We Are Bulletproof

"Stop. Saying. His. Name."

Who the fuck was this Ember, anyway? Amory was going to have his goons on it the moment he was finished with Scy. For certain, he'd find a way to get back at the rat. Was he the one that alerted Scy to him? Didn't matter; by being close to Scy, he was already dragged into the net.

Really, Scy was lucky that Amory administered the prystal first. It made things much easier on him. On Scy, of course. Maybe for Amory, too, but Amory didn't want it easy. For now, however, he used it to his advantage. He used the prystal to take what he wanted from Scy, knowing full well the entire time that it wasn't what Scy wanted. That made it a bitter act, fucking him. Amory normally took pleasure in it, but it was always too soft, too gentle. Now he took what he wanted precisely as he wanted. Scy wasn't giving him what he wanted but Amory could finally show him what he wanted.

By the time he was finished with him, Amory's anger had been mostly abated. Scy was marked, his throat ringed in red marks and bruises. His body was covered in them. Bruises. Marks. Magic brands. This spot was his and that was his and so was this. He made it all too obvious. Even when Scy recovered and left, he would bring all this back to his precious Ember and if knew what was good for him, he'd let Scy go.

Amory's burning gaze remained hard on Scy for a long time afterward. The prystal had taken him in its arms and he was asleep for now. Likely exhausted from what he'd gone through. He wasn't smiling anymore, though. There was a slight crease in his brow, as if whatever he dreamed of wasn't pleasant. Amory traced the crease with his fingertip until it disappeared. Then he rolled out of bed and slipped his clothes on. Let him think when he woke that he had his chance. Amory wasn't going to be here to watch him go. But he would be elsewhere and he would have eyes on him.

It didn't matter what Scy said, Amory was consumed with the idea of making him pay for luring Amory in and making him feel something for him... only to walk out on him. Or try to, anyway. Nobody was walking out on Amory Nova as long as he was still the one with the power and between the two of them, he knew he was the one that held all the power. He'd known it for a while.

What he didn't like was the fact that Scy brought up some other name. Ember, was it? Amory narrowed his eyes and then crawled atop Scy, pinning him to the bed with his thighs. One hand held an arm down but the other went to Scy's chin so that he could force Scy's face to look up at him. Hard to really force that, given how Scy's gaze seemed to be in focus and then out of it. That was the problem with being drugged.

"Forget about him," Amory commanded. "There's no... Ember. Just Amory."

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."

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."

"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."

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."

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?"

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."

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?"

Where was this coming from? Amory had little doubt that Scy had come across something damning because he was so sure of himself. He might not have pulled out text lists or the actual drug but whatever source he had must have been awfully reliable to him. Had he witnessed it? One didn't have to record it to see it with their own two eyes. But to know what it was called and that it was magic... Scy must have done some investigating to get that information. How? Was he hanging around other witches? Amory's competition?

The other shoe fell but Amory had been expecting it since he received those strange texts from Scy. He was leaving him. Just like that. He was leaving him over the drugs? Or the magic? Which was it? Scy couldn't handle the criminal activity while looking just like one himself? Or he couldn't handle the supernatural? Or maybe it was Amory himself, although Amory had done such a good job of disguising his true self from him.

Amory's gaze moved over Scy, meeting his gaze in a much more steady way than usual, eyes dark, mouth a thin line.

"And I have no say?"

Why was Scy so adamant that what he'd heard was true? Amory had to weigh his options, whether to continue to play innocent or to give into the truth. The problem was that Amory didn't want to let go of his current persona. It worked so well for him, especially with Scy. Why wasn't it working now? Amory dropped his hands and used them to hug himself instead. Slowly, he turned away from Scy. No, he wasn't ready to let go of the persona and he wouldn't, not unless Scy had real and actual proof. Irrefutable proof.

"I really don't understand why you think I'd do something like that."

His mind still reeled, searching for every last move he made, any mistake he made that Scy caught onto. There was that strangeness in their neighbors' place. Was that where he'd learned of it? From another witch in the building? Amory still remembered the ingredients. He knew a witch's cabinet when he saw one. Scy didn't, though. And even if he did, Amory still made sure to cover his tracks. So where was this information coming from? Without coming across too aggressive, he wanted more information.

"What kind of drug is it, even?"

Somebody must have tried to buy it from him, Amory decided. Then when Scy inevitably asked about it, that person then told him all about what Amory did. The question was why Scy believed them. Or did he? Amory was sure he saw a flicker of doubt in Scy's gaze. As long as Amory didn't do something stupid and break character, he could probably convince Scy that what he'd heard was only hearsay and slander.

"Do you really believe I make drugs?" Amory asked with a hopeful little smile. "Me? I can't even cook properly half the time. I know you didn't forget about that."

He drew closer to Scy and he reached out to trace the line of his brow with his fingertips. His voice grew even softer. "I wouldn't even know where to hide something like that from you."

Scy had been looking around. Surely he noticed the absence of anything that looked even vaguely like drugs.

"Oh?" He waited, his gaze remaining fixed on Scy while he surveyed their apartment. What was he looking for? It didn't matter; there was nothing incriminating within sight. Amory had nothing to feel guilty about. All he had to feel right now was worried about what was going through Scy's mind. Carefully, he scrutinized him, his gaze still on him when the word prystal passed Scy's lips.

Shit.

The small, gentle smile on Amory's face remained as he tilted his head slightly. Yes, he was going to play dumb for as long as possible because he needed to know how the hell Scy found out.

"Where did you hear a word like that?" he asked, almost as if amused by such a silly thing.

Something happened. Something big. Something that changed Scy's mind about him.

Kinglsey wasn't much help in this department because by the time he found Scy, he was already heading toward their apartment--but where was he coming from? The area was somewhat familiar--not a great part of town. He had clients there. Had Scy met one of them? Had they said something? How would they even know? The Amory that Scy knew was nothing like the one that hid deep inside. Even when he was selling, he acted as a dealer, not a manufacturer. He acted like he knew nothing. And he thought he'd been good at it, too.

Now he wondered.

Who said something? Scy wouldn't just believe anybody. He must have seen something. A video, perhaps? Another magic user might have shown him something. The not knowing killed Amory because he could sense what was coming and he knew it wasn't something good.

Scyon Kan was coming over to break up with him. Why? Was it the way he behaved in the bedroom? Had it scared him away too far? Amory's hands formed into fists and he stared out the window and down the street. Waiting. Waiting too long. Where was he now? Kingsley had followed him but he was already back, having passed him up at some point. The rat was already safely tucked away in his cage, innocently sleeping like "pet" rats did.

He can't leave me. It was one thing for Amory to drop Scy but it was another for him to be the one dropped. He had his pride, after all. But he also had his cover and he didn't know how to handle this. He'd never been placed in this position before. In the past, he'd only had hard lovers and he assumed before he really got to know Scy that he was one of those people. Somehow, he'd become genuinely attached to him. It was all so... so...

He narrowed his eyes because his heart skipped a beat at the sound of Scy's voice and then it plunged down to his toes. He left the bedroom window and peeked out, down the hall. Take him out now, while you have the element of surprise. All he had to do was kill him from the dark hallway. Instead, he was Amory the dopey potato as he entered the living room and regarded Scy with fingers twisting around one another.

While Scy looked normal, his text messages had not sounded a bit normal. So Amory watched him for clues while smiling as if he knew nothing, even coming over to embrace him and kiss his throat.

"Baby, are you okay?" he asked. "You've been acting weird today."

Okay.



I love you.