Keep Your Enemies Close

"I wouldn't say you're a loser. I disagree with what you do but having an entire city fearful of you? To evade trouble and discovery for years? To take down superheroes singlehandedly? I... wouldn't say that's really pathetic and indicative of someone who's a loser, Sebastian. Do I like it? I... don't know, not really, but I can at least say it's impressive," he decided after considering his words carefully, feeling almost obligated to comment on it. He would have left the word alone and let the other talk bad about himself, and Zephyr did feel the other ought to think badly of his actions, but he couldn't sit back and allow him to really go in on himself; not when Sebastian was generally a good person, at least to him in their relationship.

"I'm just hurt right now, that's all. I can't pretend I'm not, I don't like to pretend when it comes to how I feel. The fact I'm sat here with you at least means I don't want to kill you; that's a good sign. I can't say I'll feel that way when you go out and abuse the city again," he sighed, resting his head on his hand with a tired smile at the waiter who promptly brought along the meals. "...Your parents obviously aren't aware you're the villain, are they? That's hilarious. I'm almost sad I don't get to be there at the Christmas party, I'd love to meet them. I bet they're excruciatingly false people, huh?"
 
"Very. They all know each other's identities so they all like to brag about how kind and caring they all are. They'll brag when my cousins will save a cat from a tree for the first time, or show off their masks. It's... bad. Gross. I hate it, I hate all the fake kindness. I don't want to try and put on a happy and loving facade when I don't feel happy, you know? It's - I was taught to hide my emotions because superheroes aren't meant to have negative emotions, they're meant to be these perfect symbols of justice and humanity and what have you. If my parents found out, I imagine they'd have heart attacks. I guess I disowned them before they could disown me," he explained quickly, his cheeks pink and his eyes misty at the thought.

"You don't have to worry about it now, you'll never meet them. They don't live in Chicago anymore, they moved away to somewhere a bit more rural to get away from all the crime and stuff. They also retired from all that stuff, saying they put enough energy into people to make up for it. It... disgusts me, I guess. As for pride, you're the only person who has been able to stop me so far so I think that's pretty amazing," he praised quietly, a small smile on his lips.
 
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"I don't think that's true. I told you not to go to my house, I basically demanded you, and you went and used your powers to... kill my parents. Speaking of which, I told the police that you did it-- as the villain, I didn't tell them who you were. I just said that my parents were bad people and that they owed you money which gave you the motive - they didn't understand why two normal folk in the city were targeted, I had to make it up," he shrugged, dabbing his lips with the napkin at his side to disguise the brief smile that had formed, not wanting to give the other the satisfaction of knowing he still cared, however obvious that already was by the simple fact he was sat with him at the table.

"I could have told them everything, I just realised how useless that would be. I doubt a prison cell would ever hold you, Seb. It's just better for me to keep out of it when it involves the police. You can do what you want, too. I don't remotely care if you want to waste time bank-robbing or whatever, just leave me out of it. Don't go near the deli, or anywhere near it. Other than that, do what you want. We aren't dating so it doesn't affect me anymore."
 
"How am I supposed to get the best cold cuts in Chicago?" He meekly replied, his hands fiddling with the silverware as he stared at his salad, having chosen the cheapest thing since he had no intention of actually eating. He had felt ill since he woke up due to the use of his powers and he already was notorious for not eating. His appetite had been subdued by coffee ever since even though he knew it was probably tearing a hole in his stomach.

"Using my powers makes me sick every time," he explained in a whisper as he poked at a tomato, his face turning blank. "If I use them more than three hours a day, I get bed-bound, to be honest. That's... one thing I've never been able to control. That and the fact that I can't seem to take care of myself are why I'm always sick and tired. I'm sure you've made the connection, you aren't that oblivious."
 
"I've made the connection. It's why I'm so astounded by you continuing to use them, but I'm not you; I don't know what goes on in your head, Sebastian. Whatever it is, it's not normal, is it? Causing chaos, killing innocent people-- none of that is normal. Maybe you are a psychopath; I said it in the heat of the moment but it sort of makes sense, doesn't it?" He remarked coldly, a brow arched as he took in the other's pale face without any concern showing on his expression. He felt a tad worried and wanted nothing more than to take him home and prepare some soup for him for tomorrow, but that instantaneous desire to help faded when he reminded himself of what and who Sebastian really was.

"If I were you, I'd go home and stay in bed tomorrow. I'd give up the entire villain thing. Wouldn't even use my powers. I've restrained myself from using mine for years. I could bring down the city if I wanted to; I choose not to. It's easy for me to pretend I don't even have abilities. Obviously you crave the attention so much you make yourself sick by using your powers, but... whatever. Like I said, I don't know what goes on in your head," continued Zephyr, never usually being blunt when it came to Sebastian but now he apparently had no qualms in subjecting his boyfriend to what he considered to be the harsh truth. He knew deep down he was being crueller than was necessary, but he felt almost obligated to hurt the other after the experience he had had in his childhood. "I'm sure you'll find someone else who can help you restrain the desire to act like a megalomaniac. I know that person won't be me, I can't stand the sight of you and I probably won't get over this, but you'll move on, I'm sure. You're a good liar, I'm sure you could manipulate someone into liking you, Sebastian."
 
"I never tried to manipulate you, Zephyr, stop being dramatic." He quickly replied, his self-pity instead turning into anger as he gripped his drink tight. "I understand you hate me for what I did but I never once lied about my feelings for you. You're right, you don't know what's going on in my head and that's because I didn't want you leaving me since I knew you'd do exactly what you're doing now. If I explain it to you, you'll just say that I'm bullshitting and that I'm doing it to manipulate you," he quickly explained, his brows furrowed in frustration.

"I'm a bad guy, yeah. What I did when we were children was a mistake. I didn't mean for you to get hurt, why is that so hard to understand? You just - you aren't listening to me, Zephyr. I'm being candid and honest with you and you don't seem to really care. If I didn't love you, why would I have shown up and risked you hurting me? You keep saying that you're going to kill me, why would I not want to avoid that?"
 
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"I just find it hard to believe you'd feel guilty about leaving me in that explosion when you hurt and injure countless other children when you go on these rampages around the city, Sebastian. Maybe it's because you got to speak to me personally. I suppose me begging you and telling you how much I admired you must have weighed on your conscience a little? I wouldn't have listened to me either, I was a weird kid. I ate a butterfly once, during break at school. I guess I wouldn't have helped a weirdo like me either," he decided with a faint smile, resting his head back on his closed hand after taking a break to sip at his drink, quietly contemplating how best to proceed - whether that was with bitterness and stubbornness, or whether he tried to understand the other and move on from there.

Eventually, he opted for the latter, setting his hand back down on the table with a long sigh. "How about we go and get frozen yogurt after this, at that new place uptown? We could take it back to your apartment, eat it watching Law and Order. I... I'm not saying we're back on track and everything's normal but I guess I get your side of things, a little anyway. I want to meet your parents, Sebastian. That'll help me understand you a lot more."
 
He hadn't expected to be given another chance. In fact, he had been fully prepared to be punched in the face or yelled at, hence his bracing as he turned away a bit. When he didn't feel the pain of being smacked or heard the verbal abuse from his boyfriend, he peeked his eyes open in confusion, taking in Zephyr in disbelief. Slowly setting the fork he held in his hand down, he moved for another sip as well.

"I... think that would be nice," he admitted, offering a shy smile to the other in encouragement. "I mean, if that's alright with you. Your... siblings are okay, right? I don't imagine they'd want to see me, assuming you told them the truth. Who did you tell them killed your parents?"
 
"They think I did it; we haven't really discussed it. I disappeared for an hour and arrived back at the hotel bruised and bloodied; who else would they suspect? Even if the media's saying it was the masked villain, they think I did it. I'm not going to complicate matters by telling them the truth. They're unaffected by it all, really. I'm sure if you hadn't stuck, Krasimir would have at some point. It's over, I'm just glad they're dead," he shrugged, speaking as quietly as he could. Even though the restaurant was owned by Dimitri's friends -and thus, people Zephyr trusted with his life- he didn't want to broadcast private details concerning Sebastian, caring too much about him to see him thrown in prison and revealed as the city's most wanted criminal.

"I'm willing to give you a chance, assuming you give me one after I held back all of this; my powers, I mean. I could have told you; I chose not to. I have to accept I'm in the wrong too," he stoically nodded, the stern expression softening a little as he took in the relief in his boyfriend's face. "Relax, I'm not going to leap over the table and strangle you again, I'm fine now. I doubt I could kill you, even if I wanted to. You're hard to kill, Seb."
 
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"I'm going to take that as a compliment," he quietly replied with a small smile, his hand reaching for his neck absentmindedly. It was covered by a black button up but underneath held an aggravated bruise. He never really feared hurting anyone before, other than children, not to mention he usually had strength when he went up against someone else. With Zephyr's case, it was a mixture of weakness from already killing his parents in addition to the fact that Zephyr was no stranger - he couldn't just kill him and walk away like everything was normal. The explosion had already weighed like a ton of bricks on his conscious, the idea of also killing Zephyr and leaving his siblings as orphans would only ruin him.

"I really wish you had told me, yeah," he whispered, his eyes still actively avoiding the other's as he dared to take a small bite of his salad. His stomach was still churning in distress from everything but he figured he had to pay for the meal so he at least wanted to get something out of it. "You didn't really need to hide it from me. I had... I had a reason to hide mine from you. It doesn't really matter though, does it? You've come clean and so have I."
 
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"I don't have anything left to confess, so... as far as I'm concerned, we can start moving on now that everything's out in the open. Ideally you'd stop the villain bullshit and we can be normal - I don't like having abilities; they only make me think back to how I got them, and that's not a good memory. In a perfect world, I'd love to just be in a normal relationship, but I can't force you. I can at least tell you that I don't think I can date a villain, so... keep that in mind next time you want to attack the city," he casually remarked, deciding that that in itself was as good a message as any. If the other continued with the business of being a villain despite knowing it would lead to the end of their relationship, then Zephyr would just have to accept it and move on.

Ideally it would never come to that, but there was the possibility that it might. All he could do was wait and see what the other decided to do.

"Let's just get going, I'd rather be in bed watching TV right now. I've never been a dining-out sort of guy, I just thought this would be nice. It's a public place, too. You couldn't kill me without exposing yourself to everyone, so I figured it would be best for both of us-- I want to move on, Seb. Forget about the tension and just go back to normal, yeah?"
 
"That sounds good, yeah," he replied in agreement, biting his lip nervously. "I mean, yeah. I... I have to say, if I'm going to quit the whole, uh, villainy thing, I need you to accept me when I have breakdowns. The whole rampaging - I know this will make me sound like a psychopath but it helps me get a lot of pent up emotions out. I... I need to find a way to do that cuz it's just - I need to, I guess. I didn't want to burden you with all of this emotional stress, you know? I don't want to be a burden to you," he quickly continued, his face completely beetroot in embarrassment. He went as far as to shyly cover his face.

"I want a normal life too," he agreed through his hands, a soft giggle of embarrassment escaping his lips. "I mean, as normal as possible. Outside of the villainy thing, you know I'm a pretty boring person, aha... and I want to do boring things with you, like staying home, yeah - do I still have to pay your bill? I will, obviously."
 
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"Of course you have to pay my bill; I think that'll make us equal. Besides, I didn't bring my wallet with me and I'd rather have you pay than for us to make a run for it, especially considering the guys that own the place are friends of mine. Leave a good tip, okay? I can always pay you back later for this if you want," he suggested with an honest smile, tapping his fingers against the table with a brief glance around. He knew there was a chance that people in the restaurant might recognise him from the news, the murder of his parents inevitably getting coverage, and as a result, him sat with his boyfriend enjoying a meal just a day after the murders might be seen as suspicious behaviour - but he couldn't care less what anyone might think. His brother and sister were safe at a hotel and he had his relationship on track again, with every secret now out in the open - he wasn't going to allow anyone to ruin how happy he was.

"Krasimir is pretty keen on those tutoring lessons," he began quietly, if only to change the subject onto something more normal. "It'd be handy if you could teach him, if only once or twice. He needs to get good marks, so he can get into a good college, so... I'd appreciate it, Seb. And he's a good kid, right? He likes you; he listens to you. It'll be good."
 
"I mean, I'd be willing to tutor him, sure. I don't really have much else to do now, huh?" He replied with a small smile before motioning over the waiter for the check, insisting he'd get his salad to go despite being barely touched. In fact, he felt the urge to get sick from the delayed stress but he kept himself settled. He wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep for a little bit, ideally with Zephyr in his arms. Rubbing his stomach, he tugged out his card properly.

"I mean, yeah. I was honest when I said I have a pretty boring life outside of... the other stuff. It would give me something to do, you know? Plus it could help with getting your siblings out of the hotel. I mean, they can't live there forever, right? I would suggest getting a two bedroom since I don't think we could afford it otherwise," He babbled out, thanking the waiter once returning with the wrapped salad.
 
"They're fine at the hotel for a few days, it's not as expensive as you'd think. Krasimir's 18 soon; I'll move in with you when he is, okay? He can stay in the house with my sister, I can live with you like we planned. He doesn't want to move away for college, so it won't be a problem. It's all sorted, relax. I've worked it out already; you won't need to deal with my brother and sister permanently, I know they annoy you," he drawled in his characteristically monotone voice, the only indication that he wasn't mad or angry being the smile on his lips. That, and the fact he quickly reached for his boyfriend's hand when everything was paid for and led him out of the small restaurant.

"I'll pay you to tutor him if you want. You could probably do that as a job, you know. Private tutoring. You know all these languages, Seb. And it pays a lot, yeah? Instead of robbing banks, you could take on a better paying job-- if you missed the money and stuff. I couldn't care less how rich you are; I'm not exactly rolling in it and you love me, so..."
 
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"I don't know, I... I would have to go and put myself out there if I wanted to get clients and stuff, right? Your brother and sister are one thing, you know? They... are close to you and that means they aren't strangers, obviously. I-I don't know what I would do if someone just dropped their kid in my lap and expected me to teach them," he replied meekly, his face growing pink in embarrassment at the idea as they stepped out into the windy Chicago weather. Everything had been overwhelming and the idea of putting on abc extra job was ridiculous and stressful, which only made him grow queasy with his already empty stomach.

"Let's just get back, okay?" He eventually decided, tugging out his keys to alert the beat-up buggy parked close. "Assuming you want to come back to my place. You don't have to, you can check up on your siblings, I don't mind. I need sleep - you don't understand how hard my powers are on my body, it's ridiculous. You would think school would help me with that..."
 
Even though his only aim had been to help his boyfriend possibly expand his job opportunities and find something that would at least fill the financial void left by his (hopefully) abandoned villainous antics, all Zephyr felt was guilty, as though he was pushing it all on Sebastian. Ideally, he would have rejected the plan of sending his brother for a few French lessons too, now doubting the idea and feeling as though it might be too stressful for Sebastian given how tired he seemed to be, but he couldn't let his brother down - if he did that, he didn't know if Krasimir would focus on his studies properly, and if that led to him being rejected by colleges, Zephyr wouldn't forgive himself.

So, despite thinking it was a bad idea the moment he collected his brother from soccer practice, he headed to Sebastian's apartment nonetheless to drop him off for the lesson. He wouldn't feel as guilty about it if he was present to lend a hand to prevent Sebastian getting too exhausted or stressed out from Krasimir's often hyperactive personality, but with a late shift at the deli, it was impossible.

"My mate wanted to come-- that's cool, yeah? I mean, Zephyr wasn't so keen on it but Daria was supposed to come but she had a date and she was excited about it, so I thought I'd bring my buddy along-- Keisuke's as shit at French as I am," grinned Krasimir as he dumped his sports bag and muddy trainers aside, still wearing the equally muddy soccer kit which his brother had already argued with him about, but from his relaxed attitude and posture, he clearly didn't care too much about it. "It'll be fun. Keisuke's not loud or anything; he just wants to learn, his folks are pretty strict about him getting straight As--"

"...Krasimir said this would be okay," the apparent stranger, Keisuke. began, appearing nervous as he held his schoolbag against his chest and glanced around the nicely decorated living room. "I... just want to learn a little, I struggle with French. He said you were an expert, so..."
 
"Your... mate?" Sebastian confirmed warily, immediately growing nervous at the sight of the mud. He wasn't someone who obsessed over clean but h certainly wasn't one to let his house get too dirty, and the fact that Krasimir strolled into his apartment - that of which he had never been too - as messy as he was, was more than jarring. It didn't help that Keisuke was beside him, which only made Sebastian pale in anxiety. He had really only taken on the tutoring as an apology for what had happened and the whole situation felt like a lot of pressure as it was. The other boy only added that anxiety when he realized their grades relied on just how well of a tutor he was.

"Oh, w-well... um, make yourself at home," he awkwardly offered with a smile on his face, his hands absently adjusting the oversized sleeves of his favorite black sweater, his all-black outfit contrasting the pure white walls and muted furniture. The only real outstanding color were the books that lined his walls... and the mud on his wooden floors. "We can study in the kitchen, yeah? Did you bring your homework and stuff? I... I'm a bit out of the loop when it comes to public schooling, so I don't really know how everything works with you but I do know French, so... yeah. Do you guys need something to drink?" He offered, the man clearly being out of touch with how to entertain others. Zephyr was different, and somehow they had connected enough that he didn't feel awkward just sitting in silence with the other. With everyone else, it was completely different and only made him feel obligated to try and entertain others.

"So I wasn't informed about you being here, Keisuke, Zephyr only mentioned his brother. That being said, I don't mind teaching you either," he reassured while pouring the two water, his cheeks pink in anxiety.
 
Krasimir obliviously grinned at the confirmation that the two of them could stay, taking in the apartment for himself with a nod or a comment now and then about how nice it was. He didn't want his brother to really move in, which would ultimately leave him and his sister alone at the house, but he couldn't exactly begrudge him the move. Being at the apartment for himself at least made him realise how selfish he was trying to stop his brother's determination to move in with his boyfriend.

"Keisuke's not like me, he's pretty chilled out. Zephyr didn't really know until we got into his car so don't blame him; blame me. I just thought it'd be neat," he shrugged, tugging his shoes off and taking a seat on the couch, patting the space beside him for his friend.

The friend, meanwhile, was as quiet as Krasimir suggested he would be, though most of that came from his preoccupation in examining the apartment to distract away from how he was feeling, which was initially nervousness but had now grown into a great sense of relief. Relief because he immediately recognised Sebastian and was completely thankful that the other seemed blissfully oblivious to it. He hadn't shown up in an effort to surprise the older boy by bringing up memories of the academy which he had attended for a term or two in his younger days. Hell, he barely even really talked to Sebastian whilst there, or anyone for that matter - he was much more inclined to his own company. Therefore, he didn't exactly have any issue with the other, but he still didn't want to have to come up with an excuse to his friend about how he knew Sebastian, because he didn't want anyone to know he had powers.

Which made Sebastian's obliviousness all the more relieving for him. Sure, a brief pang of annoyance hit him when he realised he hadn't recognised him, but it also didn't surprise him. He had the uncanny ability to be overlooked and ignored, without even needing to use the power of invisibility he had.

"...It's a lovely apartment," he commented as he finally took a seat down beside Krasimir, still glancing nervously in case something did click in Sebastian's mind. "...Must be expensive, living in this area of town. Do you tutor for a living?"
 
"Oh, no, I just work really hard at a bookstore. Zephyr says I'm a bit of a workaholic," he explained quietly as he took a seat at the kitchen table patiently, his nails absently tapping on it to calm his nerves. Offering a small smile to the two, he took in Keisuke with a brief and small feeling of familiarity but it was fleeting. He barely interacted with anyone at the academy, only when necessary like during group projects or in gym. It wasn't until he graduated from the academy that he really got into the world, albeit reluctantly. Zephyr had been the main reason he really had any social interaction in recent years, after all.

"It gives me something to do," he continued quietly before patting the seat beside him for the two to join him. "I guess this gives me something to do, too. As for the apartment, the area definitely lowers the price. Plus I know how to manage my money pretty well, aha... that doesn't matter, anyway. S-So you need help with French homework, right? I'm glad to do it for free, mostly because you're Zephyr's brother - though I wouldn't really ask for much." He added, desperate to keep talking to fill possible silence.
 
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