We Are Bulletproof

"I can keep watch over them too," Raphael said from the door where he had been awkwardly hovering, not wanting to intrude upon what was clearly a touching and difficult moment for everyone inside. He'd come in here to check on things since everyone else was preoccupied, only to arrive part-way through the conversation.

Cori laying on the bed, still and prone, filled him with dread. But he'd heard enough to know that Cori wasn't dead, which was a relief. A small relief. Raphael smiled and edged fully into the room. He could tell Ken hadn't noticed him standing there, which spoke to his mental state at the current moment, as Ken was usually very vigilant.

"I know I'm not very useful normally but... I can do this, right? Please let me help." He looked at Ken, then at poor Professor Jack who was obviously heartbroken and just... broken in general inside. Raphael lightly touched his arm for comfort. "You can trust me with Prince Bee, Professor Jack."

Oh.

Oh!

There were others with Mik!

Raphael didn't even notice them because all he saw was that handsome person and he sort of stopped paying attention to anyone surrounding him. Not that he was madly in love with Mik! He didn't know Mik existed before today! But somebody as handsome as that really deserved to be admired!

When he finally noticed the others, it was to discover that they were also attractive. Lieve was tall and willowy, very graceful—a fae! But one more connected with nature, he instinctively felt. Something about him was light and airy just like the way he moved. And Cori! Nobody could miss Cori, he had the dark curls and hazel eyes too!

And his power was overwhelming. Raphael actually edged away from him when he entered, squashing up against Rhys. The power pressed in against him almost with a physical force, it was so strong. So this was a celestial... No, half-celestial. A full celestial would probably have made his brains leak out of his ears...

The first thing Mik did after the introductions were over was walk over to Rip and hug him tight. Raphael made a little "Aww..." sound, which got him Cori's attention. He shut up and buried his face into Rhys' chest out of sheer embarrassment!

"Don't worry Rip, I'll do my best." Cori smiled a little. "C'mon Lievie, let's go see." They moved off towards the bedroom and Raphael snuck another peek at handsome Mik. Ooh he and Rip looked good together!

Ooh—the whisper made his whole left side tingle but the words sent his body heat skyrocketing. Raphael could hardly believe it! He had only been waiting, hoping, dreaming, daydreaming, pining and praying for this moment! And for Rhys to say it only to him, like the words weren't even meant for anyone else to hear, made the moment so much more special.

It briefly overshadowed his grief. The sadness and the weight on his soul wasn't gone and could never be fully dispelled if Brayden couldn't be saved, but in this dark cloud there was one bright silver lining. There was always something good to happen out of misery and sadness, Raphael always believed that.

After a stunned moment of silence, he hugged Rhys tight. Tight. Tight. All that came out of his mouth was a squeak of joy which he muffled into the crook of Rhys' neck because it... seemed insensitive to be expressing happiness in a time like this. Maybe the others would think he was crying again, or that he had gone inexplicably insane over Brayden's death.

Raphael didn't come up for air after that; he clung to Rhys until someone buzzed to be let in, and even then he didn't get up. Normally Raphael was the over-eager doorman but this time he let Ken get it, and Ken said that it was the person called Mik. Eventually a knock came at the door and sheer curiosity pried Raphael off of Rhys to see what this Mik person looked like.

It turned out...

He was incredibly handsome. Raphael gaped. He had never seen anybody more handsome in his life!

Rhys loved him. That was the clear takeaway in all of this: Rhys loved him very much and the sight of Raphael crying distressed him because he cared. A lot. In so short an amount of time, Rhys had learned to comfort Raphael when he cried and to care about him when he was heartbroken and sobbing his heart out.

That was real progress!

Everyone else was otherwise preoccupied, and so was Raphael. He couldn't remove his eyes from Rhys and he openly admired him. Rhys was never more handsome, more desirable, more lovely than in that moment. As soon as his arm slid around Raphael's shoulders, he leaned in to kiss him. No one was going to mind! Ken was holding Niall the way Rhys cautiously held him, letting Niall speak uninterrupted. Rip was... clearly distraught but there was nothing Raphael could do for him in that moment, when he seemed so far away.

But he could do something for Rhys and for himself. For them. For the budding romance that awkwardly blossomed between them. Raphael didn't go far even after their brief kiss ended. He knew Rhys didn't like PDAs but a little kiss was okay, right? "I love you, Rhys," Raphael whispered only to him, grinning like a fool.

"Ohh...!"

Raphael's head spun dizzyingly for a moment. Did that mean what he thought it meant? Well—the words were self-explanatory. Rhys didn't like seeing him cry. But the implications of that! It was a very... sentimental thing to say! A very nice, sweet, loving thing to say!

...unless he meant that he found Raphael ugly, when he was ugly crying into the armrest, with his face red and his eyes swollen and snot running down over the crest of his upper lip. Raphael was a real mess earlier and he had no doubt that presenting a splotchy red face to Rhys was highly offensive to a prince's sense of beauty and aesthetics.

But! Rhys didn't shove him off or tell him to go wash his face! He came over and held Raphael and let Raphael dampen his shoulder with tears. So he couldn't have found Raphael that repulsive! And that meant what he said was honest in a very nice way, and he disliked seeing Raphael cry because he found it emotionally distressing.

"I'll try not to cry too much again," he said stupidly, smiling.

Oh, good. Meeting a mean celestial might send Raphael over the edge right about now. He needed hope; he needed something to hold on to in a moment when everything seemed to have gone straight to hell. Not only could a celestial bring back Brayden, he could heal Rhys too! Nothing was guaranteed in this life but Raphael could at least hope, couldn't he?

"I guess you're right. He'll meet them when they get here..." Raphael sighed. He wanted to tell Jack some good news but... if the celestial prince couldn't do it, then it would be too cruel to get his hopes up only to have them crash and burn again. Raphael touched Rhys' jaw gently.

"You're being very nice to me..."

Reaching up, Raphael stroked the dark curls very affectionately and gazed up into those hazel eyes. All princes may have had dark hair and hazel eyes but his prince was the best prince in his eyes. They had been together for almost all of Raphael's life; he swore he knew every curl, every eyelash, every tiny freckle. Every expression was known to him, although lately Rhys was surprising him.

He was being... comforting. The light pats on the arm and shoulder didn't go unnoticed. The way he sat close to Raphael and attempted to give him support was noted and appreciated. In moments like these when Raphael needed him, he stepped up and that meant a lot, whether he realized it or not.

"I hope he's nice. I think he is, if he's Rip's friend." Raphael rubbed his eyes—they were finally dry now and he didn't feel like crying every other breath. When he glanced over at Rip, he noticed Rip texting with someone. Maybe that other prince, or one of his other friends. Who gave him the phone? Did they buy one for him? That was nice of them, if they did...

"Maybe they'll be our friends too, Rhys." They could do with some nice friends, like Jack and Niall and Ken and... Brayden... Raphael turned back into Rhys. It still didn't feel real that Brayden was dead, and that Keith had killed him while they were all here, innocently thinking that nothing was wrong.

"I wish they'd get here soon... Do you think someone should check on Professor Jack and let him know?"

"A celestial is coming here?" Raphael's eyes were wide. Celestials were like... myths, almost. They were so rare! He had only heard of them and he had seen pictures, but he'd never seen one in real life. Well... being a Fallen, he was almost guaranteed to never encounter one, unless it was corrupted. But those didn't count in Raphael's books—they were devils, not angels.

Ken gave Rip the address with, it appeared, some misgivings. Then he fell silent and retreated into thought while still keeping a hold of Niall. His face slipped back into an unreadable mask; it seemed as though he had a lot of thinking to do.

"Rhys? Do you think the celestial can heal your corruption too?" He turned back to Rhys since everyone else was being all quiet. There was something kind of off about Rip too but Raphael couldn't put his finger on it. He seemed... depressed...

"Rip said it was another Prince, too. They're all here! All of your brothers! I wonder what he looks like..."

Oh Prince Bee... Prince Bee... Even in his last moments, his thoughts were to keeping Rip safe. So truly selfless and self-sacrificing... Raphael's vision swam again but he was too tuckered out to bawl again so he just silently curled into Rhys and clung around his neck, resting his head against Rhys' shoulder. Occasionally he sniffed as a sob threatened to get out, but the majority of his uncontrollable crying seemed to have abated.

For now.

"If it's Prince Bee's last wish," he whispered, even though probably no one except Rhys could hear his hoarse voice, "then we have to honor it. We have to make sure Rip is safe and Keith doesn't get his hands on him."

Even though Rip caused Brayden's death, Raphael couldn't find it in him to truly hate or even blame him. Rip did as he was told; he had no choice in the matter. It wasn't really his fault, was it? Raphael didn't see it that way and he hoped that Jack didn't, either. Hurting Rip was not what Brayden wanted.

"I-I'll keep watch over Rip. He can stay with me over at..." Raphael trembled. "Prince Bee's place..."

From the bedroom, Ken emerged. And he was frowning darkly as he strode briskly over to the kitchen area and removed the bottle from Niall's hand. "Have you gone out of your mind?" He asked as he wrapped an arm—tightly, it looked like—around Niall to haul him away from the general area.

All he did was love them and take care of them. All he was guilty of was being the kindest, sweetest, most loving and wonderful and patient person that Raphael had ever had the honor of meeting. Brayden never lost his temper even when Rhys was being outright rude to him, or when Niall talked circles around him, or when Raphael kept bothering him about starting his own teacup collection and asked a million questions about everything under the sun.

He listened to all of them with his gentle smile and kind eyes and he did his very best to make them all feel so welcomed in his home. And for someone who was born a servant like Raphael, who had been treated like a second-class citizen his entire life, to now be spoken to like an equal and treated as an equal by a real prince of the fae was life-changing. Could anyone blame him for hero-worshipping Brayden?

Could any of them really claim that they had never been touched, even in some small way, by Brayden's kindness?

"B-but he..." He turned to look at Niall helplessly. Dead. The word didn't sit well with him and it didn't sit well with Raphael either but...

Rip's refusal to answer his questions said more than words ever could. Raphael stumbled back from him, shaking his head in stunned silence. The horrible look of guilt and pain on Rip's face said it all. Brayden was dead. Keith killed him. It was all confirmed without a single word exchanged between them and Raphael... He didn't know how he could ever come to terms with Brayden's death. How could a world exist in which Brayden was no longer with them?

"No..." he said breathlessly, to stunned to even cry anymore. Raphael collapsed onto the couch in a heap, like he'd lost all of his bones, and laid draped over the arm rest staring off into infinite space.

"Oh no no no no," Raphael moaned incoherently as a visibly shaken Rhys had to practically drag him to his feet, to make room for Brayden... for Brayden's... body. He couldn't bear the sight of him hanging limply between Jack and Ken, supported by their arms. And behind them—another Jack. Rip? Raphael didn't know what Rip was doing with them since Rip was Keith's golem but nobody appeared alarmed.

Ken steered the small, sad procession into the bedroom—though not after telling Niall to put the bottle down in the most severe tone that Raphael had heard from him to date. He scrubbed a hand hastily over his eyes and broke free from Rhys to run over to Rip. "Rip! Rip what happened? Why are you here? Is Keith coming, Rip?"

He left it to Rhys to explain to Niall who Rip was, because his mind was so fixated on finding out what, exactly, happened to his poor, dead Prince Bee. Raphael tearfully tugged on his sleeve. "He killed Prince Bee right? Right Rip? Oh poor Prince Bee, he didn't deserve to d-d..." Raphael struggled to get the word out. "Die!"

It made him feel much much better to be reassured by Rhys and while he leaned into Rhys' hand, the tears wouldn't stop. It was like his eyes had sprang a leak; he kept wiping away the tears but more kept coming. The depths of his sorrow couldn't be described. He felt the loss and the pain in his soul so acutely, even if Brayden wasn't his soul mate.

"P-poor Professor Jack," Raphael sniffed. He felt a fresh wave of sadness come over him at the thought of poor Jack living out the rest of his life alone without Brayden by his side. It was too cruel to even have to imagine that! He deserved so much better than a lifetime of sadness and loneliness!

"This all K-Keith's fault!" Wiping away the new tears that fell, Raphael glared angrily. "I hope M-Margie gets him back for this!" He never liked creepy Keith anyway! And once Marge found out, he knew that she would set out to find him and destroy him, and Raphael would support her 100%! Even though he would never condone violence, some things just... couldn't be forgiven!

After giving vent to another sniffle, he collapsed back into Rhys but then the lock on the door clicked and Raphael made a strangled noise. He buried his face away into Rhys' shoulder because he didn't want to see them bringing Brayden in... Yet he couldn't help it. He looked, and when he saw Ken shouldering open the door while supporting a seemingly lifeless Brayden, he burst out into another spate of heartbroken sobs.

"You-you don't?" Raphael asked tearfully, raising his face from Rhys' shoulder. He knew he must have looked a total mess, with his eyes red and his cheeks damp and probably with his entire face swollen and gross but... Now wasn't really the time to try and look pretty for Rhys.

"I just--he was so young! And he was so nice to all of us and Professor Jack loved him so much and--and--they were talking about babies and having a-a-a dog!"

Raphael burst into fresh tears again. He bought wholesale into that beautiful image of Jack and  Brayden and babies and a dog, something his own love-starved heart craved. (Of course, he dared not even mention it to Rhys because Rhys wasn't really even ready for feelings, much less an entire family!)

Now... that was no more. It felt like his own dreams had been crushed. He had been living through Jack and Brayden all this time... Raphael grasped tightly onto Rhys. It was nice to be held, however loosely; it was nice to be comforted, however inexpertly and awkwardly. At least he still had his lover and he could hold him and cling to him and be with him.

"What--'s gonna hap-happen to Professor J-Jack now?" he sobbed, lifting his head again. "Who-who's gonna ta-ke care of him?"

"Rhys! Oh Rhys it's so horrible! So horrible!" Raphael sobbed heavily as he turned into Rhys and cried (some more, violently) into his shoulder. He could barely speak for the sobs wracking his body; he felt the pain through every cell and every fiber of his being. The loss was so intense that it overrode all other emotions.

But that was the problem with feeling everything for the first time. Raphael was still a novice to the world of emotions. He felt highs so much higher than others, but the lows... The terrible, soul-wrenching lows of losing someone he loved and admired so much...

He didn't know what Prince Niall was doing but it sounded like someone breaking into a locked cupboard. That made him cry even harder, knowing that even Niall was driven to drink--and he had promised Ken that he wouldn't! He promised and Raphael heard him, and Ken even took the keys with him but that clearly wasn't stopping him.

It just made the horror of losing Brayden even more real.

"I wish it was me!" He would have given up his life for Brayden!

"DEAD?" Raphael cried out, aghast, as he stared at the stark lines of text on Prince Niall's phone. He couldn't believe it. It had to be a terrible, terrible joke, right? Right? How could Prince Bee be dead? He was smiling before he left, in such high spirits!

"No! It's not true! Tell me it's not true Prince Niall!"

Ken wouldn't lie, though. He wasn't the type to make horrible jokes like these, either. And he mentioned Keith... Keith who was trying to kill poor Prince Bee long before any of them even learned of his existence, because he had some kind of deep-seated grudge against the man who had 'stolen' Prince Jack from him.

How could anyone love someone like Keith when they had Prince Bee?

Raphael fell onto the couch, distraught and stricken with sorrow and shock. Tears sprang to his eyes unbidden; they fell quicker than he could wipe them away and before long he was sobbing uncontrollably into the armrest. He was inconsolable. He was heart-broken. How could Prince Bee be dead? How?