We met at the disco

[Kenneth Branagh]

Ken didn't know what went on but by the way Rhys was reacting to Niall, probably nothing good. Probably a few pointed comments where it hurt--Niall had that strange knack of getting straight to the heart of things, in the most roundabout way. It was... a skill no one else could ever cultivate, to be able to hit upon the truth so brilliantly, but also pack in so much filler and digressions that one sometimes wanted to shake him and tell him to just get to the point!

Basically--he didn't blame Rhys for acting or looking the way he did. Ken could sympathize. However, he also knew that whatever Niall did, he did out of kindness and goodness and a genuine desire to be helpful--one of the many reasons that Ken loved him to bursting. He slid an arm around Niall's waist once he came prancing up, looking pleased with himself.

"I'm going home too," he murmured mostly to Niall. "I need to get some things. You should stay here with Marge."

Marge who was shaking her head at Rhys and telling him that he wasn't going anywhere, while Raphael looked suspiciously like he was back to being gloomy and dark and storm clouds again. Ken chose not to get in the middle of that. He did give Raphael an encouraging smile, though, as he resumed his seat on the very far end of the couch.

"I think maybe you should talk to that one.' Ken nodded slightly towards Raphael, whose face was buried in his arms. "You might do him a bit of good."

[Niall Gallagher]

"He loves himmmm," he whispered to Ken, feeling quite pleased with himself for sussing it out. That was why they were little storm clouds. He wanted to tell Ken all about it, but... Niall's expression fell.

"What? Why? Take me with you!" Niall clung onto Ken like he thought he was going to start walking out the door at that instant, and as if him hanging onto him like a new belt was going to stop him. (Hey, Niall was a stubborn man--he could hang on tight if he wanted to--and he wanted to right now.)

He was feeling especially needy. There was a lot going on and he didn't know what to make of it. He wanted to talk about it. Was he a monster if he was a pooka? Was he going to be okay? Were hunters still coming after him? Was the only reason he was still alive because of Ken or was it the luck thing that they talked about? And he didn't know these people--and strangers were fine--he could make himself at home anywhere, it was true. And he made friends everywhere he went (or he perceived them all as friends) but in this case, he had the confusing role of being an older brother again. And he didn't know how, because even he could tell his method wasn't working on Rhys.

He could hear Marge arguing with Rhys. And Rhys arguing back. When Niall looked over, Rhys was tossing aside the blanket he'd been using as his shield and getting up. As tired as he looked, he somehow managed to make it look natural as he went for the front door.

"Oh!" Niall cringed when he saw his back. Rhys wasn't wearing a shirt and his back looked... bad. At least, the right side. It looked like something had torn him up really bad, like he'd been clawed by a wild creature. But still, he made it to the door, grabbing a drab colored cardigan from the coat hanger by the door and pulling it on. Probably not his. It didn't look like his style.

"Leave me alone," Rhys said coldly.

Niall looked over at Raphael, the one that Ken said he should talk to. Whoo boy...

[Kenneth Branagh]

"That's what I thought too," Ken whispered back with far less dramatics, watching the two boys on the couch darkening the room. Marge was arguing with Rhys and Rhys didn't seem too shy to argue back, and Raphael sat there looking quite forlorn. And this was what he was leaving Niall to... But he couldn't trust their flat, or the area surrounding it.

Plus, that woman he saw following them here...

"They're watching the apartment, remember?" He tried to disentangle himself from Niall--no small feat. "I'm just going to get my equipment, and then I'll be right back for you. You're safe here, there are wards and spells--"

There was a loud ZAP by the door and Ken turned to see a barrier over the door, briefly shimmering in a honeycomb pattern. He winced. That looked like it had to hurt. Marge was rolling her eyes and shaking her head, repeating her previous statement--that Rhys wasn't going anywhere until his back was healed. Ken saw the corruption at his back too, but... did he also spy something glistening near the shoulderblades?

"I promise I'll be back for you, Poodles," he whispered again to Niall, disregarding the others for the moment. Leaning in, he kissed Niall. "Be good. Stay here and wait for me, okay? I'll catch you up on everything when I get back."

[Niall Gallagher]

"Ooh..." Niall winced as Rhys was zapped by some kind of spell on the door. He even heard him swear as he moved his hand off the doorknob. Apparently, he was stuck... here? Niall didn't like the sound of that. Staying close to Ken, he whispered, "They're not going to do that to me next, are they?"

He might like it a little. Electric shock therapy. He'd been through it a couple times, in a bid to "fix" him and his abnormal mental state. Didn't really work, he was happy to report. Niall liked being himself most of the time. Most of the time, he didn't even realize what that meant.

Sighing and pouting, he squeezed Ken tight before making himself let go. Meanwhile, Rhys was muttering something while he stalked off down the hall and into another room. Maybe the bathroom. The door shut very Firmly but it wasn't slammed, so at least he wasn't a total teenager.

"Okaaaaaay," he said petulantly into Ken's shoulder after he was kissed. "But hurry back. This place is weird."

[Raphael Malai]

"Rhys! Are you... okay..." Raphael trailed off as Rhys walked out of the living room area, leaving them there. He started to get off the couch to see if Rhys was okay or if he needed someone to help him but--then he remembered that he was no longer a Fallen, and also that he wasn't a servant anymore. He was Raphael Malai, a Person. A fae--or soon to be, if his wings kept growing the way they were growing now.

Imagine--him, a proper fae!

But still, even though he wasn't Rhys' servant, he still felt bad for him. Raphael caught Ken's eye and sighed. Then Ken started walking over to the door and he did leap off the couch this time, alarmed. "Wait, it'll hurt you too!"

"Nope. Just your emo little boyfriend," Marge said, sweeping her hand towards the door. "Go right on through. If you want to come back in, I texted you the door code."

"I'll be back soon." Ken smiled--at Niall. And then he stepped through the door and closed it behind him, while Raphael sort of stared at him.

Awkwardly, Raphael stood there twiddling his thumbs. He glanced at Marge, who was on her phone again, and then at Niall. Raphael offered a friendly smile. "Do... you like teacups, Niall?"

[Niall Gallagher]

"Bye..." Niall said with the saddest puppy face he could make--and he thought he was pretty damn good at making those faces. It was meant to make Ken hurry-hurry! Niall wasn't afraid to be alone. It was just... this was different. The entire situation was so different that even he wasn't sure what to make of it. A brother! That... was no longer in the room. Niall looked down the hall where he'd disappeared off to.

Well.

Niall wanted to follow Ken. He could go with him to grab things! Unless Ken was going to do something else. Huh. Niall crossed his arms tightly and spun toward Raphael. For some reason, he was looking after Ken, like he... No. No, no, no. Niall was still staring at him when Raphael looked at him. He raised his brow but Raphael only smiled and asked if he liked teacups.

"What?" That took him aback. Teacups? He scratched the side of his head after a moment, then flopped down into the chair he'd abandoned earlier. "Not especially, no. But! I do like tea, like any proper Irishman but I like whiskey more. Good ole taste of whiskey in the coffee, that's how I take it. Or I did, before I was supposed to go sober. Lately, been thinking the sober thing might be why I'm changing into bunnies and..." He waved a dismissive hand. None of that mattered. He rested his chin on the back of one hand and eyed Raphael curiously, sweeping his gaze over him. "What did you two talk about? Why's Kenny really leaving?"

[Raphael Malai]

Yes he thought it was a good conversation starter: teacups. Conversation would flow from there, Raphael was sure. And it did. Niall was talkative and Raphael also liked to talk, but he liked listening too. And Niall seemed like such a fascinating person! He was oozing personality and charm--but of course he would because he was royalty!

"I can make you some tea!" He slipped right back into servant mode again--just for another prince. Raphael hopped over to the kitchen, which was adjacent to the living room. Good thing it was open plan! He could talk and make tea at the same time!

"Oh--and we talked about your parents. Ken wanted to know what happened, why they exchanged you, how Rhys knew about you. I'm afraid I wasn't much help, because I'm--I was just a servant back home, you see." He paused from filling the kettle to look in the direction where Rhys had fled to earlier. "I was... his servant... But anyway! If you have questions, I'd be happy to answer them!"

[Niall Gallagher]

"With a splash of whiskey?" he asked hopefully. He met the woman's gaze and immediately regretted it. If anybody was going to tattle on him... Actually, it would probably be the over-eager boy in the kitchen, not her. Hah! He stretched himself out in the chair, toying with the string that hung from his garish half open shirt with splashes of random colors on it. Not tie-dyed but like... little flower blooms that weren't flowers. It was an interesting shirt. Niall liked to think of it as abstract.

"Ah, my parents," he said, as if that made sense. At first, he thought he meant the ones he had grown up with but then he realized he meant the ones Niall had never met. Why was Ken asking that stuff without him around? Did he think Niall couldn't handle that information? What gives? He stuck the string from the shirt into his mouth, then glanced in the same direction that Raphael looked. Where dear little brother had made his escape.

Niall had plenty of questions. But the way Kenny talked, it was like he wanted Niall to talk to him about other things. What did he say? Cheer him up or something? Those two did look like proper rain clouds when they arrived.

"So what's the deal with you and Rhys?" he asked, swinging one leg idly over the arm of the chair, pulling the string out of his mouth. "Big fight? Did you put the moves on him and he knocked you down a peg? Because... whoo boy..." Niall whistled. "Kenny did that to me forever. He kept making all these excuses, you know? Trying to protect me, didn't want to just jump me, I was in a bad place, blah, blah, blah. He loves me but he's so... so..."

He tried to think of the word for it as he twirled the string. "Over-protective? Ah, he overthinks too much, doesn't feel enough. Or he feels, don't take that outta context, it's just he has a tight control over his feelings and he doesn't like it when he can't keep it under control. Plus. Well..." He looked upward and sighed. "I am kind of an addict and I was on twenty different things....."

[Raphael Malai]

"Not here you're not getting any," Marge deadpanned as she looked up again, with a sigh. "Good stuff's over at Jack's place. The guy who owns this joint is sober and loving it." Her expression stated that she did not Love It At All.

Raphael laughed a little as he set the kettle on to boil, and in the meantime sought out chipped mugs in varying colors and patterns (so cute!) and found tea bags. And loose leaf too! He debated between the two of them as Niall began to speak again—but started to ask him about Rhys. Raphael's lips pinched into a kind of narrow line for a long moment. In that time, Niall hazarded a number of guesses, some of which were correct and others... Close.

"It's... not really... He's just. A prince," was his explanation, which didn't seem to satisfy Marge who made another exasperated sound. Raphael hastened to add, "But it's not his fault! Rhys, he... He had his wings taken from him. And when that happened, he lost his emotions. So he just has a hard time... feeling things."

"But he's growing the wings back, and he obviously wants in your pants," Marge eye-rolled, giving Niall a Look that Raphael didn't comprehend. "Classic case of stubborn emo boy willing to die from blue balls before he admits that he has feelings, you get me?"

Raphael ducked his head. It was more complicated than that!

"If you're an addict you came to the right place honey. Because you're going to be high and dry for a long time, thanks to Bee. He's the resident... so wholesome you want to choke guy. Across the way, with your other brother Jack." Marge smiled at Niall in a distinctly pained way. "Welcome to hell."

[Niall Gallagher]

Well, color him disappointed. Of course there wasn't anything here; he should have realized that when he came in and the place was cozy. Kinda decked out like an old lady's home, actually. No, not that bad. Not like with the doilies and things but the teacups... a bit much.

Niall could tell immediately, he'd brought up the wrong topic if he was supposed to be cheering Raphael up. Welp. You can't win them all. He twirled the string around again. So what, did they actually fight about something? Raphael was Niall not too long ago; trying to get somebody stoic as a wall to look at him when he didn't want to. What wasn't fair in Niall's case was that he knew the whole time that Ken loved him. He just wouldn't do anything about it. For ages and ages!

But interesting development; this Marge knew that Rhys wanted in Raphael's pants. And Niall knew he was in loooooove~ even though he denied it so hard that he zapped himself trying to get out of the apartment. Ouch. Some hardcore denial there.

Oh, he got it. One hundred percent, he got it. Niall gave Marge a thumbs up. Sounded like she summed the guy up pretty much the same way Niall would have and he barely even knew the lad!

"Nothing?" he asked. "Not even a little hard cider?"

Who was this guy? A school marm from the 1800s? A priest? Even priests drank the blood of Christ, which was just wine; Niall wasn't having it any other way.

"Anyway, listen here, lad," Niall said to Raphael. "Don't let him climb into his little lonely hole. He'll just sulk in there with all his thoughts and all his feelings, not saying any of em out loud to you but they'll be there, alls the same. You have to be stubborn and it doesn't hurt to be irresistible."

He grinned. Oh yes, irresistible. Niall was stubborn and irresistible and maybe a little annoying but he could deal with that last part. As long as he knew that when he put his arms around Ken and no matter how much he didn't want him there, too close, he stayed right there. Maybe part of it was also a little fear. They were apart for a long time. A long time. Niall never thought he'd even see him again but there he was. Which was precisely why he thought Rhys was being a right git for hiding away and wasting time. It really was precious.

His grin softened into a smile as he let his head rest against the back of the chair.

"He loves you. But if he's having issues with feelings, staying away's not going to help. Remind him what feelings are. 'Cause him being in his emo hole isn't going to do anything except keep him in the same cycle, see, over and over again. Probably telling himself he's doing it for you, he doesn't want to hurt you, he's protecting you... Which is nice and noble and cute but... we can take care of ourselves, can't we?"

[Raphael Malai]

"Nada. Zip. Zilch. Zero. It's either tea or soup. Oh—try the soup later, it's actually almost like crack."

Raphael put the tea bags into mugs to steep once the big old-fashioned kettle whistled shrilly to let him know that the water was ready. He devoured every word spoken to him by Niall, taking mental notes, but he just didn't know. He didn't know if he could be stubborn like that, and irresistible? Irresistible to someone who had the pick of the most beautiful consorts?

Rhys didn't like him much at the moment, he thought. Although he wasn't outright hated! That was... something. Raphael listened avidly to Niall though, not wanting to miss any tips. It sounded like Niall had it pretty rough too with that Ken guy. But now they were happy! He even saw them kiss, and it made him feel envious and wistful and sad and also happy for them. They loved one another; they overcame all barriers. That was a beautiful story.

But Niall was a prince! He had the allure of royalty, he had a sparkling personality and he was so wise. He gave so much good advice! Ken didn't have a choice but to fall for him, Raphael was sure. Maybe if he was more like Niall, Rhys would take notice and... be less reticent and resistant to the idea of feelings?

Raphael went to him with a mug of steaming tea. "Rhys... is protecting both of us," he said quietly and resignedly. "If he lets his wings grow, he would be turning his back on everyone he ever knew. His father and mother—your father and mother. The kingdom. He would have to abandon all of that to come here and be with me, and that's if his—your father allows him to walk free without trying to reclaim him. I don't think... he's wrong to go back to them. He already protected me by not telling his father that I defected, so you see, he's... already done all he can for me. If he wants to go home, I won't stop him..."

[Niall Gallagher]

"Soup?" Niall laughed. "Isn't that for when you're sick?"

Niall wasn't an avid soup fan but neither he was a staunch hater of it, either. It was just, the comfort food when he was sick. He never thought of it beyond that. If given a choice, he would eat most anything else. Soup didn't feel like a meal to him, but hey. If it was almost crack, he was willing to give it a try. Maybe it was a magic potion soup.

"Thank youuu~" Niall said as he was given a cup of tea. Knowing it was too hot to drink, he still greedily tried to take a sip and ended up yelping and blowing on the steaming liquid in a bid to cool it down faster. What a shame that it took so long to heat up the right way but then had to be cooled down for consumption. What a world!

"Well," Niall said, "somebody's stopping him." He saw that magic on the door! Rhys wasn't walking out without getting past that ward and apparently it was meant just for him.

"Now correct me if I'm wrong but... if they're growing, they're kinda... already there? Aren't they just going to keep growing regardless?" Also, it seemed to Niall that Raphael was right. Sounded like Rhys was trying to play protector to both of them and sucking at it. "Won't he be stronger with you? Maybe this sounds crazy but it's like the more I love Kenny, the more this stuff keeps happening. Powers. Magic stuff, I mean."

He tried a sip of the tea again and this time it didn't burn his poor lip in the process.

"Anyway! I say... get him good and alone and straddle him, right? Hands on his chest. Don't even try to take off his clothes. Just... feel him, like his heartbeat. Up over those pecs, around his shoulders. Look him right in the eye. Don't let him look away. Use your hands if you have to. Turn his head back to you. And tell him. Exactly. How you feel. All of it. Not just how much you love him. Tell him how much it scares you, too. And you don't want to live in a world without him. And how he makes everything you ever went through worth it. That just being near him makes you feel... however it makes you feel."

He took another sip of his tea.

[Raphael Malai]

"Guiltyyyy~" Marge sang with her hand in the air, looking inordinately proud of herself. "I bound him to this apartment so he can't leave. Well Charles did, but it was my idea." Her smile was downright... devilish.

Raphael sat back down now that the tea was made, cradling a mug himself. Marge had refused; actually she glared at him when he brought her the mug, so he kept it for himself. Blowing gently on it, he smiled despite himself when Niall's impatience got him burned. Okay, that wasn't quite a princely thing that just happened but... it made him so much more endearing. He was so human! So full of light and laughter and feelings!

"His father can remove them. And then he'll go back to feeling nothing again. I think he wants that more than he wants to feel... anything. Or that's what he said." Raphael took a sparing sip of his tea- that he blew on and waited to cool, and still burned himself on it. The water was scalding! He uttered a quiet ouch! and put the mug down; he'd drink it when it wasn't lava in a cup.

Good thing he did, too, or he would've spilled it all over his own lap! Niall's description was... was very... descriptive! Very very detailed—so detailed that Raphael could envision himself doing it. He tried earlier to make Rhys feel good, but Rhys told him no and he didn't want to push. Rhys wasn't in the wrong to want to do things while they were alone... And they might have, except this happened and Raphael defied Rhys outright by going off with Ken, so he imagined that that was off the table now.

"Everything you said just now, it's true. It's like you can read my mind," he said wistfully, gazing at Niall with nothing but admiration in his eyes. "You're so wise, Niall. I wish I could be more like you..."

[Niall Gallagher]

Well, that would be why, then! Marge and whoever the fuck Charles was went and warded the guy inside. So... now what choice did he have? It was only for his own good. They were saving the bloke from himself. He was a bit like Ken, the more he thought about it. Looked like Niall, but acted like Ken. It was like their lovechild. Who was also Niall's brother.

Niall waved a dismissive hand.

"Nobody wants to feel nothing. Ew. No. He's just saying that because he's having a hard time having them turned back on or whatever." Niall paused, though. "Well. No. That's not true." Niall sighed and he swung his legs over the chair so that his feet were planted on the floor (nearly sloshing tea into his lap in the process). Holding the tea between his hands, he looked over at Raphael.

"Listen... I went through something like that for a while." He half shrugged. "Okay, for most of my life. I didn't want to feel anything. I just wanted to be numb. Gloriously, beautifully, numb..." He remembered it, too. The way it felt not to feel anything and it was glorious. It was beautiful. But only because there was so much pain in his life that he would rather be dead or numb than alive and feeling.

"I was... I really wasn't in a good place because when it was just me and my feelings, it just hurt. Everything. Physically, inside. It hurt so much I didn't want to be alive. I didn't have family or friends. I left home, I left everything behind and it was just me and all this pain."

He fell silent and he set the teacup down on the table.

"Having somebody who loves you makes the difference," Niall said. "Kenny made all the difference for me. And that's why I'm telling you this. Don't let him dig that hole and stay in it alone. He doesn't really want to feel nothing. He wants to feel something glorious and beautiful."

He smiled and reached for Raphael's hand to give it a pat.

"And that's why I'm wise, not because I can read minds. I just know what I'm talking about. For once."

[Raphael Malai]

Oh-oh! Oh!

Raphael's eyes welled up with tears. The pain in Niall's voice resonated with him, in his newfound ability to feel. To feel not only his own emotions, but to feel for other people. To sympathize with them. That was the cornerstone of what made humans human, he always thought—that they not only felt, but they had the capacity and the ability to understand others' pain as well.

He didn't have the same experiences as Niall but he had his own pain, too, that made his heart sore and break. The secret that he had to keep from Rhys, the people he was bound to protect with his silence, that was a unique pain as well. And people who experienced pain, even if they weren't the same kind, understood one another at a basic level. There was a connection between them now, a common thread.

"You felt that with Ken? Something beautiful? Special? Right? He does seem a lot like Rhys. Thinks a lot, says very little." Although Ken didn't appear to be full of ennui, he gave off that rather aloof and distant vibe too. Except when he spoke to Niall, and then all of his attention was on Niall. All of it! It even just looked like the world vanished for him, and all he could see was Niall.

Rightfully so. Rightfully so! Niall was a special person, deserving of all of Ken's attention!

"So if I—push him down and tell him how I really feel, maybe he'll... stop trying to resist his own feelings? We kissed earlier... We almost did stuff and he..." Raphael's cheeks burned. But he leaned forward, placing both hands on Niall's knee and gazing up at him hopefully. "He said we could do more stuff when we were alone..."

"There was more than enough time for you two to have sex," Marge sighed. "But it sounds like he needs a little push in the right direction. Can always count on those teenage hormones, can't you?"