Chapter 24: The Fine Print

Dorian opened his eyes and saw a sideways landscape of pillows in the foreground, curtains engulphed with chartreuse flames in the background, and Kelly's sleeping face in between. He took a moment to collect his thoughts. As his brain booted up, he replayed the previous night in his memory. When he was done, he went back and replayed a few of his favorite bits a couple of times.

Pleasent as the past was, Dorian knew it was time to deal with the present. He looked to Kelly and reflected on the fact that the present seemed pretty nice too. The future, however, was a minefield.

If I get up and leave for my demise, he thought, I'm the selfish guy who got what I wanted and ran. If I stick around, I'm the clingy guy who would rather be with someone than protect the multiverse. I'd better decide what to do fast, or else he'll wake up, and I'll be the creepy guy who was watching him sleep with a worried look on my face.

What Dorian needed was a distraction, something that would wake Kelly up and hold his attention through the awkward, "Hey, why am I here in bed with Dorian? Oh, that's right," phase of the morning.

He supposed he could use his powers, but all the magic he could think of to use as a distraction was a dead giveaway. He pictured himself saying, "Well, look at that, Kels, a giant pillar of flame here in my bedroom, for no reason at all. Oh look, now it's gone. So, how did you sleep?"

Dorian felt despair. Then he felt angry at himself for being the guy who wakes up in bed with the love of his life and has it cause him to despair. He rolled onto his back and resigned himself to wait for the inevitable awkward when Kelly awoke. He looked at the ceiling for a few moments, then the door swung open.

Molara swept into the room with a tray of food and a glass of some juice, "Good morning!" She chirped as she walked around to Dorian's side of the bed. He sat up as she placed the tray on his lap.

"Good morning, Lara," he said, grateful, not just for the food, but also for a far better distraction than he could have imagined. The plate on his tray contained eggs and some unknown fried meat. He hadn't realized he never ate dinner last night due to Kelly's arrival, but now he could think of little else. He turned to look at Kelly and found him bleary-eyed but awake and pulling himself into a seated position.

Molara said, "I felt the magic pulse—hell, every magical creature in the city probably did—that's why I'm here. Kels, I'll be back with your tray in a moment."

Kelly yawned, "I'm surprised it wasn't Maya."

"Oh, she's gonna be pissed that she was on a mission."

When Molara came back with Kelly's tray, then left briskly, they enjoyed their breakfast in mutual silence. When they were finished eating, Kelly turned to Dorian, smiled, and said, "So."

Dorian returned the smile, and the "So." Okay, he thought, the ball's in his court. Let's see what he does with it.

"I think last night went well. Pretty awesome birthday night if I do say so myself."

Dorian laughed, primarily out of relief, "I wholeheartedly agree." He paused, hearing some relief in Kelly's own laugh, "Are you sore at all?"

"A little, but being a former superhero means I've dealt with worse."

There was a long pause between them before Dorian got up the courage to ask, "Do you think Harry or Mia suspect?"

"I don't think they suspect," Kelly replied with a chuckle, "I think they're absolutely certain."

"Really?"

"Yeah, they know about your feelings for me and the mess that was my own feelings. They knew where I was going and that I didn't come back. But they're not concerned for my safety; otherwise, Harry would have called."

Dorian nodded, "Yup, they know. Do you think they'll tell anyone?"

"Doubt it—well, maybe Tazri if they managed to pull her back from wherever she went." Kelly threw out his hand, and his cellphone flew to him. Harrison had built it, and it had a screen, making it much more modern than the average smartphone of the time.

It was barely ten seconds before the call screen was replaced with the head and shoulders of Harrison, who had a sickeningly happy look on his face,

"Yeah?"

Kelly rolled his eyes, "Hi, Harry."

Harry kept smiling. None of the three men said anything until Harrison finally asked, "Are you..." his voice trailed off, and he shrugged, but he still had the same nauseating smile.

Kelly sighed, "Yes, I'm with Dorian."

Harrison laughed diabolically and gave an exaggerated thumbs-up. The laugh went on much longer than was dignified, which was, of course, exactly how Harrison wanted it.

"Okay, okay," Kelly said, "Look, have you told Mia yet, assuming she doesn't already know?"

"Of course," Harrison replied, "She's here right now."

Amelia's head appeared over Harrison's shoulders. She had the same shit-eating grin on her face, "Good for you, Kels! Where are you now?"

Kelly winced, knowing that his friends were trying to ask the awkward and admitted, "I'm at Dorian's place."

"Ooh! Put Dorian on!"

Dorian leaned in close, and Kelly twisted his hand so he could be in view, "Good morning."

Instead of saying good morning back, Amelia gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up and laughed like a crazy woman. She did this alone for a moment, then Harrison joined her, both in the cackling and the thumbs.

Kelly and Dorian laughed a bit in spite of themselves, then Dorian said, "Oh, shut up. I'll see you both in a bit. You got the thing ready?"

The mood instantly changed, as Harrison wordlessly nodded, "Dorian, are you sure?"

Kelly also turned, "Dorian, no, don't do this."

Dorian sighed, "At least I get to die happy."

OoOoO

The night before, Harrison had waited for Kelly to finally do what they all knew he wanted to do: go check on Dorian. Then he'd waited for Kelly to return, doing this alone since Mia had fallen asleep waiting. Then, when it became clear that he wouldn't be back that night, Harrison waited until morning when he could talk about it with Kelly if he showed up, and Amelia if he didn't. When morning came, it was clear Kelly had not returned, so Harrison got himself and Amelia some breakfast of french toast—since she didn't get back yesterday in time for a birthday breakfast. That was what they were doing when he got Kelly's call.

When Amelia woke up, Harrison shared the news, which made both of them elated, not just because their friends were presumably happy, but because they could good-naturedly rake both of them through the coals about it for a few days. After the phone call, they tried to not think about the fact Dorian still wanted to go through with this isolation plan, deciding to discuss the other fun topic.

"I'm surprised that Dorian got Kelly in bed so fast," Amelia mused, "He's never seemed all that romantic to me. I know they've loved each other for a while—even if Kelly didn't realize it—but I didn't think that would accelerate so quickly."

"Well, Dori doesn't show that side to you, Mia, because he's not attracted to girls. As for Kels, you're like a sister to him, so you wouldn't know about that side of him."

Amelia smiled, giggling, "Are you saying Kelly's shown that side of himself to you?"

"Not directly," Harrison answered, just defensively enough to make it clear he was in on the joke, "But I know it's there."

Amelia lifted her napkin from her lap and placed it on her plate before putting the plate away. "You have to hand it to Dorian and Kelly," she said, getting back in her seat, "They figured out what they wanted, and they didn't waste a whole lot of time getting it once they mutually realized."

"Well, it took a while for Kelly to realize." Harrison shrugged, "But yeah, I'm happy for him. But this is a double-edged sword."

"You mean with Dorian still wanted to be isolated and potentially killed?"

"That, and it is culturally conditioned in humans—or human-like creatures because I am not entirely sure you or what Kelly and Dorian have become count as human—to attach extreme significance to the loss of their virginity; the clothing, the location, the person it was with. And, of course, it follows that you would be attracted to that person. It's something I have observed, Amelia, that humans often feel indebted to that person, as though they owe them something for being their first. It works in both directions, but..."

Amelia crossed her arms, "You are aware you're saying this to your girlfriend, right?"

"Yes, but there is a reason I would rather wait until marriage." Amelia nodded, accepting that answer as he continued, "Owing things to people you might not spend the rest of your life with is dangerous—it can hurt you. Especially if it's first true love beyond a crush."

"So basically you're saying Dorian is hurting Kelly without realizing it."

"Correct. We both know if this is what we suspect, Kelly may actually take control of my mind to stop this."

"Is that why you made that anti-psychic thing?"

"Yeah, but it's not done yet. But what I'm saying is that, if we can't convince Dorian to reconsider, we both need to be here for Kelly—even if he hates our guts for a bit."

"I doubt he will hate us, just be pissy." Amelia got up and looked out the window, seeing both young men were walking to the gate, standing under an umbrella together. She also noticed Kelly was wearing Dorian's clothes instead of his own, and he was leaning close, "We should probably let them in."

Harrison looked too, "Yeah, I suppose that would be best."

OoOoO

Walking to the mansion was silent because Kelly had realized after the first ten minutes that he wasn't going to change Dorian's mind. Now he felt used and alone.

This was why he had never sought after love, it just hurts you in the end. Amelia and Harrison were lucky, but Kelly had never seen another relationship work out—he didn't see Harrison's parents together for long enough to figure out whether they worked well together or not.

Entering the mansion, Kelly sat down in Harrison's bedroom while Harry and Dorian went down to the lab. He sighed, knowing being angry was irrational, and isolation really did make sense. He was mostly mad at himself for wishing otherwise and leaving himself vulnerable, letting himself accept that love he had harbored but never acknowledged.

Amelia sat next to him, "Kels, are you..."

"No, I'm not okay. What I feel is so real that it sets my damn heart racing, and I hate it. I try to find love, and look where I am now, feeling used and pissed!"

"Yeah, I can't exactly relate," Amelia put a hand on his shoulder, "He's just doing this because he doesn't want you to get hurt." Kelly glared,

"You're the one who told me to go for it! Why aren't you calling him out on this suicidal insanity?!"

"And why aren't you?"

"You think I wasn't? He won't listen to me. Trying to act as though nothing's happening."

"Kels..." she rubbed his back, "Are you sure he's not brushing it off as a coping mechanism?"

"He probably is, but it's so damn infuriating! I didn't think he was serious about going this far, and I hoped he'd realize on his own that this is insane."

...

Dorian sobbed, "This is insane."

"You're just now realizing that?" Harrison asked snappishly, raising his eyebrow, "I mean, I know in your twisted mind this might seem like a good idea, but seeing as you are still sane at the moment, I think this whole thing is overdramatic and uncalled for right now."

"I need to put personal feelings aside," Dorian muttered, "And it's not like you're going to drag my psycho overpowered ass into this plan. Might as well get it over with while I can think straight."

"Logically, I understand. It's quite painful, Dorian, the situation we're in. Kelly loves you, I can tell. So you've left me torn between being logical or being there for my best friend, who has quite literally saved my life multiple times."

"Just think of me as the guy who accidentally murdered you once—you cannot deny I did that."

"Yeah... but now I don't have cystic fibrosis anymore and have an extended lifespan..."

"Then think of me as the guy who hurt your best friend!"

"But keeping you locked up means that I would be the one hurting my best friend."

"Harry, you're killing me—actually no, you're not. I wish you were, though. Can we just get this over with before I look in Kelly's eyes one more time and change my mind?"

Harrison sighed, "Fine, but we both know he might do some mind magic, and you'll be let out in an hour, right?"

"I assumed you had prepared for that."

"That's like asking someone trying for a baby if they have protection. I have it, doesn't mean I'm gonna use it. Oh come on, Dorian, I've been friends with Kelly for longer than I've even known you!"

"Yeah, and I'd prefer Kelly have a little heartache instead of getting locked up or murdered in my weird yandere state that's bound to happen. For all I know, I'll snap and kill everyone close to him—including you and Mia—to have him all to myself, and that's the last thing you want!"

That seemed to get Harrison's attention, "Fine. You're right. Brownies should solve the problem..." he sighed, "Step onto that pad," he gestured to a door, "and it will send you into a bunker over a hundred miles away, twenty miles underground. I'll send food and water through a mini transporter, but the one you will use will be deactivated the moment you step through."

"Thanks. Can I, by any chance, have pens and paper so I can still talk to him?"

"Yeah, if you want. There's already a bed, shower, and toilet down there. Before you ask, I had to use last year's grandparent money for this."

"How rich are you?!"

"Well, seeing as I managed to create a cure for prostate cancer and created teleportation, I'd say very."

"When the hell did you do that?!"

"Thank the tablet from Mia. It had extra clues that I pieced together. Really, it was basically just a puzzle."

"Yeah, yeah, we all wish we had a fraction of your brain cells, Harry. Can I go in the thing now?"

"I guess so."

"Dorian!" They both turned and saw Kelly was running down the stairs, hugging him.

Dorian's breath hitched as their connection forced him to feel Kelly's pain, and hated himself for making Kelly feel so used.

"I'm sorry, Kels, you know that. Even if you're mad at me and think I'm an idiot, I'm doing this because I love you, not in spite of it. I don't want you to feel used, because I wouldn't have said yes if I knew you would feel that way." He cupped Kelly's cheek, using his other hand to brush back a strand of hair.

"I don't want you to go," Kelly trembled, "I know it's the right thing, and I know—" he was cut off by a kiss, and both cried as they held each other one last time.

"I'll write to you, I promise. But find someone better than my warped little heart." Dorian looked to Amelia, "Take care of him."

"I will." She vowed, holding Kelly's hand firmly as Dorian walked onto the pad. He sighed, trying to smile one last time, but ultimately failing.

Then he was gone.

OoOoO

A month passed, and it was the day before Halloween—also called Devil's Night. Amelia had never believed in that name, even as a witch of a powerful coven. The term Mischief Night was much more fitting.

But this particular night, the term "Devil's Night" seemed much more accurate.

All things considered, Dorian had been doing surprisingly well in isolation, as writing daily notes with Kelly managed to keep him stable enough. They'd sent him small things to amuse himself with, and used the fifteen cameras down there to keep an eye on him.

She had seen it coming, but Dorian broke down, sliding down the padded white wall, and he stared vacantly into space as tears fell.

Even as she tried to see a potential enemy in him, Amelia was not wholly unmoved either, watching the young man wracked with misery.

But just as she tried to get Harrison's attention—Kelly was sleeping at the moment. Thankfully, writing letters, having his best friends around, and eating a ton of coffee brownies were helping him act like an average person in society—something else got her attention.

The sobs were giving way to a more unnerving sound, the giggles bubbling up in Dorian's throat... and crescendoed into full-on maniacal laughter.

Harrison gaped open-mouthed at their friend, making sounds that had no place outside a mental institution.

"Uh... do you think we should get Kelly?"

"Are you sure he'd want to see this?"

Dorian let out a scream that they could hear, and it didn't take long for the banshee-like wail to destroy the cameras and wiretaps.

"Dorian?!" Harrison started trying to reboot the cameras, even going so far as to activate the teleporter again.

Kelly came down into the lab, "What's going on?" Harrison bit his lip,

"Dorian snapped. The cameras are broken."

Kelly blanched, "Death!"

Death appeared, and she seemed to be frantic too, "What power is that?!"

"W-What do you mean?" Amelia asked, and Death grabbed her shoulders,

"He found a new stone, didn't he?! What power was it!"

"We don't know! Never had a need to learn." Death vanished, and came back,

"By any chance, did he come in contact with a moon opal?"

"Yeah, I think that's what he said it was," Amelia pondered, and Death clenched her fists,

"Well, he has the power to control anything, but not be controlled himself. But if you fuse that power with the peridot, it creates the bonus power of meteors!"

Upon hearing that, Harrison looked out the window and saw there was indeed a meteor shower.

Death looked to Kelly, "I'll see if Freya can stop it or at least suppress it since this is partially her power." Then she left.

Harrison sighed, "Can we go two months without New York almost blowing up and everyone dying?"

"No, Harry," Kelly replied worriedly, "I don't think we can."