Wizards and potions and drugs, oh my!

[Scyon Kan]

It was that look—the dark look in Ams' eyes that sowed the first seed of doubt. Scy did a good job covering them up by lying to himself, but he knew that something wasn't quite right. Maybe it was the magic; there was something buzzing and humming in the air in their sleepy, tiny little town. There was always the feeling that maybe things weren't wrong. but they weren't quite right either.

Scy shook his head slowly, watching the way that Ams' mouth flattened into a thin line. He was angry. Undoubtedly so and for good reason. "I'm sorry Ams." Words were cheap and his apologies probably didn't make up for the fact that he was suddenly leaving. Scy's chest panged. He hesitantly reached out; his fingertips brushed the side of Ams' arm lightly.

At the very least, Ams deserved the truth. If nothing else, he deserved that.

"There's someone else..."

[Amory Nova]

If it weren't for years of being a nice, timid guy, Amory would have shrugged Scy's hand off his arm. How... cute. Trying to placate him with his soft tone and his comforting hand. But that wouldn't work even on an actual nice guy. It would just twist their little heart and break it into pieces, especially when followed up with there's somebody else. Fury burned somewhere in the pit of Amory's stomach. Scy, of all people, was cheating on him? How long? Who had turned in his head? Scy was supposed to be the nice guy. He was different, he wasn't the person Amory had been looking for.

Now he was starting to become that and Amory didn't think he liked it all that much. Tough guys, rough guys. He liked those. People that couldn't stay loyal, though? Those really... really irritated him.

Amory smiled coldly without moving away. "Who?"

[Scyon Kan]

Scy's stomach twisted unpleasantly in the face of Ams' smile. It would have added to the guilt, were he not already drowning in it up to his eyeballs. What seemed natural at the time now felt like an act of betrayal—which it was. Scy would never deny that what he did was wrong. Even children knew that cheating was wrong; it was like a basic fact of life.

So why did he do it? He claimed to love two people but obviously he loved one more than the other and now Ams was coming to terms with that realization. Scy lowered his hand and his head. "An old boyfriend. No one you know." Not that it probably mattered either way; whether Ams knew Ember or not, it didn't change what Scy did.

[Amory Nova]

Nobody he knew. An old boyfriend. Amory saw where this was going. Probably a first love; people tended to love those they fell for first and without meaning to, they often made comparisons to their current lovers. Amory should know; he did the same thing with Scy. Except he didn't find his ex and start messing with him while he was with Scy. The heat in the pit of his stomach seemed to grow and he felt as if the world around him was starting to follow.

Maybe it was. Amory was a witch, after all.

Amory stared Scy down, as if he could peer straight past the exterior and peer into his mind. What was he thinking right that moment? About the other guy? Was he waiting for Amory to start crying? Was he waiting for him to grovel and beg? Oh, Amory's father never would have allowed his son to do such a thing. Amory didn't even know what he wanted to do. Some part of him actually stung from the sudden betrayal. Some part of him wanted to lash out, to hurt Scy. Somehow, he retained his composure.

He stepped away from Scy, out of range of his worthless hands, that brought only bitter disappointment and nothing approaching the intended comfort.

"Then get out," he said softly, although his face could have been made of stone. "You weren't enough for me anyway."

[Scyon Kan]

"Yeah. I know."

Amory wasn't wrong; Scy didn't stack up to his expectations in any sense of the word. Their problems with intimacy was but a tiny blip to the bigger issue of Scy's heart... well, not being in the right place. He nodded and let out a low sigh, dropping his hand to his lap. He didn't think he could lift his head now; the tone of Amory's voice said it all.

"I'll get my things and move out tonight." Scy stood, awkwardly pulling at the bottom hem of his shirt. "I'm sorry, Ams. You deserve better."

He turned toward the bedroom, where his clothes were. His belongings were scattered all over the apartment but now didn't feel like the time to comb through every cupboard and drawer. Better to take the obvious things and leave, before he hurt Amory any more by simply being there.

[Amory Nova]

Funny how the insult bounced right off Scy. That irritated a small part of Amory. He wanted to hurt him and make him regret ever fucking with him but Scy only seemed sad and resigned. Which was even more irritating, since Scy was packing up to take off with somebody else. He would find comfort in somebody's arms and he would leave Amory here with this mess. For a moment, Amory remained where he was, then slowly followed Scy into the bedroom.

He stood in the doorway. Unless Scy wanted to leap out of the bedroom window, Amory was blocking his only exit. He narrowed his eyes, watching Scy picking up things. So. He really thought he could just pick up and leave like that.

"You really think it's so easy?"

[Scyon Kan]

Scy heard footsteps but he thought—hoped—that it meant Amory was leaving the apartment. Or going to the bathroom. Or going anywhere but into the bedroom, though his heart sank when the footsteps stopped at the door and stayed there. As quickly as he could, without seeming desperate, Scy shoved clothes into the suitcase that he'd hidden away in the closet—the one that he'd used to move in. It was almost too ironic, how he'd come full circle.

At the sound of Amory's voice, Scy's hand stilled. He stood without moving for several moments, trying to process Amory's tone and the threat in his words. He didn't think this would be easy, no. He didn't imagine that when he told Amory he had cheated and that he was leaving, that Amory would smile and nod and say that he understood.

Scy turned around with a sweater in his hand, his fingers tightening around the soft material. "I..." What was the right response? If Amory wanted to hit him or physically lash out, Scy supposed that he had the right to do it. It didn't seem like something Amory would do, though. Then again, how much did Scy really know about him?

"What can I do?" He had already apologized. He owned up to his infidelity. He had been honest and he was nothing if not contrite. Scy let the sweater drop onto the bed. "If you want to hit me... Go ahead."

[Amory Nova]

Hit him? Did Scy really think that was all it took to erase what happened? As if some punch or kick could possibly outweigh what had broken between them. Amory liked pain, this was true, but he'd always liked it coming at him, rather than being the one doing all the inflicting. This was different, though. This was emotional. Amory didn't know... did he love Scy or not? How did one define love? He was fond of him. He grew fonder, knowing he was different. He wanted more from him than Scy could ever give him but he'd been willing to live a lie for him. With him.

Yes, that was love, wasn't it? And now Scy was withholding it. Taking it back. Everything he'd ever said to Amory was now colored in lies and he wondered, was that the same feeling Scy had when he'd learned whatever he learned about Amory? That he was a witch? That he manufactured and sold drugs? It wasn't so different, really. Everything he ever said to Scy was colored in lies. The only difference was, Amory knew his lies were lies. He thought Scy was different. He thought he was genuine.

"I'm so disappointed in you," Amory said, voice still soft. There was no reason to shout or scream. Amory had never been that type of person, anyway. His anger ran cold. It ran quiet. Silent, even, sometimes.

"You're not what I thought you were." And Amory, he wasn't what Scy thought, either. Was that the biggest reason for this sudden departure? Or... something else? Sadly, he added, "And I can't change that... but I can still keep you."

[Scyon Kan]

Scy didn't respond to Amory's disappointment, since it was evident in his every word, his every expression. There was no explosive anger, though; no screaming or physical violence to mirror the pain that Scy had inflicted. Funny, that Amory asked Scy to hurt him in the bedroom, and Scy couldn't perform no matter how much he tried. Yet here, without even trying...

"What do you mean?"

Keep him? Keep him how? Scy was already almost fully packed. He had made up his mind to leave. He had to be with Ember, there was no question about it. Slowly, Scy shook his head. What could Amory do, if not punch him? The implications of the fact that Amory was a witch had yet to hit him. Scy didn't know anything about the supernatural world, except for what Ember very briefly described in their short reunion.

"I'm leaving, Ams," he repeated--firmly this time, as he zipped up his suitcase and pulled it off the bed. Scy walked forward, despite the fact that Amory was blocking the doorway.

[Amory Nova]

"No." Amory's tone was just as firm as Scy's and when Scy advanced, Amory lifted his hand and spoke a single word that would stop Scy in his tracks. It was sort of a time stopper spell. It stopped Scy's time for the moment, rather than paralyzing him. A paralysis spell would have been annoying to deal with because Scy would fall to the ground and his body would be rigid and unmovable. This way, he was still standing and he was malleable if Amory wanted to move him, directing the "time" in his limbs. If he had to explain it, anyway.

"You're staying," Amory said, fingers slipping into his back pocket to bring it out--the drug that Scy caught on to him making. It was pretty to look at. As mesmerizing as the drug's effects, actually. Amory held it up so that Scy could see it. No point in denying it anymore. Playing dumb was getting him nowhere fast.

"Is this what you were talking about?" he asked, tone almost innocent despite the taunting expression on his face. He pulled a small, crystalline rock out of the small plastic bag. It could have been rainbow colored rock candy, it looked as innocent as Amory sounded. "I think you should try it."

[Scyon Kan]

This wasn't how a relationship worked. Not a normal relationship. Not the kind of relationship that Scy thought he'd entered into when he first met Amory. He was only relieved that Amory wasn't afraid of him at first. Most people took one look at him and they were convinced that he was no good. At least Amory seemed to see that underneath the tattoos and piercings, there was a person.

Now, it was like they had gone back to square one. Except instead of a person, Amory was treating him like... some thing. Like a possession. Scy's steps halted, at first because Amory wasn't moving off to the side and then because he couldn't physically move. He stood like a statue, the only movement the slow widening of his eyes and the mild quickening of his breath.

What was happening? Was this a... spell? Magic? He felt bound by invisible strings; his mind willed his body to move but the limbs wouldn't obey in real time. It felt like everything slowed, even his thoughts. He watched as though transfixed as Amory drew out a plastic bag. At first, Scy was confused. What were those rainbow rocks? Novelty items, like the fake 'gems' that they sold at the general store to fool visitors?

No... It was prystal--the drug that Ember warned him about. The drug made for humans, by witches. Scy wanted to shout, to protest, to run, but nothing happened. Time crawled at a snail's pace, as he watched with horrified eyes. Scy was helpless--as a human, he had no defence against what was happening. The drug unsettled him but the look on Amory's face terrified him. This wasn't the man he thought he knew.

Everything Ember said about him was right. And Ember, he was far away, unable to help him now.

[Amory Nova]

Yes, Scy should give it a try before knocking it. Prystal. Such a cutesy name for something that looked sweet and innocent. Yet it was far from any of those things... They reflected Amory pretty well, he must say. That had never been intentional. He smiled at Scy as he reached out with his free hand and lightly cupped Scy's chin.

"I just wanted to love you."

Was it so difficult to love somebody? For some time, he was content. Despite everything else, Amory was content when he had Scy. The idea of him leaving terrified some smaller part of him, the part that brought out the darker thoughts, the side of him that he'd so carefully kept away from Scy's gaze. He never thought Scy would ever see it. Maybe a part of him had hoped he would help erase it. Too bad it didn't work that way. Apparently the rot had taken root far too deeply in Amory's heart.

"Here, I'll do it gently..."

Some people actually put the prystal into their mouths to melt but it wasn't quite as potent that way. Plus, it took a while to kick in. No, Amory would melt it and inject it. And that was what he did, taking his time with every step, making sure that Scy could see him all the while. He reached out and turned Scy's arm around. There was a moment's hesitation as he looked over that familiar arm. But then he remembered that Scy was leaving him and the fire burned in his chest. He let the needle plunge into Scy's vein. Once the syringe was empty, he tossed it onto the nearby dresser and then he pushed Scy backward onto the bed--simultaneously letting the time spell go as his body imprisoned him in its stead.

"It's okay. You'll like it. Everybody does."

[Scyon Kan]

NO!

Scy wanted to shout it aloud but his lips wouldn't even begin to form the words. He watched with mounting horror as Amory did something to the rainbow rock, watched as it dissolved into liquid and was taken up into a syringe. Even the molten drug inside was rainbow-colored, swirling mysteriously. Under any other circumstance, it would have been fascinating. Now, all the beauty couldn't eclipse the terror that he felt.

How could Amory claim to love him, and then do this? Scy couldn't begin to imagine the warped mind that would equate those two things--much less believe that doing this was acceptable. People always told him that he was too gullible but he had never realized the danger of it until now. He never thought that it was a detrimental quality until he had been taken in and deceived by the darkness that lurked just behind Amory's calm facade.

All of it lent credence to what Ember had told him about the Novas. Ember. Scy's panicked eyes turned to the door as though Ember would burst through and rescue him, but nothing happened. He felt the prickle in his arm and tried with all his might to struggle against the invisible bonds, to no avail. The needle pierced his arm and he felt it acutely. When he fell, the world spun but--at last, he was freed!

Scy rolled away as fast as he could, before the drug could take its full effect. He felt it crawling through his veins like a living being. It was golden, warm and calming, but his heart still beat out of his chest. Scy stumbled to his feet, staggering like a drunken man as he tried to get to the door. He couldn't shout--and he didn't want to waste the effort.

All he wanted was to escape.

[Amory Nova]

Poor Scy. Trying to escape. Trying to claw his way toward somewhere else. Somebody else. Amory's eyes narrowed and he watched Scy for a moment, letting him stagger and attempt to get to the door. Something else was more important than staying here, was it? Amory took hold of Scy's arm and pulled him back.

"Where to in such a hurry?" he asked. "I thought you would do anything for me. I thought for sure this time I wasn't wrong..."

But he was wrong. Even picking up a different kind of guy resulted in the same kind of disloyalty his father always warned him about. Amory didn't have the same knack for picking loyal men as his father did. Somehow, his father inspired great loyalty, people who would gravely stand beside him and take bullets for him, eat his secrets for him, do his bidding, no matter how much it scraped at their morality. Amory? Amory couldn't even keep a boyfriend loyal for long. Really, it was almost kinda annoying.

"Just let it take hold. You'll like it. I promise."

[Scyon Kan]

"No... no..."

Scy could barely get two steps away from the bed, and soon the backs of his legs were bumping against the mattress. He fell onto the mattress again, head spinning and veins full of fire. It felt... good. Wrong. The kind of sensation that enveloped him couldn't possibly be good.

And he didn't like it. He hated the way that he couldn't even control his body. He could barely string together two words and whatever Amory was saying almost escaped him completely. Scy writhed on the bed, fingers clenching against the sheets. His breathing was labored as he tried to move away from Amory, with the world dissolving into colors.

"...ber... Em...ber... hel...p..."