#(I do speak French and I'm slowly falling in deeper love with Arabic)

[heliomanteia]

French can not be the language of love because Arabic exists.

[breakingsomething]

the fall part ten - break

basic summary: anti is rude to kazuki. marvin and henrik finally talk. jackie and aaron mess up royally. the usual.

trigger warnings: violent thoughts, mild self harm, hypnotism

the first thing anti saw upon waking was the face of a woman he had definitely not been expecting to be at his bedside.

shock hit him straight away. he was immediately pushing himself up on the bed - the bed he hadn't previously been on, what the fuck? - and staring into her face, eyes wide. the woman smiled at him warmly. "anti mcloughlin," she greeted him. "i've been wanting to speak to you."

anti scowled, eyes darting around the room. it was then that he saw another person behind the magician, a young girl looking no older than twenty with a bob of red hair and a neon green shawl. she flashed anti a grin, and he scowled, tearing his eyes away to look at the rest of the room. it was very large, with relatively tall ceilings and a few other beds with turquoise screen dividers around them. there wasn't any more people anywhere that anti could see, meaning that he only had to worry about two threats. he glared at the black haired woman who he had seen first, the one he knew, and began signing despite being sure she didn't know bsl. "not m-c-l. not my name."

to his surprise, the red haired girl turned and spoke to the other woman in a loud, clumsy voice. "he says that's not his name, miss kamata."

anti furrowed his eyebrows, heart pounding. he suddenly realized his legs were covered in blankets, and he threw them off. his hoodie had been taken, the cast on his right arm on display. he suddenly felt very exposed.

"oh, this is my translator, celeste!" the older magician said, interrupting anti's thoughts. she gestured towards the red haired girl, who smiled very widely before ducking her head. "she's partially deaf, and also speaks many languages. it's a skill of hers, as with your brother marvin."

anti made a face. he suddenly fucking hated everything to do with this situation, and went to pat his pockets for his knife before remembering his hoodie was gone and instead wrapped his arms around his knees, disgusted with how vulnerable and awkward it made him feel. anti had long ago promised to himself that he'd murder anyone who made him feel unpleasant emotions, but now he couldn't even do that. the thought made him even more panicky, which in turn made him angrier. in an effort to distract himself, he turned to the girl and began to sign as fast as he could. "what languages do you know, then?"

"quite a few," she signed back without missing a beat. anti blinked, and the girl grinned proudly. "i speak bsl, english, spanish, french, korean, mandarin chinese, and i am learning arabic."

anti wasn't quite sure what to say. could he tell her that he knew a few languages too, though only through his ability to absorb information through the internet? he chose instead to simply glare, extremely aware of how pathetic he looked hugging his knees on the bed like this. he sat up properly and stretched his legs out, ignoring his desperate need to comfort himself and instead trying to look intimidating.

"i'm sorry this conversation can't be completely private," the magician told him, crossing her legs professionally and causing anti to unwittingly flinch back at the sudden movement. "i don't know much sign language, and writing would be rather time consuming. you don't mind having miss graham in the room with us, do you?" she didn't even give anti a chance to reply before continuing. "my name is kazuki kamata. i basically run this branch of our lovely organization. but you knew that already, didn't you?"

anti nodded slowly. the movement made his head hurt more, and he accidentally let slip a whine of pain. kazuki turned round and produced a plastic cup of water from the table next to celeste. "here," she said. "for your head. i understand you still may not be feeling well, and that's partially what i wanted to talk to you about."

anti stared down at the water suspiciously. his throat hurt so badly, but then again, he didn't trust hecate or any of their members as far as he could throw them. which usually would be pretty far, but in recent times, not as much. he swirled the water in the cup before setting it back down on the bedside table, much to the dismay of his pained throat. "why here?" he signed, celeste translating aloud. "in this place. why not the hospital?"

kazuki sighed. "i'm a busy woman. i'm sure you understand, anti. by the way, do you have a last name, if not mcloughlin? i understand that some call you "antisepticeye," but that's not your surname, is it?"

anti felt his face burn, and dug his nails into his arms. he thought about telling her, but his hands were shaking, and he didn't dare move them. fuck, but he wanted her dead. he wanted all of them dead. it was taking all his self control not to try to strangle the innocent looking girl who was smiling so cheerfully as she translated for him. gods, he was repulsed by how weak that fucking hero had made him. anti was going to tear him apart. and it was that thought that calmed him enough for him to sign, "none of your fucking business," which celeste loosely translated.

"fair enough," kazuki said cooly. anti's harsh language hadn't affected her at all, and it just made anti angrier to see her sit up tall and professional while anti shivered and clawed at his arms, unconsciously tracing old scars. "i wanted to ask a few questions about jackie mcloughlin. what do you know about his magic?"

oh, the hero was the one of the last people he wanted to talk about right now. "what does that have to do with why i'm sick?" he snapped, wishing he could stop shaking. he was just glad he wasn't throwing up anymore; that had been miserable. his mouth burned.

"well, that's the thing," kazuki said. "your brother -"

"don't call him my brother," anti interrupted. "they are not my brothers."

the woman raised an eyebrow, but continued. "ok. i assume your br- the others have told you about the bmo - the black magic organization." anti shook his head. kazuki didn't look too surprised. "well, we don't know a lot about it, not even its name. but jackie, it seems, has someone gotten caught up with them, as we've discerned from what chase and henrik told us. and i am aware of certain black magics that could allow for the state you're in currently."

anti rolled his eyes. "fucking get on with it," he signed, before turning to celeste. "make sure she knows exactly what i'm saying."

celeste looked uncomfortable. "uh… miss kamata, am i allowed to use bad language?"

kazuki laughed. "it's no problem if you don't wish to say, dear. i can understand that you're a bit frustrated." this last part was directed at anti. "just be patient, i'll explain."

"i've never been patient a day in my life and i'm not about to start now," anti signed meticulously. celeste snorted.

"ok, so... what do you know about black magic?" kazuki asked, shifting in her seat. "in fact, what do you know about hecate in general? i understand you have an interest in our humble organization."

anti did, in fact, have an interest in hecate. not that he'd admit that. a year ago, he would have delighted in being inside of their headquarters. now, he just wanted to be back in the abandoned waterworks where he'd been living since dapper left. "i don't have to tell you shit," he snapped. "black magic bad. i get it. stop dancing round the subject. why is my magic fucked up and why can't i stand up without bloody fainting?"

"because jackie has been given what i believe to be a soul artifact that has seemingly bonded to him and must have absorbed part of your magic in the time you were with him." kazuki said this all so matter of factly that anti was momentarily stunned, staring wide eyed. the magician tilted her head. "is that the answer you wanted?"

anti lifted his hand, about to say something, but suddenly couldn't think of words. he wanted to be alone. he wanted everyone to disappear and leave him to think by himself.

"you're saying he stole my powers," anti signed slowly. "i can't - he - he stole my -"

"i can see you're in shock," kazuki said softly. "i'm… very sorry. sorry that this happened to you, at least."

"why?" anti said without thinking, tapping his chest. kazuki frowned, softening and glancing down at the floor.

"i believe there's good in everyone," she said. "i always have. i understand how that can be detrimental to our cause, especially with the bmo out there. i think there may be good in you too."

the silence was almost deafening. then anti snorted, rolling his eyes. "whatever," he signed. "how do i get my magic back? and how did he steal it with one fucking necklace?"

"must you curse so much?" celeste piped up softly after translating. anti shot her a glare, turning his eyes solid black, and she shrank back with a gulp. good. at least someone was still afraid of him.

"i'm sorry, but that's something we don't know," kazuki said. "on both counts. what kind of powers did you have, exactly? i've only heard what your brothers - what marvin, chase and henrik have told me."

anti ran his fingers down his arms lightly, trying to ground himself before he kept talking. "glitching," he signed. "but i can still do that, kinda. then hypnosis. technology manipulation. i can't do anything now, and what i can do, i can't control." he chose not to mention possession, as he hadn't had the chance to test that one out yet.

kazuki took a breath. "ok," she murmured. she sat up straight, tilting her head up. "is it alright if i ask about jackie? do you know where he would have taken a… a prisoner? and how did he capture you, exactly? i understand that you used to be very powerful."

it was the "used to" that made anti want to slam the woman's head into the floor and rip her throat apart with his bare hands. he shuddered, pain blossoming in his arms as he dug his nails in deeper. talk about jackie? how dare she, how fucking dare she even ask, how dare she mention it so casually, like he couldn't claw her eyes out and - and - and he couldn't even think of any creative insults, he was so tired and hurting so badly. all he could do was shake his head and turn away, breathing heavily.

he could feel the magician scrutinizing him, and he was disgusted with how his face burned with shame. "that's alright," she murmured. "that's alright. we can talk about that later if you wish. we'll leave you for now."

she and celeste stood up, and anti flinched back. "is there anything else you need?" kazuki asked. anti scanned her face to see if she was making fun of him. it didn't appear so. his stomach rumbled, and he wrapped his arms around his stomach, hoping she hadn't heard.

anti shook his head and turned away, making it clear he didn't want to talk anymore. after a moment, the women exited the medbay, leaving anti completely alone.

-

the silence between the two of them was usually awkward, sometimes a bit painful. now, it was fucking deafening. marvin could hear the blood pumping in his ears as he wrung his hands, listening to a train rumble by and leave them in quiet again.

he thought about saying something. but what would he even say? were there correct words for a situation like this? was there anything, anything that could make this slightly right?

i'm sorry, i'm sorry. i'm sorry that had to happen to you again. sorry i left you. sorry you were alone. sorry you were so scared and i couldn't help. sorry you got hurt. sorry we can't fix you. sorry, sorry, sorry.

henrik cleared his throat and marvin jumped slightly before immediately settling, hoping he hadn't noticed. henrik didn't say a word.

"train should be arriving soon," marvin suddenly blurted. he hadn't meant for the words to leave his mouth so quickly. blink, blink, blink, don't turn to look at him, eyes down.

"yes," henrik murmured. he also didn't look at marvin. his shoulders were almost at his ears. "it should."

fuck, but marvin needed chase right now. he couldn't handle this himself. the world was scary and their brother, marvin's brother, was the cause of all their pain.

there had been a time where they fantasized about anti being gone. jackie had said he'd quit being a vigilante and work retail instead. that had made them laugh. the thought that working retail would be an improvement on running from anti had been the joke of the night. at points they had gotten serious. they were going to travel the world. they could live in separate houses if they wanted. they wouldn't have to fear for the poor bastards who were unfortunate enough to want to be friends with them in case anti ever got ahold of them.

now anti was extremely sick and henrik was infected with dark magic and marvin was being destroyed from the inside out and jackie was the threat. jackie. jackie, who had made them all laugh with the idea of getting a job at primark as his first act of freedom from anti. marvin suddenly felt very lightheaded.

"i didn't mean for any of this."

marvin said the words quietly enough that henrik could ignore them if he wanted. he kept his gaze fixed on the yellow line next to the train tracks, fingers digging into the cold underside of the scratched white bench they were sat on.

"i wouldn't have left you alone if i knew - actually, fuck that. i shouldn't have left you alone at all. i knew you were hurting and i chose to ignore it." marvin's eyes blurred with the weight of what he was saying. he didn't blink. "hen, i care about you a hell of a fucking lot. i know we scrap basically every day and our love language is taking the piss out of each other… unless you genuinely hate me and i've been misinterpreting it this whole time, in which case, i am even more sorry, but…" he laughed softly, forcibly regulating his breathing so he wouldn't cry."i'm a selfish bastard and anti hurt you and i basically erased that by leaving to find anti which must have felt like the biggest "fuck you" ever but it wasn't meant to be, i love you and i'm sorry i couldn't have prevented what happened, all i wanted and want to do is fix the mess that jackie made because it's always been my responsibility to tell him when enough was enough but i can't now and i can't shake the feeling that it's all my fault -"

he took a loud, gasping breath and lurched forward with the effort of not immediately bursting into tears. one of his hands flew to his throat as he tried not to sob. henrik stayed silent. marvin was too scared to look at him.

"w-well?" he choked out eventually. "go on, say something! tell me you hate me, please! just - fuck, i just poured out my goddamn heart to you, don't just patch me!"

they were silent for a good minute. then henrik broke the tension. "it's ok."

marvin sat up and looked, properly, at his little brother. his glasses were fogged up, usually neat hair messy, bandages peeking out from his collar. he turned his head and the two of them made eye contact, pale blue meeting turquoise.

"i don't forgive you," henrik said. he tapped his new cane against the ground tunelessly. "but i get why you did what you did. thank you for… for apologizing. that's more than i expected, honestly. it couldn't have been helped."

marvin let out a small sob. he couldn't even speak because he knew if he did, he would instantly burst into tears.

"the next train now approaching platform two is the 15:44 southhampton train stopping at fareham, chichester…"

marvin instantly stood up, glad for something to relieve the tension. henrik took slightly longer to stand, and marvin offered an uncertain hand to help him up. henrik flashed him a quick smile as thanks. marvin's chest tightened.

"does it still hurt that bad?" he said, voice small. henrik sighed, gripping marvin's arm and his cane at the same time.

"some days more than others," he admitted, then chuckled softly. "i say like this is an old war wound and not a magic injury i got from my brother's boyfriend." he winced, shifting on the spot and almost falling into marvin.

hecate didn't understand what had happened. it was a kind of dark magic wound that couldn't be healed, and left henrik's back and leg in constant pain. the injury looked like a normal burn scar, but darker somehow. he had to walk with a cane in order to stay upright. he was lucky to have been allowed to leave hecate in the state he was in.

"i'm sorry," marvin whispered again as the train rolled up. "i'm so sorry."

when the train finally stopped and chase stepped off, he was surprised to see henrik and marvin waiting for him, both their faces splotchy and red, not looking at each other but holding their hands together tightly like they were both the other's anchor.

-

"so this is it."

jackie gripped aaron's hand, well aware of his palm sweating. the grass in the field tickled his legs, and the cold air pushed his hood further over his ears. the two of them stared at the small manhole, almost completely covered by grass.

"yep," aaron agreed. "this is it."

he slashed his arm through the air, covering them in a field of smoke. he bent down and yanked the cover off effortlessly, letting go of jackie's hand and gesturing for him to go inside. when jackie hesitated, aaron touched his face gently and smiled. "you want me to go first?"

"i'm not scared," jackie insisted. he was trembling slightly. "i'll go first."

the two men climbed down slowly, gripping the slippery bars and trying desperately not to fall. once they reached a certain point, the cover above closed itself, plunging them into darkness.

"light it up in here, jackson, i can't bloody see," he heard aaron say. jackie swallowed hard and lit up his hand and eyes like a torch. aaron giggled. "thank you, mr glow stick."

"what a creative title," jackie laughed softly. he didn't tell aaron how much using his photokinesis hurt him as of late. aaron didn't need more to worry about.

it was a while before they got to the bottom. when they did, jackie swept his arm out, ignoring his own pain in favour of lighting up the whole hall in front of them. the walls were a dark brown with curved columns carved into them, crimson stripes painted down as far as they could see. the ceilings were low, so low that if jackie was half a metre taller, he'd be too tall to get in.

"spooky," he said in a silly voice, attempting to lighten the mood. aaron snorted and took his hand again, squeezing it reassuringly. jackie smiled, glad he had the weight of the necklace on his chest as well as his boyfriend's hand in his. aaron had told him not to bring the necklace, which was weird, but jackie was sure it was ok. the two of them set off down the hall in silence.

eventually, the walls began to change from the murky brown to a much lighter colour, almost silver. a few signs were plastered to the walls, which jackie couldn't seem to take his eyes off. aaron led him away. "they're spelled," he said. "make you want to turn away on the very slim off chance that someone outside of - would find us." jackie noticed how he winced and cut himself off, but said nothing.

there was a door at the end of the hall. "turn away," aaron said, and jackie did. about a minute later, he turned back to see the door open and… fuck. a huge, white room, the walls covered in doors, blinding lights on the ceiling lighting up the room further. several people were walking purposefully back and forth, dressed in dark colours and carrying various objects. as they stepped forwards, jackie saw that the door they came out of was identical to so many of the others. he wondered what was behind some of them.

"woah," jackie breathed, spinning in a circle. he heard aaron giggle as he looked around.

"calm down, dude," aaron whispered, still laughing. "we have an audience with - with -" he made a noise, struggling to speak.

"babe, don't worry," jackie said softly, patting aaron's back. "once they let me in, you'll be able to tell me everything you want. they won't be able to stop you."

they were starting to get weird looks. a tall, impressive looking man with chin length white hair came up to them, eyes narrowed. "mr mckenzie," he said with distaste. "and a friend. you are the one that has requested an audience with an stiùiriche?"

jackie had no clue who that was. he assumed it was the leader of the organization and smiled broadly. "that's me. hi, jackie mclough-"

the man lifted a hand, and jackie's mouth was shut instantly. he tried opening it again, panic rising, but found it was as thought it had been sealed. "we want to hear nothing from you," the man said, sounding bored. he tilted his head, looking aaron over. "what fools are you bringing to our esteemed organization? what kind of an idiot are you?"

jackie grunted and managed to break free of the spell. "pl-please, sir, i've done a lot to make me worthy of - of your - of this wonderful organization, i swear." his stutter was coming in full force, and he could see the harsh amusement in the other man's eyes. "i got you a mem-member of hecate and b-broke through their defenses, did i not? and while i was there, i also -"

something hit jackie's shoulder, and he gave a loud oof. he turned to see aaron glaring, an eyebrow raised. ah, right. he wasn't supposed to mention that either. he gulped and looked up at the taller man, who's expression hasn't changed at all. "uh, yeah," jackie laughed nervously. he rubbed the back of his neck. "i'd like to see - whoever it was you said before."

"you don't even know the name of the man you're here to see," the magician said flatly. his arms were crossed, and he didn't budge.

"i - well, aaron can't - can't tell me anything, can he?" jackie said boldly. "you guys are like, cursed to silence to non members or whatever?"

he winced. maybe he shouldn't be talking so casually to such an important looking person. however, he maintained eye contact (which was a huge feat for him) until the man turned round and began to silently lead them through a door and down a set of halls.

jackie and aaron were quiet for a bit. "i'm sorry," jackie eventually mumbled. "i don't mean to -"

"let me do the talking, ok?" aaron hissed. he put his hands in his pocket, likely so he'd remember he couldn't hold jackie's hand in here. his green eyes almost glowed in the dark. "just - don't mention what we did at hecate, don't mention any magic but your photokinesis, and do not, do not, mention the bloody necklace."

jackie was about to ask why when the man in front of them suddenly stopped, almost causing jackie to slam right into him. "this is it," he said, stepping aside to show a small black door. "in ya go."

jackie and aaron exchanged glances. "this - is a different room than usual," aaron said uncertainly.

"different room each time," the man said. was it jackie's imagination, or was there a faint smirk on his face? "now get in, or i kill you and no one up top will ever find your bodies."

he said this so casually that jackie found himself opening the door and stepping inside, suddenly desperate to get away. "good man!" the magical chortled. he slapped jackie's back as he passed. jackie winced before looking up at the… pitch black room. complete blackness. he whirled round to ask the man what was happening just in time to see the door close, the man's booming laughter echoing down the halls.

"hey!" jackie cried. his heart was racing, chest tight with uncontrollable fear. he pounded on the place where the door had been, only to find a smooth black wall. "hey, what is this? some kind of trick?"

"jackson, stop," aaron hissed. he grabbed jackie's arm, pulling him away.

"is this - is this like an initiation or something?" jackie cried, voice high pitched. aaron shook his head.

"this isn't - this -" he made a noise of despair and slapped his hands over his mouth, shaking his head. jackie pat his arm reassuringly.

"it's ok," he murmured. "we'll -"

"well, if it isn't aaron mckenzie and jackson benjamin mcloughlin. wonderful to see you both here on this fine summer's eve."

something lit up at the back of the room. a spotlight, shining on a older man in a sleek, circular chair that hung from the ceiling on black chains. the man had short salt and pepper hair and a black beard, built like a tank and wearing a dark blue suit covered in constellations. when he shifted, the stars didn't move, like a weird illusion. jackie was instantly transfixed.

"i see you consulted me far in advance about letting a stranger in here, mckenzie," the man laughed warmly. jackie almost found himself laughing too, he felt so suddenly comfortable around the man. "thank you for that. you know, i had a schedule for today. things to do, this is a busy organization! you think everything gets done by itself around here?"

"no, stiùiriche," aaron murmured. his head was facing down, not looking directly at the man. he tugged on jackie's hoodie sleeve, gesturing for him to do the same, but he couldn't. the man was… almost hypnotizing to look at. he could stop breathing and he wouldn't even notice.

the man - stiùiriche, how did aaron pronounce that? - stood from his chair, black smoke rising around him. he smiled, and jackie smiled back dopeily, warmth blossoming throughout his body. what a strange, lovely feeling. jackie couldn't move.

"so you brought us a member of hecate," the man said softly, a huge grin spreading across his face. the look in his eyes made jackie shiver. "well, that is just fantastic, isn't it? thank you for him. he was a higher up, as well, an advisor of hecate's own leader!" he threw his head back and let out a booming laugh before clapping a hand to jackie's shoulder. when had he gotten close enough to do that? "we appreciate him greatly. he'll come in handy, i'm certain."

"i'm glad to hear," jackie said, voice hoarse. he swallowed, breath hitching as the man looked at him. his eyes were black, pupil and iris as one. it was unnerving.

"so," the man whispered, still smiling. "how did you do it?"

aaron made a small noise, and jackie snapped out of his haze just long enough to remember his and aaron's preconstructed story. "my brother was a member of hecate. he was a fool. their defenses were lowered just long enough for me to get in."

there was a pause. the man very, very slowly turned his head so it was almost touching his shoulder. jackie unconsciously followed his movements, and the man laughed, leaning in slightly closer.

"you're lying."

jackie blinked. somewhere outside of his daze, he heard aaron protesting loudly. "lying? stiùiriche, i was there! you trust me, don't you? i can vouch for him! i swear!"

"yes, you would vouch for your lover, wouldn't you?" the man said without a pause. aaron let out a gasp. jackie couldn't even turn to look at him. all he could see was the amusement on the man's face. "yes, i do know about that. have you forgotten, mckenzie, that i see everything? i'm always, always watching. you can't hide anything from me."

his hand touched jackie's chest gently. his eyes widened, but he couldn't say anything as the man's fingers brushed against the necklace underneath jackie's hoodie. his smile faded, face darkening.

"and you reek of black magic," he murmured.

"sir!" aaron cried, rushing forward and grabbing jackie's shoulders, yanking him backwards away from the man. jackie breathed a little quicker, regaining control of himself. "it's because he's been hanging out with me, i'm sorry, we should - we should go, this isn't -"

"your brother was not involved," the man said quietly, dangerously. "you've stolen something from me."

"no, no, he didn't!" aaron pushed jackie behind him, acting as a shield and allowing jackie to collect himself. "he didn't steal, he -"

"aaron?" jackie mumbles. his head was clearing, and he was starting to become confused. "what does he mean - you said this was a gift, you said it was a tool to help me prove myself!"

"i - you brought it with?" aaron spun jackie round, patting down his chest and practically sobbing when he felt the necklace underneath. "you - you - you fucking idiot, why, why, why did you -"

"oh, mckenzie, i would have found out anyway," the man said with a smug smile. he suddenly sliced his hand fowards, a streak of black cutting through jackie's hoodie and into his chest. he cried out, stumbling back and clutching at the wound while aaron screamed.

"stop, stop, please, i'll do anything!" he sobbed, desperately grabbing at the man's arms. scowling, the man turned and kicked aaron right in the chest, sending him flying across the room. a swirl of black magic slammed him into the wall, and jackie yelled, trying to look at him as the man forced him round, staring at the necklace resting on his bare chest.

"bloody hell," he whispered. then, much louder, "bloody fucking hell!"

he grabbed the necklace forcefully, or at least tried to. jackie screamed in complete agony, writhing in pain as his legs gave out beneath him. the man yanked on it, to no avail. the necklace had fused to jackie's skin, black trails having emerged from it and snaked down his skin like an infection.

"you bastard," the man hissed. his eyes had turned fully black, and his face was contorted in rage and disgust. "you pathetic creature, you dare steal from me, you dare steal that from me?"

there was a coughing from behind them, and jackie could see aaron struggling to get to his feet. "you… didn't… notice," he wheezed, hacking into his sleeve as he swayed on his feet. "didn't even know."

"aar-aaron?" jackie asked, bewildered. a bad feeling was starting to come over him. "you - you didn't -"

"you stole it," the man said. his tone was calm, controlled. "this - this precious artifact, this priceless piece of magic - do you have any idea what you've done?"

"jackie… 'm sorry," aaron called, his voice pained. "you were so desperate, you wanted to protect your family, and anti was getting in your head, i thought - i heard there were artifacts that could protect, could -"

"you fucking fool!" the magician roared, and a huge, black shadow rose up behind him and squeezed jackie's throat, lifting him into the air. "you don't know what that weapon does, you have no concept of - it's embedded itself in you! a soul bond! there's a reason these weapons aren't used, even by us!"

jackie was struggling to catch a breath. he clawed at the man's hands, but his magic was so tight around him that black spots were starting to dance in front of his eyes. aaron held up both hands, looking terrified.

"please - please, stiùiriche, let him go. i stole it, i was the one who lied. i'm - i am begging you to let him go. i'll do anything!"

"n- nngh, no, aar-!" jackie choked, head swimming. his chest felt very hot, like someone was pressing a flame to it. aaron's eyes were wide with fear, and jackie could only watch helplessly as he got down on his knees, both hands beside his head.

"please," he sobbed. "don't - please. don't hurt him. he didn't know."

jackie was suddenly released, and immediately slumped to the floor, gasping for breaths. the man left him there and walked over to where aaron was trembling, fear in his eyes, but not looking away, still that one last sliver of defiance that couldn't be crushed. "you disgusting little traitor," the magician spat down at him. "you've endangered everything this organization has worked for for two hundred years. i cannot believe you would ever think you could get away with what you've done. how stupid do you think i am? i am your stiùiriche, your leader, i am -"

the stiùiriche suddenly gasped. a small, choked sound escaped his lips, his body stilling entirely as black strings of smoke wrapped around his limbs and he lost all control.

"you are a f-fucking idiot," jackie said calmly. magic pumped through his veins, and despite the fact that his hoodie ane shirt were torn and hanging off his shoulders, he had never felt warmer. "you don't understand how powerful this has made me. have you ever felt the earth in your veins?" his voice changed, like it was layering over itself over and over, louder and louder. "have you ever felt a universe connected to your body? have you ever - have you ever done this?" he twisted a hand, and the magician's body contorted. he screamed, fire, literal fire, burning in his eyes. "i - i am so, so powerful, magician, and i can guarantee, you have never -"

the magician broke free and instantly shot a dart of dark blue fire right at jackie. he tossed an arm up in protection, a shield of shadows appearing in front of him, and he rolled aside to get away. the voices has returned to his head. people screaming. he ignored them and he laughed to drown them out, he laughed, he laughed. his heart beat in time with the warm pulsing of the necklace partially embedded in his skin.

"jackson!" aaron screamed. he was racing to his side, throwing thin bolts of dark green magic. he and jackie stood side by side, ready to fight as the man stood straight, hands and eyes blazing.

"stop this," he said loudly. "you are a fool. unchecked, this will kill you and many others. you've turned yourself into a walking weapon."

"jackson," aaron hissed. "do the thing. get us out of here."

"listen to me!" yelled the man, the magician, an stiùiriche. "you can't go unchecked with this amount of power. you won't be able to take it, you're going to end up destroying everything!"

"shouldn't have let me near those artifacts, eh?" aaron laughed, suddenly confident as he clung tightly to jackie's chest. fiery heat swirled around his legs and up to his chest, and he held onto jackie with the last of his remaining strength.

and then a blinding light lit up the pitch black room and jackie was holding everything in the universe in his arms and then it was dark, so dark, and they were shadow walking again, far away from where they had been.

they came out in a dark alleyway, somewhere in the city.

"fuck," aaron cried instantly, collapsing to the ground. jackie fell too, sinking to his knees as they turned to jelly underneath him. they sat against the opposite walls, panting and catching their breaths as the artificial darkness faded away, leaving only a flickering streetlight.

"you lied," jackie eventually managed. "you told me the necklace was to help me, like a test."

"i'm sorry," aaron said miserably. he whimpered in pain, clutching at his chest where the magician had kicked him. "i wanted to help you. i am so, so sorry, i… i care about you so unbelievably much. i didn't want to see you hurt. i thought… the extra protection of -" he clapped his hand over his mouth again, wincing.

"still can't speak?" jackie murmured. he shuffled over next to aaron, pressing his side to his. "i guess fighting your - your leader guy wasn't enough to break any silencing spells, huh?"

"an stiùiriche," aaron mumbled. he didn't look at jackie. "i didn't think it would, anyway. i'm glad we're both alive."

there was a short pause in which they listened to the evening traffic go by.

"you stole it for me," jackie said quietly. "why?"

aaron shrugged. "dunno," he muttered, shifting slightly on the spot. "i care about you."

"why?" jackie repeated with a small laugh. "fucking - why? why - i've always been such an asshole to you. what have i done for you apart from, from, i - i don't know. i don't get it."

"you've done far than you know," aaron almost whispered. jackie turned to look at him, his fingers gracing his partner's knee gently.

"i'm sorry i've been lying to you too," jackie said. "about the necklace. i should have told you how bad it was getting."

"'s'ok," aaron said. he took jackie's hand fully in his, blinking rapidly. "i guess we're fugitives now. wanted by both hecate and - them." he barks out a laugh. "not many places to turn now, huh?"

jackie thought. and thought.

"i know one guy," he said. "one person who could help us that isn't with either organization."

"who?" aaron asked, surprised.

"you've met him," jackie said. they both turn towards the other at the same time and their noses brush together. they giggle like schoolchildren, both blinking tears away. jackie swallowed hard. "we'll be ok. i'll get my brothers back and - and - and it'll all be ok. i'm not alone. i have you. i have you."

"you have me," aaron echoed, and he did. they had each other. that was enough for jackie.

for just a moment, that was enough for jackie.

just one moment.