Keep Your Enemies Close

The abruptness of the attack left him unable to defend himself from getting hurt, the hard blow he took when flung into the wall causing a nosebleed, though the blood eased up in seconds, as did the wound on the back of his head. The dizziness took a little longer to disappear, though the sight of the attacker in the air quickly cleared it away. He didn't recognise the other as the villain that had hurt him in his childhood, though he was hit with an instant hatred he couldn't completely explain. The features might be different to what he remembered but he instantly knew this was the same person he had harboured so much resentment for over the years - knowing the villain that ran rampant in the city could alter his features provided him with the evidence, at least.

"...You've got a fucking nerve showing up to my house after all these years-- I bet you don't remember me, do you? You're so self-entitled and arrogant that I bet I never even crossed your mind-- I bet you thought I was dead. It's a miracle I'm not, actually. How many kids survive an explosion like I did?" He began surprisingly calmly, leaning against the house with a faint shudder at the cold night air. It was hardly going to deter him from enjoying the moment, however, smiling to himself as he got a proper look up at the superhuman, the faint glow of the streetlamp aiding him with that.

"I don't remember you looking like this, but I'm well aware it's you; the villain that everyone in this city is so scared of. I don't know why you'd kill my parents but I'm not concerned with them. If I find out you hurt my boyfriend, however, I... I'll make sure you suffer for that. Obviously I'm going to kill you anyway, it's all I've wanted for years now after you, you know, laughed in my face and left me to die, that little thing - I'll just make sure it's a painful death if a hair on my boyfriend's head is hurt," he grunted, his fists clenched at his sides. Using his powers outside the safety and privacy of his bedroom was daunting, even in the dead of night with nobody around to witness it - but it was that very fact that he knew he could use to his advantage. No witnesses meant that nobody would know he had powers, which he desperately wanted to avoid. It didn't take him long to make the decision to use the abilities he had carefully controlled over the years, his elemental powers being the ones he had to really learn to master. It hadn't been easy to do so, hence the brief moment of intense pride he showed when he enabled thick roots from beneath the garden to exponentially grow and restrain the other by his wrists and ankles, pulling him down until Zephyr was at least eye-level with him.

"I don't want to make a spectacle of this, nor am I going to prolong it. Tell me where my boyfriend is or I'm going to start burning you. Or maybe I'll drown you. I don't know what method of dying is worse, really."
 
"Your boyfriend is fine!" Sebastian quickly replied, squirming as he tried to break off the branches with the heightened strength his father was born with, grimacing from under the hood when the branches just grew back. He only wheezed when he felt the branches wrapped around his chest.

"That - oh, shit," he whispered, his voice breaking a tad as did his form. He didn't have the energy to fight, not when Zephyr's parents put up a fight. "No way. No way in hell are you that kid - look, I can explain. It's - I went back to get you and I couldn't stop the machine from exploding, Zephyr!" He insisted, his voice growing more panicked before he turned to a lizard, quickly trying to avoid the fast branches. Jumping from a branch, he quickly turned to a pigeon before he could fall.

"Just - you don't understand anything. You'll never understand anything, you should just be happy I killed your parents!"
 
"I'm surprised you remembered my name. I doubt you felt remorseful; you laughed in my face when all I wanted to do was help you; I idolised you. You were... a hero to me, I thought-- I wanted you to help me get away from my parents; I begged you to help me escape them. It's because of you I was stuck in that hellhole for years. You bursting onto the scene now is a tad too late, isn't it? You left me to die, made me a freak after that explosion, so... I'm not going to suddenly like you because you did one decent thing," he declared with a weak frown, his sternness apparently ebbing away a little once he believed the other remembered his name from years ago, that in particular catching him off guard and causing the winding vines and roots to stop their pursuit of the villain and fall lifelessly to the ground.

It didn't last long, his anger only rising again when he realised he still didn't know where Sebastian was - or thought he didn't know, anyway. He assumed Seb had shown up at the house and became an unfortunate victim, and the proclamations of innocence weren't really enough to dissuade him that that wasn't the case. All at once, his powers showed themselves again, the younger of the two using the elements to his advantage and, as a storm suddenly brewed from nowhere, bringing with it gale force winds that made flying all but impossible, Zephyr was able to lean back and take his time in thinking what to do next.

"...I want to know what you did to him. I have no doubt that he came here. He's innocent, he wouldn't hurt a fly. I just want to know. Be honest and I'll... be less inclined to kill you slowly, that's the best offer I can make to you right now."
 
Saying that Sebastian was scared was a major understatement as he watched the storm approach. He had assumed Zephyr was just a normal human being with an abusive family that he fell madly in love with. The fact that the other was not only the boy he thought he had killed but also having these powers? It only made him confused and flustered - so much so that he couldn't change anymore. He scrambled to try and at least get off from the ground, he had to tug his pants up since they weren't meant for his real form, they were pretty much exclusively used for when he had switched to another superhero.

"Z-Zephyr, stop it!" He pleaded, his cheeks beetroot. His body ached and he felt dizzy, so much so that he struggled to stop himself from passing out. He hadn't used up as much energy in his transformations in quite awhile, especially since he was onto his two hours, steadily approaching the third. "If you kill me, you'll kill your boyfriend, Z-Zeph."
 
Seeing Sebastian and hearing him appeal to him using the affectionate nickname (one he refused to let anyone else call him) didn't do much to quash how emotional he was, nor did it diffuse the anger within him. If anything, it made it worse. Sebastian had always been the person he could go to to make him feel normal, who was separate from his family life and from the drama from his childhood. Now, he had to learn that Sebastian was clearly involved, so much so that he was the very figure that had failed to save him and thus kept him in the perpetual state of abuse at home. Realising that the person he loved so much was the same villainous figure he detested was confusing and he didn't know how to handle the conflicting emotion he was suddenly dealt - knowing Seb was alive was a relief, only to then feel disgust at the figure he realised he was.

The storm died down, as did the raging winds, but the anger hadn't, as evidenced by Zephyr coldly storming across and grabbing his boyfriend by the throat, lifting him in the air as he decided whether to kill him or not. In fact, if it wasn't for the phone in his pocket buzzing with a text, no doubt from his brother or sister, it was likely that he would have tossed his boyfriend aside, dead. Fortunately, he grew distracted and dropped him, his arms folded to stop himself reacting violently again.

"...Was this a game to you? Did you track me down at the deli and decided to mess with my life? Once you realised I didn't die at that laboratory, did you think it'd be funny to worm your way into my life, to laugh at me behind my back again? Because it's a fucking big coincidence, Sebastian," he grimaced, staring upwards to avoid even looking in his direction. "If-- If you ever go near me or my family, I'll have no trouble killing you. The fact I haven't already astounds me, it's all I've dreamt of. You're lucky you killed my parents. Me keeping you alive is what you get in return. Now we're equal, so you can disappear and leave me alone, I won't hurt you unless you come near me or my siblings."
 
"W-What the hell are you talking about?" He sputtered our in return after wheezing, unable to get to his feet from the mix of exhaustion and the fact that he nearly passed out from the strangling. It took everything in him from vomiting but he needed to at least look a little less pathetic.

"I didn't know you were the same person, Zephyr. I-I... I don't know how this happened. I thought you died, how the hell was I supposed to know you didn't?" He continued, forcing himself to his feet. "Why didn't you tell me about this? Why did you never tell me about your powers?! I - I... I never wanted to get you involved in all of this superhero stuff, Zephyr. You helped me feel n-normal. You're not even listening, are you? You don't care, so you? You just want to see the situation as if it was black and white, huh? Have you ever noticed that I avoided the deli, or your house? I care about you and I care about the things that mean a lot to you, like your siblings. I-I was pissed that you weren't doing anything about your parents."
 
"I'm not really over the whole you leaving me to die when I was just a kid thing, that's not really going to disappear just because you're... you. You could have helped me, Sebastian. I begged you and you didn't give a shit. I'm not going to wipe away years of hurt because you did one decent thing for me-- and we both know you didn't do it for me, not really. You did this for yourself, so you could have me around more often. You're selfish-- god, I should have guessed you were the villain. That level of selfishness is only possible with you, it was obvious now I think about it," he laughed bitterly, tapping away at his phone with a reassuring text to his brother that he would be along shortly - wasting time trying to explain how hurt he was was a waste of time, feeling like every word was falling on deaf ears at the moment.

"I don't like you, Sebastian. I loathe you. It's difficult, of course. I love you but... I think I hate you more than I love you right now. The whole abandonment thing isn't easy to get over. I was a normal kid before that incident. I only got powers when the explosion went off-- an explosion you could have saved me from. So sure, maybe I'm being immature or not reasonable but-- I think I'm doing you a favour leaving you alive. I could easily kill you if I wanted. And I know where you live so I could pop by and finish the job if you don't stay away from me. Go run riot in the city for all I care, just leave me alone."
 
"I'm selfish? Do you know how much of my life I've put towards you? Do you know how many hours I've worked to treat you to nice things? Do you know how careful I've had to be to make sure everything you need stays safe? D-Do you know how fucking worried I've gotten when you don't text me because I'm afraid your parents have killed you?! I told you that I went back to save you but it was too late, do you think I just scoffed that off and haven't had the guilt with me ever since?" He countered, his voice raising now that he had gained some strength, though only a bit more than how he usually spoke.

"Like I said, you're not listening. God - if I'm selfish then you're arrogant. I don't want to fight you, Zephyr, I just want us to sit down and talk like adults. You're... you're my soulmate, Zeph, I don't want to lose you."
 
"...I didn't want them dead, Sebastian. My parents, I... didn't want them to die, I know I said I did, but-- god, this-- I don't know how to feel about this. You've killed people, right? You've fucking hurt hundreds of people when you do whatever it is you do. You've hurt Dimitri's business by being a selfish asshole and... I don't know how to feel about that either. I hardly know you. I don't know who you really are, you're clearly good at hiding things. As am I, but I haven't lied about my personality or my likes and dislikes. I thought you were innocent and-- and too nice to hurt anyone. It's a fucking big deal to me that that's not true, so-- I need space. I don't like you right now, I... I'm doing everything I can not to rip your throat out, actually," he admitted calmly, biting his bottom lip hard enough to cause it to bleed, though the noticeable cut healed itself in a mere second or so. The taste of blood didn't disappear, however, the grimace stuck to his face in response to it.

"If you gave up the villain thing and... gave me a few weeks to think this over, I'd be willing to be friends-- I'd at least be willing to not give you into the police or tell a hero where to find you. I'll be honest, I don't want to be near you, not for a long time. You make me sick, Sebastian. You're a psychopath."
 
" I didn't kill them because I thought you were the kid that day," he reminded quietly, grimacing as he rubbed his wrists. He could lie and say that it was all okay and that it was perfectly fine. "If you send a hero for me, I'll kill them. I'm not going to get in trouble when I did something for you. I'm... I'm not - I don't want you thinking I'm a bad guy, because I'm not. I... I can explain everything to you if you just listen to me."

As he spoke, he was heading towards the direction of his car. He shouldn't drive and he knew that, not in his state, but it wasn't like Zephyr would help him. After all, why would he? He was apparently the worst person in the world now.

"I'm leaving. You... think this all over. I'm serious about helping with money. I love you, I wish this didn't come up - I'm sorry. I... I'm leaving," he reassured, his eyes avoiding the other as he seemingly returned to his true self, his cheeks pink and his shoulders dipping shyly. "I think we should talk about this all in a less intense environment."
 
"What more is there to explain? I'm confused, I thought I had this sorted in my head by now. I don't know what else there is to say that'll make me reconsider my hatred for you, Sebastian. I don't believe a word that comes from your mouth, I'm not sure how sitting down amicably and listening to you whine will fix things," he began in reply, the only indication that he was open to the idea being his calm tone and the fact he had wandered across to the other's car without any sense of malice.

"...You aren't driving this, are you? You'll crash and hurt someone or cause damage. I'm open to hearing you moan about how tough it is being you and how sorry you are, assuming you make just one good point that makes our relationship salvageable. If we sit down and talk and all I hear are excuses for why you left me to die or pathetic reasoning, I'll walk and I won't talk to you. I'm... not a bad person, unlike you, so I can... we can talk, I guess. Tomorrow, around dinnertime maybe."
 
"You don't have to stay with me, I just want to plead my case and whatever happens, happens. I'm not going to make excuses, I just want to give an explanation," he replied quickly but quietly as he headed into the abandoned Walmart parking lot, having parked close to the road just in case something like this had happened. Taking in his beat - up car, he gave a glance to Zephyr warily.

"You aren't going to, like, strangle me while I'm in the car, are you?" He warily asked, his fists clenched as he waited outside the car. "I mean, I wouldn't be surprised. You're furious, obviously - I'm not an idiot. I'm disorganized."
 
"'I'd love to but I know I'd regret it so... no. I can't promise I won't do that tomorrow if all I hear is bullshit from you, though. You have no idea how infuriating this is for me, being face to face with someone I hate but can't hurt because I love you at the same time, it's not-- easy, Sebastian. I'll hear you out tomorrow, I just need some time. I assume the police will contact me to ask me about the murders tomorrow, so... meeting with you will really top the day off for me, I can't wait," he drawled sarcastically, though didn't retract the offer to meet. He needed it more than he cared to admit, hoping that he got to hear an explanation that gave him some hope that things could be salvaged in time, if only an acquaintanceship. If he left the meeting knowing that he could co-exist in the same city as Sebastian, without the constant fuelling hatred for him, then the meeting would be a success. It was all he could really hope for at this point.
 
Once driven home in complete silence, the dastardly villain that plagued Chicago sat anxiously with red cheeks and fiddling as he stared out the window, his mind racing nervously. The last thing he wanted was to lose Zephyr, someone who singlrhandedly yanked him from his comfort zone. Thankfully, the exhaustion that hit his body once inside his apartment was enough to stop the panic he felt, instead flopping onto his bed to sleep.

When he awoke, he was hit with the pain of both Zephyr's damage and the general illness he felt when he pushed his powers too much. After getting ill, as he did every time he pushed himself, he immediately made coffee to counteract his general uncomfortableness. He wanted to at least look somewhat presentable when faced with his boyfriend - or former boyfriend. He couldn't make himself look completely put together, what with the bruises and the bags under his eyes, but he at least put on some nice pants and his favorite black sweater.

"Text me when you're ready." Is all he sent, his eyes darting to the clock anxiously.
 
Having anticipated a horrible day ahead when the news of his parents' demise became known to the police, Zephyr was left with some genuine relief and subsequent happiness when the police failed to even question him, simply arriving at the hotel to inform the siblings who all made a little effort to appear shocked - despite the younger two being informed of the murders by their elder brother and failing to register anything but delight at it. Instead, they were told that, rather than being suspects for it, their parents had been killed by the villain the city was so fearful of. The murders, they said, were committed by someone with powers, and it didn't take them long to pin the blame on the villain for it, even without substantial proof that it was him.

With the fear that he would be questioned and scrutinised for the murders now disappearing, Zephyr's only real worry was coming face to face with Sebastian again. He hadn't told his siblings why he had dumped him, not wanting to reveal to them the truth about his powers, and Sebastian's alter ego so he couldn't really explain why he had, within a day, gathered up so much hatred. All he could really do was shrug it off and act like it wasn't a big deal, that they had had a simple argument most couples did... even if the truth was much more severe than just some bickering.

He sent the text not long after 8 o'clock, deciding not to skip out on the meeting, feeling that would be immature and wouldn't resolve anything. Instead, he sent across details of a small restaurant owned by Dimitri's brother; a place Zephyr himself often dined at with friends from the deli. If nothing else, he was determined to have a good meal at a place that felt like a home to him... and having a traditional meal on top of that would make the night somewhat enjoyable.

He arrived ten minutes later than he had expected to, though made no apologies for it as he wandered over to the table, his eyes dark from exhaustion and doing everything in his power to avoid locking with Sebastian's. "...Start talking, I don't want to be here all night. You can buy your own food, too. I'm not feeling that generous, Sebastian."
 
Having arrived early in anxiety, he sat patiently for Zephyr to arrive with his nails tapping on the table. Much like the other, Sebastian's gray eyes actively avoided the other's. Best case scenario, they would be back together or at least friends and he didn't really want to think about the worst case scenario.

"What do you want to know?" He whispered, choosing not to become defensive like the other. "I'll tell you everything, okay? No excuses, just explainations. Let me start off that I would love you go back in time if I could, Zephyr. I... shouldn't have laughed you off, but I didn't want you to... die. I never wanted that."
 
"Funnily enough, thinking back to that time of my life is painful and it's not the best way to start the discussion, but whatever. You're sorry, I get it. Nothing I've not already heard from you. I'd appreciate you being brutally honest, actually. You thought I was a loser kid just like everyone else at my school, right? You saw me as a nuisance and wanted nothing to do with me - even when I told you what my parents were like, you were happy to ignore that. But I should be comfortable knowing you're sorry about it? Cool, thanks for that, Sebastian. I'm definitely over it all now," he remarked with the usual dose of sarcasm, using that as a way of distancing himself from getting too emotional. It was a good defence mechanism for him, using it to seem more casual and relaxed than he actually was; he used the menu to hide his flushed cheeks and brief teary eyes, composing the emotion safely behind it until he was certain all traces of it had disappeared.

"...You had a fancy school to help you with your powers. I didn't, nobody helped me. I was a normal kid until that day. Suddenly I felt like a freak, having powers I didn't understand. Do you know how fucking scared I was that I'd wake up one day and realise I set the house on fire, or... or how worried I was that I'd underestimate how strong I was and kill Daria or Krasimir by accident? I had to go years alone dealing with this shit. I didn't have parents who could afford to send me away to have teachers help me. It's why I don't really go yelling from the rooftops about it; I don't... like being like this. You clearly do or you wouldn't fly about destroying the city, showing off to the fucking cameras every second you get."
 
"I didn't mean for you to have powers, I... I didn't know any of this would happen," he admitted quietly before taking a sip of his glass of water. Much like the menu, it was a way to distract himself from the intense situation. "Yes, I was put in a school to control my powers but it was just so my parents wouldn't have to put up with me. They wanted a perfect superhero son so that having a kid wasn't a waste of their time. Even when I succeeded in all of my classes, it didn't matter because I would never be as good as them so I... I started doing some bad stuff to sort of shove it into my parents' face. When I heard about the weird science lab on the edge of town, I guess I just wanted to see what would happen if I caused some havoc and check out this amazing technology, as my professor said. I didn't - I didn't mean for you to get hurt, you were just a kid. I don't like hurting kids," he insisted with antsy hands, his own eyes brimming with tears.

"It just - I spend every moment of my day not to have these impulsive thoughts. I try to act like a normal person, I-I don't like attention when I'm not in my mask you know that. You wouldn't understand and I'm not expecting you to just like how I'm not going to lie and say I understand everything with your situation because I don't want to lie to you," he explained slowly, trying his best to word everything right. "You don't believe me, though. You're too angry to believe me."
 
"I'm not too angry to disbelieve you. I believe you now, you're not that good of an actor, Sebastian. You couldn't make this up and pull it off. I'm just angry that I believe you, I'd love to be stubborn and pretend I thought this was bullshit. I don't, though that doesn't mean I have to accept it and smile it off," he added quickly, setting the menu down and taking a long sip of the water at his side, avoiding talking until he had thought his sentences out in his head. The last thing he wanted to do was say something he regretted, whether that be some horrible insult he couldn't easily retract, or a kinder word he knew he might not want to drop in in case it led the other on - he wasn't entirely ready to jump back into a relationship, after all.

"...It's my fault for getting obsessed with a lunatic, really. Everyone at my school would say how weird you were and I guess I related to that and just wanted to help you out. I dunno. I was a weird kid with an obsession. Everyone else liked heroes; I liked a murderous villain. I'm partly to blame for believing you would take me seriously," he snorted, a very brief smile arriving on his otherwise deadpan expression. Even though it disappeared quickly, the coldness in his eyes had at least dissipated a little; enough for him to glance over at the other and not feel like he needed to sneer or break his neck.

"I'm sorry for hurting you," he mumbled, the bruise around the other's neck making him grimace guiltily. "...And about the powers and stuff, I... probably should have told you about that when you told me about yours. I withheld information so I'm not innocent either."
 
"I didn't want to tell you about my shapeshifting because I didn't want you to catch on. I liked being able to come home and have someone to snuggle up to and just act normal with and I knew this would bite me in the ass eventually, just... not this soon, I guess," he admitted, his frown only growing in disappointment with himself. At this point, Zephyr was the only person he had outside of forced friendships with his coworkers whom he barely ever saw. To lose him only made him regret the whole thing more.

"I didn't know you were obsessed with me - why? I was just some fucked up kid trying to handle my parents neglect - I guess I'm still doing that, huh? I think I... function better, better than before," he admitted with a soft snort, his head now resting in his hand. "I was just sick of being put on this high pedestal only for me to never be good enough that I just wanted to rebel. Then I realized how good it felt to see people fear me while they idolized my parents. I was a loser and I still am a loser, I'm not... one to really be wild or go out and I enjoy that but I don't really know or have any healthy coping mechanisms to fix that."
 
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