♤SPRING SHIELD (MxM) ~fantasy~♤

Responsibility in name

Elijah

"Do we,as a people,have use for Bethany Wilder?"Kristian asks,once reach the parking that's below the entire building. It's dark but I don't miss his movements as he slips into his trench coat that he carries to work each day,
"You've been harder on her than usual."I say standing in the centre of the area and opening my car so I can find it. I'm tired after a long day at work,
"Oh,so you're defending her? Your hear must ache after knowing her for so long,"he rolls his eyes running a hand through his hair that's slowly becoming an obsession of mine,
"Here we go... I'm not defending her. Yes,she's annoying but you have to tell me if she's giving you a hard time. Give me an actual claim,I will not hesitate to get rid of her."I tell him,getting closer to him as he walks. He whips around and opens his mouth,before closing it and biting his lip. He seems scared almost,embarrassed even.
And I know there's something there. But I can't just fire a nobel with a social standing in public like Bethany. I need Kristian to make a claim and give me evidence and I can will ruin the Wilder name like an ant under my heel.
First because it's wrong to abuse power and it's part of my duty to make sure that doesn't happen as the head of the avatars. Also because I will not stand for anything against him. Ever.
"Red..."I plead but he turns right back around and walks off into the dark. I follow him,ready to plead more when I hear him gasp before cursing. I race towards his direction,"Red,are you okay-"before I can say anything else,I see him glaring at a man.
Brent McConnell. Again.
"Red? You two have nicknames for each other now?"he asks,pushing himself for his leisure position of leaning up against a support beam,
"That is none of your business."Kristian tells him placing his hands at his hips,McConnell spares him a glance.
"I know you can't wait to speak to me,Kris but I'm afraid I'm not hear for you today."this comes as a surprise because I already put Kris behind me in a protective gesture,"So,you can drop the act. It's gross,"he makes a face at us,
"Listen,McConnell. I don't care to hear your opinions,unfortunately. Why are you walking around in the dark of my property?"I demand,
"Property is a but of a stretch don't you think? Share holders and all that... anyway my dad sent me to bring you this,relaxation medicine crap. He heard about your black out."McConnell's father always tries to suck up to all the avatars to compensate for his son's behaviour ever since the scandal. It's annoying but I understand.
"Tell your father that none of this is necessary. As usual."
"Whatever. The chocolate is Kristian's."
"Listen to me very carefully,McConnell. You will not harass my assistant any longer,try to think of Jessica or whatever her name is. The face she loses as you drool over anything you see."
"Stop naming vices Lewis,you're over here keeping him under your wing like your precious little jewel. You can't afford to be as righteous as before."I frown after he says this. I'm tired of his advances,I'm tired of him making a fool out of me and Kristian.
I am tired. And I am not one to suffer if I can have space to place my foot down. "Kristian,go to the car."I say,my voice growing low,
"What are you-"
"Go.To.The.Car."I demand and he pouts before scurrying away. I wait for him to go out of ear shot before speaking again.
"You are so hell-bent on codling him,aren't you?"he mocks turning his head away from him. Now that he's gone,I feel like I don't have any face to be keep,any facade to spread. McConnell has seen my nasty side,I have nothing to hide when it comes to him.
Maybe that's why he hates me. Because he knows just how bad I can get,"He's my subordinate,and I will protect him. Even if the likes of you try to get to him."I look at him with a disdainful sneer,
"Protect? Lewis,I had him first. I know things about him that you never will,no matter how much you try to show him how much of a hero you are-"he comes up close to my face and shoves his finger in my chest,"Because sometimes that blessing of yours doesn't mean a thing."
"Except it does. It did then and it does now,In case you forgot."I say,he laughs. A cold and twisted show of amusement,
"That was years ago,Elijah. We were kids,why don't you show me how much of a man you are? Stop beating around your golden boy bush."there's a crooked grin on his face. His eyes lighting up blue the same way they did the last time this happened.
"McConnell,I'm warning you-"
"I don't need it."he says to me,
"McConnell-"the rest of my words get knocked out of me by his fist,blood splatters on the concert. My blood. The bruise starts to fester,unable to heal itself at a normal pace because he just embellished his knuckles with ice.
This bastard.
I lick the inside of my mouth slowly cleaning up the blood that's dancing between my teeth. I turn my head around and block his other punch. It takes me a second to tighten my fist and make the decision to show him the difference between him and me.
I knock him on the up side of his chin,causing blood to spill from the side of his lip. I let the whiplash hit before I grab his collar to stop him from moving around,smashing my fist into his cheek. He tries to hit me again but misses,the aether lodges a giant piece of ice into the ground.
With my hand on his wrist,I make sure to let go and round house kick him. He groans,blood spilling from his nose like a leaking tap. One last time,I pull him up by his collar and push him against the support beam he was once leaning on.
"I showed you once,McConnell and here we go again,anyway. I've entertained you and your antics for so long,I promise you,we are not on the same level. I just knocked you around without using my powers and you just used everything you had."I make sure he can hear me,even though he's about to pass out,
"I have lines,McConnell. And you've crossed out each and every single one,but Kristian? Mark my words if you cross him I will grant you living death. I will strip your family name of any honour it has an will all be your fault. So I dare you,McConnell,try me again allow me to prove to the world the power of the avatar."we share a moment of silence before he sneers,
"You-"I shut him up by banging my fist into the beam making the concrete cave in,
"I didn't say you could talk back,McConnell. Know your damn place or else I'll throw you there."I wipe my knuckles of his blood and walk away. I let myself decompress,the killing aura never seems to leave me sometimes. Like a lingering bad smell.
But I'm afraid. I don't want Kristian to see me like I'm some sort of... monster. I just need to do the dirty work sometimes and that's not his problem to worry about.
I open the driver's door and sit inside finding Kristian frowning inside. I sigh,"... did you two fight out there?"he asks,
"No."I lie,turning my face towards him,"Kristian,can I tell you something?"he doesn't answer my question but places his hand on the bruise on my cheek bone,gently touching it,
"Why is it cold?"he asks,
"Don't worry about this. It'll be gone by tomorrow."I take his hand off me,while grabbing his other hand,stroking both of them. "Red,I know that high society in Ferrez seems so complicated,or confusing. But,I don't you ever think that the power of a noble rivals mine,okay? I'm a king. I'm in charge and if I want something done,it gets done."
"You're talking crazy again-"
"No,Red. Listen to me,you can tell me if something isn't right and I will rain hell on whoever-"
"Lewis,you listen to me. That's not how this works,you can take peoples names away,make the public hate them,take all their money and fame away. Hell,you can even kill someone. But it'll never change what someone like me,or someone like a common blood has to go through."I try to open my mouth but he silences me with his finger.
Slowly he takes out hand sanitizer and paper towels from my glove compartment,"Ypu know why nobles faught so hard to have power when avatars had it all? Because thay saw the type of battles we had to fight each and every day and said life has to get better than this. They made it better,forced it to be better. And us? We have all kinds of wars to get beat up in and one of them is prejudice. You're a king sure,but you can't stop them from talking. Then you'd have to be a tyrant,Lewis."
I can feel my heart dropping. As he dabs disinfectant on my bruise,or basically the skin,it's already healed. "Don't fight to fix what's not fixable."he says,pulling his hand away from mine and placing it on my face again. His thumb going back and forth before he kisses my cheek.
I can't seem to stop thinking about it.