Board Thread:Fan Fictions/@comment-29206018-20170215222049

Elias, Oliver and Artemis all belong to Doodle





"Elias, I'm leaving." Arty's words hung in the stale morning air. They burned on the blossoming sky and carved a bloody path to the future. After the events of Elias's kidnapping and then his own, it only seemed logical. He needed time, away from the toxic touch of Elias, Richard, and even Oliver. This wasn’t a spontaneous decision either. Months of debating, months of pondering and running hypothetical scenarios through his head, months and this was the only logical outcome.



So then why did Elias's steady eyes and monotone voice as he droned a single syllable of "Oh." enrage him so?



Oh.  That was all he had to say on the matter? Arty waited, hoping there was more but there wasn't. That was the end of the thought. If only Elias had cast down his eyes in regret or shame or some semblance of emotion! If only Elias had hidden a thousand words under that one two dimensional response! If only his brother reacted to this news might things turned out differently.



Granted Arty had told himself that seeing Elias distraught by his decision would have been far worse than this...but that was a lie. Arty wanted to see Elias react. He wanted Elias to ask him to stay (for he would have). But this lack of feeling...it only made Arty livid. He was angry at himself for dreaming too big. He was angry Elias for affirming his decision, as this lack of life was part of the reason he was vacating the Society. And he was angry at the world for not being able to be there for his brother.



<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Elias had never been good with expressing his emotions but this new found apathy he had developed in the preceding months was unbearable. Elias was no more filled with life than wet towel. Of course Arty had tried to cheer him up and bring about a reaction or anything of the kin yet he was only met with the flat wall now taking Elias’s form.

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Oliver wasn't much better either. Though Arty hadn't known his brother's other half for long he could tell the same lackluster of passion. When asked about the shifts in mood he responded calmly consoling Arty that things were finally dying down. Yet Arty worried that it wasn't the whirlwind of insanity that was "dying down" but his brother. There was nothing physically wrong with them and Richard suggested they needed time.

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">They needed time. That idea echoed in Arty's skull for eons until finally guiding him to this decision.

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">"Elias?  Did you hear me?" Arty tried again, shuffling his feet along the sandy ocean floor of Elias's personality, "I'm leaving and I'm not coming back." Not a grain of sand stirred.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Elias calmly stared back into the deep earthy pools of his brother's eyes and not a single piece of metal glinted in Elias's gold ones.

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">"Are you going to say anything?" Arty pressed, desperate for his brother to respond, to say or do anything. <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Please ask me to stay. Please ask me to stay.

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Elias just shrugged for what <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">was <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;"> there to say?

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">"Are you going to ask why?  Or if I'll visit?  Or when I'll be leaving?" The tears began to tease at the edges.

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">"No." Came the tone-less response.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">"Are you going to ask me to stay?!" Artemis cried, clenching his fists as they hung limply at his sides.

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">"No."

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">"Elias!" Artemis let his inner turmoil spill forth, "I'm <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">leaving <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;"> you!  This is why!! Why don't you ask me to stay!?"

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">This did seem to finally rattle Elias as he closed his eyes and took a trembling breath, "Because if you stayed I would only hurt you again and again and again and..." his voiced trailed off into a whisper. The masking make-up dripped off the repeating phrase hinting at something Artemis hadn't seen in months...feeling.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">"I can take it!" He huffed in response, "I know how to <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">not <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">bottle it up until it destroys me!  Why can't you drop the tough guy act for one minute and act like a proper person!?"

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Elias's body trembled and his lids fluttered open revealing two deep blue oceans, "Because as soon as I do that, I'll lose the right to <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">be <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;"> a proper person." His voice wasn't his owns nor was it Oliver's but some forced distortion of the two.

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Artemis’s shoulders relaxed, his anger melted away leaving pity and regret behind for he understood. Hugging Elias, he attempted to share the burden but he couldn’t.. Elias finally let his guard drop and a small muffled sob crept from his aching throat. And only in the few minutes right before Oliver took over, was he allowed true freedom of expression. For when he lost control of his emotions, he lost control of himself.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"> <ac_metadata title="Emotions by HJ"> </ac_metadata>