ON THE OTHER SIDE
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Summary:
A set of ten prompts each for Ian, Hamilton and Kurt.
It's always on Amy's side of the wall, isn't it?
So this time…
Let's climb over that wall.
***
(…IAN…)
Ruthless
He was ruthless. Always, in everything he did, everything he said, everything he felt. He had mastered the many different ways of mixing in ruthless with any other emotion. Nervous-ruthless (a rare breed, only popped up once), happy-ruthless (practically extinct), victorious-ruthless (always in abundance), etc. Ruthless was a staple, a necessity, for him.
Except that he couldn't quite meld ruthless with love. One of them always threatened to overwhelm the other; they couldn't quite fit.
That was why he stayed away. Because he couldn't be ruthless when he loved her at the same time.
But, thought Ian, he could always be ruthless a rival to anyone else who wanted her as much as he did.
Shark
No one needed to tell him how much of a shark he was. He knew that all too well. He cultivated that very image because it was him personified, and he had always been pleased when he intimidated anyone by being a shark.
Although, when he watched them circling the yacht and her, about to be pushed off to their ravenous mouths, he almost wished he were a bird that could pick her up and fly her away to safety.
Poison
She poisoned him, on every sense, every level, every bit of his being. She poisoned him with her smile, her stutter, her reddish-brown hair, her vulnerability, her courage, her determination, her jade-green eyes.
Ian wondered what formula she used, and if there even was an antidote for so potent a toxin.
Coin
He remembered that coin as clearly as he remembered that particular period of his life. It had been fate. It had forged an alliance --- though it was a shaky one, and ended quite abruptly.
But that coin had caused quite a distraction and had provided him the perfect opportunity to leap out on the pretense of protecting her just to earn her trust, in order to betray her after it all.
Ian wondered how much of a pretense the whole thing was.
Especially when he considered the kiss.
Superior
He was superior. It was, it is a fact. Nothing could ever compare to him.
So how come he felt so inferior next to her?
Sibling
He considered his sister a nuisance. She was a pain and a brat, one he could never imagine was related to him. But, for some reason, he'd been appreciating Natalie a lot more lately.
Maybe because having an annoying little sibling was one thing more to what he had in common with her.
Death
When he learned that Irina had died, he thought he would be glad of the fact. Her death had meant another competitor down and a clearer shot at the prize.
But he had felt sad, as well as guilty. Why?
Because Irina had died to save her, and he couldn't even make the same sacrifice, though he loved her so much.
Selfish
Yes, he was selfish. He had always been selfish. No one ever dared to get in his way when he wanted something.
So he couldn't understand why he didn't take her for himself and instead let her go.
The one time he needed to be selfish, he had been selfless.
Disguise
He was adept at disguise. His mother was an expert, so it only made sense.
He could never quite disguise his feelings for her, however.
Winner
Ian was a winner. He never lost. He was always triumphant.
Seeing her with him, however, made him feel like a loser for the first time in his life.