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Post by Joseph Kent on Feb 22, 2007 0:18:45 GMT -5
His mouth opened to let words spill out, but they didn't and his chest tightened. It wasn't that he wanted to force Peyson to get with him, it was that he was ready to burst and she just ended it. Joseph stepped away from the almost surreal woman in front of him, she was killing him with her beauty, but he understood it, at least he thought he did. "Who is he?" Joseph asked quietly as he intertwined his fingers in his hair. He half expected Peyson to slap him for even daring to ask.
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Post by Peyson Halliwell on Feb 22, 2007 0:26:19 GMT -5
Peyson crossed her arms and continued to stare at the floor, then shut her eyes for just a moment, hoping to see nothing except the dark, but it took a few seconds before she actually did see only the dark. She slowly reopened them, and they widened when she heard Joseph. She couldn't believe he was asking her something like that, but she didn't snap at him even though part of her wanted to.
"Josh." she said in an even quieter voice. She figured he would remember him.
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Post by Joseph Kent on Feb 22, 2007 0:47:52 GMT -5
Josh...Joseph remembered him. He had been the idiot who left the damn candles on and burned himself alive. Joseph had tried to gather the flames in his hands that night, to save the boy from the mess he'd made. But the flames had been to much and took hold of his consiousness. When he came to later that night he saw the look on Peyson's face and he knew he'd failed.
Even back then Joseph had wanted Peyson for himself, but Josh wouldn't have it. Joseph could remember the way it felt having his fist connect to Josh's jaw as they fought over the beauty of the brotherhood. He wasn't sure is she remembered that fight, nor did he want her to. Josh had been in his way bck then, and even now he stood firmly on the ground guarding the only thing Joseph really wanted.
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Post by Peyson Halliwell on Feb 22, 2007 1:13:25 GMT -5
Peyson looked up at him, finally, and when she did she saw the look on his face. She knew she shouldn't have answered him, that she should have just left before he'd even had the chance to ask her such a question. Unfortunately for them both, she could remember walking in on the two men she loved most fighting each other. And it had hurt her when neither of them would tell her what it had been about.
Without another word, Peyson started to walk past him towards the door, trying to get out of there as quickly as she could.
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Post by Joseph Kent on Feb 23, 2007 17:15:46 GMT -5
Joseph wanted to reach out and grap her arm to make her stay with him, but he stopped himself. "Why, Peyson?" he said with his back to her. "Why does he get the last say?" It wasn't fair for her to do this to him. how could some dead guy still be laughing at him from the grave. It was f**ked up to ask him to wait until she was over Josh, but regardless he would. It would just take a while.
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Post by Peyson Halliwell on Feb 23, 2007 18:01:47 GMT -5
Peyson stopped, and pressed her forehead against the door. She closed her eyes to fight back the tears that she knew were coming, because unfortunately that was the case with her; she always thought herself a bit of a crybaby. "That night...when the doctors told me that you'd both got caught in the fire...I realized that I was more worried about you than him." she said softly, squinting her eyes shut tighter. "And...every time I was with him, I ended up talking about you...it drove him crazy." She let out a small laugh, but it wasn't really one of joy. "He...he always got mad when your name came up...and one night, he asked me what was so great about you..." She stopped, and slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurred as she felt a tear slide down her left cheek. She lifted her head from the door and turned around, leaning back against the door, her eyes lowering a bit.
"I told him the truth, that...you always find a way to make me feel special, even when I'm so pissed off at you and the rest of the world.." she started, forcing a really weak smile. "And..that..you also make me feel inferior..." she added, the weak smile quickly fading as she looked further down, now at the floor. "I..I don't think it's really him that's the problem, Joseph." She shook her head. "I think it's me. I just...I think a part of me's scared..."
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Post by Joseph Kent on Feb 23, 2007 19:00:36 GMT -5
"I told him the truth, that...you always find a way to make me feel special, even when I'm so pissed off at you and the rest of the world.."
Joseph just stood with his back to her, listening, absorbing every word she spoke. How could he have done that to her, even then when she was with Josh? He wasn't anything special, he was nothing compared to her, but still she wanted to be with him.
"And..that..you also make me feel inferior..."
Inferior. That's what he felt like at the moment.
"Do you know what we fought over that night when you walked in?" He asked. He turned to face Peyson, his stomach clenching slightly. He looked at his feet, remembering exactly what had happened that night.
Joseph hadn't been the one to start the fight as Josh had told everyone, it was the exact opposite. Josh had stormed into Joseph's dorm angry as all get up. He scream something about Joseph wanting his girlfriend and Joseph went into a rage. "Yeah, I do want Peyson!" he screamed. "Because I can treat her better than you ever will!" It was the wrong thing to say because the next thing he felt was a fist at his cheekbone and the skin splitting open.
Joseph returned the punch just as hard, hitting Josh in the jaw. They fought for what seemed like hours, blow after blow, blood spilling on the floor. It wasn't a matter of who won, just that the other looked like s**t in the end. Though, Joseph had won, but it didn't matter when he saw the look Peyson gave him when she had walked into the room.
Joseph snapped back into reality and looked up giving a weary smile. "You, Peyson. We fought over you." he admitted. "I loved you then, more than I had ever loved any other girl and I still love you at this second. Josh couldn't see what he had and it pissed me of royally. So he confronted me that day and he didn't like the answer I gave. And the night that he died, I was happy that the bastard was gone because he could take advantage of you anymore. But then I saw the look in your eyes and that happiness died. it wasn't about me then or how much I was glad he was dead. You needed me more and Josh wasn't going to stop that." He took a step toward her, lifting her chin in his hands. "You say that you're scared, hell, I am too. I'm supposed to be this big bad ass, capable of kicking the s**t out of someone at the drop of a hat. But you, Peyson, you make me terrified sometimes. The way you look at me, it's like you see right through the hard exterior that I fight to keep up. You smile and the wall that I just built comes falling back down. I can't guard myself from you and I really don't want to. So give me a reason for your fear and I'll give you a million reasons why is isn't valid." Joseph let go of her chin and smiled. "I'm right here Pey. I'm not going anywhere."
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Post by Peyson Halliwell on Feb 23, 2007 19:55:08 GMT -5
Peyson continued to stare at the floor, hearing nothing in the silence between them except the pounding of her heart as she remembered fighting with Josh, after she'd walked in on their fight.
"Why the hell can you just tell me what was going on?! I think I have a right to know!!"
"That's why you don't get paid to think. It's none of your business."
Peyson glared at him, arms crossed, and standing a few feet away from him. "None of my business?? Actually, Josh, it is my business when my boyfriend and my best friend are beating the sh*t out of each other!"
Josh turned his head and glared at her. "I told you, drop it! It's over with." he replied, holding a Ziploc filled with ice against the side of his head.
Peyson walked towards him until they were less than a foot away. "Don't make me..." She stopped, and lowered her eyes a little. She couldn't use her powers on him, and even if she really wanted to use them on a human, it would be at the risk of getting them taken.
"Don't make you what?" Josh asked, chuckling. "You and I both know you wouldn't."
Angrily, Peyson looked up at him and slapped him across the face. That probably wasn't her best idea yet, because it only made him angrier and he backhanded her across the face, a hell of a lot harder than she'd done. She put her hand to the side of her face and stared up at him in shock.
"Pey, I'm sorry, I didn't--" But he didn't get to make up a good excuse for it before she stormed out of his dorm.
She snapped out of it when Joseph started talking again. Her? He....he'd beat the sh*t out of her boyfriend for her? She looked up at him when he lifted her chin, her eyes wide. When he touched her chin, she got that feeling again. The feeling that had caused her to fall in love with him in the first place, the one she never wanted to go away. The way he was looking at her at that point made Peyson smile. She loved the way he looked at her.
"You know...it's crazy how you can do that.." she said softly, laughing a little, but it was a bit happier this time. "When you look at me..." She trailed off, not sure how to describe the feeling. "It's just..it's like you actually see me. Nobody's ever made me feel that way before."
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Post by Joseph Kent on Feb 23, 2007 22:13:52 GMT -5
"It looks that way because it is that way." Joseph said still grinning. "I only see you, all the time. I may not act like it, hell, I may even be an ass at times, but I mean it" He said. Joseph leaned his head down and planted a quick kiss on her lower lip. "I love you Peyson. Trust that." he said aginst her lips.
He pulled away from her just slightly. He walked to his bed and sat on the edge. A weird feeling began to fill him, it was like a weight that had once tried to crush him suddenly dissapeared. He could breathe again and it was all because of her. She made him think things that would have never even crossed his mind before. Things like maybe the brotherhood wasn't the place for him, maybe he was better than the stupid tricks that kept everyone entertained. Joseph began feeling like he wasn't the piece of s**t that Magneto made him out to be. He was just what he was, an egotistical pyro that just wanted someone to let him know that he was worth something. Peyson did that.
Joseph rested his chin on his hands and sighed, a good kind of sigh. He looked at Peyson and smiled again. "How 'bout we just lay here tonight." he offered. "No sex...unless that's what you want." He gave a suggestive grin. His urgeny hadn't gone away, it just subsided. Joseph still wanted her badly, but he wasn't going to make her do anything that made her uncomfortable. The last thing he wanted to was drive her away at a time like this.
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Post by Peyson Halliwell on Feb 23, 2007 22:30:54 GMT -5
Peyson smiled as he kissed her lower lip, and nodded. "I love you, too." she replied as he pulled back. She stood there, still leaned back against the door, and watched him as he sat down and seemed to get lost in his thoughts again. She loved watching him like that, it was like another side of him or something. Plus, she just loved to stare at him sometimes, period. But she felt like if she kept staring at him like that, she'd go nuts. She blinked and looked away finally, starting to get lost in her own thoughts.
Really, what could she possibly be scared of? He'd always been there for her, he'd never been one to betray her and she really didn't think he ever would betray her. He was the one thing in this place she could rely on..the only thing that really made her feel safe. Joseph was the one who was always there to keep her from bursting into tears when she felt like she'd snap at any moment, and if he didn't keep her from it, he was there to wipe them away and eventually make them stop.
These thoughts caused Peyson to let out a small, soft giggle, and she looked back over to Joseph again when he made his offer. She smiled, and nodded. "Yeah...I'd like that." she said, walking over and sitting down beside him. "I'm sorry, I'm just...not ready yet.." she added, putting her hand on his.
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Post by Joseph Kent on Feb 24, 2007 18:16:03 GMT -5
Joseph nodded when she told him she wasn't ready. He understood and planned to ride out the wait as long as it took, it was her call. He ran his thumb over her hand and lifted her hand to his lips. He kissed her softly then left her briefly to crawl to the pillows. He patted the space next to him, gesturing a place for her to be next to him.
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Post by Peyson Halliwell on Feb 24, 2007 18:25:16 GMT -5
Peyson smiled and watched him as he moved over to the pillows. She crawled over to the space beside him and stared at him for a moment, before asking. "Why are you here?" she asked, tilting her head. "I mean..here, with the Brotherhood...working for Magneto?"
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Post by Joseph Kent on Feb 24, 2007 18:59:19 GMT -5
Joseph thought about the question, it was the same one he asked himself daily.
"I'm not sure really. I think it has to do with my sister Lex." he said. "I remember the this one day, just after we lost our parents. We were sitting in a small alley across from Fenway Park. 'I'm never going to fight again.' she told me. 'I am and I'm gonna find the bastards who killed mom, dad, jeff, and anne, and I'm gonna kill them.' Lex just looked at her feet and played with a loose string on her beat up sweater. 'Why?' she asked. I hadn't known why she asked but I answered her regardless. 'Because, they killed them over a necklace and some two words!' I yelled. Lex flinched when my voice rose. She didn't say anything for a few minutes then she just repeated herself again. 'I'm never fighting again.' was all she whispered." Joseph paused and rolled over onto his back. His missed Lex, but he couldn't talk to her. He'd been a jerk the last time he saw her and he made her cry. No, he couldn't see her after that.
"I grew up with Lex and at times she was so different that, but at the same time she was the exact same. i guess that's just because we are twins, but I've never really felt that way. She knew me like the back of her hand, but somehow she didn't see me drift away. The day that it came down to whether I would be on her side with the X-Men, she had made a comment that I couldn't let go. 'Go on Joey, join Magneto. He was the one who held your hand while you cried, right? He's the one who helped you off of your knees when life pushed you down, right? So, go on. Magneto is the one who needs you, not me.' It pissed be off that she couldn't see my reasons behind joining the Brotherhood, but back then I really didn't have reasons, just excuses." Joseph's voice began to crack as a few tears slid down the sides of his face. "I really don't know why I ever joined, or why I even stayed. Sure there was you, there was always you. But Magneto doesn't even know I exist."
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Post by Peyson Halliwell on Feb 24, 2007 19:11:28 GMT -5
Peyson stared at him as he spoke, then looked away, lowering her eyes. She felt bad for asking him something like that, now that he'd answered, and she shook her head. "I...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. I just...didn't understand why you bother staying here when...you really shouldn't be here." she said quietly. "If it helps at all, I don't really have any clue why I'm here, either. I don't think I was really thinking straight when I was given the choice.." she replied, her voice breaking a little. But she didn't cry. Even though she still felt those tears coming from behind her eyes like she'd felt before, she just sat there, forcing them to stay back.
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Post by Joseph Kent on Feb 24, 2007 20:16:26 GMT -5
Joseph wiped his eyes and smiled. "Don't be. I would have told you eventually." he said with a small laugh. "What if we left together?" he asked. "I mean, why not quit the brotherhood and be our own team or something. I don't know, I'm starting to think that the brotherhood is a bit overrated." Joseph let out a yawn. "What do you say?" He asked and kissed her lightly once more.
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