concoursec | (no subject)

Characters: Ace, Marco, Thatch, Grell, Espio, Toby, Namur, Open
Location: Quad, Marco/Grell's room, who knows where else.
Rating: PG +, never can tell with this family
Summary: Ace just arrived and needs to meet the rest of his wonderful family. That includes the rest of Garden too.

It had been a few crazy days to say the least. Ace had gone from a near death experience to being dragged through time and space to a completely new place unrelated to his own world. After take a few days to get rested up, learn the ropes of Garden, and enroll in classes he finally felt as though he could hold his own here.

So here he stood outside of his room waiting patiently for Marco to come along and get him. The blond had asked him to meet up with him so he could introduce him to the rest of the family. Ace had to admit it. He was curious about Marco's child. What would he be like and would he accept Ace as his uncle? He took a deep breath and leaned against the wall. Marco sure as hell better hurry up before he got bored of waiting and wandered off.

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Her footfalls were pretty soft, despite her being in heels. Grell caught up to him, a few paces behind.

"In case you were wondering, I've been checking on him each day." Espio should know which 'him' she was referring to.

Silence.

It wasn't that Espio didn't hear her - her voice at least made him stop, and he turned his head just enough to catch sight of her. What could he say, though? 'Good?' 'Look after him?' 'Well, at least he can stand the sight of you, I guess?'

All he could really respond to that with was a slight nod - yes, he understood.

Well, at least he stopped, which Grell did as well. She crossed her arms, noting the silence and the single nod. Were things really that bad?

"Perhaps asking if you're in the mood for chatting would be redundant..." She sighed softly, doing her best to not look worried, even if her words convey otherwise. "You both truly need to talk to each other..."

Because she was afraid of losing her son, again. Not to Time Compression. She could live with that, but from heartache. The worst kind of pain there is.

And then Espio just turns away again, resuming his walk.

"I think it's pretty obvious that I can't help him. I've done a fine job so far. Making me talk to him might make him run away for good."

"And saying nothing may do just that!" Grell walked with him, keeping pace at his side. "Have you truly given up?!" Now she was just becoming irritated. "Do you want him to leave? For good?!"

Ouch... Espio winced. It was the very last thing he wanted.

"No... but every time he's run away, it's been because of me. And... I don't know why."

"You do have a tendency to say the wrong thing at an inopportune time." Grell wasn't going to bother with sugarcoating things. "What did you say before?"

"When? When he ran out into the wild, or when he dived into the sea?"

"Let's start with the former." Best to start at the beginning.

Hm. Well... Espio looked a little uncomfortable.

"I did snap at him once because I was surprised he'd run to the corner, but it didn't mean to come out like that - I said I didn't mean it that way.

"He... didn't bolt until I said that trying to force everyone to accept change right then and there was naturally going to cause a fight - I could hear you guys. The next thing I knew, he'd gone."

Grell shook her head, because it was a classic Espio sort of thing to do. "You shouldn't have been surprised. But what has been done cannot be changed. There's no use in dwelling on your faults. I've told him as much."

But of course, they were both stubborn.

Edited 2013-08-14 23:53 (UTC)

Moving on...

"The second time..."

And he trailed off, unsure. Whatever it was, however, it was enough for him to stop again and this time turn to face Grell.

"I was trying to tell him I would always be there, because he'd been acting a little funny and I wanted to help. But... he said... he wanted to go back to before. To his world, before we met. I didn't know what to say. I don't think I said anything. Marco said he didn't mean he wanted to forget me, but it sounded like it.

"His world was horrible to him. So why...?"

"I believe I know why." Toby hadn't told her much about that particular part, so hearing it from Espio was as if cold water washed over her suddenly. Toby returning to such a horrible world in exchange for the happiness he gained here was a true slap in the face.

"You have every right to be upset by that." What if Marco had said the same to her? That he wanted to go back to before them? Her world would shatter into shards.

Damn it, how did he even end up talking about it. He turned away again, mostly to hide the hurt, and tried to get his tone of voice back to its usual snappish self. It didn't work.

"So, I don't think anything I can say is gonna help things. Not if he doesn't - y'know. Want me. Or what we have. Or... had. I... don't get it at all..."

This wasn't the Espio she knew, but it was nice to see he was not a jerk all the time, every time. She knelt down to his level and...

BOPPED HIM ON THE HEAD.

"How about saying you're sorry and stop thinking he doesn't want you?! IDIOT!" Sorry, Espio, Grell doesn't do hugs. "I'm fairly certain nothing will help how he feels, but he needs YOU to muddle through them!" She stood up again with hands on her hips. "Maybe with that you'll sort out your own foolish thoughts! For Fates SAKE, he's STILL HERE, so he must truly not have wanted to run away!"

"And why did he come back?! Because Marco made him!" Espio snapped. "What he thinks of me had nothing to do with it! If it hadn't been for Marco, we... might've lost him...

He unconsciously made as if to hug himself, staring at the floor. "I... apologised already. But if I say anything more, he's just gonna close off again. There's nothing I can say. As for doing... there's nothing I can do either. He's just gonna see that I'm still hurting, I don't know if he'd realise it's because he is, too."

Edited 2013-08-15 00:27 (UTC)

Good, there was still some fight in him.

She waved her hand at that statement. "Toby came of his own will. Marco can try to glue us all together all he likes, but we do as we please. Don't give that birdbrain that much credit!

"And how exactly do you know he'll close you off again? Do your fears tell you so?"

"Why do you think he ran away to begin with?" Espio pointed out, turning away again, and moving away, fading into invisibility as he gave a dismissive wave.

"Don't worry, I got used to not being wanted. I'm just a pain in the ass to everyone anyway."

Grell blinked and watched him fade out.

"Not being wanted?! Are you that dim?!" She still shouted aloud, because she knew he could hear her. Anyone could.

"WHY DID YOU EVEN ASK HIM TO MARRY YOU IF YOU'RE JUST GOING TO LET HIM GO WHEN HE GETS SCARED?!" Because that was what he was doing, and it pissed. Her. Off. She pretty much came to the conclusion that Toby didn't deserve Espio.

And she would tell him just that.

If Espio hadn't been scared enough by voicing his thoughts, then Grell yelling at him definitely did. It may have been saying something he already knew, but if there was one thing he didn't want, it was to lose Toby.

And so, with that in mind, he made a decision to seek his fiancé out. This time, however... the plan wasn't really to say much of anything. Just to sit in his company for a while.