no one can hurt you now || Josse's

December 21st
Around two in the morning


The Josse house was nice. Warm, friendly, inviting, everything the house Julian had grown up wasn't. In the early hours of the morning, the house was silent, its occupants all fast asleep.

But the lone guest in the house wasn't sleeping as peaceful as the others. Tossing and turning and muttering in his sleep as images flashed behind his eyelids, the little black kitten scooted closer, purring to try and calm the Prideux down.

It didn't work.

The ajar door? The smashed windows now nothing more than glassy traps of death? They really should have all been signs to stay out, but curiosity had always been one of Julian's weaker points. Stepping inside the destroyed room, his blue eyes flicked around, taking in as much of the damaged room as he could in the poor lighting.

What in the world had happened here? But before he could find out the answer to the question, a sudden bright light in the back of the room shone brightly. Flinching, he rubbed at his eyes, waiting for the adjustment to the light.

"Enjoying the view?" Frowning at the sound of Corin's voice, he glanced towards it. The lanky teenager hummed softly, taking a seat on the lowest of four risers. Giving his younger brother a grin that lacked any happiness or caring, he gestured upwards. Following his gaze, Julian's eyes widened, his blood running cold.

That - that wasn't possible. But he was staring right at them. Because somehow, despite the odds, the genius had managed to track down the people he cared about the most and leave them here in chains. Most of them, at least. As his gaze flicked from Harmonie to Ninette to Kallie to Ondrea to Etta to Zander to Lisette to Karma to Mélodie, he couldn't help but notice the absence of Dilly. But then again, she was both their sibling, so maybe...

Shaking his head, his breathing already speeding up, he tore his gaze away from them, turning back to his brother. "Corin, what do you want?"

"For you to choose," the older boy said simply, a smug tone to his words. Continuing to swing his legs, his gaze flicked towards one of the broken windows for a moment before returning to Julian, eyes dark. "Choose three. Three of them live, the other six die. It's simple, really." Corin shrugged. "Child's play."

Whatever positive thoughts Julian still had towards his brother vanished on the spot. Mouth falling open, words failed him. Thoughts failed him. He couldn’t. He couldn’t do this. Eyes trailing back towards them, he shook his head. Over the buzzing and ringing in his ears, he could hear them, telling him to choose someone else instead of them. But he couldn’t just -

“You have three minutes,” Corin called, fiddling with the watch on his wrist. His fingers clenching into fists, he tried very hard not to walk over there and punch the bespectacled boy. Violence wasn’t going to change this impossible decision he had to make.

Rubbing at his forehead, he turned purposely away, not wanting to see them as he made possibly the most difficult decision in his life. He stood there, not knowing how much time he had left, mulling over his thoughts.

But he made it.

“Well?” Corin asked impatiently, raising an eyebrow as Julian turned to face him.

Shaking his head, Julian’s eyes closed involuntarily, hands reaching up to run through his hair absentmindedly. “No,” he said, voice uncharacteristically soft for the weight of his words. “No. I – I can’t make that decision. Don’t – Don’t hurt them. Please don’t. Just – kill me instead.”

The older boy simply shrugged, “If that’s what you want.”

And with that, shadows burst from behind Corin, hovering over the group he’d gathered there for a moment. Frowning at them, Julian looked over at his brother, his frown only deepening at the eerie smile.

Then they attacked, the screams as each of them were ripped to shreds ringing in his ears, louder than the dull roaring. Unable to look away, unable to move, his eyes were locked onto the sight in front of him. Maybe it was adrenaline, but he couldn’t feel Karma’s pain, couldn’t feel anything at all. He could only stand and stare.

And once all the bodies had fallen, lifeless, they turned towards him. He barely had the time to blink before they were all over him, tearing and ripping as they dragged him down. All he could really do was scream as everything faded to black.

With a wild start, Julian pulled himself up into a sitting position, eyes wild as they flew open, staring around him. Realizing that the screams ringing in his ears were his, he clamped his fingers over his mouth, breathing heavily. In the blink of an eye, the kitten nuzzling into him was a full sized panther, growling. When she realized that there was no threat, her amber eyes clouded over in confusion, looking over at the boy.

Staring around the unfamiliar room, the looming shadows around him only reminded the Prideux of his nightmare, his heart rate already beginning to speed up again. Letting out a sound that seemed suspiciously like a whimper, he groped around the bed for a moment, picking up the first thing his fingers touched and flung it with all his might across the room. Flinching as the teddy bear smacked into the opposite wall, he pushed himself up against the closest wall, his knees pulled up into his chest as he tried in vain to make himself practically disappear.

His eyes squeezed shut against the flood of tears threatening to fall, images flashed behind his eyelids. He reopened them only for a moment as the now kitten sized Nightmare jumped up onto his shoulder, nuzzling into him before snapping them shut, rocking back and forth ever so slightly, his heart continuing to race.

Lisette yawned as she stood up, running a hand through her thick curls as she wandered sleepily out of her room. Her eyes snapped towards a light across the hallway, and made a bee-line to her parents room.

She stood in the doorway, blinking as the light hit her eyes. "Are you guys okay?" She mumbled at her father, who was already out of bed and putting on his slippers. Her mother was still in bed, looking mildly annoyed and just as tired as Lissy felt.

Her father frowned, scratching his head and pointing confusedly at Lisette, "I was just about to check on you." The girl frowned back, then gasped, suddenly wide awake, and ran out of the room.

Bare feet thumping against the floorboards, she sprinted towards Julian's room, almost running into the door when she got there. "Julian!" She shouted, "What happened?"

He was shaking. He had been for a few moments now, but it was only now, as the sound of footsteps and voices reached his ears from outside the room did he realize. Rubbing his hands against his chest, he barely noticed just how much force he was applying to an already bruised area.

Or maybe he just didn't care anymore.

Pushing himself farther back even though there wasn't anywhere else to go, he shook his head frantically, earning himself an annoyed mew from the kitten nestled into him. His blood running cold as the footsteps kept coming closer and closer, he muttered the word no over and over to himself.

He didn't want whoever it was to come in. He didn't want them to see him like this. He didn't want them to hurt -

Cowering back at the sound of shouting that was all too familiar to the sixteen year old, it was moments before he realized that the voice was higher pitched and more frightened than angry than the one he'd expected.

Lisette.

She - she was -

Letting out a sound that was a cross between a relieved sigh and a frenzied sob, he pulled himself up, almost tripping and landing flat on his face as he found himself tangled up in array of blankets. Staggering up to his feet, Nightmare jumped off of him, flicking her tail as she stared up at him from her perch atop his pillow.

Propelling himself towards the door, Julian pulled it open, staring at her. "You - Your - You -" Breaking off his choked out words with a small shake of his head, he stared at her again, relieved that she wasn't -

Stepping towards her, he continued staring at her as if he thought she was going to disappear right before his very eyes. Reaching over, he gently laying a hand on her shoulder. When his hand didn't go straight through her, his face lit up. Sliding his hand down her back, his other arm wrapped around her waist as he pulled her towards him in a hug.

"You're alive," he muttered, resting his head on Lisette's shoulder, his grip tightening.

Lisette frowned concernedly, looking Julian up and down to see if he was hurt in any way, but the only hint that something was wrong were his big, frightened eyes. His stuttering only managed to worry her more, and she was so busy being confused that she hardly noticed when he put his hand on her shoulder.

A hug was probably the last thing she had seen coming. The girl tensed up at the sudden movement, then immediately relaxed again. She smiled, "Yes I am... Am I not supposed to be?"

"No," he choked out, his hug tightening considerably. "Or - yes?" He frowned, tilting his head slightly. It was much too early for the sixteen year old to be able to think coherently. Giving his head a little shake, he said, "You're supposed to be alive." Closing his eyes and leaning into her, images of her flashed behind his eyelids, bruised, bloody and broken. Letting out a little whimper, he pulled away from her, hands on each shoulder as he tried to memorize how she looked right now at this very moment.

"I'm sorry," he said after a moment, letting go of her to run his hands through his unruly head of hair. "For waking you up in the middle of the night. Actually," he glanced out the window, watching the snow fall for a moment, "I think it's morning." Shrugging, he turned back to Lisette, fiddling absentmindedly with the necklace she'd given him almost a whole year ago.

"I had a -" he frowned for a moment, glancing back at the cat making herself comfortable on his pillow. His lips twitching upwards, Julian's gaze flitted back to the dark-haired girl. But the memories of his nightmare came rushing back, and the smile quickly faded. "A bad dream," he finished, "And you," he stepped back towards her, biting on his bottom lip, "You died. And I couldn't do anything but watch."

Lisette's head turned to the window at the end of the hallway, her eyes catching just a slight adjustment in the light, "So it is..." She couldn't help but give a small smile. Even though she felt like she might fall over of exhaustion any minute, there was something about a sunrise that made her feel all happy inside.

Then her gaze returned to Julian, and that happy feeling was washed away, "That's horrible." She stared up at him, wondering just how vivid that dream had to be to shake him this much. Her eyes slid to the chain glinting on his neck, and she had to stifle a grin as an idea popped into her head.

Taking the boy's hand, she began tugging him down the hallway, biting her lip to keep from smiling. "Come on, I know just how to cheer you up," She said as she sped towards the staircase, her eyes glinting.

At least mornings made him feel at least the tiniest bit better. Stifling a yawn, he shuffled, his eyes wide, glistening and still on the Angelique. The idea of her, or anyone else he cared about, really getting even just injured...it made his heart stop beating.

"It felt so real....I - I thought for a moment that - that you were all -" Julian gave his head a little shake, taking a deep breath. "Promise me you won't ever get injured. Ever." He ignored just how irrational that was. But he'd just seen her die. He never ever wanted to go through anything like that again.

When she grabbed his hand, for the first time in months he didn't flinch away from touch. He just blinked up at her, more concerned with not falling flat on his face to realize what he had - or hadn't - done. Brightening up considerably as she tugged him along, he grinned. "Do I get my Christmas present early?"

Lisette gave a small laugh as she started going down the stairs, "Well, I'm not sure I can promise that... But I'll certainly try my best." She let go of Julian's hand as they entered the tiny kitchen, which was basically a round table surrounded by some cabinets, a sink, and a stove. The girl began shoveling through one of the cupboards, eventually taking out a plate of red-frosted sugar cookies.

She grinned as she placed two glasses of milk on the table, "Of course. What's better than presents?" Lisette pointed a finger at one of the two wooden chairs placed on both sides of the table, "Sit please."

She pulled a long, rectangular parcel out hidden away in the area underneath the sink, then set it on the table as well, taking a seat across from Julian with a smile, "I think you're really gonna like it."

Julian nodded, smiling gratefully at her words. That was all he could really hope for, wasn't it? Because as amazing and useful magic was, it couldn't do the one thing the boy really wanted, more than anything.

For him to always have the people he cared about around, happy and healthy.

Giving his head the tiniest little shake, he glanced back at Lisette, lips quirking up as he thought about the last time she'd pulled him through hallways. It was funny how foreign those memories were now. They didn't even feel like they belonged to him anymore. He didn't think of her as anything more than a friend, and he was pretty sure she felt the same.

Humming softly as he found himself in her kitchen, he watched the Angelique, his eyes lighting up at the sight of the cookies. He hadn't even realized that he was hungry until his blue eyes fell on them. He'd spent the last few weeks making sure he could eat the smallest things without having to throw it up. So these cookies? He could do it.

Julian grinned, "Well, friend's are nice. It's hard to get presents without people to give them to you." he gave a tiny little shrug, his eyes sparkling. Saluting her, his grin widened as he took the closest seat, "Yes, m'am."

"I'd be ashamed of you if I didn't." The Prideux shook his head mournfully, grabbing one of the cookies and taking a small bite, "These cookies are amazing." He nodded to emphasis, polishing off the cookie before his gaze turned towards the present, pulling it towards him.

Flipping it over in his hands, he commented, "This is becoming a thing for us, isn't it? Exchanging presents before or after Christmas." His curiousity finally getting the better of him, he set the rectangular box down, tearing apart the wrapping paper. Opening the box, his eyes lit up as he reached in, pulling out a cello bow.

"Wow," he breathed, eyes scanning the bow, fingers running over the wood. It was beautiful, and he couldn't wait to try it out. After several minutes of admiring the present, his eyes slid up to the girl who'd gotten it for him. "Lissy, thank you. This - This is amazing."

Lisette bit her lip and nodded reluctantly, "Yeah, I guess friends are okay, too..." She giggled at him as he saluted at her, shaking her head at the floor.

The girl watched with hidden relief as Julian ate the cookie, just like she always did ever since that day in the bathroom. She laughed again, "Well, you can go ahead and thank my dad for that. He's... weirdly good at baking."

She shrugged, resting her head in her hand as she watched the present being messed with with thinly veiled fatigue, and said with a wry smile, "That's the French in us I suppose. We're either seizing the moment, or we're fashionably late."

Lisette straightened up as Julian opened the present, crossing her arms to support herself on the table. She grinned. The bow had cost her almost all the money she owned, especially since she had to have it custom made. "Cirrus was nice enough to give me some of her hair for the string. I though it would be kind of... I don't know, sentimental?"

Julian hummed, his tiredness beginning to make him hyper. "Especially when you win the friendship lottery." His lips curled into a grin, and he raised an eyebrow, "But it seems you have a different opinion."

He shook his head amusedly, taking another one, "Next time I see him, I will." Breaking it into smaller pieces, he threw those into his mouth. "It's the same with Corin." Julian frowned slightly at the mention of him, the memory of his nightmare rushing back, "He tries to hide that he can bake, but it's not much a secret."

The Prideux glanced up at her, "When it comes to presents, I think I like seizing the moment better." Stifling a yawn, his gaze drifted back downwards to the gift in his hands.

"So the present I got you is part of the present you got me. I practically gave myself a present." Julian shook his head, patting himself on the chest. "I just outdo myself every year, don't I?" Laughing softly, he leaned back in his chair, grinning down at the bow.

Flicking his gaze back up to the brunette, he bit his bottom lip, "My present's really not as sentimental. And it's not a horse this time." He put the bow down on the table, twiddling his thumbs, "Remind me to never get someone a horse again. It's almost impossible to top the next year. But I'm sure you'll like it..." he trailed off, taking a sip of milk.

Lisette scoffed, rolling her eyes, "Oh come on. Now you're just making me feel bad." She smirked, "Fine." The girl held up her arms in mock defeat, "You're great, you're fantastic, you're the best friend anyone could ask for! And I mean that from the bottom of my heart," She said insistently.

She caught the flicker of a frown in Julian's face as she mentioned his brother. She knew that it still wasn't her business, and she didn't even understand why it was there. So she let it go, and instead returned to her previous grin, "So do I."

The girl laughed, shaking her head. He always had a way of making himself seem like the center of things, didn't he?

"I know I will," she said with a confident grin. If there was one thing she knew, it was that Julian's presents never disappointed.

"You make it seem like I'm doing this all on purpose," he smirked at her, enjoying just how normal he felt. Maybe he needed to wake up screaming from nightmares more often. "Thank you, thank you." Snapping off a piece of his cookie and placing it in between his teeth, he stood up, pulling himself into a deep, sweeping bow.

Settling himself back down, Julian tilted his head, a slow smile working its way across his face as he bit down on the cookie. "You're pretty amazing yourself, Josse. And I mean that," he said sincerely, "More than I mean most things."

The Prideux hummed softly, pulling himself up, hands flat against the table, "Well then, I guess we'll have to see, won't we?" He glanced at her, and for a moment uncertainty flashed across his face before he pushed it away. Get a grip. She's not going to disappear if you leave for five seconds.

But still, he made his way around the table, wrapping her into a hug, "Thanks again," he murmured before pulling away, grinning at the Angelique.

And then he was gone, up the stairs and into the room that just for a little while, he could call his. Pressing his back against the door, he frowned around the room. Her present had been amazing and it had actually meant something. And his - well, it just didn't.

Pulling out the boxes from underneath the bed, he stared at the smaller one for a moment before shoving it back. That'd been a joke, more out of amusement than a legitimate present. Praying that she'd at least like this, he headed back downstairs.

Running his hands across the wide white box, he glanced from it to Lisette, biting at his lip for a moment before offering it to her. "Have an early Merry Christmas, Lisette Josse."

Present