mallowhallow | Joint post | Balfour showing off Amery

_{[It sure didn’t take long after Amery’s first post for the feed to come on again, this time showing a beaming face. Well, actually two faces, but Balfour was beaming, his arms wrapped around Amery’s shoulders from behind as he showed him the broadcasting device. He held it in one hand and grinned out to the public.]}

Hey everyone! I know I’ve mentioned him before, but this is my brother, Amery! Say hi!

_{[He nudges Amery, intent on his brother making a good impression among his new friends.]}

Hello.

[Amery doesn’t look nearly as happy about this as his brother does, but he’s dealing with it. If only because it’s Balfour.]

It seems my brother has been sharing stories about me in my absence.

Of course I have! You’re my brother!

_{[So obviously, Balfour would be telling tales. He adored and looked up to Amery, after all.]}

Anyway, I just wanted everyone to know who he was. Please treat him kindly!

_{[And that goes for you too, Amery.]}

Balfour, though I appreciate the gesture, I do believe I’ll be capable of dealing with people whether or not they decide to treat me kindly.

_{[Balfour sighs, looking at the man he’s draped over for a moment.]}

Amery--

_{[But whatever else he was going to say is lost. He kills the feed just as he begins that sentence. Privacy was a valued thing for Amery, after all. Balfour knew this.]}

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

No, this is how it works. It is! That's why, even with all the magic in the world, there are no necromancers. THe few who existed, many years ago, either paid with their lives or the lives of their loved ones. Or the one they brought back committed suicide.

_{[It was enough to tell any magician who had a talent that could work in such a way to not use it.]}

Maybe back home where you're from, but we're not there. I don't think things work like that here.

[He was really trying to be reassuring.]

I don't think you need to worry so much, really.

_{[Balfour shook his head. It really didn't help, what Reid was saying, because he knew for a fact that the dead didn't come back to life without someone paying a price.

Someone, somewhere, would have to pay for his wish.]}

Balfour.

Nothing's going to happen. Seriously. Besides, wouldn't it have, you know, happened already if it was going to? I doubt shit like this would wait until just the right moment, you know.

No. No, it does wait. It does.

_{[Why could Reid not understand?]}

There's a price for everything. There's a limit to everything. Even this.

Even here? In a place where everything is free, people appear and disappear at random and hey, there was that time you talked to pillows and I could fly.

[Somehow he doesn't think that, here of all places, people are going to be punished for someone coming back from the dead.]

That's the rule of the world, Reid. Everything has its cost and its limit. Just because it seems as if there is no cost, no limit, doesn't mean there isn't one. We just...haven't found it yet.

The cost of being here, having this... It's the chance that it can be ripped away without warning, and you will never see that person again.

_{[It was falling in love with someone not even from your world, so the chances are that when they do go home, you'll never see them again. Balfour didn't mention this. At least Reid had Tyler.]}

This place doesn't exactly seem to follow the typical rule of the world. Nothing's going to happen.

[He already knew what would happen when everyone got to go home. He didn't want to think about it. It was why he never talked about wishing he was back home.]

No, it does. Didn't you notice? You finally got the chance to be happy, and...

_{[And Tyler left. Pogue left. Amery showed up looking like Chase. Balfour was causing even more trouble than usual.]}

And it's being taken, little by little.

And what? I'm not allowed to be happy? The world doesn't want us to be happy or some shit? Screw that.

You're worrying over nothing, Balfour. Nothing's going to happen.

I don't trust that. I can't.

_{[He looks at Reid sadly, then glances toward where Amery is. He's so scared, and it's clear. He wants to cling to them both.

Someone would pay for Amery's presence. He knew that.]}

Reid... I don't want to lose either one of you.

Alright, alright; fine.

[Maybe it was just stupid to try and argue with Balfour over this.]

Well, I'm not going anywhere. You're not going to lose me.

Good. I don't want to.

_{[But those reassurances were certainly not going to help too much, at least not until he managed to calm himself down. He didn't know how such a happy topic got twisted into such ugly superstitions and painful worrying...but it did.]}

I'll be home soon, but I'm not staying long. I want to stay with Amery for a couple days, okay?

_{[Subject change, anyone?]}

[You know, for just a moment, Reid had perked up when Balfour said that he'd be home soon. That didn't last long though, before his shoulders sagged again and he scowled a little.]

Yeah, alright.

I'm sorry, Reid. I know you don't want to spend the night alone, but I really need to be with my brother right now. I'm sure you understand. You--

_{[No. No, he wasn't going there. He didn't want to go there. Even if Reid would do the same thing if Tyler came back, it just wasn't right to bring him up.

In fact, Balfour avoided talking about Tyler at all.]}

You understand, right?

Edited 2013-07-30 04:43 (UTC)

[If Tyler came back, Reid would fling himself into his arms and then drag him back here-home. Alright, yes, maybe to the bedroom for a while with the door closed, but here.

Not talking about Tyler didn't really help, because Reid still thought about him every day.]

Yeah, it's fine, whatever. I get it. [Except his bitter tone couldn't be any more obvious. He got it though; he wasn't going to argue about it or get angry.]

_{[Well, Balfour will be taking that bitter tone personally. You see this hurt look? Why can't you understand, Reid? Why can't you understand that he needs Amery right now? He just rubs his face and drops the phone.]}

Fine. Whatever. I'll see you later.

_{[His own tone is bitter, hurt, and angry, but he's going to keep his promise: he'll be back later. And then tomorrow once he got what he needed.]}

[He does understand. He's just jealous and bitter. First Pogue left, then Tyler, then he hasn't seen Caleb for a while, and now Balfour's running off. Everyone always left him.]

You know where to find me.

Yeah.

_{[And without another word, he kills the feed, merely a glimpse at his expression--angry and hurt. And regretful. Maybe he wasn't boyfriend material, especially if he couldn't keep Reid happy, and Reid was easy. He sighed, wishing that Tyler would just come back, and slipped off to go give his brother a big hug and just. Cling to him for a while.

What else was new?]}

Joint post | Balfour showing off Amery

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