๓ครợยгค๔є

[VVanderIust]

ＳＡＲＡＢＥＬＬＥ ＦＡＹ Ｏ' ＤＥＡＲ

……………………………………………………………………

After taking a step back from him, Belle held her ground, watching Vince carefully while a mix of emotions swirled around in her mind. She didn't even know what to feel right now and she couldn't even do as much as pick out one emotion as the strongest. Everything was so intertwined and confusing. After what seemed to be an eternity of silence, Vince set his helmet aside, raising his hands up in the air in some sort of surrender. He was telling her not to look at him that way and honestly, she had no idea what way that was. She was so overwhelmed by what she was feeling right now that she wasn't sure what Vince was seeing. Did she look afraid, angry, upset, conflicted? Because those were only just a few of the emotions that raged inside of her.

His next statement caused her to run a hand through her blonde locks nervously, shaking her head at him. No, no, no. She knew he would never hurt her. Vince made her feel safe more than anyone or anything else. Being afraid that he would hurt her was the least of her worries. "Will you please sit down or something?" she said, her voice coming out shakier than she would've liked as her eyes scanned over him, her instinctive desire to help kicking in. "You need stitches and-" she started, cut off by Vincent telling her that he could explain everything to her if she gave him the chance. Her eyebrows furrowed when he mentioned that she didn't have to help him anymore and she shook her head again, tears welling up in the corner of her eyes. "No, Vince.." she started, unsure of what she wanted to say next. Her voice trailed off, but she finally moved forward, getting close to arm's reach again. "Let me help you." she muttered, holding out her hand to him for support.

"I know you won't hurt me, I trust you with my life.. even in light of this. But I just don't know how well I know you right now." she said quietly, glancing down to the floor before she looked back up at him. She knew her words probably stung, but she couldn't change them or take them back. They were what they were. She had been lied to about such a large portion of his life and who he was for such a long time and she didn't understand why. It made sense at first, she didn't know either of them very well, but she trusted Vince and Damian so much... and here they were keeping such a huge secret from her. Making up lies about how he had been hurt and his activities. It upset her and angered her that they hadn't felt like she was trustworthy enough to share this with. Her hand still remained outstretched however, waiting for him to make the move to take her support. He needed to get to bed and get patched up immediately and no matter what she was feeling right now, that had to come first. He was obviously in a lot of pain and although she was dealing with some really confusing emotions right now, she needed to help him. "You can explain while I get you fixed up." she muttered under her breath, a bit of venom in her words. She knew she shouldn't be so angry, but her emotions seemed to be taking turns showing themselves in little bouts.

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[Unbreakable Justice]

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxAll the broken pieces left unglued
xxx → Should never find their way
xxxxxxx into the hands of x( x s o m e o n e x )x like you !

Vincent watched her carefully, not out of anger, but fear. He had no idea what was going on in her head and what she would do to him in light of what she found out. He knew he had been lying to her and she found out about this so quickly that he didn't know how emotionally stable she would be in that moment. He knew if he was on the other end, he would feel greatly betrayed. However, he had always thought her to be far more reasonable than he ever could be. Seeing so much confusion in her own face though, he wasn't sure on anything. He just wanted to sit down, eat, and have a chance to fight for his reasoning as to why he had done everything he had.

And he was lucky enough that she was willing to give him that benifit of the doubt.

Swallowing, he felt like he was jumping out on a ledge as he took her hand, stepping into her a little more. He hissed as he walked for the first few steps, but he managed to put on a brave face after they had gotten out of the armor. Leaving the area with his armor still on though felt strange. He was so use to shedding it the moment he got home so he was able to nap before Belle got to his home. Now, he was walking with her while in his full suit but his helmet. It wasn't something he was going to get use to overly quickly - if there was even a chance that they could get over it.

After the long process of climbing the stairs with his clawed up thigh, he made it to his room relitivly ease, not stumbling nearly as much as his wounds had gone rather numb. He hopped on one foot for the last few feet to his bed then sat down on it, letting out sigh. It felt so much better to even just sit down instead of trying to keep on his feet any longer. Before she got a chance to look at his wounds, he had to go through getting his weapons and armor off. He wasn't very quick at it as almost every limb on his body had been marked by the b*****d who had attacked him. Every time he reached for something, he found it pull at a new cut that he didn't know was there prior.

Every time Belle offered to help get his armor off, he shook his head and did it himself. When it came to pulling his coat off though, he needed help as the leather had stuck to his skin and his back had taken a pretty serious beaitng. With it pealed off of him, he worked his pants off so he was left in just his compression shorts. Last thing to come off were his gloves and it hurt to get them off just as much as it had his coat. Snarling, he pealed it from his soaked bandages, nearly throwing up as his head swam. Still, he got them off too and added them to his pile of clothes. "I need to get better at defense," he huffed to himself as he looked to his drawer where he kept his smokes, but instead he bit his lip and returned his focus to Belle.

"In all honesty, I was attacked by the guy who killed my father, who was Ryder before me... He apparently is now in command of a group known as the 'Hallo Wings'. I went in to investigate them on my way back and he tore me up and I busted my hands open durring it because I wasn't smart enough to pull the countless weapons off me instead of fighting him with my hands," he explained as he looked at the ground whiel gesturing to one of the bigger, deeper set of cuts that shredded his previously flawless abs. He leaned forward on his elbows as he let out a loud yawn, falling asleep as that was was what he was use to doing right after a run.

"The bruises are from the little gangbangers that I put down beofre them. No deaths, just reminded them that they aren't in charge anymore," he added, his voice unsure as he wasn't very sure on the idea of her knowing like she did. he wanted to be honest with her, but he just wasn't sure what she wanted to know.

「 I'M IN THE DARK... 」xxxxxxxxxx

 

[VVanderIust]

ＳＡＲＡＢＥＬＬＥ ＦＡＹ Ｏ' ＤＥＡＲ

……………………………………………………………………

Belle could tell that Vincent was watching her just as closely as she was him as she waited, holding her hand out and wanting to steady him. No matter how overwhelmed she was right now, she never wanted to see him hurting. And right now he was hurting. So that had to come priority to herself, like it always did. It was odd how moments of stress could also provide clarity and right now Belle finally realized just how much she had been putting Vince's well being before her own these last few months. She had been so engrossed in him and ensuring that he was okay that she had let herself slip. And for what? So he could go be a tough guy and get beat up for no reason? She flinched internally at this thought, knowing that whatever his reason was for doing this, it had to be a good one considering what Ryder was known for. But it just seemed insane to her that he would go to such lengths. And also that she had believed all his ridiculous stories. How hadn't she seen this earlier?

It seemed like an eternity of a stare down as Vince finally reached out and took her head, stepping in closer to her. She didn't flinch away from him or anything like that, true to her word about not being afraid of him. Of everything she was feeling, she could honestly say that fear of him hurting her wasn't anywhere near on her radar. She supported him as well as she could manage as they walked, his armor feeling heavy against her body and she could only imagine how it felt to him. She could tell from this new close range just how beat up he was and the longer they walked, the more she kept glancing up at him, concern pushing the other emotions from her eyes. Right now she just wanted him to be okay more than anything else. Whatever else she was feeling could be dealt with after he was okay. Even though she knew that she was putting him first and had realized this habit of her's, it still didn't keep her from that mentality as they moved closer and closer to Vince's room.

It seemed like it took them forever to get there, but once they did Vince moved away from her, hopping on one foot to make it the last few feet to his bed. As he sat down on it, she sat herself down in her usual chair, watching as he started to strip off his armor. Once it started to seem painful for him - which was pretty much immediately - Belle leaned forward in her chair, aching to help him. He shooed off every one of her attempts at helping however, obviously intent on doing it himself. Only when it came down to the leather coat that seemed stuck to his body did he finally allow her help and she stood and helped him peel it off, grimacing at the sight. She'd seen him more injured than this before, but for some reason this was just different. Maybe it was because she finally knew the real reason behind his wounds.

She moved away from him once the jacket was peeled off, sitting back in her chair and wincing visibly as he peeled the gloves from his torn up hands. She could only imagine how much that had hurt. Her face was almost eerily blank as he made some comment about how he needed to get better at defense and looked up at her. She couldn't help the tears that welled up in her eyes at the sight before her and she bit her lip to keep them at bay. She remained like this the entire time Vince spoke, swallowing hard occasionally in an attempt to choke the tears back. Despite her disappointment and slight anger towards being kept in the dark about what he was, she was feeling much more worried about him than anything else. Before, she had thought that these wounds were something that he could control, that could get better if he just took it easy training. But this was entirely different. People were trying to kill him, just like they had apparently killed his father. And apparently his father had been Ryder originally.. everything was clicking into place and making it harder and harder to keep herself from breaking down into tears.

She didn't respond immediately when he started talking, unsure of her ability to speak and keep herself from crying. She rummaged through her medical kit instead, finally releasing her teeth's grip on her lip as she set aside what she would need to take care of him. The worst wound was on his abdomen and she wanted to get that stitched up first. Motioning to him to lay back without a word, she disappeared to the bathroom to get a wet rag and bucket so she could get him cleaned up. Assuming he was in the position she had asked when she returned, she balanced on the edge of the bed, gently cleaning the blood from his wounds. It was then that she finally decided to speak up. "So, when you're father died, he not only left you with your inheritance - but this responsibility. Ryder." she started, finding her words carefully and uncertainly. "That's why you progressed so fast getting in shape, because you had to. And why you never rested when I told you to. And why you're always so hurt. God, I'm such an idiot for believing those ridiculous stories!" she said, her voice rising at her last sentence. She paused what she was doing and looked away from him to hide the few tears that had escaped her, angrily running a hand through her hair.

"You could get killed, y'know that? You could die!" she said, a mix of pain and anger coming across her words as she almost spat the sentence at him. She was so frustrated with him for putting his life on the line every night and she didn't know how to hide that. Didn't he care about his own well being? Didn't he care that she loved him, that she cared about what happened to him?! She angrily wiped the tears from her face as she looked over him, wondering what could have possibly possessed him to take on his father's role as the vigilante. "Why? Why do you have to be Ryder? Why do you have to be the one who risks everything?" she questioned softly, frustration evident in her voice. She didn't want him to be Ryder. She didn't want him to die. And it was becoming very clear to her right now that if he kept this up much longer, she was going to lose him sooner rather than later. One person wasn't capable of taking so many beatings over and over again forever. It would wear him down sooner rather than later and she didn't want to see that. She didn't want to have to mourn him before she even got the chance to love him.

The worst part was that she knew how incredibly selfish that was. That she knew how much good he was doing and how much the city benefitted from him being out on the streets. But she didn't care, she only cared about him, and this scared her so much. It was the only thing she could feel right now, the only emotion that she could make out amongst the chaos. She was afraid, afraid for his life.

……………………………………………………………………

 

[Unbreakable Justice]

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxAll the broken pieces left unglued
xxx → Should never find their way
xxxxxxx into the hands of x( x s o m e o n e x )x like you !

He rested his arms on his legs, hanging his head as he had nothing more he knew to say to her over what was going on. He did as she told and laid back on the bed, hissing as he tried to slowly lower himself. As his abdominal muscles had been torn though, he more fell back against the bed, holding a hand over the claw wound. Trying to ease the pain, he let his arm drape over his face and let out a steady breath. Hearing her speak though, he looked up at her for a second before looking away nodding once more at the fact of his father's death. He tensed as she dragged the cold towel across his wounds, ensuing a constant sound of growling as she cleaned him - her own realizations stung far worse than his physical wounds though. When she yelled, he flinched and bit his lip, feeling his own guilt start to tear at him again. He swallowed hard, not wanting to see whatever face she was making that accompanied her anger. Her yelling was bad enough without seeing the pain in her face.

At the statement of his possible death though, he froze, his skin paling. He looked at her anxiously as it was something he knew of, but often tried to avoid thinking about. The fact that he could die was always there with him. He was well aware what could happen if he messed up one night or just was injured bad enough that no amount of will could keep him breathing. He didn't know how his father died, but he knew the man had thought himself invincible prior. Vincent had too. Yet, since the man had gotten there, he had beaten down so many times that he wasn't sure how long he would last.

As she continued in asking why it was him that had to do this task. He closed his eyes and tried to keep his pain quiet as he focused on the questions. He knew that he couldn't go at this forever and he wasn't sure how much longer he could already. Vincent was suffering so much already and he had only gone out a few times. Would he make it the twenty years his father had?

"Because it's what has been asked of me and no one else came to fill the role," he replied as if the answer was as simple as that. "I can make a difference this way in a way I never could before. I can finally right all the wrongs I had done when I was wearing gang colors and threatening the lives of others. It is my responsibility to make up for what I've done. This is how it must be done."

He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes tightly, his own eyes filling with tears as he shook lightly. "I didn't ask for this. I didn't ask for my mother to fall in love with a vigilante. I didn't ask for him to leave me this. I didn't want it, I just wanted to go home, but I couldn't. I felt such a guilt for hating my father so long, I needed to make it up to him. To not be a failure with my life... I threw away so much already and this was the only way I saw to rebuild," he said, struggling to speak past his teeth as the emotional pain and physical was all crushing down on him. "I don't know. I had nothing to live for, no one that cared if I lived or died for so long. Why should I have cared if I died? At least this way I would have died as a hero, not some suicidal wash up of a kid..."

「 I'M IN THE DARK... 」xxxxxxxxxx

 

[VVanderIust]

ＳＡＲＡＢＥＬＬＥ ＦＡＹ Ｏ' ＤＥＡＲ

……………………………………………………………………

Belle was so used to the low sounds of pain that seemed to emit from Vincent every time she wiped the blood away from his wounds that she didn't even flinch as they escaped him once more. She had become so hardened to him being hurt that it almost scared her. Belle watched the way his body language changed when she mentioned the possibility that he could die however, his face going pale. It was obvious that the idea of his death bothered him - as it should - but she had been worried that maybe he wouldn't be so bothered by it. With all the pain he had dealt with in his past and his willingness to take on such a dangerous role, she was afraid of a different reaction.

Feeling ever so slightly relieved of one of her many concerns, Belle gently wiped the rest of the blood from Vince's abdomen, finally getting a good look at the gashes that remained. She chewed her lip again, ignoring the tears that burned down her face as she focused on how she was going to go about stitching his abdomen back together. Her eyes were drawn from his wound to those captivating green eyes of his when he started speaking again, talking about why he had accepted the responsibility of Ryder. Because he had to, because he felt like he was making a difference, because he felt the need to make up for what he had done in the past. This response made a frown cross her lips as she pulled the rag away from his skin, placing it back in the bucket of water by her feet. Just because he made mistakes in his past didn't mean that this was the why to pay for them, nor was this something that he had to do. She could understand him wanting to make a difference, but it just seemed so extreme. And it seemed so final. Like he would do this until he died, whether that death was untimely or not.

Belle's breath caught in her throat at the mention of Vince's mother - the woman who had been faced with a very similar predicament to her own years ago. She turned her head away from Vince and wiped at the tears that threatened to pour down her face. Had his mother known what she was getting into before she was pregnant? Had she known the life expectancy of the man she had chosen to love? Belle couldn't help but wonder what would become of her and Vince because of this new revelation, would their budding romance be stomped out before it even got the chance to start?

She pushed this thought from her mind quickly though as Vince moved on to what he had to say next, talking more of guilt and needing to make up for past mistakes. At his words of being a failure, she finally turned her teary blue eyes back to meet him, shaking her head ever so slightly. He was not a failure, even before all of this. People made mistakes, they slipped up. That by no means made them failures or broken. But his next words hurt her even more and she froze, silent tears escaping her eyes. How could he say that? How could he not care whether he died or not? "Dammit Vince, I care! I'm ******** falling in love with you, you're not allowed to go off and die on me just because you want to be a hero!" she blurted out, a fire in her voice and a deep hurt in her eyes. She seemed to realize what she had said only moments after it came out of her mouth and she just stared at him incredulously and wide eyed, too frozen by her own burst of emotions to know what to do or say next. She couldn't take those words back because they were the truth, but this was not how he was supposed to find out that she was in love with him.

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[Unbreakable Justice]

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxAll the broken pieces left unglued
xxx → Should never find their way
xxxxxxx into the hands of x( x s o m e o n e x )x like you !

Vincent hadn't reacted to her screaming until she confessed something even he hadn't dared to yet. He froze and slowly looked up at her, his lips parted as he didn't know what to say. Hearing her thoughts on him dying a hero made him realize something else. Covering himself in armor was just another way that he was shielding his emotions from the world. He had been wanting something true to fight for and he had it when his mother was alive. Now, he found it in another woman. One that he had seen as just as pure as her on her death bed. This one was fiery, passionate, and forgiving to points where he thought it possibly perceived as a flaw. Yet, she still forgave him for his mistakes and chose to love him for who he was.

This wasn't some woman who came onto him for his power or his rank in the world, she came to him every day when he was at his worst. She asked for little in return but a few cheep dollars to keep a roof over her head while she struggled with a second job. She cared so deeply for him and he had ignored it for so long out of fear of her wrath. However, it was in this wrath that he felt himself loving her more than he it was safe to.

He sat up slowly, grimacing as his stomach throbbed. Past his pain though, he pushed her tears away with his thumb while his fingers rested softly against her face in a loose fist. He looked into her teary eyes, wanting to say something to her as he rested inches from her lips, but nothing came to mind. Nothing prepared him for the leap he made.

His lips met hers before he could back down again like he had done so many times in the events where they were so close together. His head tilted slightly as he pressed into it even more, being tender as he was too tired to give her the true passion he felt for her. Still, he opted to use what little energy he had left for her, for this kiss. He slowly pulled away from it, it having lasted only seconds, but it felt like hours in his head. He didn't fully pull away all the way though. Vincent gently brushed his lips back against hers, asking for more quietly before he met her gaze again, anxiety and passion mixing in them.

「 I'M IN THE DARK... 」xxxxxxxxxx

 

[VVanderIust]

ＳＡＲＡＢＥＬＬＥ ＦＡＹ Ｏ' ＤＥＡＲ

……………………………………………………………………

Belle's heart was pounding heavily against her chest as she waited for Vince's response to what she had just blurted out to him. She had just confessed something that she'd been holding in for months and it surprised her that she was able to call on such an emotion with everything else she was feeling. But she was undeniably and irrevocably in love with him and it felt like everything she cared about hung in the balance as she waited with bated breaths for his response. His eyes slowly rose to meet his, his lips parted but no words crossing over them. He looked frozen like she was, unsure of where to go next or what to say. It seemed like an eternity of waiting before Vincent finally did something, moving to sit up despite his body's protests. Normally she would've said something - anything - to keep him lying down and resting, but she was too shell shocked by her own words to speak again.

His thumb was on her cheek now and her breaths became more shallow as he pushed the tears from her cheeks and his fingers falling still against her face. He was so close that their breaths seemed to mix in anticipation, the silence that hung over them not feeling so heavy the closer he got to her. Though his hands were rough, they spread a comforting warmth across her cheeks. And before she knew what was happening, Vince was leaning in and his lips crashed against hers. Her leap of faith had been reciprocated. Her heart beating even faster in her chest now, Belle pressed her lips back against Vince's, her hand finding his own and holding it ever so gently. She could feel just how tired he was by the way he kissed her, but it felt more than perfect none the less. She had wanted this for so long, the feeling of his lips against hers, and even though the circumstances were anything but right, she couldn't deny how this felt. It felt like everything was falling into place, it felt like love.

It was over too quickly after it started and Belle gasped gently as Vince's lips left hers, her eyes opening to meet his again. There was an excited spark in her eye, a resolve in her churning emotions as she met his gaze. She knew that no matter what else she was feeling, she loved him, and that was all that mattered in this moment. His lips brushed up against her's again, if only barely, and Belle didn't hesitate to lean into his lips, kissing him more deeply this time. Her free hand found an uninjured spot on his chest and her fingers danced over the bare skin lightly, the feeling of touching him in a way that was much more and much different than healing him exciting her. She didn't want to overwhelm him though, knowing how purely exhausted he was feeling, and she didn't let the kiss last too long, pulling away from his lips softly. She remained lingering close enough that their lips never broke contact however, her blue eyes bright with passion as she watched him.

……………………………………………………………………

 

[Unbreakable Justice]

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxAll the broken pieces left unglued
xxx → Should never find their way
xxxxxxx into the hands of x( x s o m e o n e x )x like you !

The moment she pressed back into his lips, he felt like his heart exploded in color. He went from feeling like he was living in a dark, gray world to suddenly seeing how amazing everything was. How amazing she was. For so long she had simply kept him alive and now she was why he wanted to live, he wanted to fight for the ability to continue to love her as he had been wanting to for so long. His heart raced in his ears in sync with hers, his mouth letting out a soft moan he didn't mean to as he felt her hand glide over his skin, enjoying the contact far more than he thought was reasonable.

When she pulled away though, he didn't flee from the noise he made. Instead he separated their lips just enough that he could kiss back once more, pressing into her more, his act more daring as his adrenaline started hiking back up. He knew he should be relaxing, maybe even trying to get sleep, but he couldn't. Even with his body torn up and bruised, he didn't want to leave the warmth he had grown so use to associating with Belle. Even worse now, he didn't want to leave this brand new contact that he associated with her love for him. It felt impossible to his mind, but his body could only do what was requested before it found a weakness.

He pulled away before he could get any further and he put a hand over his stomach, snarling as he looked down at it. "I'm sorry, apparently no mater how much I want to disbelieve, I'm still human... And wounded. I wouldn't be leaving your side if there was an option not to, I promise you that."

「 I'M IN THE DARK... 」xxxxxxxxxx

 

[VVanderIust]

ＳＡＲＡＢＥＬＬＥ ＦＡＹ Ｏ' ＤＥＡＲ

……………………………………………………………………

Belle traced her fingers gently against the rippling muscles on Vince's chest as she leaned into their kiss, his slight moan exciting her a bit more than she'd like to admit. It was funny how she spent almost every day with her hands against his bare skin but this felt oh so very different. She wondered if it would change how it felt to help him now considering this new development in their relationship, but if she hadn't been busy kissing him, she probably would've laughed at this thought. It's not like stitching up his wounds could feel anything like this anyway. When she pulled away, Vince didn't hesitate to press closer to her, her lips finding her's again in an act that she knew had to take so much energy from him to keep up.

It ended just as quickly as it started though and Vince put a hand over his torn up stomach, snarling down at it. Belle quickly snapped out of the daze she had been in from the way had kissed and concern flooded her eyes as she watched him place a towel over his wound. Willing him to lay down again, she brushed a hand over his forehead, smiling at him gently. "It's ok, let's you get you patched up for now. And don't worry, I'm not going anywhere when we're done." she said softly, pushing a stand of hair away from his face before returning to her medical kit. As soon as their moment had started, it seemed to have ended, and Belle was faced with all the problems she had to deal with before that kiss. It was like it had just been a dream or a break from reality, but the fact that she knew it was very real brought a smile to her lips.

Once Vince was ready, Belle went through the normal motions, starting with patching up the bigger wounds and then heading to the smaller ones. The claw-like marks on his abdomen were first and probably the most painful considering all the raw muscle, but she stitched him up as carefully and as quickly as she could. As soon as this was done and wrapped, she moved on to the gash on his leg, stitching that up at well. There were some other minor gashes that didn't need much more attention than to be cleaned off and bandaged, which she did quickly. She then moved to his hands, carefully peeling away the bandages and assessing the damage. It was much worse than it had been the night before and she sighed heavily, getting to work immediately. She cleaned them off, used disinfectant wipes to hopefully keep them from becoming infected, and pulled out the torn stitches before replacing them with new ones. Getting his hands back into decent condition took longer than other areas and she was feeling pretty tired by the time she finished up. She checked the rest of his body though, finding that his back was just heavily bruised from what she now assumed to be bullets, but there was no blood drawn. He was a mess and it hurt more than usual to see him like this because she finally knew why.

When she finally finished, she smiled slightly at him and took the bucket and rag to the bathroom, dumping it out in the tub before washing off her bloodied hands in the sink. She stole a glance at herself in the mirror while she was in there, met with an exhausted and conflicted version of herself that seemed foreign staring back at her in the mirror. She was scared of what was to come next, now that she knew his secret, now that he knew she loved him, now that she knew he could die any day and she couldn't do anything about it. Taking a shaky breath to regain her composure, she walked back out to him, sitting on the edge of his bed instead of her chair and resting her fingertips on his arm. "You should get some sleep." she said gently, her eyes scanning over him. She had so much more she wanted to know and so many more questions to ask. So many more emotions to work through. But she knew that right now wasn't the time for that, they had both been through enough that night.

……………………………………………………………………

 

[Unbreakable Justice]

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxAll the broken pieces left unglued
xxx → Should never find their way
xxxxxxx into the hands of x( x s o m e o n e x )x like you !

He laid back on the bed, putting an arm back over his face like it had been before, seeming to return right to where he was prior to the kiss. While his body wanted to feel light and happy over it, the night's injuries kept him down and in pain. He let out a slow breath of air, willing himself to relax as he heard her move to restart where they had been before it had been interrupted by yelling and unexpected kissing.

When she started, he closed his eyes and focused on breathing. His entire body hurt, but he knew if he could just relax a little bit, he could keep from yelling. While he figured he could think his way through it though, the wounds turned out to be a lot more than he was expecting them to be. He still growled a lot and tensed up as she worked on his stomach and his leg injury. However, his hands were so bad he found himself unable to breathe at points. It started getting so much that he had almost passed out during it since he hadn't taken any pain killers for even his regular pain in a while. Now that he was having to deal with this all over again, it didn't feel overly amazing. He ended up having to sit up just incase he threw up so he could have a chance to grab something.

Without getting overly sick though, he made it through the doctor session and he was allowed to lay back on the bed. Though this was the "easiest" part of the day, he was covered in sweat and breathing heavily as if he had just run several miles. He rubbed his face with his palms as they seemed to be the only part of hands that hadn't been wrecked. As Belle walked off though, he watched her head into the bathroom and flick the light on in there. He let out a tired sigh at it as he knew she had to be feeling just as bad as he was, even without the stitches. He personally would have much preferred to only be dealing with the stitches verses stitches and a mental confliction. He just wanted her to feel better.

Vincent sighed as she lightly touched him, reminding him that he hadn't slept yet. He nodded to her and turned his head towards her, his expression very tired, but he didn't want to sleep. He wanted to stay awake with her. "Just make sure you get some too," he reminded her, gently wrapping his bandaged fingers around hers. "I don't know how to take care of you if you don't."

He gave one last tired smile then seemed to run empty on energy, passing out within a breath of air.

「 I'M IN THE DARK... 」xxxxxxxxxx

 

[VVanderIust]

ＳＡＲＡＢＥＬＬＥ ＦＡＹ Ｏ' ＤＥＡＲ

……………………………………………………………………

Belle watched as Vince turned his head to look at her, exhaustion clearly painted across his face. They'd both been through a lot tonight, but what she had to deal with was nothing compared to the pain she was sure that he was in. She nodded to him and smiled ever so slightly when he wrapped his fingers around her's, not sure if she would keep to that promise to sleep right away. She had to get an IV set up for him again so he wouldn't be in so much pain when he woke up and so she could get fluids pumping into him again. He just consistently lost so much blood that it couldn't be healthy. Despite this thought, she said "Alright, I'll try.", smiling lightly at him when he mentioned taking care of her. The fact that he was even considering that he would have to take care of her was sweet, but she was the one who had to do most of the care taking. Especially considering his dangerous night time activities.

When Vince dozed off to sleep, she carefully took her hand from his, standing up and running a hand through her hair. Everything felt so different now and her emotions hung on her shoulders like a heavy weight. Her heart felt like in contrast however, finally telling Vince how she felt the only relief she had. Not wanting to dwell on these emotions though, she gathered Vince's armor and stacked it on her chair, intending to take it back to the armory where she was sure it belonged. After this was done, she kept herself busy getting an IV set up for him, giving him a reasonable amount of painkillers so that he wouldn't be in as much pain when he woke, but he wouldn't be totally out of it like last time either. Once this was finished, she made sure the IV was in his arm securely and then turned to grab his bundle of armored clothing, the weight heavy in her arms.

It wasn't by any means too much for her to carry though, her body of an athlete coming in handy right now. She carefully carried the suit back to the armory, the weapons he had taken off either balanced on top of the pile or swung over her shoulder. It was probably an odd site seeing the gentle-natured blonde carrying such heavy artillery, but she felt the need to do something to keep herself busy. She got back in no time and placed everything on the table before her, not sure where the weapons themselves belonged. Once she had placed her bundle down and stripped the weaponry from her shoulders, she leaned up against the table, just looking around the vast room that surrounded her. She wondered where Damian was then, and what his role in this whole thing was. She assumed that he had been training Vince to be Ryder, considering that he had worked for Vince's father first. She sighed heavily, rubbing her temple with her fingers while she tried to sort out this whole mess.

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[Unbreakable Justice]

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxAll the broken pieces left unglued
xxx → Should never find their way
xxxxxxx into the hands of x( x s o m e o n e x )x like you !

Damian had been working in the armory until Vincent sent his distress call. Since then, he had been working hard to ensure that the young hero would make it home safe. He had started to gather the medical supplies he would need when Belle stepped forward and intercepted the hero herself. Damian stood in the background, fearful of what she would do to Vincent, but thank fully she opted to help the already weak hero. While Belle helped Vincent to walk, he opted to stay quiet and let the two sort out their issues. He knew she would already have something prepared for the loyal butler in response of the deceit.

While he waited for the inevitable, he got to work on fixing up what he could. He had situated himself in the armory in cleaning the blood off the floor and off the motorcycle. He would have started fixing the gear and replacing it, but Vincent had it on him still when he walked off. Giving an irritated sigh at all the things that night, he continued scrubbing the blood off the motorcycle so it's mat finish returned to the way it ought to be. With one rag dirtied with blood, he left to grab a second. However, while he was working on this, he found that Belle had wondered back in with arms full of weapons. He grimaced a bit as the expensive wares clanked down on the table rather hard for his liking, but he let her settle before walking in.

"So what lecture do you have for me? I'm assuming you chewed him out, I'm awaiting to see what portion of it is reserved for me," he said calmly as he grabbed the weapons out of the pile and started properly hanging them up. He also got to work over assessing the armor and making notes on a notepad he pulled off a bookshelf above the workshop table.

「 I'M IN THE DARK... 」xxxxxxxxxx

 

[VVanderIust]

ＳＡＲＡＢＥＬＬＥ ＦＡＹ Ｏ' ＤＥＡＲ

……………………………………………………………………

Almost right after Belle had settled herself against the table in the armory, the man she had been wondering about made himself known. Letting her middle and pointer finger rest on her temple, her thumb lightly pressing into her cheek, she looked up at Damian as his calm voice carried through the room. He was obviously expecting some sort of lecture from her, but was much calmer in his approach than Vincent had been. She hadn't expected anything less of him, since Damian seemed to always keep some a calm facade about pretty much everything. She didn't answer him immediately, but instead watched as he started to grab weaponry from the pile beside her and return them to what she assumed were there proper places. She watched him like this for a few minutes, seemingly oddly calm for everything that had happened that night.

After a while of uneasy silence, she finally decided to speak. "You were friends with Vince's father before he came here. I know it had to be more than you just being his butler. And you saw him build up this legacy of Ryder, then die alongside it." she started, tugging her hair behind her and tying it up in a ponytail. "You know what this does to a man. You know that he will die from this, much younger than he should. And dammit Damian, I know you care about him, so why are you letting him do this?!" she said, raising her voice and standing from where she leaned against the table with a fluster of movements. "I get that Ryder is important to this city, but Vince is important as a person too and when he came here, you just threw him into this! He's been through so much in his life, how was he supposed to say no to something that makes him feel like he has an opportunity to right his wrongs?" she continued, standing off to the sides and watching Damian with freshly tear filled eyes. "I just don't understand why this has to be his responsibility." she breathed out, angrily rubbing at her eyes and pacing slightly.

"I'm scared, Damian. I don't know what's going to happen to him out there and he just keeps getting worse. I don't know how much longer he can keep up with this." she said, stopping in her tracks as her eyes landed on the older man. She was angry and scared and upset and exhausted. And there was a new serious look across her face as she seemed to ready herself to say one last thing. "The thing that confuses me the most is why I was left in the dark on this. Yea, sure, I understand why it was all a secret in the beginning, but you two were going to let me move in here all while keeping a secret this big from me? I thought that we were friends, I thought you two trusted me. I'm obviously not running off scared, is that what you thought was going to happen? Or did the two of you just enjoy lying to me?" she said, her words slipping off her tongue like venom. It took a lot to make her angry, especially in a way where she was so fundamentally hurt and upset that it just churned and fed the anger that burned inside her. But she was feeling that right now and for some reason it was easier to use words that stung against Damian. Maybe because she was sure that this was mostly his fault and his doing, or maybe because of how calm and unfazed he was. Whatever the reason was, she was fired up and obviously upset considered the tears that glistened in her raging blue eyes and her exhaustion was only feeding that fire.

……………………………………………………………………

 

[Unbreakable Justice]

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxAll the broken pieces left unglued
xxx → Should never find their way
xxxxxxx into the hands of x( x s o m e o n e x )x like you !

The moment that Belle began her assault against Damian, he gave her a glance then kept working as she spoke. He was paying fully attention to her, but he didn't have a lot of time to stand around. He had to fix the armor and get it right for the new wearer before he did end up getting killed. When he was accused of practically throwing Vincent to the wolves, he gave her a death glare for it and rolled his eyes. He shook his head and kept working until she seemed to switch into sob mode. At that point he put his pen down and braced himself on the table, just listening to her speak. When she seemed to finally finish speaking, just glaring at him now, he nodded to her. He would give her the answers she sought, but the likelihood she would be happy about them wouldn't be high.

"Nicholas Jost made up Ryder as a rich kid fantasy. He grew up an 'orphan' like Vincent - but because he chose to. Nicholas was homeschooled and wasn't given a lot of attention at home so after college he opted to move into one of the family estates," he explained as he gestured to the house. "I was hired after he wanted to be Ryder. I was called upon from Germany to come serve some rich child, but when I came here, I found a young man a mere ten years younger than me. However, he knew my history and wanted me to train him in the ways of fighting and war. I did it at first out of money, but the passion that burned in that man out of it made it worth it."

Damian leaned back on the bench and crossed his arms letting out a long sigh. He seemed to be fighting back his own emotions now as he took longer to continue. Still, he had a woman wanting answers so he did continue. "I listened to Nicholas die, Sarabelle. I watched him choke on his own blood because he was too honorable to let his opponent be hit by a truck. I know exactly the cost of being Ryder is."

His own temper started to flare as he thought about it, hating the truth that came out of his statement over how much it had plagued him after his best friend had died. If he had any word in it, Vincent would stop being Ryder this instant. He knew he didn't have what his father had to play nice and win - at least not enough to last as long as Nicholas had. Vincent grew up with bloodlust, there was only so much he could cage that before it either got loose or the man hesitated and was killed.

He shook his head again and rubbed the back of his neck, taking in a deep breath. "I was ordered to make Vincent try out for the role from the grave by his father. He knew the boy's violent side, he knew he had been to juvenile centers, he knew he had been in jail a few times for fighting. Vincent being Ryder wasn't suppose to be a death sentence, Belle, but rather a chance. That man sleeping up stairs was dead when he came here. There was nothing left of him. His mother's death shattered him in a way that I'm amazed he made the two years before I found him. The only thing left in that hollow shell was rage and self hate.

"When Ryder was introduced to him, a new life came into his eyes. He could be someone that he always looked up to, he could finally live. He wanted this as bad as his father did - maybe even worse. I cannot take that man's hope away from him! I know he is getting worse, I know he won't make it at the pace he's going, but that's because hope is pointless without a purpose. I didn't know how long he was going to last in this role until he found that spot. Which is why I didn't tell you who he was.

"If I told you I figured you could either tell someone else for the money or flee entirely with that information floating around in your head. If you stayed and Vincent was ever attacked, you weren't in the line of fire because you didn't know anything. Or, what happened if Vincent didn't make it home? If he gave up? I was hoping that if you didn't know who he was - assuming you lasted as long as you have now - his loss would be less heart breaking on you," he confessed as he rubbed his eyes. His own tears began to soak his gloves as he rubbed his lightly wrinkled face. He let out a sigh again and turned back to the armor, pulling out a measuring tape as he got back to work on what he was doing.

"I don't want him to die either, Miss O'Dear, that's why I'm down here all the time making new armor, trying to update it and trying to make sure it fits him. That is why I'm keeping him working when he should be resting, it keeps him too tired to go out at night when he can't take another beating. It all coincides, I promise."

「 I'M IN THE DARK... 」xxxxxxxxxx

 

[VVanderIust]

ＳＡＲＡＢＥＬＬＥ ＦＡＹ Ｏ' ＤＥＡＲ

……………………………………………………………………

Belle had caught the way that Damian rolled his eyes at her at her mention of throwing Vince into the role of Ryder, but she didn't feel bad for saying it. It was essentially what he had done, or at least that was what she thought. By the time she finished speaking though, he had ended up where she began, leaning against the table and watching her. She stood her ground across from him, her arms crossed over her chest almost defensively as she wiped more tears away from her eyes. It was when he started speaking that she became even more tense, unsure of what to expect from the older man's words.

He was talking about Nicholas - Vince's father. About how Ryder had been a fantasy of Nicholas's ever since he was a child and that Damian was brought here once he was older in an attempt to make that fantasy into reality. It seemed like a less outlandish idea knowing that it once came from the mind of a child who probably aspired to be like the superheroes he read about or saw on television. His last sentence about Nicholas hit home though, the idea that he had first come to work here because he needed the money, but then found out there was more to it than that when he got to know the man. It felt similar to her own situation, how she had come here originally just because she needed another job, but had instead fallen in love with the man she was here to heal. It was obviously different in multiple ways, but she understood the sentiment.

His posture seemed to change as he leaned back, letting out a long sigh. Something was churning inside of him and she bit her lip, wondering what sort of emotions she could've unleashed from him. She was mad, but she had no intentions of being hurtful. What he said however caused her to bite her lip harder, down casting her eyes. That wasn't a memory that she would wish for anyone to have to relive, so when she lifted her eyes to meet his, there was an apology rooted there. She shouldn't have brought up the fact that Nicholas had died being Ryder, but she had done it in a moment of anger. She nodded slightly, but once getting over her apologetic moment, that fire seemed to return to her eyes. She was sorry that Damian had to relive that painful moment in his mind, but if this didn't stop, he was going to have to face it in reality all over again.

While Damian was seemingly trying to regroup, Belle was focusing on her breathing, trying to remain calm and level headed while Damian told his side of the story. Hearing that this was Nicholas's dying wish caused her to clench her fists in anger and she could barely hold herself back from yelling again while he continued to speak. It didn't take long before the tone of Damian's story changed though, telling a tale of a man who didn't want to throw his son into danger, but instead wanted to give him a second chance at life. Her fists slowly relaxed, but she still wasn't happy with the concept. She knew that being Ryder was probably the only reason that Vince was okay - thinking back on the things he had told her and the way he had looked when he got here - but she still didn't feel that it was right. That taking the role of a vigilante that could get him killed was the right way for him to heal. It was more like avoiding his real problems.

She sighed heavily at the idea that Ryder had brought a new life into Vince, tugging at her ponytail and pacing again. She knew that the earnest nature of Damian's voice was nothing but honest when he said that he couldn't take that hope away from him. Ryder was hope for Vincent and it was all starting to make more sense in Belle's head. Ryder wasn't just a coping mechanism or a way to avoid the problems associated with Vince's old life, it was a new life, a new perspective, a new reason to get up every morning. And as much as she hated it, she could respect it.

She stopped pacing again when Damian first started explaining why he hadn't told her, a deep look of hurt crossing her expression when he mentioned her selling their secrets. Did he really think that she would do something like that? That she would either use their secret to her advantage or just run away because of it? Did he know her at all? The next comment about keeping her out of the line of fire softened her look only slightly, but his final statement just caused more tears to well up in her eyes. The way he died wouldn't make his death any less easy to bear. She shook her head slightly when he finally finished talking, brushing away tears that found their way down her cheeks. "I'm not sure why you ever thought that I would sell your secret or run from this, but that's not who I am. And that's not something I'm going to do." she affirmed, composing herself again as she brushed the remaining tears from her cheeks. "As far as what would've happened if Vince didn't make it home.. and I wasn't aware of Ryder.. it wouldn't have made it any easier, Damian. I lo- care about him.. regardless of whether he's a vigilante or not. It would be heart breaking no matter how it happened." she said, essentially dismissing all of his reasons for not telling her. In her mind, there really was no reason that she should've been kept out of the loop. The only one that even made an ounce of sense was that she could've been targeted, but as his personal nurse and friend, that probably could happen whether she was aware of what he was or not. And it was probably safer that she was aware. Or at least that was how she saw it.

"I just don't know what to do now." she said, a conflicted look crossing her features as she watched Damian work. "I know that he isn't going to stop this, but its so hard to sit back and just watch him destroy himself for the sake of the greater good. How am I supposed to just be okay with this?" she questioned, leaning up against the wall behind her and taking on a defeated posture. She was done with being angry and she was done with yelling at everyone because she knew she had no power to change this. Something seemed to occur to her then and she tugged at her shirt nervously before wrapping her arms around herself protectively, taking in a deep breath. "I saw up close just how violent he can get, especially when it comes to me. I'm not going to lie, it scared me to see that. To see that side of him and to know that he's capable of being that violent." she said, avoiding his gaze because she was pretty sure now that he was also aware of what ordeal she had been through so recently that it still burned in her memory constantly. "There's just so much to wrap my head around and I don't even know where to start." she said exasperatedly, finally meeting Damian's gaze again. She looked wounded, vulnerable, and most of all, exhausted. She was a tough girl, but she'd been through so much in these past few days that it was a miracle that she wasn't in a puddle of tears on the floor.

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