Hakksu did as he said he would. After he returned downstairs, he sat on the couch and beckoned Calix to join him.~~~~~
Brody was silent. What could he say? What could he do? He stood, leaving the beer on the counter, and he took Lucy into his arms and hugged her tight.
“Please, don’t think that. Don’t think you’re not human. Because you are. You’re Lucy. Everyone has their demons. They could be drugs, alcohol, violence, behavior… anything. And none of those things could convince me that you’re more or less a human being.” He pulled away to look into her eyes. “Think about the people who care about you, Lucy. Calix and Hakksu depend on you to help keep them safe. And believe it or not, there are those in the organization who are rooting for you to join. There are a lot of them, actually. And… And I need you, Lucy. You’re the closest thing to a family I have. You’re important; you matter to people. Does that make you a monster? No. It makes you human.”
Slowly, Calix moved to sit beside his lover on the couch. He let himself lay his head on Hakksu’s shoulder, holding him tight. “How can we trust her…I mean, if she did this? Even if she was just provoked…she could get provoked too.”
~~~~~
Lucy tensed up suddenly at the embrace, but slowly she felt herself needing it…wanting it. His words seeped through her brain as he spoke, feeling the warmth suddenly disappear as he broke away…she didn’t say anything for a long while and stared at the table in front of her. She needed a focal point so she could pretend she wasn’t losing her mind.
“Serial Killers count as human too…and people need them. Their victims need them to stop killing people. Their family need them to pay the bills, the taxes…their friends need them to leave and never come back.”
“I am not sure we can trust her, but we need her. If she is… provoked, I will make sure she does not harm you. Do not worry, alright?” Hakksu wrapped his arm around the boy and kissed him lightly on the cheek.
~~~~~
“Stop it, Lucy!” Wolf grabbed her shoulders firmly, “Just stop this! You are not a serial killer, and you shouldn’t be comparing yourself with one.” He searched her eyes and added, “I want you to see yourself the same way I see you. A reliable ally, a trusted friend, a loved young woman with a great future ahead of her. And not to mention the best fighter I’ve ever seen. Please.”
His eyes were growing red, his lips quivered every now and then. He couldn’t bear to see Lucy act like this; act like she was inhuman. It hurt him. He wanted her to be happy.
“I know…” he whispered. “You two will keep each other in check.” he hated to admit it, but he knew it was true. If Hakksu was provoked, he was more dangerous than anyone could know…but Lucy could stop him. And it was the same thing the other way around. “I love you.” he whispered, letting the words sooth him. He was with the man he loved. Nothing else mattered. As long as they were together, they would get through any obstacles that came their way.
~~~~~
Lucy stared at Wolf, a small, weak, smile spreading on her face. As he gripped at her shoulders, Lucy found herself moving her head forward and pressing it into his chest. She didn’t say anything or move a centimeter from where she sat, her head pressed into the soft cotton of his shirt as she stared at the window above the kitchen sink.
“I’m sorry…out-breaks aren’t really gonna get me in good with the orgnazation, huh?” she chuckled dryly before pulling away and hastily wiping at her eyes. Her number one rule of thumb: Act like nothing happened. It was the only thing she could do to not embarrass herself.
Hakksu held Calix tightly. “I love you also,” he said in a quiet tone.
They sat in each other’s presence for a while before Hakksu sat up. “I should check on the boy. I will be back in a short moment.” He stood after kissing Calix lightly on the lips and made his way upstairs.
~~~~~
Wolf smiled faintly and patted Lucy’s shoulder. He turned around for a moment and wiped away a stray tear and cleared his throat. “So,” he said facing towards Lucy again, wanting to change the subject, “While we were having our little heart-to-heart, an old buddy of mine who owes me a favor has been looking around to see if there’s any place where your friends could stay. Want to see if he found one yet?”
Brody picked up his keys from the counter and tossed them over to Lucy. “I’ll even let you drive, but only on the way.” He winked.
Calix nodded, letting his lover leave as he stayed curled on the sofa, staring into the black, turned off, television. His arms were cold and it felt like the world was shaking. It was just nerves…at least that’s what he thought until he saw the T.V begin to shake side to side, nearly falling off the edge of the stand it was on…what was going on?
~~~~~
Lucy looked up with a bright childish smile on her face. Lucy only drove when Wolf was too injured to. It used to be, before he was sober, that she drove when he was intoxicated. But that was over now, and he got in less fights, so being able to drive, even only half of the entire drive, was a true pleasure.
She caught the keys and ran happily towards the car.
[[poor lucy thinks Wolf’s sober. What am I doing to my characters]]
Hakksu was about to open the door to where Larson slept, but instead he became unsteady and was forced to grab onto the nearest object, in this case a hallway table, for support. He braced himself for the strange tremor that shook the household.
~~~~~
Wolf hurried down to the car after Lucy and stumbled into the passenger seat. He took out his flip phone and read the single text that lit up the screen. After clearing his throat, he glanced over at Lucy and asked, “Y’know how to get to Shell St. from here? There’s an opening at the apartments where all’uh your brawl partners live. We need to check it out before we agree to get it.”
Calix jumped to his feet. He needed to get to Hakksu…right? Or it would it be safer to dash out the front door? It was hard to tell. Calix had no idea what was going on. It couldn’t be an earthquake. Because when he glanced out the window he could see a woman walking by as if nothing was the matter.
His first thought was that Hakksu’s people had come to kill him…but as he ran out to the backyard he instead saw someone lying on the grass…his face stared on in shock.
“Alyss-” but as he uttered the words, his dead sister hopped to her feet, looked at him in terror and dashed off…just as the shaking had stopped.
Calix shook his head to get rid of the thought. He must have been hallucinating. His nerves were getting to him…it was just a small tremor of an earthquake. That had to be it.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Lyssa glanced at Wolf as she adjusted the car so that she could drive it without crashing into things…or people. Her eyes went from happy to concerned.
Brawl buddies was…well, lets just say they weren’t necessarily her “buddies”. But she wanted an apartment. She needed one. She hadn’t told Wolf, not wanting him to have to let her stay with him, but Lucy had been evicted from the small apartment she had rented. She’d been kicked out about two weeks ago for inability to pay bills and “assaulting” the landlord. Even though all she did was tell him he was an asshole and pushed him against a wall…
“Yeah, I know where it is. Sounds good.” she said, clearing her throat before looking towards the road and starting the car.
The crystal on Hakku’s skin grew increasingly brighter until the power of the earthquake reduced to nothing. In feeling this tremendous rise of adrenaline, Hakksu shook and shivered down the stairs in search for his companion.
“Calix?!” the prince cried out once he discovered the living room was empty. He fell to his hands and knees, his arms just barely able to support his weight. The glowing crystals flickered wildly as he tried to regain control of his energy.
~~~~~
Brody settled into the seat and strapped himself in with the seat-belt. He wasn’t going to take any unnecessary chances with Lucy driving.
