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]

"Stop that!"

Really, Leo was just most of all concerned about Elliot's safety and nothing else. His own burdens were definitely not anything anyone should concern themselves about. He didn't want to drag people into it because... it would... hurt them, right? It already had as it was.

And Elliot called him selfish? Just... But of course he would.

"I just know! There's just no way! Now just. Stop. Pushing yourself and let me--"

Just let him help you like he should, since it's his job and all. Except it shouldn't be.

[snapekillsedgar]

When has Elliot ever stopped simply because he was told to, or even when he was next to collapsing? Never. He would keep on struggling until he couldn't anymore, or he passed out.

Of course he called him selfish. Leo had no idea how hard it was to see him like this, especially knowing how much he must have gone through without even telling anyone.

"You're lying. There's no way you could know! Whatever the hell is going on, I want to get pulled into it!" Elliot's mind was buzzing so much that he was shouting out the first things that came to his mind. He didn't care now about the dizzying feeling this was giving him. He wasn't going to let Leo keep this all to himself. "I'm your friend damn it! I'm supposed to help you with these things!"

[disruptstatice]

Really, Elliot, saying something like that when you don't actually know anything. Always talking so big and high and mighty no matter what, and always actually believing it because he was completely honest when like this. He always wanted to believe in everything like this no matter how ridiculous and normally, Leo would kind of get pulled along, but this? Not with this.

"Lying?! Then tell me," he snapped, voice breathy with anger and frustration, still a little choked with tears, and grabbed onto Elliot's shoulders. "How would you fix that no matter how much I tell myself that I do, I sometimes don't fully know who I am?! How would you fix that I can't see because there are floating lights in my eyes?! How would you fix the fact that there is something WRONG with me and always has been?! I don't know if you've realised it yet but you can't fix everything! You should spend your time on what you actually can do anything about, not someone who just ends up one way or another ruining what's important to them

[snapekillsedgar]

Silence hung over them for a long moment. Elliot could have kept on yelling, but the instant he was grabbed, he shut up, staring wide eyed at Leo as his servant finally snapped. He didn't try to interrupt, and even when Leo was done, he didn't respond, leaving his friend's words hanging in the air.

Finally, Elliot brought his hands up and placed them on the arms that were grabbing him, almost like he was going to pry Leo off, but a lot more gentle. He locked a serious, determined gaze on Leo.

"I never said I could fix anything!"

While Leo had finally spilled out what had been wrong, all Elliot could think about was how he had never realized that any of this was going on, even after two years. It was true that there was nothing that he could have done to fix his eyesight, or how he felt about himself. But

[disruptstatice]

The silence was quite long enough for Leo to realise that this was the most honest he had ever been with Elliot, and to realise he just spilled the very things he had never had any intention to tell. At least he didn't include quite everything, but still too much, and... Damn it. He had to fix this, somehow, but--

He blinked as Elliot pried his hands off, and flinched a little at the expression on Elliot's face. Never said..?

...oh.

That required a deep breath, and he swallowed. "You were never supposed to know any of that..." he mumbled, trailing off as he lowered his head. "How..? Why do you--? I... You should just--"

Damn it.

Suddenly, he really wanted to just collapse right then and there, maybe a little on Elliot too, but he still had to get Elliot back and... He couldn't do that in front of Elliot. But he allowed himself a step closer, even as something screamed at him not to, and lightly grabbed Elliot's wrists.

"How?"

[snapekillsedgar]

Elliot let out a sigh that was somewhere between exhaustion and relief. He really didn't know if what he said was going to be enough to calm Leo down, but it worked. Finally Elliot felt like he was getting through to him

[disruptstatice]

Leo couldn't possibly look Elliot in the eyes right now, so he kept his head lowered. In fact, he lowered it even further. To him, being there for Elliot had been something obvious, some way to make up for what he had done, to simpy do whatever he could. Not that he wouldn't have done the same if he hadn't done all that, but... it felt even more important, that way.

He had never seen it as necessary to let Elliot carry any burdens from him. He was more than happy to help carry Elliot's, but...

Really, he could talk to Elliot, he knew that. It was just... scary, to share anything more. He hadn't really thought of it as something that should be mutual? But of course Elliot did. It was just... He just wanted to keep his own issues to himself because if it felt like they were swallowing him... then what about others?

"I just don't want to put it on you too..." A weak chuckle. "And I know you hate that."

[snapekillsedgar]

"Yeah. I do." Thank goodness he realized that.

Being there for Leo was obvious to Elliot too, because since the beginning of their relationship, he had thrived on the thought that he and Leo were equals. At least he thought that. Apparently, that wasn't mutual and Leo had misunderstood that somewhere along the way. Hell if Elliot was ever going to let him forget it from here on.

"Are you gonna keep hiding?"

He looks like Leo's next answer is going to determine whether he gets a, probably weak, smack.

[disruptstatice]

There was another moment of silence as Leo moved a hand to finger on his hair. There was still one thing he hadn't told... And now he wasn't sure what to do with that. He didn't want to, he didn't know what Elliot would think or...

..maybe it was stupid to think that Elliot would actually care in a way there was any need to fear but... He just. Didn't know. So he wasn't going to give no for an answer.

Instead, he shrugged. "I'm tired..."

[snapekillsedgar]

He's glaring at you, Leo.

"That's not an answer."

[disruptstatice]

...damn it. Elliot, really, he just told you more than he has ever told you, be happy with it for now, he can't... Ugh.

Fine.

He meant something with that shrug, so:

"I don't know."

[snapekillsedgar]

The glare doesn't end. He's obviously not satisfied with that answer, but... Maybe for now, he couldn't give him an answer for real. After all, Elliot admitted that Leo had already told him a lot in that one outburst. It was just that he knew there was more, and he wanted to know right away.

"You--..."

Even if he wanted to keep Leo talking, he wasn't going to get the chance. His body finally decided that this was getting ridiculous, and that its owner was being way too reckless for someone with severe anemia from loosing so much blood.

His breathing quickly got shallow, and his eyes widened slightly as the world swayed much worse then the last time. Unable to stop himself this time, Elliot couldn't keep himself from slumping forward as his body finally rebelled.

[stfuelly]

Enough really was enough. Vanessa had woken earlier without her brother sleeping nearby, and though she'd waited (because maybe he'd just got to take a bath or some such thing - she's not that crazy with worry that she would follow him to the bathroom) for him and his servant to return, it had been far too long for a simple bath or even a walk. He wasn't supposed to be up right now! He shouldn't be out of bed for this long! Damn that servant; he should know better than to keep him up for this long!

She heard them before she saw them - their voices were unmistakable. She turned a corner ready to shout, only to see her brother fall forward. Whether or not his servant caught him doesn't register with her. She sprints forward, ready to catch his shoulders and keep him from hitting the ground. She may not be the strongest person, but Elliot has always been fairly light.

"Elliot?! What happened?!" she screamed, turning her attention on Leo finally.

"What did you do to him?!"

[disruptstatice]

Of course Leo caught Elliot. He had been so surprised by the collapse, though, that he quite literally had to throw his arms around Elliot to do so. Good thing he knew how heavy Elliot was, since he had carried him, so he managed to stay upright and just... helped Vanessa get Elliot standing again. Uhm.

...oh.

This might just be a first Leo felt quite happy to see Vanessa. He could tell that Elliot wouldn't have left things alone until he fainted and he didn't want that, and they would have gotten nowhere fast. He could tell Elliot just wanted to know even more, and right now he just couldn't do that. And Elliot was always bad at listening.

"I didn't do anything," he said quickly, raised an arm to wipe his cheeks with his sleeve. "Your brother is just a stubborn idiot and kept pushing himself."

[snapekillsedgar]

"I'm not an idiot." Elliot sounded completely drained, but he was only just getting his senses back enough to respond, and already he was internally kicking himself for showing just how bad off he really was. He was sick of having to say that. Maybe Leo might have thought it was idiotic, but Elliot was just doing what he thought was right.

It took him a couple of seconds to realize, one, someone else was supporting him from behind, two, he was hearing an all too familiar voice behind him, and three, Leo had just addressed.....

... Oh crap.

Slowly, he turned his head, looking in wide eyed horror at his sister. "Vanessa?"

He was so screwed.