Reap the Earth at Which you Stand [boyxboy]

Chapter VII

~Thursday 9th November 2017~

"Are you going to sulk out here forever?" Vasile looked up, roused from his thoughts when Izelon settled down next to him, watching the sunrise as the man had been doing moments before. Usually, Vasile would be asleep so early in the morning, since gargoyles tended to require more rest, but he hadn't been able to relax recently. His mind was constantly alert, worrying about everything, mostly Dakota.

"Maybe," Vasile let out a heavy sigh, his eyes drifting back to the beauty of the sun peaking over the horizon. He should have been able to calm his nerves under the sublimity of the scene, yet he simply couldn't. He was awake, and alert, and buzzing with an energy that he had no way to dispel. His body was ecstatic, having sensed its counterpart, having spent a few brief moments playing house with him. Then again, that hadn't really been Vasile. That had been Robin, which made it all a thousand times more painful.

"And I have to do all the heavy lifting too?" Izelon was clearly trying to brighten Vasile's mood, if only that was possible, "you're worried about Dakota, you regret what you did?" Vasile didn't answer immediately, instead losing himself in the rusted tones of the sunrise filling out the blue hues of the morning sky. Somehow, he couldn't even sense the same beauty that he used to. It was as though a part of himself had perished and he was left only with the agony of the loss.

"It was a rash decision, all I've done is piss him off. I should have anticipated this," Vasile didn't want to sound like some sullen child, however, that was exactly what his speech came out as. He knew Izelon would understand his displeasure, especially since the man, too, had yet to find his Kept. Akos was the only one with any luck in their home apparently.

"No matter how you had approached him, Vas, he was going to put up a fight. It's natural for him, he's grown up hating our kind, he was never going to take to you easily," Vasile had told himself that over and over. During bouts of depression, or hours of sobbing, or simple moments of weakness, he would remind himself of that. Dakota wasn't going to be as easy as Mylo was, if that boy could even be classed as such. He was going to fight and claw and dig his heels in. If there was one word that didn't fit that boy, it was simple.

"Forcing him into this might not have been the best way, though, he's going to resent me for it," Vasile fidgeted with the hem of his shirt, pulling on a loose thread absently. He should have put on a hoodie, or at least brought out a blanket from within his bedroom. It was colder than he had anticipated, yet the chill biting into his skin was somehow comforting. It gave him something else to focus on, something physical that could take his mind off the agony that was raging through his mind.

"I disagree. I think this is the best option actually. Sometimes people need a push, this ensures that Dakota has to come talk to you, he has no other option. Resentment or not, the bond will force him to get over it. He'll learn to love you in a way that can't compare to Mylo's connection to Akos," Vasile's brows drew down into a frown. He wasn't sure he found the idea of Dakota being forced to love him against his will particularly nice. He wanted the boy to develop his feelings of his own accord, not blindly follow the path set before him due to his DNA. Maybe he really had made the incorrect decision.

"If he ever comes here, that is," Vasile rested his chin on his hand, letting his eyes droop closed for a second. The exhaustion was beginning to get to him, he would have to seek some sort of sleeping aid if he couldn't calm his mind enough to get the rest necessary. Tired and grumpy just wasn't worth it.

"He will. He's close, Vas, I sensed it," Vasile chose not to mention his displeasure at Izelon's choice to infiltrate the Arizona house. It was extremely dangerous, not to mention foolish. Now they knew how powerful a gargoyle could be, they would make adjustments to their little torture chamber, and that could be dangerous for them in the long run. If a higher level gargoyle truly did do something stupid enough to get captured by the Arizona's, they really could be at risk of death, all because Izelon wanted to check up on Dakota. Thoughtful, if not idiotic.