Blaise Blackthorn

She bit her lip as he finished her sentence for her–she should’ve known that he’d be able to know what she was going to say before she said it. They’d been friends for far too long not to know each other. Sun knew she’s what distracted him that night and part of her often wondered if he wouldn’t have been turned if she hadn’t been there, but a larger part of her? A larger part of her wondered if he’d be dead if she hadn’t been there. After a moment, she got up and started pacing, a hand brushing her hair away from her face. “I-I know it’s my fault Blaise, and I’m sorry.” Sun shook her head and turned away, trying to reel in her emotions. I don’t know how long you want to stick around. She turned quickly, not able to stop the words from falling from her lips. “This is forever, you’ve got me forever!” Her breath hitched when she realized the weight of her words, but she didn’t want to take them back. “No matter what, Blaise,” she said, her eyes blurring for a second before she blinked away her tears. “You’ve got me forever.”

“It’s not -- I didn’t mean --” he tried to retract what he said but it was too late. And he would be lying if he didn’t think about what would have happened if she hadn’t been there. Perhaps he would have not got distracted, escaped like Alina had, or perhaps he would be dead -- both of which were, in his eyes, better outcomes that the cards he had been dealt. His gaze went up to meet hers at her words, that she would be there forever, searching her eyes as he tried to figure out if she really meant that, if she really wanted him. She always kept pushing him away when things got real, he didn’t know if he should let her words make him hope again. “Sun, I--” he began, taking a step closer to her before her magic swirled into his mind and he blanked out. He looked at her in a daze for a long moment before he spoke again with a tone of uncertainty. "I am  -- I -- sorry, what was I saying?”

“I never said that,” she said, her eyes closing as she looked down, not wanting to dredge up the argument that had them in this tense dynamic already. “I just can’t–” Control it. That’s what she wanted to say, but she cut herself off, knowing the wording sounded bad given his predicament. Sun looked up when he finally began talking, careful not to say anything until he was done. “I wasn’t at the wrong place or the wrong time, Blaise. I was lucky, yes, but I was supposed to be there with you. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help you this time…”

“You didn’t have to.” he said pointedly. “Control it?” he finished the sentence for her, shaking his head a little. “Weren’t you though? Because I blanked out because of you that night. Maybe I’d have gotten lucky too if..” He didn’t finish the sentence instead frustratedly running his fingers through his hair. He didn’t want to blame her, he had never wanted to blame her because none of it had been her fault -- but being slapped in the face with the fact that it was not just his life that had been put in jeopardy that night was fucking up his mind. There were plenty of full moons left in his life and far too many people he could possibly end up hurting like he had done with Alina, or worse. “I can’t be asking for your help every month though, can I? This is forever for me, and you are -- well, I don’t know how long you want to stick around.” 

“That’s not what I’m saying, I’m saying you don’t care enough about yourself, and it’s affecting the people around you. You’ve always been good enough, Blaise. Don’t tell yourself otherwise.” Celia murmured, her expression softening. As he brushed her hair away, Celia found herself leaning into his touch - not wanting to admit how much she’d missed this. “I should, but I don’t,” She countered, leaning forwards the moment he did, meeting his lips halfway. Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling herself closer towards him as her lips moved against his hungrily. 

“What people don’t know won’t hurt them.” he mumbled under his breath. That thought was kept him going when he hid the werewolf part of himself from so many people he cared about. “I am not going to pretend like I believe that, or even want to believe that.” He shrugged his shoulders, he had never though himself to be good enough, and somehow having the girl who hated him for dumping her tell him he was good enough didn’t really count. He knew she had deserved better than what he had done to her. And yet somehow, he was letting himself fall right back into her arms when he had told himself over and over that he never would. “This is such a bad idea, Celia.” he murmured against her lips but he couldn't bring himself to pull back from her, instead deepening the kiss and letting his arms wrap around her, pulling her flush against him. 

“We buried someone. I’m not too certain it was him anymore, just someone made to look like him. I just– who would go into that much trouble to fake his death?” Cain muttered, before letting out a sigh. “An amulet of sorts. After he died, you know I was hooking up with Chloe Burke? Well she was acting weird, and then told me that she’d given her father an amulet that basically worked like the imperius charm. Her father apparently sold it to Elijah. That’s how he was being controlled, I tried to research the amulet but — I couldn’t find a lot. I’m concerned that somehow, this isn’t over.”

“I don’t know.” he murmured absently as he listened to the other. “You know, you don’t have to throw around details of your sex life when you are talking about your non-dead brother.” he shook his head exasperatedly. “We could ask Emrys? Maybe he would remember something? Maybe Chloe knows more.. you know, now that I begin to think about it. Remember that time when we had to fight Elijah, and he hurt Celia.” he said grimly. “He did sound way too cocky for someone getting beat to pulp.” 

“I know, I know,” Winnie chewed on her bottom lip, “Cain didn’t entirely believe me.” Her breathing was heavy, but it calmed the moment he wrapped his arms around her. “Okay,” She murmured softly, letting out a sigh. “Yeah, that’s a good idea. He wants to see you. He’ll um, probably crack jokes though.”

It took him a moment to calm down but he finally was, and he was beginning to wonder about how all of this had happened. He had a lot of questions for his cousin. “Okay, let’s go then.” he said, a laugh leaving his lips. “You know, that part, is not actually very surprising.” 

“I- well yes.” He was right. They weren’t together anymore, he could sleep with whoever he liked, no matter how much she hated it. “It might be your life, Blaise, but you’re an idiot if you don’t think you screwing up your life doesn’t effect the people around you. Like Winnie, for example. Or-” Me. Celia hated seeing him like this, but it wasn’t her place, not anymore. As he stepped closer, she watched as his gaze fell to her lips, and her tongue darted across them nervously. “So am I.” She murmured, her gaze falling down to his lips as she took a step closer. “But what if I don’t want you to?”

“What are you trying to say? That I don’t care about those around me? Literally all I do is care and I still fuck up -- and it’s fucking tiring that I can never be good enough. It’s just way easier to stop trying.” He knew he wasn’t a good son, a good cousin, a good friend, a good boyfriend, a good teammate, a good student -- he was losing everything he ever had. He took a breath as she stepped closer, before his hand went up to brush her hair from her face. “You really should want me to go.” he mumbled before leaning in to press his lips to hers. 

“I’m alright, all things considering.” Anna wasn’t alright, but she was pretty sure the both of them knew that. With everything going on in their lives, there was no way she could be okay this quickly. “But that’s not why I’m here, Blaise. I just–I need to do something, and I need it to be you I work with.” She moved in a little closer to him, and while she could easily remember how he looked hunched over Darien like he had been, she wasn’t afraid of him. He was Blaise–she could remember when they were younger and he wouldn’t give her the time of day. And times when they were so high, it was ridiculous. He was a protector, and she had to remind herself, he wouldn’t hurt her. Her voice lowered, but her gaze didn’t as she looked up at him. “I need a consultation for a bigger tattoo with you. On my back. I’m not sure what, I just… I’m ready to cover it, and I need someone I trust to do it.”

He smiled a little, still unsure how Anna felt about him. He knew he had scared her away when he attacked Darien but he hoped she’ll come to understand that he would never hurt her. His brows furrowed as she began to explain what she needed, before he understood what she meant. “You’re ready?” he said softly, “Are you sure?” He wrapped his arms around her in a hug, he knew how much it took for her to try and move on from what had happened to leave those scars on her body. “I’m proud of you, Anna. And yeah, I’ll do it the best I can. It’s going to be a long procedure, but I’ll be there through the whole thing, okay?” 

“The one and only,” Emrys nodded slowly. “You mean when I don’t look like I’ve got five rounds with the whomping willow and lost every time?” He countered, before he frowned. A heavy sigh escaped his lips. “Honestly? I don’t know. The only clear memories I have was talking to you guys at the dance, then I woke up in the hospital wing with people telling me I’ve been dead for over a month. I remember vague bits and pieces, just feels like nightmares though. Whispering, darkness, pain.” 

“Pretty much.” A smile smile was on his lips, he was still feeling shocked at seeing him alive, talking like as if nothing had happened. His face fell at the mention of darkness and pain, perhaps if he had suffered it was best he didn’t remember. “What kind of nightmares? What can you remember about them?” 

Winnie blinked rapidly as the questions fell from his lips, frowning as he didn’t seem to believe her. “I wouldn’t lie to you, Blaise.” She told him, shaking her head. “I was in the entrance hall, and the doors burst open and he just tumbled through them. He looked injured and I think the shock caused me to faint. When I woke up, he was in the bed next to me. I asked him about a thousand questions and he seemed confused. He doesn’t remember anything since Valentine’s day. He thought it was like the 15th. I know it sounds crazy, but trust me it’s him.”

“No, no -- I am not saying that, it’s just a lot to take.” He listened to his cousin ramble on, nodding occasionally. “Yeah, I trust you, of course you’ll know your brother. Come here.” He wrapped his arms around the younger girl pressing a kiss to her hair. “It’s all going to be fine, we’ll figure out what happened, okay? I should go see him -- do you want to come with me?” 

How quick Blaise was to admit something was wrong, even without giving details, was a clear sign that whatever happened was big. Whatever it was, the hallway wasn’t the place to have the conversation. “Come, lets get some fresh air,” he directed, waiting to see if Blaise would follow before leading home down the hall. Luckily they weren’t far from an exit, and once they were outside in a quiet corner of the castle, he spoke again. “We don’t have to talk about it, but if you do…” he let his words hang in the air, not wanting to pressure Blaise to speak, but he was here for him.

He let the other drag him away, thinking of girl who was hurt because of him. “I hurt someone.” he explained to the other. “I didn’t mean to -- but I did, and I don’t know what happened to her. If she’s okay, or if she’s fucking dead or if she turned into a werewolf. I  don’t know. I fucked up, Elon. It’s all my fault. I am a fucking killer.” 

The silence filled Cain with tension, the other only relaxing when they were out of earshot from everyone else and the other started talking again. “I know what you mean. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m glad he’s back but it doesn’t make sense. I’m starting to doubt he even died in the first place, but why would someone go into that much trouble to fake his death? After they cursed him…. wait, did you see if he was wearing any jewellery?” He asked, brows furrowing together as he thought back to his conversation with Chloe. “I know. I can’t let that happen, it would utterly destroy Winnie and Bryn.”

“I don’t think so either, but we.. buried him.” He shook his head as the image of his dead cousin floated to the forefront of his mind, having to remind himself that he was now alive and seemingly well. “Jewelry? What do you mean?” he asked him in confusion. “What kind of jewelry?” 

“You know me, I’m good at finding things,” she replied, her reply vague and lame she knew, but it was the simple truth. “I’ve… I’ve known you for too long to not noticed the signs. I wasn’t really that sure before but now…” She had her doubts about her conclusion, but his reaction was all she needed to know for sure. “I’m, I’m so sorry,” she added, knowing that the words were empty, but what else did you say to someone who was forced to become a werewolf? “I’m so sorry for pushing you, I should have waited for you tell me.” She also wished that he had trusted her enough to tell her, but she wasn’t going to breach that topic. “How did it happen?” she asked, not sure if he would tell her, but she couldn’t help asking. It was easier for her to ask focus on the facts of the situation than to think about how her childhood friend had been suffering this whole time.

“Yeah, you are.” He should perhaps be angry with her, but in all honesty he was relieved to not have to lie to her any longer. “I wanted to tell you.. I don’t know why I didn’t? I guess, I wasn’t ready -- talking about it is just hard and I wanted to avoid it as much as I could.” And he was worried if his friends would abandon him. “So, you’re okay with it? I get if you want to keep a distance.” he told her hesitantly. “Well, a camping trip gone wrong last summer, you don’t want the gory details.”