A/N: I've had my internet back for a few weeks. And I'm trying to get back into updating everything. I've managed it for the most part, but Malleus Malificarum is gonna take a little bit of time because I'm still working out the kinks, and I'm not sure where I want to go with it. Thanks for reading my stories, and reviewing.
--
I know he's saying pop that pussy but it's like a metaphor for 'I want to hug you'
/Oh Dane Cook/
Caleb Danvers was attentive. Always attentive. He prided himself on his ability to observe and pick up on things. He prided himself on his superior intellect within the educational system. He carried himself differently, with an air of maturity that had been forced upon him at a young age -- the same air that Reid had refused to acquire, regardless of what he'd been forced to do for his mother. So what if every other student considered him to be the insufferable overachiever? He was still a son Ipswich, and his fellow student still aspired to be like him.
But that didn't mean that he wasn't always early to class. Because he was. The sooner he could leave his mother's side, the better, even if that forced the wrong impression onto strangers that oddly idolized the sons of Ipswich. Caleb couldn't quite define the shock that tore across his chest when he entered his first hour calculus class to find Reid Garwin already there. He was slouched forward in his seat in the back of the room. Hunched forward, his arms were folded on the desk, his head cradled on his arms, his eyes closed. Even in his hunched figure, Caleb could see his uniform was slightly ruffled. His hair was messier than usual and still wet. Caleb sighed quietly as he moved toward the stairs dividing the stadium seats. The closer he moved toward the blonde, the more he observed him. Even though half his face was hidden, it was obviously twisted into a frown. Caleb had seen Reid sleeping before. The boy had always looked peacefully angelic while asleep. He wasn't sure what had changed but the blonde looked uneasy, painfully trapped in a dream. He strode past Reid and found a seat off to his right, further in the back before quietly pulling out homework he hadn't managed to finish the night before and worked his way through it. He did the homework slowly, trying to occupy the entire time, but he still finished five minutes before the bell rang. Caleb knew he'd been distracted while doing the homework, glancing up at Reid every few minutes. He also knew his answers were correct.
Reid looked different. Harmless. Maybe even vulnerable. The mere thought was a whole lot more troublesome than Caleb thought it should be. Glancing up again, he saw Tyler gently shake Reid awake.
The blonde jerked sharply, fixing Tyler with a wild look. But Tyler didn't even flinch. Caleb was accustomed to viewing the youngest son as soft and he didn't know why. Tyler fought along beside Reid and held his own a great deal of the time. Why was Reid always harder than him? To Caleb, Reid was strong. Reid could contain himself and deal with his own problems. But Tyler had always been some sort of soft kind of rock for Reid. He was a friend, always there, but he was generally kind. Reid was different. He was unusually kind to the younger boy, but Tyler had seen him explode; Tyler had been with him when his anger or his Power had gotten the better of him. And Tyler hadn't even flinched. If that didn't make him hardcore than nothing could. But maybe that was the problem -- maybe nothing could ever make Tyler harder than he already was. Maybe he was just destined to be soft and weak forever, regardless of whether he really was or not. All that matters is the perceptions others have of you. Or the perceptions a certain someone has of you. Caleb didn't have to ask to know that Reid already thought Tyler was strong. He didn't need to question the boy's loyalty, didn't need to be told that Reid respected the youngest son above all else. They had a relationship that could not be cloned, couldn't be repeated or copied. Because it was unique. The prototype, unlike any other Caleb had ever seen. Nobody else needed to see Tyler in such a bright light, because Reid already held that flash light. He saw Tyler in the brightest light, and that's all that would ever matter.
Caleb watched as the look quickly faded, replaced with a frown. The two boys shared a few words and Caleb stared on as Tyler's hand slipped from Reid's arm to his leg. The older boy settled back on the bench, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with the heels of his hands. He ran a hand through his disheveled hair. Caleb could see Tyler's arm move but his hand never left Reid's leg. There was something odd about the way the blonde looked at the younger boy. Something strange and different; a look Caleb hadn't ever seen from him before. Something that surpass sex and pleasure. He barely noticed the students, just arriving, even though they didn't attempt to quiet their arrogant whispers. Reid and Tyler were the talk of the entire school. The video had released Thursday night and both Tyler and Reid had skipped classes Friday, for the most part. Reid had disappeared over the weekend, because he suddenly lived off campus now. Tyler had the misfortune of being within student vicinity over the weekend. They weren't nice about it, and even though he didn't complain about it, all knew the situation got to him.
Caleb shook his head, forcing himself to diligently take notes, even though he knew he wouldn't need them. It gave him something to do, and with his mother's alcoholism on the rise, he knew he needed to keep as busy as possible. When he glanced up, he saw Tyler taking notes as well. He was the only boy within the covenant that took school as seriously as Caleb did. His eyes shifted over to Reid and he blinked. Aside from Reid's rapidly increasing glares toward particular students, the pale hand was gracefully flickering across a sheet of paper. He was taking notes, a thing Caleb knew for a fact that Reid didn't do. He didn't understand how Reid did so well on tests. Because he never took notes and slept in most classes. Maybe he really did cheat off of Tyler, even though the younger boy assured him that he didn't. Tyler seemed to mirror Reid's respect for him. It was Tyler who placed infinite faith within Reid's hands, sure that his belief wouldn't be abused. Reid thought he was strong, but Tyler thought Reid cared.
They saw the one attribute in each other that they felt was most important within themselves. But the attribute had changed, evolved. It meant something entirely different in each other. Strength didn't mean Tyler could hold his own against Aaron and ignore ridicule from faceless students. It meant he could endure something he wasn't quite sure he deserved in the first place. And while Reid could be blatantly rude to everybody else, including two of his best friends, he couldn't to Tyler. It wasn't an attribute he acquired because he wanted it, or because he practiced and got better at it. It was an attribute he couldn't not have. He had to be kind to Tyler because he hated seeing the boy hurt. And yet it went past that. He couldn't not be nice to him. He couldn't be mean.
Caleb knew Reid didn't cheat, the 'unofficial' way, on tests because he could now feel each of the boys Use. In the beginning, feeling each member Use was nice, almost exciting. A new up to the Power that none of the other sons had. But feeling the boy Use the previous weekend was enough to drive him insane, because each time Reid's power rippled over him, he felt his own desire intensify. Each time he had to fight that desire and shove it back down. Reid had Used more this previous weekend than he had all month, and Caleb was positive it was due to the effects of living with his father. But that was still no excuse. Not that Reid had ever needed one before.
Reid elbowed Tyler playfully in the ribs earning him a soft smile from the younger boy. Their lips moved but Caleb couldn't hear the exchange. "Caleb." Caleb's eyes tore away from the pair to peer over at Pogue who was watching him intently with unreadable eyes. He couldn't remember when it suddenly became impossible to read Pogue. It just was. "What?"
Caleb blinked. "What?" He repeated, confusion etched into his bronze face. He tended to hide his confusion or insecurities around Tyler and Reid, but with Pogue that task had always been harder. He didn't even try anymore.
"What happened?" Pogue pressed, nodding toward Reid. "Felt him Using last night," he added, in a hushed whisper. Caleb glanced back at Reid. Reid was hunched back over again, his chin in his fist, he stared at the professor with half-lidded eyes, his hand flitting across his paper effortlessly. Caleb had almost forgotten that Pogue was supposed to ascend in two months. His Power was rapidly increased. It had affected his personality first. He'd always been the impulsive, abrasive one; somehow worst than Reid, because he cared about a great deal more -- and thus his emotions controlled him. Reid could easily shrug something off, but Pogue didn't have that ability. Or he didn't use to. Recently he had been more patient, more calm and logical. But then he started sensing how other people, primarily the covenant felt. It wasn't empathy, so to speak. He just seemed to wizen up -- and notice how those around him reacted to things. It was he who noticed the relationship between Reid and Tyler, even before the tape. And now when the Covenant Used extraneously, he could feel that too. He didn't feel it as vividly as Caleb did, but Caleb was ascended.
"I don't know," Caleb answered honestly. "Haven't talked to him yet. He was twenty minutes early to class. Sleeping. He ascends in five months, Pogue. If his stay with his father continues like this for the next semester, he'll be too addicted to stop when he ascends. He'd be too far gone."
"You want to talk to him after class?" Pogue asked quietly. He had a calm, almost soothing voice that always made Caleb look over at him. Pogue was becoming an adult and Caleb wasn't sure what to do about that. Even Reid was starting to realize the abrupt change in their friend.
"I'm not sure," Caleb sighed, sinking back in his seat.
Pogue nodded. He knew Caleb needed time to think before he ever did anything. Caleb was still silent when the bell rang twenty minutes later. Reid didn't hurry out of the classroom like he always seemed to do. He seemed almost sluggish as he rose unsteadily to his feet, and he nearly fell over when a passing student bumped into him harder than necessary. It was Tyler who quickly steadied Reid and snapped out a 'watch it' at the retreating student.
"You okay, man?" Pogue asked, as he and Caleb approached the duo.
Reid yawned. He threw an arm around Tyler's shoulder and pulled the him closer so he could lean on him. Tyler instinctively threaded an arm around Reid's waist and held him close. They looked so casual. They were being excluded from society for an act that should have been acceptable; for something that should have made them happy but was now forever tainted. The classroom was quickly emptying, but students were still throwing glances over their shoulders, to glimpse the two sons of Ipswich, and perhaps the reaction of the opposite sons of Ipswich. "m' fine," he added with a second yawn.
Caleb cocked an eyebrow, slightly surprised at the familiarity these two boys didn't even attempt to hide. He glanced past the boys, but the room was vacant. "Tired?" He asked, straightening up slightly. Reid nodded. "I bet. That's what happens when you consecutively Use for four hours."
Caleb saw the look that Tyler shot Reid. He saw the boys' eyes lock and the flash of guilt that shone brightly in Reid's dull eyes. But then it disappeared and he looked away. The underlying emotion was painfully honest. Tyler had already spoken to the blonde about the ordeal, but all was not forgiven. Just accepted for the time being. Tyler quickly smoothed out that look before turning back to Caleb. "Just let it go for now, Caleb." Tyler's voice was quiet, calm, maybe even tired but solid. And he managed to convey that firm, solid message to Caleb.
Caleb stared at him for a minute with a look that often made Tyler recoil and spill his guts about whatever he and Reid were currently hiding from the older boy. But this time Tyler didn't even look affected. "Fine," he muttered through gritted teeth. He missed the look that Reid gave Tyler. "When are you going back to your father's?" Caleb knew his voice sounded a bit spiteful, even before Reid frowned, but he couldn't make himself care at the moment.
"Five," Reid answered. He sounded extremely tired, almost defeated. His ever present smirk was gone, his eyes dull. It just didn't make sense. He'd only been gone for two days -- not even two. One and a half days. It just didn't seem possible.
Caleb frowned, folding his arms across his chest. "What the hell is he doing to you?" He demanded, taking a step forward. Reid remained silent and that mere action annoyed Caleb further. "He must be doing something to have you…" he gestured angrily at the boy in front of him, "like this."
"I don't want to talk about it, Caleb," Reid sighed, his arm around Tyler tightening ever so slightly. "Just mind your own business for once. Please."
Reid shifted beside Tyler, fixing Caleb with a tired glare. Tyler ran a hand up Reid's ribs before the blonde turned away to retreat from the room. Caleb took a step to follow Reid's receding form but Tyler stopped him by placing a hand on his chest. "Do you remember when we used to have to walk by his father's house on the way to school?" He asked him suddenly, only after he'd heard the classroom door swing shut. "Do you remember how he spoke of it?"
"He said it felt weird," Pogue offered. "Said it felt like the Power but different. Dirty."
Tyler nodded, flashing Pogue a soft smile. "He called me this morning, around two. Said inside that house it reeks of Power, even though he knows his father isn't Using. Because his father has abandoned this dead end road of life. He said Using was the only way to stay sane."
"Right," Caleb scoffed. Using hadn't ever been an out for him. He had never felt the need to abuse it. He didn't see any profit in such a life. He knew exactly why abuse of such a gift didn't seem appealing. They all did.
"You didn't hear him this morning," Tyler insisted. "And when I picked him up, after he'd made breakfast for his father's family, you didn't see him. He looked dead. He said it was the first time he'd ever passed out from Using. You should've seen him, Caleb. He was terrible. And it took him an hour to stop shaking." Tyler took a step away from the leader of their group and sighed loudly. Patient little Tyler was finally frustrated with someone other than Reid. And yet his sudden spike of emotion still included the blonde. "He knows he shouldn't have Used that much, that long. Alright? He knows what he did was wrong and now he's feeling the repercussions. Just let him recover a little bit before lecturing him to death, please?"
"Fine," Caleb grunted. Tyler looked a little spooked himself, when he talked about Reid like that. The concern was adamant in all of them, but with Tyler it seemed to take a different turn. Perhaps it was because of the growing affections Tyler felt toward Reid; or perhaps it was because Reid insisted on dumping all of his personal problems primarily on him and not the rest of the covenant. "I'll talk to him later, because I'm going to give him a ride to his father's." Tyler's face visibly darkened and he opened his mouth to argue. "I'll be civil, baby boy. Don't worry about it," Caleb assured him softly. "I just want to see what it's really like, in that house. I want to know why it's so unbearable for him. I'll take care of this. As best I can. Alright?"
Tyler didn't feel very reassured. "Yeah, fine," he mumbled in resignation. At least Caleb was taking the situation seriously. He would try to fix it, as he always had to fix everything. Tyler slowly turned away and crossed the room begrudgingly. Reid was waiting for him outside of the classroom, propped against the wall. He almost looked peaceful, with his head tilted back against the wood and his eyes closed. "Hey," Tyler mumbled as he shuffled past Reid.
"I really freaked you out, huh?" Reid asked in a low croak. A shadow had crossed his face and when he opened his eyes, Tyler acknowledged the darker color. Reid was supposed to be some sort of joker, a real prominent class clown, but each member of the covenant had seen the boy serious. He was always serious when he and Caleb fought. He hated the older boy calling him out on his irresponsibility; he hated Caleb questioning his loyalty. He hated it when they doubted him -- a thing Tyler hadn't ever done and Pogue didn't do anymore but Caleb managed to do on every possible occasion. Tyler had seen Reid serious far more than any one else. But it wasn't a pissed off serious edge; instead it was softer. Those rare moments they sat in silence and did their homework, or when Reid had the ability to lie, wide away, yet peaceful and silent for hours. When he'd listen to Tyler read to him, from books he hadn't ever attempted to read himself, from his essays or homework. He liked hearing Tyler speak. When the two shared long, somewhat passionate conversations about their opinions on politics or religion. Tyler just didn't know Reid because they spent so much time together, he knew Reid because he did something the others didn't try to do. He listened to him.
"What'd you expect?" Tyler asked, shifting uncomfortably on his feet. He felt tired suddenly. He wanted to go to sleep, but he still had six more classes. Six more important classes that he needed to pass. And could you imagine the gossip? If he just didn't go to class after first hour. The assumptions would be enough to make him want to crack open his head on the brick walls encaging the school. "When you call me up at two in the morning, after I'd just spent the entire night feeling the extent of your Using."
Reid shrugged. He didn't look uncomfortable. Reid had lost that ability over the weekend. The exhaustion had killed it. "Guess I didn't think of that." He shoved himself away from the wall and slowly began trudging away. "Guess I didn't think about you guys last night, huh? Pretty shitty of me."
"Yeah, it was," Tyler agreed, quickening his pace to catch up to his friend. "But it doesn't matter, Reid. No matter what kind of a fuck up you are, I want you to call me. But you have to realize that it's not just me. It's the entire covenant. They care too, you know?"
Reid shrugged. It was always Tyler who kept digging until he uncovered Reid's pent up emotions, but the situations still made him uncomfortable. He hated the vulnerability that Tyler insisted on seeing. He hated knowing that somebody else knew just how weak he could be, even if that somebody was Tyler. "Yeah, whatever," he agreed half heartedly. "So Caleb wants to meet the fam?"
It was a deliberate change of conversation, but Tyler was used to Reid's antics now. He didn't even blink at the abrupt change. In fact, he almost looked guilty. "He deserved to know. What you're going through."
Reid waved away his concern. Caleb didn't have the ability to regret anything, even when he was wrong. Why did Tyler care so much? Why did he apologize every time he fucked up, and sometimes even when he didn't? Hadn't Reid taught him anything? "He doesn't believe you, anyway," he mumbled. He was slowing down, dragging his feet. Tyler didn't seem to notice. Or he pretended not to. "He thinks I'm lying."
"But he's giving you a chance at least," Tyler offered. He knew the relationship between Reid and Caleb. It was old, and stale and it wasn't ever going to change. "Do you wanna talk about it?"
Reid shrugged, glancing sideways at Tyler. The boy was looking away from him, eyes trained forward. "You really want to know?" He asked. Tyler's gaze flickered to his face before darting away. The bell had already rung and the halls were deserted. Neither boy heard Caleb and Pogue leave the classroom. "He kind of reminds me of Caleb. Except he's a little more controlling. If that's even possible. And he doesn't ask me if I know how to do the shit he expects me to do. He just tells me what he wants me to do. Mom wasn't ever like that…" A silence enveloped the pair. No, Elizabeth hadn't ever been like that. It had been her who had taught him everything; how to cook, clean, do laundry, how to talk to adults in a way that got you everything you wanted yet made them think it was what they wanted too. She had guided him with a calm, soft hand, always asking him questions, always making sure he understood everything.
"But after living with your mom, you know a little more about playing housewife than most people," Tyler told him softly.
"Yeah," Reid agreed, his voice morose. He stuffed his fists in his pockets. "And his kids are worst. They're totally taking advantage of this whole situation…watching how he handles them is enough to make me puke. And his wife, Ty. His wife is the worst."
"How come?" Tyler prompted, throwing an arm over Reid's shoulder.
"Because she tries to act like my fucking mother," Reid told him sharply. Well, maybe not quite as specific as his mother…no, she thought she knew how a mother should act. An inadvertent insult that Reid didn't miss. "I've known the bitch for three days and she walks around like she has a right to tell me what to do. Her fucking kids aren't any better. Ordering me around like I'm some fucking servant. Fuck that shit." Reid froze abruptly, jerking Tyler to a stop beside him. Tyler shot him a hard look and then followed his gaze to a figure walking down the hall. It was a girl he'd seen around school but didn't know. He did know she was smart, very smart, but quiet and reserved. A sore thumb in a school that lived on fashion and money. "That's his bitch's daughter," Reid told him in a hushed whisper. "Only one who didn't want shit from me. She actually avoided me like I had a disease or something."
"Must've heard about your reputation," Tyler muttered. He grunted quietly when Reid elbowed him sharply in the ribs.
The girl nodded toward Reid and muttered a 'hello' as she passed.
Reid grunted a 'hey' in return but it was still a few more minutes before Tyler could coax him into walking again. Reid ran an annoyed hand through his messy hair. "You guys still don't smell that Power, do you?" He asked, glancing over at Tyler.
Tyler slowly shook his head, frowning apologetically. "I've never smelt the Power," he told him softly. "Ayn used to though," he added suddenly, straightening up beside Reid. "She used to tell me how we smelt the same. Except it was stronger with you. That was our freshman year. She said that your smell was nearly intoxicating. Like a drug that we both did, but you were addicted…at first I assumed it was because she had a crush on you…"
"Huh," Reid muttered. "How is that possible? When the covenant can't even smell it? She's just a girl. Just a normal girl, right? She's not like…magical or something…we would notice that, right?"
Tyler shrugged. "Ayn's very observant. She notices a lot of shit nobody else does. She sees everything."
"Well…not everything," Reid added.
Tyler shook his head, sighing loudly. "I don't know, man. I think she suspects something. I've known her since freshman year, Reid. And some of the things she notices….some stuff she says -- it feels like sometimes she knows exactly what we're up to. But she's adamant about conspiracies, she suspects something about everything. She watches people. It's like a fucking hobby or habit or something. She studies their mannerisms. Their attitudes and personalities. Their entire existence. I don't know why she even bothers, because nothing irritates her more than people…"
Reid was silent for a moment. He hadn't spoken to Ayn since Friday; not since she had called him. How had she gotten his number? Was she really above spying? Was she really trustworthy? This wasn't another Sarah -- he, or Tyler, couldn't just spill their guts to her and hope she'll understand, even though she's proven pretty open minded thus far. "She's an understanding person," Tyler offered quietly. "She can handle weird. If you ask her to sniff around your father's house, she won't object."
That's what Reid had been waiting for and Tyler knew it. It'd been so long since Reid had been obsessed with the weird aura surrounding his father's house, but now there was some sort of spark of hope in the darkness. He needed somebody to side with him. Even if that somebody detested him, it didn't matter. If she had the possibility to believe him, he would seize the possibility.
"I'll talk to her."
