SLVR

Everything seemed to be going okay for a bit. Lev was explaining what he was thinking. He was getting some of his frustrations out while pacing around the room. Vance was more than willing to listen as the boy ranted about the unfairness of it all. However, just as it seemed Vance was going to be able to help, Lev closed up once again. Without any chance to try and stop him, Vance was left in Lev's dust with the unsatisfactory feeling of being unable to help his teammate out, let alone convince him to come with them to Sylvia's. With a sour taste in his mouth, Vance trotted back to SAGE's room to tell them the news.

The next few days were tense. Lev refused to speak to anyone on the team. No matter what anyone tried, the boy just gave them all the cold shoulder. So, when Lev approached them while they were packing asking to join them at Sylvia's house, Sylvia was just a bit ticked. Standing up from where she had been packing, the silverette folded her arms across her chest and stared down her teammate. For a few minutes, they just sat in silence. Sylvia narrowed her eyes, looking Lev up and down multiple times before finally starting to speak. "You can come with us." She held up two fingers. "On two conditions. First, you need to start talking to us again. I'm not going to let you keep pushing us away and giving us the colder shoulder while we're at my house. Second... you need to tell us what's wrong." The silverette spoke as if she were giving orders on the battlefield, staring down Lev and refusing to let him leave her gaze. "Something's up, and it's worrying all of us. I thought you'd be at least comfortable enough to talk to one of us about whatever the heck is going on inside that head of yours, but apparently not. I don't know what happened to make you think we all deserved the cold shoulder, but you need to cut it out and just fess up already. If you won't talk to me about it then talk to Reyna or Vance. We can't have you try to push us away again. It's not healthy for anyone here. So either before we leave or when we settle down at my house, you need to tell us why you were acting so standoffish." With her terms set, Sylvia waited for Lev to respond. She stood up straight, her presence commanding attention in the room as she waited for Lev to respond. Unlike the other few times she had gotten angry, this was a quiet anger. A slow boil that came out as an intimidating presence. Vance inched away from Sylvia, almost hiding behind Reyna a bit as he watched his leader deal with their fellow teammate.
 
Sylvia's conditions came as an honest shock to the ravenette, and for a moment, he began to grow angry. But his eyes hardly began to narrow before he recognized the weight of his situation. He was in no place to be frustrated anymore. It had been days of shutting himself away from the closest friends he had, and now all that was left of his will was the clinging hope that everything would just...reset. Instead, his partner had him nailed to the ground. He could only look further away from her face.

"I've already told Reyna, and she already told Vance. There's nothing-"

The pinkette stepped up, concern shadowing her face. "Lev, this is eating at you so bad, maybe you should just spill it, y'know? There couldn't be any more harm in it than what you're doing now."

"Why don't you spill it for me? You've done it once already!" Lev bit back, finding a bit of heat to use in his favor. Reyna was taken aback, and her eyes narrowed.

"Hey, I told Vance because he's the only other person who'd stick up for you about all this!"

"Oh, and what's he gonna do, Reyna? Because talking with me has done so much for you guys, right? There's nothing you can do about this!" The heat was building in the ravenette. So much so that he finally found it in himself to meet Sylvia's quiet stare with his own anger. "I'm only asking so I don't have to set up a lone for last minute residence. If I had the means, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. You can dig into Reyna or Vance as much as you want for your answer, so I'll ask you again, Syv. Am I staying here or not?" Lev met her stance with his own, but in contrast to her silence and command, he was lit up like a bonfire, roaring and blistering with the desperate immediacy of a fire on its final, most dangerous, fits of flame. They stood at opposite ends of the room as if, at any moment, a battle to the death would start between them.
 
It would've been so easy to start a shouting match, to demand that Lev explain what the heck was going on with him and why he was being so off about everything. Sylvia stood stone cold for a few minutes, the silence dragging on after Lev's final question. Everything seemed to be raring up for a fight, when Sylvia sighed. "I thought you were better than this. I'm disappointed in you, Lev." With that, she grabbed finished zipping up her bags and threw them over her shoulder. "We're leaving in ten minutes. My parents will pick us up then we'll drop our stuff off at my house. After that we're going to the CCT. Vance needs to make a call. Since you're staying with us, you have to come too, Lev." With that, the silverette brushed past her partner and headed out to wait for her parents to come pick them up.

Vance gnawed at his lip, unsure what to do to help. He looked to Reyna, hoping to find some kind of answer. Lev was obviously still very upset about everything and now Sylvia was upset too. Things weren't supposed to be going this way. They were a team! They were supposed to like each other and talk to each other and stuff! Not fight! Vance tried to find something to say to help the situation, to help heal the gap that had been left in their team dynamic.
 
"You should've known better than to expect more of me, Syv." Lev retorted just as clearly, packing his own bag for the trip and leaving right behind her. Reyna was left stunned alongside Vance, a pit beginning to grow in her gut at the mere mention Sylvia made of being disappointed. She wasn't sure how Lev could take it standing, especially with how he supposedly felt for the silverette.

"Vance..." Reyna turned to her partner with an uneasy frown. "Maybe we should leave this one alone, at least until they really need us, y'know?" The pinkette paused for a moment to pick up her things, then halted and turned to the wolf boy again. "Vance?" she questioned, digging a foot into the carpet, "...did something happen between you and Lev? I remember what you told us happened yesterday, and I just..." She chewed on her thumb in thought, then continued, "I don't know, maybe I just shouldn't have opened my mouth. I just don't remember him ever being so...not analytical about this stuff. That's, like, all he is when he's angry, so I thought that you knowing the whole secret-thing wouldn't be that big of a deal. Gods, Vance, I'm sorry I dragged you into this."
 
Vance frowned as Reyna took the blame. "No, no, it's okay. I wanted to help, but... But I guess I just made things worse. I tried to get him to talk about it, and he did! But... then he just stopped. I don't know why." Slouching, the wolf boy thought things over before picking himself back up. "Come on, let's get packed. Even if Lev and Sylvia are fighting doesn't mean we can't have a bit of fun while they sort things out!" With a less than convincing smile, Vance took his well worn bags and started to follow his teammates out.

The whole process was quick. After some big hugs and smiles from the Slaters, SLVR had all of their things in Sylvia's home and were on their way to the CCT. It was a quiet process, but the team managed to huddle around a terminal, Vance insisting his teammates stay near but not in the camera as he made his call. After a few rings, Valerie Faolan's face appeared on the screen looking a bit run down but overall somewhat happy. "Hi Mom!" Vance greeted, ever excitable.

"Hi sweetie. How are you doing?" The woman replied, leaning a bit back in her seat as she watched her son bounce.

Vance took this as his cue to start ranting. "It's been great! We're on break now so I'm staying with my team at my leader's house! It's gonna be so fun! Oh! And I got to fight in the Vytal tournament! Did you watch me? I was gonna just have fun but then Gabe said I should fight for you guys so I tried to fight for you guys and we got super far into the tournament! It was so cool! Oh, where are Arthur and Leyla? Are they in school? You should tell them I miss them! I can't wait to see them again! It's gonna be so much fun! I can tell them all about the tournament and my team and my classes and-" Before he could continue, Valerie cleared her throat to interrupt him.

"All right, honey, slow down!" She held her hands up, waiting until she had Vance's full attention before starting her piece. "Arthur and Leyla are in school right now. We did see you fight in the Vytal tournament. I actually wanted to talk to you about that." Taking a moment, the faunus woman seemed to think over her words before starting. "Sweetie, watching you nearly gave me a heart attack. I was so worried for you the whole time. Arthur and Leyla have started talking about how "cool" being a hunter would be and because of that I think you shouldn't come back home."

The words struck at chord. Vance blinked, trying to come up with something to say in response. "What?" He gasped out, his eyes starting to shine from unshed tears. "What do you mean? I... I can't come back home?"

With that, the faunus woman immediately started to backtrack. "Oh no! No, no, no, honey! I just mean maybe you should come home less often! I-"

She didn't get to finish as Vance spoke over her. "No. You just said I shouldn't come back home. I thought you were okay with me being a hunter now. Why can't I come back home?!" Vance's ears flipped back as he stood straighter.

Valerie seemed to be growing more agitated, responding to Vance's hurt tone with an irritated one, "Honey, I never said I was okay with it. I just accepted that you were going to do it regardless. I'm not saying you can never come home. I just don't want you to make it seem okay for Leyla and Arthur to do something so dangerous. So when you do come home, you just don't mention it."

Tension was growing as Vance's hurt turned into more hurt and anger. "So you want me to lie?"

"No, no I-"

"No, that's exactly what you want me to do!" Vance said, "You want me to lie about being a hunter! I thought you would finally be okay with this! I fought in the tournament for you! I fought so I could show you how strong I am! I can take care of myself! I can protect you guys! Why don't you understand that?!"

"Sweetheart, you could have died!" Valerie was raising her voice, her expression slowly becoming more aggressive. "You were in the hospital! I thought you would have learned from that! But no! You keep throwing yourself into fights! Excuse me for not wanting to lose my last two children like I lost you!"

"You didn't lose me!" Vance was crying now, frustrated tears falling as he argued. "You threw me away! You tossed me out of the house and never looked back! I tried to call you! I tried to be a good son! I'm trying to show you that I can do it but you just! Won't! Listen!"

The whole fight was growing louder by the second. Valerie screamed, "Well, I'm just trying to protect my family! I'm just keeping everyone safe, but you keep trying to put yourself in danger!"

"You're just scared I'll leave like Dad!" Vance matched Valerie's screaming with his own. He shook as he gripped the counter in front of him. "You're a coward who'd rather push me away than admit that you're scared!"

"How dare you! I am your mother! I am just trying to keep you all safe!"

"Well maybe I'm happier without you!"

"Fine!" Valerie stood up, backing away from the screen as she glared at Vance. "Fine, if you're so much happier then you can just never come back! You're not part of this family anymore! Go have fun with your new family! Don't come crawling back to me when you get yourself landed in the hospital again because of your stupid decision!" With that, the call ended. For a few moments, a long silence stretched over the CCT. Vance just sat there, tears streaming down his face and gasping for breath. Before any of his teammates could move to comfort him, he ran off.

"Vance!" Sylvia called, immediately running after the boy. Vance was too fast for them as he was out of their sight by the time they reached the street. Turning to Reyna and Lev, Sylvia started to bark orders. "Let's split up. If you find him, use your scroll to text us." With that, Sylvia ran off straight, leaving it to Lev and Reyna to search the rest of the city.

Wind rushed past Vance's face, drying his tears as he ran. He didn't really have a direction in mind. Just anywhere but there. He didn't stop until he reached a dead end, an abandoned alleyway somewhere in the middle of Vale. Nearly screaming in frustration, Vance started to punch and kick the walls, trying to get some of his frustrations out. If it weren't for his aura, his knuckles probably would have split open. So the faunus boy threw his tantrum until finally sliding down onto the floor, openly sobbing and pounding his fist into the street.
 
The trip to the Slaters felt instantaneous. One moment they were outside Beacon, exchanging hellos and trying to get over the fact that Lev and Sylvia's tension still hung over everyone like a cloud, and the next moment saw them inside the CCT, with Vance hovering over a screen with his mom on the other end. It seemed to go well at first, but one word led to another, and soon enough, Vance had left. Reyna was already a mess, torn between intervening or not, when Vance finally rushed away, so it took Sylvia a bit longer to kick her into gear. Lev, on the other hand, had watched the trouble unfold with a hand scratching at his chest. All of the feelings he should have felt when he turned away from Vance, or called Reyna a traitor, or made Sylvia disappointed in him...all of a sudden, they found rest in him, and the weight of it all propelled the ravenette after the wolf boy almost instantaneously. After all of the spite he had leveled on Vance, assuming that his home life was going to be a permanent fixture after the hospital incident, Lev was determined to salvage something of the friendship he tried to bury with the phrase, "no-home buddies."

"Vance? Vance!" Lev called out to the grounded faunus, finally catching sight of him in an alley. "Hey, cut it out! Your gonna end up hurting yourself." The ravenette stood over Vance uneasily, not wanting to upset the boy further. After a moment's silence, Lev crouched down to the wolf boy's level, resting his arms on his knees with a sigh of defeat.

"You had me going there, Vance. I...I thought you weren't gonna end up like me." Lev closed his eyes and took a deep, long breath. He found a decent start to what he wanted to say, but he knew that the rest wouldn't be so easy. "...I-I'm sorry...for all of this. I feel like I..." Swallowing became infinitely harder for the ravenette as one of the bottles in him finally started to uncork itself. "...like I j-jinxed you, man." Lev finally let himself fall to a seat, rubbing his eyes in a desperate attempt not to start crying so early. "I mean, when I saw your mom a-and stuff in the hospital, I thought that was it! You got what you wanted, a-a-and I was still just...homeless, I-I guess, because you were my no-home buddy! And I was upset to see you happy about it b-because you were my no-home buddy, and then you weren't, so I..." Lev took another breath, shakier this time. "I was jealous, and frustrated, and I didn't want to talk to you because y-you just...you got it! You got your home back, and I was being selfish, and then the thing happened, and I just b-brushed you off, a-and...I've been such an ass, and I must've jinxed you or something because this never should have happened, but I thought I wanted it to happen but I didn't..."

Lev had to stop himself from talking further before he broke down further. He took some time to rub away his tears and get a few good sniffs in to clear his sinuses, but it didn't do much good. After looking at Vance for a moment longer, taking deep breath after deep breath, he tried to pick up where he left off. "I shouldn't have b-brushed you off just because your mom came to see you at the hospital...a-and I shouldn't be trying so hard to make up for it now that...now that...I-I just shouldn't, because it makes it look conditional, and friendship sh-shouldn't be that, s-so I'm sorry, Vance. I'm so sorry."
 
It took a moment for Vance to stop, his sobs quieting just a bit as Lev explained. He sniffled and gasped throughout the whole explanation, wrapping his head around everything. Of course! That's why Lev had been so upset! That's why he wouldn't talk to him before! Vance felt horrible that he could get something that Lev would never have with his parents again. Though, really the wolf boy should've known better. Hiccupping, Vance tried to speak to reassure his teammate. "I-I forgive you. I-it's just... it's not fair!" He started sobbing once again, nearly going to start punching the ground again. Realizing he really was going to hurt himself, the wolf boy just propelled himself at Lev and hugged him tight.

"It's not fair!" He started once again, shivering as he clung to his teammate. "I thought-I thought Mom still loved me! I thought I would be able to go home again! I-I thought after all these years I could play with Leyla and Arthur again! I should've known! I should've known that it wouldn't have lasted. You don't-you don't just say your sorry after four years of abandonment. But I hoped! I..." Gasping for breath, Vance slowly let go of Lev and sat back down. "You didn't jinx me. I was just... I was just stupid. Like I always am. Nothing's going right. I thought... It's not fair. I wanted to help you with Sylvia but Rain says I should just let you and her sort it out and then this happens and you have your own stuff and I just wish everything could be right again!" The wolf boy couldn't find it in himself to say much more, simply sobbing as he pulled his knees to his chest and tried not to drown in the pure heartbreak of having his home ripped from his grasp once again.
 
Lev had to hold in his gasp when Vance said he forgave him, but the wolf boy got it out of him regardless when he rushed in for a hug. The more his faunus teammate spoke, the more Lev settled into the embrace, but the moment of bonding was cut short with Vance failing to catch his breath. Lev gave him a bit of space, but after hearing the rest of his cries, the ravenette dove back in, refusing to let Vance wallow alone.

"It isn't fair, you're right." Lev spoke through his own tears, glad to finally have it in him to trust Vance again. "But we're both in this together, and I'm not gonna let you go it alone ever again. N-Not if I can help it! I may have my own stuff, but you're a part of that, too. We're a team, remember? We..." Lev thought for a moment longer, then shook his head with a sniff. "Hey, let's s-stop all this self-blame stuff. We've both made mistakes, and now we've gotta own up to them." The ravenette took hold of Vance's hand, raising them both to their feet. Lev gave him one last squeeze before pulling out his scroll.

Found him. Meet back at CCT.

"C'mon. Let's just walk for a bit." Lev smiled after sending off his text. "Sounds like we both need to cool off."
 
Listening to Lev speak, Vance started to calm to the occasional hiccup. It felt nice, hearing Lev reaffirm himself as Vance's teammate and willing to start supporting Vance once again. Lev's silence had hurt him far more than he had realized, so having Lev start talking to him and comforting him again really helped. As Lev offered suggested they start walking, the wolf boy nodded and wobbly stood up. He was silent most of the walk back to the CCT, but it worked wonders for him. He was mostly calm by the time he saw Sylvia and Reyna meeting up with them. However, as soon as he got close, the waterworks started once more. Vance collapsed back onto Sylvia and sobbed. In the back of his mind, Vance wished Gabe was there to help comfort him. He could call Gabe later, but Vance didn't want to interrupt Gabe's vacation in Atlas. Maybe he'd ask his team about it after he'd gotten over the hurt his mother had left him with.

Sylvia felt a rush of relief at the text, immediately running back to the CCT to meet up with Lev and Vance. Seeing the wolf boy, Sylvia tried to ask him how he was holding up only to have him utterly collapse on her sobbing. Almost on instinct, Sylvia wrapped her arms around the sobbing boy and started to shush him. She murmured gentle reassurances as Vance wailed incoherently. She'd have to get her dad to make some hot cocoa when they got back to her house. It seemed her team could definitely use it after all of the excitement of the day. In the meantime, Sylvia simply stood with her team as they tried to calm Vance down once again.

Getting everyone back to Sylvia's house was a quick affair. Flint and Galena had come to pick up SLVR. One look at Vance and they were already down the road, leaving Vale to a humble home surrounded by lovely woods. They walked into the kitchen and set some hot cocoa down for the team before laying down the ground rules. Boys were to stay in the guest room, Reyna would share with Sylvia. Flint had been extremely insistent on this as he and Galena got started making dinner. The house wasn't too large, three bedrooms were nestled up the stairs with a bathroom in between them. The downstairs was a simple mudroom, living room, and kitchen. Outside of the kitchen the team could see a shed which Sylvia informed them held hers and her family's own little workshop where she first learned how to make weapons and use them. Throughout the evening, Sylvia kept a fair distance between herself and Lev, almost unsure in her interactions as she tried to avoid speaking with Lev when she could. Once dinner was over, the team was left to do as they pleased.

Vance immediately snuck off into the room he was staying for the night, grabbing his scroll and punching in Gabe's number. He knew the video call wouldn't work as well as the CCT's did, but he needed to see his boyfriends face right now. Wiping away his tears and hoping that he didn't look like he was just bawling, Vance waited for Gabe to pick up.
 
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Lev was glad to see the walk help out his friend. Even though he remained silent, knowing that he and Vance were back to a proper friendship filled any empty space between them. The ravenette simply nodded his head when the wolf boy began sobbing again, knowing the progression of emotions well enough from his own experience, and kept a patient and watchful eye out for any other way he could lend his support. Luckily, Sylvia's parents arrived quickly to take control of the situation. A short drive later saw them in a completely different environment than Beacon, surrounded by a much more pleasant forest, with much more pleasant company, in a just as pleasant house. Lev gave Sylvia's home a quick look up and down before committing himself to the move. His first step beyond the threshold reminded him of why he was there, and his mood almost immediately soured. The rest of the day saw the ravenette settling in to the guest room Flint insisted on, while simultaneously avoiding Sylvia. Without a crying Vance to serve as a link between them, it wasn't all that hard.

Reyna took the whole situation in a very different manner. She could only watch as Vance clung to Sylvia back at the CCT, doing her best not to cry along with him. It was hard for her to get involved right away, but she found herself leaning against her partner on the ride to the Slater house, doing her best to remind Vance that she was there for him. Once they reached the house and Vance ran off, the pinkette's true purpose became clear. Watching Lev and Sylvia walk past each other without so much as a glance made her want to tear her hair out. She'd give it a day. One. Day. Then she'd take matters into her own hands. Hopefully Vance would be onboard when that time came.

-

"V-nce. -ance? C-m on st-pid piece -f..."

The static in the call was unbearable at first. There wasn't a clear picture, everything looked and sounded muddied and warbled, and it was simply a mess overall. However, after a few minutes, a disconnected call, and a text or two, Gabe's face finally shone clear through Vance's scroll. It wasn't perfect, but it'd do.

"Vance...you've been crying. What happened?"
 
It was frustrating, trying to get the call to work, but they did it. Vance hiccupped as Gabe got straight to the point, seeing right through his pitiful attempts at appearing at least put together. Tears started to flow once again as Vance tried to rub them away. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't want to bug you while you were going to Atlas but... but..." He couldn't speak for a bit, sobs starting to come once again as he poked at the still fresh wound in his heart. "... My mom said I can't come home anymore." Vance took a moment, but the words came quick after that, warbled by his cries and desperation. "I-I called her today to see if she saw the tournament. I wa-I wanted to tell her how I fought for her and Arthur and Leyla and see if she had watched and was-was pr-oud of me, but she just said that I could-I couldn't take care of myself like-like I hadn't just proved that I was strong enough! She said I was a bad influence on my siblings and that I shouldn't-that I shouldn't talk to them about hunter stuff! Like I should just keep it a secret! A-and we fought about it and I told her she was a coward and she told me that I wasn't a part of her family anymore! That I couldn't go home anymore!" The wolf boy knew he was sounding a bit hysterical, so he tried to calm down a bit.

Taking deep breaths, Vance tried to speak a bit more clearly as he continued. "I was just so-so stupid, Gabe! I should've known that this wouldn't have lasted! She-she kicked me out years ago! It's been 4 years! You don't... You don't just make up after time like that. But I hoped! I hoped and I was so, so stupid! Nothing good ever lasts for me! I should've known that she wouldn't take me back! I should've expected it!" He had to take a break, his breath coming in sharp gasps as he felt like his lungs were burning. It was hard to breathe through his stinging eyes and clogged nose. His heart stung with betrayal. It took a while of just weeping before Vance could properly articulate himself once more. "... I'm sorry for bugging you. I-I know you're off to Atlas and I'm sure you're gonna have fun cause it's break and I-I shouldn't have called you crying! I just... I miss you. I miss you a lot." It hadn't even been more than a day and Vance already wanted his boyfriend back at his side to cuddle with. Everything was going topsy turvy with Lev and Sylvia fighting, his family abandoning him once more, and Gabe not being there to help him through it. The wolf boy almost wanted to reach for his ragged stuffed dog to try and bring him some comfort while he cried.
 
Gabe listened to Vance, hysterics and all, until he had calmed down enough to hear a response. Gabe took a deep, sharp breath, closing his eyes and leaning back on what looked to be a smooth stone wall. A few people could be heard chattering in the background before Gabe could open his mouth, so he tugged out some earphones and popped them in before giving his boyfriend a well-deserved response.

"Vance, I wish you were here..." the panther began, eyes still closed as though he were in a trance. "...I'd come to you if I could, but I'd rather you be with me. There's so much I could do to distract you..." Gabe took another deep breath, as though he were still getting his fill of something. "...You know that family never meant much to me, Vance. It's pretty easy for me to let stuff like that go... Wanna know why?"

The panther boy waited for Vance to give confirmation before taking his scroll and turning it around. The visual for the call distorted for a moment, but as Gabe held still, the picture cleared up. Facing Vance now was the shimmering coastline of Atlas, the sea burning with the light of sunset. "Look at that, Vance. This was my home, y'know, way back when. I grew up with this view. When you see how big the world is, it's hard to get hooked on one or two things..." Gabe let the picture remain for a while, enjoying the brief sunset with Vance, before turning his scroll back to him. The scroll's backlight lit up the panther's rare smile as he continued on. "...I miss you too, Vance. Thanks for calling before I could. I'm...not the best at handling problems, but I'll do what I can." With that, Gabe gave a quick look around, then sighed. "It's getting late though, and I've got to be somewhere soon. I'll call you when I can, alright? And listen..." Gabe moved in close, his eye filling up most of the camera space at this point.

"...I love you."

And with that, the call ended.
 
Hearing Gabe speak helped calm Vance down a bit. He wasn't bothering his boyfriend and said boyfriend wanted to help. Seeing the sunset was sweet, though it didn't help too much with the heartbroken feelings and the fear that his family's abandonment would spread to the others in his life. Blinking his last few tears out of his eyes, Vance nodded in agreement with trying to call his boyfriend once more. He was ready for a usual goodbye from Gabe, but instead was greeted to three little words that rocked him to his core.

Before he could even get a chance to properly process, Gabe had hung up. Vance blinked at his blank screen for a few moments, unsure what to make of this confession. This was definitely a step up from where they were. Love? Gabe loved him? Was it really that strong? The wolf boy couldn't help but wonder when and how. Love was a strong word. Love was only reserved for families and people who cared deeply for each other. Did Gabe really care that much for Vance? Did Vance care that much for Gabe? In a rush of panic, Vance realized that Gabe had hung up before he could get his response in. He couldn't just leave it like that! He had to do something! Opening up his texts, Vance pressed the small microphone and recorded something for his boyfriend, sending it before he could have any second thoughts. When Gabe opened the recording, Vance's voice came out soft yet sure, "I love you too."

The next morning felt strange for the team. Vance was still in a bit of a funk from what had happened yesterday. He had come downstairs still in his pajama bottoms and with his hair a complete mess. His ears were almost hidden by the mass that was Vance's bedhead. Unlike his usual loud mornings, Vance slunk into the room and half-heartedly smiled at everyone. When breakfast was served, he merely pushed it around, not quite eating it until the Slaters somehow managed to all three give him parental looks of disapproval. He quickly straightened out and shoveled his food in after that.

Sylvia was doing slightly better. She had woken up and immediately gone to her mother to mess with her hair. Braiding and unbraiding it, Sylvia used her mother as a shield to shy away from Lev and avoid conversation. Once breakfast was over with, the silverette squirmed, unsure what to do now that the team was forced to interact. She started to inch away, aiming to walk out the kitchen's back door to the yard so she could hide in the shed and work on some of her passion projects. Vance looked between Lev and Sylvia before looking to Reyna for guidance.
 
Lev's morning routine changed very little despite recent events. After figuring out the Slater's shower, he made himself at home, waking up early and working out, taking his time washing up, and simply enjoying the solitude his mornings usually gave him. The fresh air of the Slater's home environment was an added bonus. He took it all in as much as possible, because he knew that the moment he stepped back in, he'd be reminded of everything that happened between him and Sylvia, as well as everything still happening between them. Lev had never seen the silverette so flighty or unnerved by him before, and it only served to fuel his frustration with her. At the same time, he acknowledged that he was more frequently the one guilty of that behavior, so he sat through the awkwardness that breakfast brought along, eating his fill before quickly removing himself from the table with a brief "thank you." Once his place was clear, he tucked himself back into his room, leaving the rest of the team to do what they would.

Reyna had given Sylva and Lev's problem a lot of thought over the past day. With a bit more time, she was sure she could have something amicable worked out between the two. At the very least, she wanted to resolve things peacefully and quickly. At breakfast, she mulled over ideas while stirring her food about, digging deep into the dusty crevices of the strategic part of her brain, clearing away a few cobwebs with the intent of finding a real good solution...then Lev up and ditched them at the table, and Sylvia was trying her hardest to be inconspicuous as she did the same. Vance's look was the last piece of the puzzle, and a switch flipped in the tiny titan. Getting up from her chair, she quickly apologized to Sylvia's parents before stomping over to her leader, wrapping an arm around her waist before she could exit the house, and quite literally dragging her through her own home, up the stairs, and unceremoniously shoving her into the same room as Lev. With a grunt, Reyna slammed the door behind her victims, braced a foot against the base, a hand on the knob, and activated her semblance.

"You two are gonna talk this out or so help me I'll keep you in there until I die!" the pinkette yelled through the door, clearly done with how they were going about their problems.

Lev didn't have a clue what was happening when Sylvia flew through his door, but he got a better idea when Reyna slammed it shut. Despite that idea, it didn't stop his heart from trying to fire out of his chest. This was very much the last thing he wanted to do during his break. He briefly made eye contact with his partner before trying the door. Nothing. "...This isn't funny, Reyna!" Still nothing. "C'mon, let us out! Let her out! I don't care, just cut it out!"

"Until I die, Lev!" Reyna retorted, leaving the ravenette to begin pacing around the room, wracking his head for any way to get out of the situation that didn't involve vandalism.
 
Sylvia yelped as she was grabbed by her teammate, quick to protest as her parents looked on in confusion. "Wha-Reyna! Let go of me! What are you doing?! Let go! Reyna!" She struggled, though it proved futile if she didn't want to try and damage her house. Before she could properly react, she was being thrown into the guest room. Immediately it set her on edge as she and Lev were trapped, Reyna holding the door closed with her semblance. Lev yelled, trying to convince Reyna to open the door only to get a negative. Sylvia started to pace, looking around for the window only to remember that her parents had had it taken out and patched up the wall when Zak had nearly broken his neck falling out of it. Sighing, Sylvia turned to the door and started to shout, "Reyna open the stupid door and let us out! You can't keep us in here! I'm not above breaking down my own door! So just let us out already!" Her yelling proved fruitless, leaving the silverette to being pacing once more.

No matter how she paced or ran a hand through her hair, Sylvia didn't feel any better. Flopping onto Vance's bed, the silverette scooted to the edge and put her head in her hands. What was she supposed to do now? Lev had made it fairly clear that he wasn't going to talk to her. Usually by the time she gave the ultimatum or the 'I'm disappointed in you' schtick, people started to confess. She hadn't encountered this level of stubbornness. So, Sylvia had been planning on avoiding Lev until he admitted that he was willing to talk or they had graduated Beacon-whichever came first. Of course, she hadn't accounted for Vance and Reyna not taking their bs and shoving them into a room together. Flint was going to have a fit later once he figured out that Sylvia had been locked in a room with a boy for what would probably be hours.

For a few minutes, Sylvia refused to speak, just carding her hands through her hair and occasionally pulling at it. The silverette gnawed at her lip as she finally glanced at Lev. She quickly returned her gaze to her lap as she slowly unwound her hands from her hair. Taking a few deep breaths, Sylvia took one last glance before she started to speak. "So I guess we're kinda being forced to talk. There's no windows or secret passageways to help us escape, sadly. My parents took them out when I was little." Standing up, the silverette started to pace. She couldn't stop the words from tumbling from her mouth, "Are you going to tell me what's wrong now? I mean, we could just sit here and stare at each other until either Reyna gets tired or my parents force her to let us out. But, I'd really kinda like to know what's going on in that stubborn brain of yours. If I did something, that'd be good to know so I can fix it." She stopped her pacing, staring at the floor for a moment before turning to Lev.

Her eyebrows were scrunched up in concern, a frown marring her face as she looked for answers. "What happened, Lev? I thought we were actually becoming pretty great friends! Did I do something wrong? Did I hurt you? I've been wracking my brain trying to figure out just what went wrong, but you won't tell me and I just wanna fix it! Just what are you so worried about that you can't tell me? Do you... Do you not trust me?" Sylvia's shoulders sagged, her eyes desperately searching for some explanation.
 
Reyna held her silence against Sylvia's yells, leaving the guest room in complete quiet as Sylvia and Lev attempted to think of a way out. The ravenette could feel discomfort crawling up his spine the longer he spent around the silverette, as though the air were thickening between them as seconds passed. Every motion he made felt like moving through sludge, as though it were a choice between ripping away a bandage or walking barefoot through a knee-deep, mile-long swampland. Lev naturally chose the swamp as he settled on his bed, running a hand through his hair over and over again. At the very least, Sylvia seemed to be in the same boat. The lack of her voice helped the ravenette believe that they were at least trying to figure a way out of the situation that didn't involve interacting with each other. However, Lev's hopes were dashed, and his his heart, sunk, as Sylvia spoke from Vance's side of the room.

She started out casual, and Lev could appreciate that. "Shame. I figured you'd have this whole place rigged around your finger." The ravenette could feel the passive-agressive heat in his voice, and attempted to cough it out as Sylvia continued. The casualness that Lev so appreciated began to fall apart the further along his partner got, but he tried to stick to the act. "Reyna doesn't have what it takes to stick to this for long. Isn't that right, Reyna?!" Lev raised his voice so the pinkette would surely hear, "Your word doesn't mean a thing, does it?!" Lev glowered for a moment longer before realizing that he had lost his cool. "...your parents will get us out of here soon enough. Let's just-"

Sylvia broke in with a final plea, halting Lev's thoughts for a long while. After taking a moment to take in a few breaths, he spoke again, doing his best to answer his partner in as short and clear of an answer as possible.

"...I'm angry, and I like you."

Lev felt the tug to correct himself and explain what he meant, but a gut feeling held him back. If this is how their afternoon was destined to go, then it'd just be better to get it over with step by step, so nothing would be left behind when they went their separate ways at the end of it all. So with the vague, Lev-ish statement in the air, the ravenette waited to see what would happen next.
 
He was talking. Sylvia almost sagged with relief. Lev was actually speaking to her. He wasn't avoiding the topic or reacting with passive-aggressiveness. He was actually, really speaking to her. Of course, his answer left a lot of questions that begged to be answered, but it was a good start. Sylvia shifted from foot to foot, waiting for a bit more explanation. Silence dragged on for a few beats. All right, so it seems that she was going to have to dig a little deeper. Sighing, Sylvia ran a hand through her hair and crossed her arms.

"... okay. This is a start." She finally piped up, her voice a bit strained as she tried to keep all of her emerging emotions in check. She chewed on her cheek as she continued, "But... Lev, you need to explain. What do you mean? Why are you angry? Is it because-" She stopped herself there. No, she couldn't go assuming. Lev needed to tell her himself what was on his mind. "Did I...?" She paused again, chewing on her cheek and tapping her fingers against her arm. Memories of her behavior for the past few weeks swept through her mind's eye as she tried to figure out where she had gone wrong, what she had did to make Lev angry. After a few moments, Sylvia realized it was probably a bit arrogant of her to automatically assume she was the cause of Lev's feelings. "... what's making you angry? And what do you mean, you 'like' me?" Her gaze moved to meet Lev's eyes. She stared at him, imploring and confused as she tried to work out what her partner meant by those few words.
 
"Why am I angry..." It was a valid question, and though he wasn't surprised by it, he didn't have an answer at the ready. However, before he could look up and meet Sylvia's eyes, the emotion clicked in him again. He took a sharp breath through his nose, and fixed his eyes in a glare down at his feet.

"Why do you need to know so bad, huh? Because you want to fix me? Stop trying to fix me! I don't want to be fixed! There's nothing to fix! I..." Lev bit his tongue for a moment, staring into Sylvia's eyes to make sure he wasn't going to go off the rails as usual. "...I want to be angry." The moment the ravenette said it, his eyes opened wider, as though it was the first fresh breath of air he had taken in a while, and he looked up to his partner, meeting her eyes with intent. "I want to be angry! I want this, Syv! I want to be bitter! I want to keep you all at arm's length! Damnit Syv, I didn't want another family! Family and I don't mix!"

Lev took a moment to breath before continuing, finding his words spilling out like a lava flow. "Vance didn't have a choice when he let me down, but it felt like he did. He had a parent back...at least for a little while, he did... My dad hit me while I was bedridden, and I had to watch Vance get hope back for a family! I hate it! It wasn't fair! Then he lost his family again and all it did was make me see how miserable of a friend I am! I just am, Syv..." Lev let his fingers curl around his hair, tugging and tweezing at it as he worked himself up to make some sort of point.

"A-And Reyna's looked down on me since we got to Beacon, and she's never been afraid to say it. I wasn't allowed to call her 'Rain' because we weren't really friends. During the tournament, she caught me at a bad time, and got me to talk, and all of a sudden, we're buddy-buddy! Then before the season's end, she betrays me! My trust! I can't even spit the name 'Rain!' I'm just good gossip, right? A lady's man, right? I-I hate that! Hate it! How is that fair? Why does that have to be me?! Even if she just told Vance, and even if it was to help me, I feel like hating her, a-and I know that's not right! Even if we aren't the best of friends, she's still nicer to me than almost everyone I used to know, so why don't I want to feel happy about her trying to give me a hand, huh?" Lev sat back down, still tugging at his hair, running his fingers through it haphazardly. He looked at Sylvia and cleared his throat, trying to press on before he grew hoarse.

"Then there's you... Y-You keep trying to take me in like a stupid dog from the dump! I guess that's what I look like when I'm trying to help, huh? Like a mutt, wanting some pats and a treat? A 'job-well-done'? And you keep doing it even after I've practically kicked sand in your eyes! I flip-flop so many times around you in the spans of a month, and all you can say is that you're disappointed? That's it?! I'm disappointed that I never got the toys I wanted for Christmas! I'm disappointed that my goldfish couldn't swim through a hoop! I'm disappointed that my scroll short-circuted during a power-outage one time! Do I really disappoint you, Syv? Do I disappoint you because I skipped a homework assignment in Signal that, even though it didn't count towards anything, would have showed everyone the difference between my abilities and theirs? Do I disappoint you because I broke a vase in the house because it was my first day using my semblance, and I really ought to have had more control over it at that point? Do I disappoint you because I'm not the leader of SLVR?! You don't know what disappointment is to me, Sylvia. I'm well past being a disappointment. I'm no stranger to the position..."

Lev paused, both in his speaking, and in his messing around with his hair. He took some time to catch his breath while sniffing up any tears threatening to emerge. It had all come out too easily, and it took him a solid chunk of time before he could push through the regret of everything he admitted. If he listened hard enough, he could hear Reyna sniffling from behind the door, and that only made him feel worse. Even so, the ravenette ignored the silverette's final question. He built up enough of a wall for her to climb over already. Hopefully that would be enough to make her forget he ever said anything about liking her to begin with.
 
Hearing Lev rant stirred up conflicting feelings in Sylvia. On one hand, she was infinitely glad that he was actually speaking to her and explaining himself. On the other hand, she felt hurt at the various things he had to say. There were some points he was making that forced Sylvia to rethink just a bit how she's been acting around her team. However, she couldn't think on that too much as Lev left it open for her to respond and rebuke some of his statements. She chewed on her lip, trying to find the words as she looked Lev up and down. Steeling herself, the silverette began to try and respond to his words.

"... I don't want to fix you, Lev." She looked straight at him, squaring her shoulders and dropping her arms to her sides. "I made you think I did, but I don't. I've had people try to fix me before, Lev. I know how excruciating that is. I'd never want to purposefully fix someone. For that, I'm sorry. I can't speak for Reyna or Vance, but I'm sorry we've done some things, whether we meant to or not, to hurt you and make you feel this way. I'm sorry I made you think I thought of you as a charity case or something to fix. I can't apologize enough for that. But..." She paused, glancing down at her feet before looking back up at Lev.

"You're wrong. I never thought of you as some kind of dog to take in and fix up. I thought of you as a friend-and I still do. You have your bad times, I give you that. You said it yourself you've flip-flopped so often that it's a wonder we're even friends in the first place. However, I got to experience one of the best friendships I've had in a long time with you in a while. I'm not going to let go of that so easily." She crossed her arms, shifting a bit as she tried not to start pacing once again. "You gave us the cold shoulder Lev. If you want to be angry, then that's fine, but you were angry for a month. A month, Lev. I was worried. I missed being able to rant with you about weapons and fashion. I miss the late nights and the chats. I miss you teasing me about my punkness or my momness! You just being so short with us hurt. I can understand wanting to be angry, but being angry for that long hurts. Especially since you refused to tell me what you were angry about."

Taking a deep breath, Sylvia ran a hand through her hair as she tried to think of what else to say. "I wasn't... No, I am disappointed, Lev. I'm disappointed you didn't trust me enough to talk to me about what was going on in your head. I'm disappointed that you refused to let me know how you were feeling and just bottled it up. I'm disappointed in myself most of all. I figured I should have seen what was wrong. I should've know. I should've made sure you could feel comfortable enough to talk about stuff with me and be angry for a little while. But, I didn't and you didn't and here we are. It hurts that you didn't trust me with all of this Lev, but I want to try and change so you can. Yes, I'm a bit angry that you decided to just avoid me for a month instead of talking things out, but I'm mostly hurt. You're my partner, Lev. We're going to be partners for the next 4 or so years of our lives. I don't wanna have to avoid you for the rest of it." With that said, Sylvia was about to leave it to Lev to think over. However, she remembered one more thing that he hadn't addressed. Biting her lip, Sylvia looked away and hunched a bit.

"... you still didn't answer my question. What do you mean, you 'like' me?"
 
"How am I supposed to trust you if I know you can't change this?" Lev's eyes pierced Sylvias, the level of heat in his anger changing from an open fire to a focused beam in an instant. He had found what he wanted to say, so he said it again.

"You can't change this! Me! How I feel, and what I want! You won't do anything about it because you can't, and saying that you can would only make me feel like more of a charity case..." Lev wanted to try and cool down, but nothing was working out. When he took Sylvia in, and really looked at her, he could feel that violent spark emerge again. His heart pounded unrelentingly, and his glare tightened. He couldn't feel how he wanted, so he'd feel angry instead. The ravenette remained quiet for a time, trying to suffocate the fire before speaking again.

"...which just makes it harder to admit I like you." He finally said, breaking his pregnant pause like the crack of a campfire. Her question. Her dedication to him. Her everything...it just wouldn't stop driving Lev into a corner, so the ravenette picked himself up and stepped forward to make sure he was clear. Clearer than clear. As clear as he could ever be, so that she wouldn't have a single doubt in her mind once he finished. He'd step out of his corner, and subsequently, away from Sylvia, if it were the last thing he did.

"I like you, Syv! Like you like Seymour! Like Vance likes Gabe! Like Reyna liked Uriah! Like Haku likes Sora! Like as in love! As in dating and doing stupid, mushy, couple-y things! Like making you laugh, o-or just shooting the breeze, or having lunch in some backwater cafe just because!" Lev gripped his hair in an attempt to hide his face. It was turning red, but he wasn't sure whether it was from anger or embarrassment. "Dense! Dense! Dense! Why are you so dense that you'd make me say it like this!"

He was far from done though, and his eyes showed it, just as they always did. "I don't want to like you like this, Syv! You have Seymour! I would...I would have to live through one-hundred lifetimes to make up for the choices I've made and the things that I've said before I could even start to be as amazing as him! As right for you as him! Even as a friend, I'm at the bottom of the branches compared to the treetop he's sitting on! He just...he takes care of you, and he's just this stupid, perfect guy and all I do is this! Is this! I ruin things, and yell at you, and tease and mock you, and I accidentally insult you, and hurt you, and am mean and abrasive and j-just the worst!"

Lev seemed to be slowing down now, but he still had something left on the end of his tongue. Taking a sharp breath through his nose, and releasing it through his teeth, the ravenette made his final stand. "...I'm angry because I can't allow myself to pretend like I'll ever be competition to what you've already got. I refuse to be like Abby or Hakushi. They still have some false hope that, by following their leaders to the death, they'll get what they finally want. They'll be recognized, and loved, and they'll have some stupid relationship that isn't even a guarantee to last!... Seymour is practically perfect, and he chose you! Chose. You. And Sora...Sora's already supposed to be engaged, Syv! Haku told me there's a girl in Atlas that's been a friend of his since birth, and he went and proposed to her! Yet Haku...she still devotes every second to trying..." Tears slid down quickly, and Lev wiped them away even quicker.

"I'm not that kind of idiot, Sylvia! Whatever it is I like about you, I'll find a reason to be angry about it, and I'll burn it right out of me until that feeling is gone! I'm done pining over you in secret, and I sure as hell ain't gonna start pining over you in the open...so get it over with. Say what you will so Reyna will let us out. There's nothing more to be done."
 
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