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[vecna]

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[striketwice]

[ He lets that whole scene play out, lets Henry monologue like the evil villain he is and the glass shatter in his grip. Alec just watches.

At last, he heaves a sigh, pushing away from where he's been leaning. He meanders into the kitchen, picking up some of the larger shards of glass on his way to the counter beside the sink. ]

No, I guess you don't give a shit about the Warden right now, huh? Not when this kid is right here and practically taunting you. But you should. You piss her off and there's nothing to say you won't end up at the top of your very own elevator, and no amount of voting will save your fucking life.

And even if she does turn a blind eye because his stupid ghost or whatever is protecting him, you'll scramble your own brain taking shots at fucking nothing. Why give this kid the satisfaction of watching your brain leak out of your own damn nose?

[vecna]

[It’s probably the outburst he needed to get out of his system (what a shame there’s not a room devoted to smashing glassware in Unicorn like there is in Tsuchigumo), or at least the sting across his palm dissipates some of that cloying anger with self-awareness.

He frowns, lets Alec deal with the shards on the ground as if he weren’t the one who made the mess, and turns to run his bleeding cut beneath the water in the sink.]

What am I supposed to do? Ignore him?

[He can’t. Henry fixates too easily, and resentment is such a powerful anchor.]

[striketwice]

[ He piles the bits of glass on the counter, hand dipping into the sink to pick up a sliver that slides out of Henry's palm under the water. ]

I don't think you could ignore him if you tried. You don't seem the type.

[ The low, stormy glow of Alec's magic begins to fill the space as he etches a series of runes over the broken bits. ]

I'm just saying maybe don't go so fucking hard when you're the only one with anything to lose.

[vecna]

[The water stings, stings, stings, but the blood washes away easily enough, drawn down the drain with it. The only one with anything to lose. Today proved that Henry could throw heavy objects at Steve all day, and he would be the only one to suffer from overexertion. A bloody nostril within the first few attempts.

Turning his hand over in the water again, he finally shuts the faucet off with the other, reaching for a dishtowel. It's fine if that gets a little bloody, who cares.]

So what, a middle ground? Hover around him and make him uncomfortable?

[Wry. But also. He could.]

[striketwice]

[ Alec casts the other man a small smirk. ]

I dunno, man. He's your nemesis or whatever the fuck.

[ Your teenaged nemesis.

The spellwork suddenly dissipates, and the broken glass mends itself back together with a soft sound of the pieces clinking. It's like Henry never smashed the thing at all. ]

[vecna]

Nemesis?

[Drying his hands with vigor.]

Don't give him so much credit.

[The soft clink of glass mending itself back together draws his attention back down to... Well, his glass.

Good as new. That's different.]

...He's a pest with a baseball bat.

[striketwice]

Nah. He's more than a pest. That's not a diatribe you give a pest.

[ He just takes the good-as-new glass and shoves it in the dishwasher. ]

[vecna]

[He gives Alec a thin, facetious smile.]

He's only human. He'd be inconsequential without his friends to help him; or in this case, without his possession.

[A PEST, just a very stubborn one.]

[striketwice]

Whatever you say, Henry.

How's your hand?

[vecna]

[He holds it up, palm out. The skin around the cut is swollen and red like all fresh wounds have a tendency to be; the cut itself is eking a little blood.]

Stings.

[He's had worse. The whole team's had worse. It's worth the minor meltdown.]

[striketwice]

I guess it could be worse.

[ A mild shrug. ]

Just maybe try not to break our shit next time. I don't know if the powers that be will give us extras.

[vecna]

You're complaining about me breaking one glass when you literally put it back together with your magic, Alec?

[Honestly, be glad he didn't level the whole cupboard.]

[striketwice]

[ He is glad he didn't do that!! ]

Mending isn't exactly my strong suit. Any more than that and I probably can't fix it.

[vecna]

That sounds like a deficiency of yours, not mine.

[If he's casually sniping back and forth like this, at least it's a sign that Alec has reeled him back into vague normalcy again.]

[striketwice]

I'm only one man. I can't know all the magic there is to know.

[ Alec shrugs. Henry might recall that this sort of magic was a specialty of Alec's dad. Useful as it is, it's probably a bit. Fraught.

And yay for him. He'll add "bringing Henry Creel back from the brink" to the list of talents he didn't know he had. ]

[vecna]

[Yes, he does. That word that wove through his mind during his little dip into Alec's past -- Mending. He imagines it's not a magic he particularly wants to focus on, at least not enough to put back together a cupboard full of broken glass.]

We can't all be perfect.

[Right, Henry.

Speaking of trips down memory lane-]

How are you feeling, by the way?

[striketwice]

[ Ah. Alec could dodge that question, but at this point, why bother? ]

After the other day? Fine, I guess.

I really wasn't ready for how shitty that would make me feel.

[vecna]

I suppose I should have warned you that it would be like reliving a memory all over again.

[The lilt of his tone implies that he really did not consider that; this only comes to him belatedly.]

I think you're taking it well, actually.

[Or he puts up a strong front. That's more likely.]

[striketwice]

[ In fairness, he did talk about reliving memories before, Alec just never put two and two together. ]

Shit sucks, but I've had longer than most to deal, I guess. That was, what? Forty five years ago.

[vecna]

Being an old man [yes he called you an old man] doesn't mean grief loses its edge so easily. He was your father, after all.

[striketwice]

Yeah, well. I'll deal. I always do.

[vecna]

[Henry's very good at digging up the worst emotions in another person's head. He's not quite sure he buys such a dismissive answer.

But maybe that's a good segue into another question he never got a chance to ask.]

...Why did you let me do it? Visit one of your worst memories?

[striketwice]

[ Alec does always deal. Perhaps not in the best or most healthy way. He's been doing it for decades, shoving all that nasty stuff beneath his mask of cutting sarcasm and engineered cockiness. It's what he does.

His gaze flicks over to Henry. ]

Temporary insanity, maybe? I really don't know. It just kind of felt like after all the stuff you told me, it was something you should see.

[vecna]

[Truth for truth. And, though Henry still cannot bring himself to see it that way, vulnerability for vulnerability.]

“Temporary insanity.” So you regret it? For how it’s made you feel?

[striketwice]

[ That gives Alec pause. Does he regret it? He always knew that if, for some anomalous reason, someone were to get close enough to learn the truth of his past and all the things he'd done, it would hurt. And this fucking hurts.

But it hurts in the same way it always has. The pain he felt yesterday was no different than the pain he'd felt years ago. There's nothing new here, apart from there being someone who's seen him for what he is and hasn't shied away from it. ]

... No. I don't think I do.