and his RAGE that seemed to be burning at the back of his mind.
a reason to why he SUCKED in a deep breath and closed his eyes TIGHTLY as his mouth went dry due to the words he was about to speak. ❝ i wanted it gone. i wanted EVERYTHING gone. ❞
. however tempting it is to make ky repeat himself, bobby realizes pushing his luck is only going to make him LESS inclined to continue this streak of good deeds. ❝ alright, alright, don’t get your panties in a twist. ❞ there’s a smile on his face, however, one that urges ky’lar to smile too. crazy as it sounds, ky’s probably his closest friend…if also one of the most unpredictable. ❝ thank you. ❞
there was a slight grin that pulled on his lips. it lasted, but a moment, and then it vanished. still, it was there all the same. ❝ if i had them in a twist, ❞ he mused, grin pulling at his lips, ❝ there is no doubt that you’d be on the ground with my knee in your stomach. ❞ or, in other words, ky would have pinned bobby to the ground – just out of spite. ❝ among other things, of course. ❞
. even knowing ky’lar is needling him, speaking to his exact fears, it has the intended effect and roman’s chest is filled with gnawing doubt. what if it’s NOT worth it? oh he loves wes, will do ANYTHING for wes, but what if he’s sacrificing himself for nothing? what if ky is stringing him along with no intent to ever deliver his end of the bargain, finding loophole after loophole that roman hasn’t performed as promised?
❝ you’re wrong. ❞ still, his voice wavers, lips pressing together briefly so the skin around them goes white.
❝ maybe your family’s shit, but mine’s not. but i guess that’s too much for you to understand, so i’ll quit trying to explain. ❞ he shrugs the demon’s hand off his shoulder and straightens his suit jacket.
❝ all families are shit, ❞ he said far more bluntly than absolutely needed. if roman was going to explain, ky would voice his own point for the matter, but the truth of it was… his experience was different than most. he wouldn’t get into it, but he knew that some people would do anything for their families; his own included. he’d seen his father protect him even when ky didn’t think he would.
a reason to why the demon believed there was a bond there; it wasn’t exactly one made a blood either, but it was just as strong. something that while ky didn’t understand it… he couldn’t deny that it would with-stand the test of time. unless some fool tried to break it ( there was a reason he avoided family reunions ). ❝ it doesn’t matter what they do… eventually, they will all let you down.❞
❝ the sooner you learn to accept that little fact, the sooner you come to realize that you don’t – no you never need them. ❞ unless, they manage to save your ass, but that wasn’t the point.
ky’s lapse in his usual morality was a change of pace, but he wasn’t going to repeat himself. instead, he crossed his arms over his chest with a grunt as he shifted his gaze towards bobby. “that this won’t last an’ this is the last ‘good’ thing you’ll see from me.” a pause. “for a while at least.”
. roman realizes too late the unqualified statement gives ky’lar free rein to order him to a vast array of tasks, limited only by his own creativity. he doesn’t want to trust that that creativity will be short-lived. he swallows thickly, fear spiking through his thoughts and leaving a lingering feeling of shame. never in his life did he think he’d be at a demon’s beck and call, yet here he is. but if it helps wes, it’s WORTH it.
there’s still a spark of fury in his eyes as they raise to meet ky’lar’s gaze, jaw tense with the effort to hold back the biting remarks on his tongue. he can’t hold them all back, however. ❝ that’s what decent people do. ❞ there’s the implication there, that roman’s decent and ky’lar’s not, but that’s not news to EITHER of them.
❝ maybe if you had a brother like wes you’d understand. ❞ his voice is strangely soft, not as angry as he expects it to be, almost as though he’s begging ky’lar for some kind of mercy or empathy ( neither of which he should expect to get. )
❝ maybe if i was human i’d understand, ❞ he shot back – sarcasm lacing every single letter of his tone. oh, he could on for days about what he never understood, but this wasn’t the time nor place for it. let alone with roman. ❝ people are willing to sell their souls for trinkets such as a house – a credit card and even a good marriage. ❞ he smirked. ❝ you did this for family – a brother and you want to know the truth, roman? ❞
ky placed his hand on the other’s shoulder. ❝ i don’t care about you. nor what you’ve done to help your brother. ❞ there was a slight amount of hesitation for a moment, but then he continued on anyways. ❝ families are shit – the sooner you learn you don’t need them? the sooner you forget about them and realize you don’t need them. ❞
. ky’lar’s answer is the one bobby expects, if not the one he HOPES for. he can feel himself bristle a little at the implication that bobby doesn’t know him anymore. just because some time has passed and they’ve HAD to go separate ways. not exactly easy to stay in contact when ky’s in the wind and bobby’s….well, a superhero, basically.
❝ just fyi, i TRIED to keep in touch. you’re the one who couldn’t be found. ❞ yeah there’s a bit of an edge to his tone. they’d been friends once, and maybe there’s still a foundation of that friendship there. they just happen to be on opposite sides. and if bobby’s gotta try to take him down, it’s definitely not personal.
❝ it didn’t have to be this way, ky. you wouldn’t be the first ‘bad guy’ hero. not like the world likes mutants anyways. ❞
❝ humanity hates anything that isn’t exactly clear cut as the rest of them. ❞ not that he could blame them. humans were ultimately simple minded creatures, but they were ( for the most part ) extremely dangerous. they make mutants, demons, and enhanced individuals seem like children. though, most children couldn’t blow up buildings with their mind, or anything like that.
❝ when i left… i did so to keep you and the others safe. ❞ it wasn’t the entire truth, but maybe if he stayed… things would have turned out better. still, ky never did like rules, and it was to that reason he was wanted by half the world by now ( especially with a few of his much larger stunts ). ❝ it was easier that way than having any of my family. who decided to drag me back a month after i left, by the way, show up, and kill everyone in their sights. ❞
. that’s…not at all the reaction bobby expects. and so he stares, and he stares some more, trying to find the loophole, trying to find the LIE. is this a trick? while he’d like to think ky won’t trick HIM, bobby’s not stupid enough to think he’s some kind of magical exception to the rule. he’s not ky’lar’s soft spot, even if he might wish he was.
he’s reminded of a conversation years ago, when bobby promised he’d put him down if he got out of control. now that it might actually have to happen, it seems surreal. bobby nods, swallowing thickly.
❝ that’s fair. ❞ and the thought circling his mind as he ices up is that he kinda hopes ky wins.
once, he would have avoided this at all costs – to keep himself from getting into the amount of trouble he couldn’t handle. now? he thrived in it. no, to be specific, he lost himself in it. that way, he didn’t have to worry about the consequences of his actions. nor did he feel like they were necessary to think about at any-rate.
❝ very fair. ❞ ky could have said that it would happen either way, but he wasn’t in the mood to explain himself. no, they both had limited time, and ky wasn’t going to be dragged in. nor was he going to allow himself to be brought in. that way, he could sort this mess of his out… on his own time.
❝ so, ❞ he said, taking a few steps back and glancing up at the sky for a moment, ❝ no holding back, no pulling punches, and the first one to be unable to fight… for whatever reason or yields wins.❞ not that it mattered; ky didn’t want to hurt bobby, but even he understood the state of affairs these days.
more importantly, a fight would happen either way. a reason to why his next words – even if he hated saying them – were said more out of resolve than anything else. ❝ so, i believe it’s your move. ❞
“you know – maybe i don’t have one.” then again, most his own jokes proved to be extremely fatal ( for anyone involved ). “ i suppose not that bad, but still….pretty bad.” even if he wasn’t the most qualified to judge.
Hellfirebound 