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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Oct 12, 2009 18:13:56 GMT -5
Michael glared over at the doorway Markise had disappeared through, frustrated that he wasn't able to make an argument for why he had believed Dare. Well, at least no argument other than why not. "How was I supposed to argue with him?" he asked, "I know he's talked to that girl before, how do I know he didn't get tired of me?" How was he supposed to think clearly when his world had been crumbling?
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Post by Markise Sterling on Oct 12, 2009 18:17:52 GMT -5
The door was still in one piece, and Michael wasn't yelling, so Markise peeked around it. "Because he loves you," he said. He wouldn't begin to try telling Michael how to argue with Dare, he'd have to figure that out himself, but in the end it all came down to Michael thinking that Dare was a massive flake. Markise didn't care if it was because Michael had no self-esteem, the guy needed to f~ing think once in a while.
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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Oct 12, 2009 18:25:09 GMT -5
Michael closed his eyes and soon enough he was on the floor with his back against the doorframe and his knees pulled up close. "Why do you think it hurt so much?" he asked, before his body decided it was time to inform him that he hadn't cried himself out. As far as he had known, they had been fine, and then there was Dare telling him that it had been a lie.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Oct 12, 2009 18:33:32 GMT -5
"Cause you love him?" Markise guessed. It was uncomfortable saying it, but he knew that for a long time, it would have hurt to say it. After a moment, he came back around the door, hesitantly and with his hand still hovering over his wand. Michael was quiet now, but he knew how quickly that could change. "Dare's a crap liar," he tried. "When he even tries. Was he doing that avoiding thing?" Maybe avoiding wasn't the right word. It was like he filled in everything except for one glaring hole that he refused to acknowledge. It was like he purposefully did so just to draw attention to the fact that he hadn't answered.
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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Oct 12, 2009 18:39:37 GMT -5
"He wasn't looking at me," Michael said, "He kept pulling away....and when he looked at me he was so mad..." And Michael had been too stunned to pay much attention to how Dare was acting. He had no idea what had been happening, all he knew was that he hadn't seen Dare since and that he still hurt. He refused to think about how he felt for Dare, it just brought everything back too hard for him.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Oct 12, 2009 20:13:45 GMT -5
"That's not like Dare," Markise said. When Dare was angry, he seemed to get even larger, taking deep breaths and using his height to intimidate. When he wouldn't make eye contact, he was avoiding. He was depressed or guilty, not angry. Michael had seen Dare livid before, was he really so busy telling himself Dare hated him that he couldn't see how wrong it all sounded?
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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Oct 12, 2009 20:33:21 GMT -5
It was easy to miss how wrong it sounded when he was focusing on what Dare had said. Michael shook his head and wiped at his eyes. "I begged him to talk to me, and he just got mad," he said, feeling choked. He didn't know what else he could tell Markise, but at least Markise wasn't telling him he was worthless anymore.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Oct 12, 2009 20:59:38 GMT -5
Michael's soul-deep misery was heartbreaking, and Markise couldn't distance himself from it anymore. He glanced back over his shoulder at the stairs, and once more hoped that Ariel would stay up there, keep working and let them be for now. Then he crossed over to Michael and sat beside him without a word, a flick of the wand locking the shop door and leaving them in peace.
It felt so strange doing this, but Markise couldn't not do it. "Shhh, it'll be okay," he said softly. He hesitated, entirely unsure what would be acceptable, but wanting to give some kind of contact, try to ground him somehow. He settled with one well-manicured, lightly tanned hand resting against Michael's arm.
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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Oct 12, 2009 21:24:43 GMT -5
Michael hadn't expected Markise to do this, but he didn't even begin to want to pull away. He needed this, even if it was a light, unfamiliar hand on his arm. He couldn't believe it would be okay, he couldn't see how it could be okay. Maybe if he hoped hard enough time would rewind and he could stop this from happening, or maybe he could wake up from this horrible dream. It felt strange, since Emilian and Dare were the only ones that had ever seen him cry.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Oct 12, 2009 21:45:00 GMT -5
The strange feeling didn't last as long as Markise would have expected, had he thought about it. Maybe it was all the times he'd told Michael more than he could believe he'd ever said, maybe it was that same sense of needing to step in when Dare couldn't do it, taking care of his Michael for him. Whatever it was, he squeezed Michael's arm in a gesture of support.
"Why don't we find him first?" he asked softly. "He owes you an explanation, and whatever happened, Dare's a good guy. I don't believe he'd leave you like that unless there was something really wrong with him."
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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Oct 12, 2009 21:58:23 GMT -5
"Or he found someone he likes better," Michael mumbled. He couldn't truly be faulted for thinking like that, could he? Dare had said it, and he knew that Dare had talked to that girl before, it wasn't exactly random. Well...not as random as it could have been. If he had been thinking more clearly, he would have seen the sheer stupidity that was thinking that Dare could do something, but it was impossible to think clearly right now.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Oct 12, 2009 22:03:55 GMT -5
"Don't say that!" Markise insisted, squeezing Michael's arm again. "Don't give him up. If you give him up, you've lost him and you might not get another chance." Maybe Markise didn't regret giving up Dare as much as he had once, but it had taken a lot to make that happen. He'd walked away from Dare, and Dare had found someone else. If Michael walked away too, he'd regret it.
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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Oct 12, 2009 22:13:25 GMT -5
Michael wasn't giving up Dare, Dare had given him up. If Dare didn't even want him, then why did Markise think going to talk to him would change anything? "I don't even know where to start looking for him..." He was lost, and he had no idea what to do. If it wasn't for Markise, he wouldn't even be thinking about it.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Oct 12, 2009 22:18:53 GMT -5
"Talk to Mano," Markise said. Mano had helped him so much, and though he knew that help had just been a precursor to sex, it had still been help. "Talk to Eros, get them to look in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, I'll ask around school." It was the best he could think of. He didn't know where to look either, but the more people who knew, the faster they'd find him. He could tell Ariel, he could tell Brin and have her tell Silver. Silver wouldn't believe it either. Everyone they could trust not to tell the Prophet would help.
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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Oct 12, 2009 22:41:19 GMT -5
Michael wasn't sure if he was quite ready for everyone to know what had happened, but he didn't say anything about it. "I guess," he said, even if he really didn't want to do it. He was scared of confronting Dare, afraid that it would end up even worse if he tried to figure out what was wrong. At least as it was now he didn't have to hear Dare explaining exactly why.
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