Elliot - [014]

[snapekillsedgar]

Who: Elliot, Leo, and WHOEVER
Where: Starting from Espoir and moving into the city if he has to.
Style: Either
Status: Open like a book!
Note: Elliot and Leo's thread will contain Pandora Hearts spoilers

Comments

[disruptstatice]

Some part of Leo knew that staying away was useless and wouldn't get him anywhere in the end, but he couldn't help but... do so anyway. Maybe it was partly a selfish act too; he just couldn't stand looking at Elliot right now, especially not in such a condition.

It felt like it tore him utterly apart.

That was, of course, not all of it, no. It really was the only thing he could think of as it was that would protect Elliot for sure. Because, so far, the only things that had really hurt him had all been because of Leo. No exceptions. And so... He figured he should just stay away.

Did he expect to actually get to? Well... No.

So maybe it was stupid to even try in the first place. So maybe it was mostly for his own selfish needs, and he was just using an excuse. He didn't know.

Either way... Did he expect to see Elliot quite so soon? No, no he did not. But perhaps he shouldn't be surprised to see Elliot wobbling around at the outskirts of the town, where it bordered to Espoir, because of course Elliot would try to move as soon as he

[disruptstatice]

"Elliot..."

It was practically a whimper this time, and Leo raised his hands to cover his face, fingers clenching in his hair. Now, all of a sudden, he just felt weak, as if he could just crumple any moment.

He just... didn't know what to do with this. It was... difficult to listen.

[snapekillsedgar]

Something in Elliot's chest clenched when he saw Leo bring his hands up. He knew that Leo always grabbed at his hair when he got really upset. In a way, he really didn't want to keep pushing him further, but... Maybe having to see Leo in pain was Elliot's punishment for leaving him like that. He didn't even want to think of what was going to happen in reality, where he couldn't intervene.

"Avoiding the subject isn't going to make it go away, Leo! Was that why you ran away!?"

[disruptstatice]

Leo shook his head again. He may be trying to avoid the subject now, but... that was only at most partly why he left, anyway. He didn't want to face things, perhaps, but... it was difficult enough with just himself.

"You don't know what I am, Elliot. I should never have been with you, because I... I..."

..as if he could say anything about that. Not to Elliot. He wasn't supposed to let him in more.

[snapekillsedgar]

"... Because why?! Can you even give me a good reason, or are you so hellbent on blaming yourself that you don't even know?!" Elliot finally mustered up enough strength from his building frustration to shout. "Also, who ever said I give a damn 'what' you are?!"

In his mind, Elliot was completely confused, and actually, he wanted to inquire about it more. Even so, he couldn't let the conversation get side tracked. He would have to ask later. Whatever Leo was trying to imply, he had chosen Leo as his servant specifically because he never cared what Elliot was, so it made sense that it didn't matter to Elliot either.

[disruptstatice]

"But I do!" Leo shouted right back, voice cracking, and sobbed despite how he had been struggling to suppress anything like that this whole time. "Because it's the reason for everything, I... I shouldn't be... I'm sorry, I can't--"

There was some part of him that wanted to tell Elliot something about it, but he just... couldn't do that.

1/2

[snapekillsedgar]

The sob made him pause. In all the time he had known him, Elliot hadn't even once made Leo cry like this. Every time he'd started to get this pushy, Leo just yelled right back at him, even sometimes throwing tables at him.

"It's got something to do with that Chain, right?!" No matter how much this hurt Leo, he had to keep pushing the subject. Accepting that he couldn't explain would just mean that he would be letting his best friend suffer these feelings in silence. "Why can't you just tell me?! You're supposed to--!"

2/2

[snapekillsedgar]

--- Elliot was just about to tell Leo that he could trust him, but unfortunately, he should have known better then to start yelling like he had. Mid-sentence the world gave a horrible lurch. Elliot swayed, his hands automatically going to his head as dizziness hit him hard. His heart pounded as his vision started to gray out. He shut his eyes tight, trying to force himself to stay upright on shaking legs, and willing himself not to collapse.

[disruptstatice]

Damn it, Elliot! Leo knew that he couldn't stay away from this discussion forever, but this really wasn't the time. Of course Elliot would get frustrated and start yelling, he always did, and Leo couldn't let him do that in this condition.

If he didn't want to not outright lie, he would have gone with Elliot's words just to get him to just go back to the tent but... Damn it.

Quickly, he took the one or two steps that were required to reach Elliot and put one of his arms over his shoulders, swallowing back his tears.

"Don't push yourself any further, stupid," he managed to actually scold, somehow.

[snapekillsedgar]

Elliot didn't put up any resistance, mostly trying to focus on keeping on his feet. It took a few seconds before, thankfully, the dizziness started to subside, and by then Leo already had a firm hold on him. He knew that now he was going to get forced back to the tent, since he couldn't really pull away.

Was that going to stop him? No way.

"M'not stupid." By now he sounded downright exhausted. His real condition would be obvious by how much he was using Leo for support, even if he was still trying to stand up straighter, as if he hadn't just nearly passed out. He locked a still determined stare right at Leo. "Answer the question."

[disruptstatice]

Leo just sighed at Elliot's denial, and began to walk. Yep, back to the tent they go.

...but of course Elliot wasn't going to forget about that subject. He flinched a little, pressed his lips into a thin line as he swallowed, and shook his head.

"Not something like that."

[snapekillsedgar]

Hooray. Elliot did his best to stumble along, knowing that Vanessa was going to kill them.

He thought that Leo would finally start clearing some things up, but... Now he was even more confused.

"It's not about the Chain?" He was so sure that he meant it had to do with Humpty Dumpty. After all, it was that thing that had caused everything that Elliot thought Leo was blaming himself for. "What're you talking about, then?"

[disruptstatice]

Well, he mostly meant that he couldn't tell Elliot about something like that, but it wasn't quite about the Chain... in the way Elliot likely thought. So it basically worked both ways, like that.

So, to be a little clearer then.

"I can't tell you about something like that!"

It really was for no one else but him to worry about. That was all there was to it.

[snapekillsedgar]

That did it. Elliot reached up with his free hand, grabbing Leo by his collar. He didn't care if Leo was the one supporting him, he wanted so much to hit him right then.

"Don't you trust me, even that much?" Elliot's voice was low and angry, and it was clear that he would be just about exploding with emotion right now if he had the energy. "You never though that I might be able to help you if you were just honest with me?"

Leo was being self-sacrificing... How he wished he had the right to call him out on that, especially now that he knew full well that Leo was hiding from him. Unfortunately, Elliot had absolutely no right to scold anyone for being self sacrificing anymore...

[disruptstatice]

Leo stopped walking as his collar was grabbed, reluctantly so, just in case, and swallowed. It wasn't about trust! It was just... just... Damn it.

Somehow, it was more difficult with Elliot's voice being so low, even if it was just because of his exhaustion by now. Somehow, it sounded more serious and something that should be listened too, but...

"I trust you!" he said quickly, sharply, though kept his own voice fairly low, and shook his head again. He really did, no doubt. "It's not that. I can't... You can't do anything and I don't want you to... to get pulled into that. You should just--" His voice broke. "Stay away."

[snapekillsedgar]

If only he knew that having a low voice made him get heard. Maybe he'd shout less often.

Damn... Leo just had to keep on talking like that. Mustering up a little more strength, Elliot used the hand that had grabbed Leo's collar to weakly try to shove his friend away from him.

"How do you know I can't?! Don't you dare try to tell me this is for my own good, you selfish, self-sacrificing--! Ugh..."

The dizziness was starting to come back as he tried to be more forceful. He knew that he was being extremely hypocritical, but Leo was doing exactly what he had always hated. Shunning the people who cared about him because of some stupid secret was just going to hurt them more then they hurt Leo, in the end.