His hands were shaking. Brain begging him to stop. He said, shaking his drink. "How did you know?"
No muscle in Alex's face rested upon listening to the original Kaelen. "How? You never changed, did you? It was always there, only that you kept rejecting the idea."
Kaelen looked him in the eye, his eyes firm yet struggling to find their place. "Alex... I can change the world. Come join me."
"What makes you think that, huh?" he said as he strechted his neck towards Kaelen. He looked at him as he never did before. His eyes weren't blank, wondering off somewhere else. They had their ambitions. "Have you killed a god yet? Why can't you just quit? You will fail like those before you."
"If you don't have a problem with living. Then what excuse do you have for not fighting against a system you hate, a system that took so much from you?"
Alex's expression shifted every second. Anger, hesitation, frustration, but none of them stayed long enough to settle.
Alex picked up a bottle of wine, finally ready to accept Kaelen. His expression something Kaelen couldn't read.
He pulled one into his range with his fingers and grabbed it.
Kaelen rested back in his seat. "You can take your time. I respect whatever decision you will take." Kaelen closed his eyes and extended his legs.
The trust he showed in him, Alex couldn't take it. It frustrated him how Kaelen was so relaxed.
For a second, it became hard to breathe. The air felt too thick, like jelly.
Then the jelly flowed onto him. He jumped out of his seat.
Thwack.
A glass bottle hit the back of his head.
Kaelen slowly opened his eyes; clouds were taking over the sky. Outer beings like the sun were being stopped by something with more authority on Earth. As Kaelen shifted his gaze, so did the clouds they made it rain. Not for the sake of matching Kaelen's mood. It was for the fall of their saviour.
Alex was holding another bottle aimed at Kaelen's head. "I told you to quitttttttttttt." he screamed as he lunged with the bottle.
Thwack.
Alex moved back. His movements had turned sluggish with signs of tiredness, back leg handled the whole body.
Another bottle. Another strike. He backed with his leg barely managing to control itself.
No bottle left. Alex extended his leg and punched all his might. The over timer leg was done with his shift. He fell, he fell, he truly fell. Kaelen, Alex and everyone watching them from the inside felt it. The punch slightly touched Kaelen's leg.
Alex punched the ground again and again and again until the grass was gone and only a rock stayed on the surface.
Even the brave fell. And the coward didn't lose when he clearly did.
The glass door slid open, and people rushed outside. Kaelen raised his finger and stood. Everyone went back inside, even the glass obeyed.
He took a step forward and crouched. With a finger, he lifted his head from the dirt. It rained harder.
"I am so disappointed in you." Kaelen shook his head. "Really disappointed. I knew everyone wouldn't accept me. Some would, some wouldn't. But I never counted you out."
Alex smiled. The smile was dirtier than his face. It rang back everything Kaelen had faced in his void. Not the pain. But the voices in his head brought him back to what he was before. He realized at that moment. The improvement he wanted wouldn't come from killing himself. It would come from adapting between his true self and what he has become.
Kaelen left him playing in the dirt and went inside.
People rushed into the other corner until some were being crushed into the wall. They rushed as soon as Kaelen was out of the door's range.
Alex laughed like a clown his pitch and volume were loud, seeking attention. The joker presented them with a stream of emotions that reassured them. Blood rushed out of his mouth. He coughed as more came out. Yet the laughter continued.
The drive home was silent at first, the kind of silence that needed time before either of them could fill it.
Nevyziel opened the door for him and got into the driver's seat.
Kaelen showed no signs of any emotion on his face. Yet all his feeling leaked out of him, flowing into the surrounding world around them.
But his inner monologue changed it all 'Lelouch wouldn't be proud of such a crybaby.'
He opened the driver seat's door. Nevyziel looked at him for a sec, she didn't know that he had overcome it. But she knew he would never accept his weakness.
She moved to the passenger seat.
It was the first time Nevyziel wore a seat belt with Kaelen driving.
"So, what now? Did you face yourself?"
Kaelen took a deep breath and lifted his upwards, his chin facing the roof. "Yes, I found myself. Even though it burned everything I achieved to ashes."
She shrugged and replied. "Then you lost someone else."
He smiled; she followed with hers.
They came before the sun was down.
Kaelen opened the door for her. And rushed to the kitchen.
Kaelen knew she won't resist because she can't reject someone's kindness, but he could and he did.
Nevyziel sat on the table which Kaelen used to.
Kaelen wanted to surprise her, with his own dish. Something he for sure hasn't eaten before.
"Kasu curry, huh?"
Kaelen snarled, his lips curling back to reveal his teeth.
She surprised him by ambushing him from behind. She smelled the dish, took the silicon spatula from his hand and took a bit of the curry to taste.
"Hmm, its good enough."
Her hands pressed against his chest as she got on her tippy toes.
She kissed him.
It was a long kiss, neither of them in a hurry to be the one who pulled away first.
A stream of curry was spilling onto Kaelen's foot. Yet Nevyziel was the one to pull out first.
She stuck her tongue out and winked, tilting her head the same way. "Your tongue definitely tastes better."
Half of the curry vanished from the pot before Kaelen would let the moment go.
Kaelen turned off the stove and looked at the mess he had made.
But he never set the gas that high. He looked behind Nevyziel. Lynx was peeking at them through the wall.
Kaelen cleaned the mess and rushed at Lynx. Kaelen sent one of his chains through the wall, sticking it to Lynx.
After crossing the wall he turned towards Lynx only to find her smirking and screaming, "Aurelionnnnnn." Like someone in agony.
Loud footsteps came down the stairs.
Kaelen turned his gaze to the stairs. Nevyziel, who was blocking the staircase, was sweating in fear, swallowing hard.