#thread:theo

it must have been alaric’s second or third visit to zephyr just that week. the place was buzzing with energy, as always, and alaric was walking the crowded floor with a cosmopolitan in hand, as always. he was looking for company. most nights he came alone but quickly found someone he knew to celebrate with. however, that evening, it was taking them longer than expected. they weren’t particularly surprised by this - it was a weekday after all - and sometimes things like these happened. people grew tired of partying. but alaric never did, and he didn’t mind being alone for a bit either. maybe it could be a chance for him to meet someone new, instead.

and indeed, as alaric inspected the dance floor, his eyes got stuck on someone with a very familiar posture. he was standing just off of the floor closer to the back wall, and his face looked... familiar. maybe it was someone alaric had worked with before (they worked with a lot of different people: models, bookers, photographers, seamstresses, other designers, make-up artists, hairstylists...), and alaric was ready to shrug it off, but then the person looked at him and they locked eyes. or so he thought, and now he couldn’t look away. clearing his throat, alaric made his way through the dance floor, gliding effortlessly towards the stranger. “hello”, he started once he got to the man, voice soft and low. “have we met before? you look awfully familiar.”

“It does make sense,” she told him evenly, waiting to capture his gaze. “But remember. No matter WHAT you’re feeling, those feelings are NEVER wrong and there’s nothing wrong with feeling them either. There could be misunderstandings or mistakes, but then it’s my job to help you fix that. Okay?” 

However, Theo didn’t think Dick was far off. From the conversations she had had with Bruce Wayne over time, she could tell he was somewhat controlling and he definitely wanted there to be more progress sooner than later. She could imagine him being overbearing and too demanding at home with the poor boy as well. 

“And I don’t want to touch you,” she shrugged, looking up at him. “Works for me.” 

Despite the indifferent response, Theo did wonder why he was so vocal about it. Did he know something?

theo briefly looked down at the offered beer, figuring it was probably in poor taste to be drinking in a hospital. then again, who the fuck cared anyway? their lives were all fucked up and no one had to bitch about the few comforts they had left.

sighing, she glanced over at the door where they took luke through earlier, knowing it was going to be a while. they’d been here before after all. the crains knew the drill by now.

“nope,” she offered, not bothering to look at steve. she didn’t have to, because theo knew his every expression by heart. even so, she couldn’t help the next jab as it fell from her lips. “and that bullshit you wrote doesn’t fucking help either.”

not that the book itself bothered her much. people could think whatever the hell they wanted. and it helped to put her through school which was a plus. it was just the fact that her brother wrote about things he didn’t know the first thing about. not that he’d ever admit that.

“No. Maybe I just get chilly fast,” she answered flippantly. Theo had gotten used to the question by now, but it still bothered her when people bugged her with it. “What’s it to you anyway?” 

@liveshaunted || You meme

Theo knew her brother was in a lot of pain. There were terrors haunting him that even exceeded the things she had felt or seen. She didn’t need to touch him to know that. Worse thing was that she was responsible for one of his demons. Closing her eyes at the memory of that hidden basement and how he’d gotten trapped in the elevator shaft, Theo swallowed away any frustration she might feel towards her brother now. 

“And if you keep everything hidden behind a wall, it’ll eat you alive,” she finally answered, opening her eyes to look him in the eye. It might have been a little hypocritical of her. God knew she had the highest fucking wall of all of the Crains (even if it was more to keep things out in her case), but it was a damn fact. Besides, Theo had the PhD in this field anyway.