Who: Zayne Vandriel and Remy Norris What: A friend is found dead When: January 1, 2018, morning Where: Remy’s, the coffee house and Zayne’s Warnings: Death
Zayne decided his favourite part of New Year’s Eve was the countdown and then to kiss Remy as the clock struck midnight. He remembered Olivia had mentioned something to him about a superstition about kissing one’s love at midnight bringing good luck for the whole year. Zayne may have believed Olivia then but he didn’t put stock in it now. What he did put stock in, was the smile that crossed his lips when he kissed Remy and how Remy looked at him after. He had no idea what this year would bring but he hoped it would bring him and Remy closer together.
Zayne had planned to stay the night with Remy. He was going to help clean up the following day and Remy had warned Zayne that he would not be in the best of spirits when morning came. Zayne wanted to be there for him and whatever he may need. Plus, Zayne was becoming very fond of curling up with Remy at night and waking up with him in the morning. It was a habit that he could get very used to. It was a thought that Zayne needed to keep closer to himself.
Morning came and Zayne woke up first. He wasn’t very surprised. He padded to the kitchen, fixing himself a coffee and starting to grab some of the easier cleanup things. He checked his phone for any messages. He hadn’t really been expecting any. Then he carried the drink back to bed, promising himself he’d help clean up later. He had all day, after all. Remy was awake when Zayne got back to bed and he smiled, teasingly, to Remy, “Was I supposed to bring you some too?” There was more in the kitchen and Zayne had no problem getting more.
He climbed back into bed and kissed Remy’s forehead, asking how he was feeling. It was as Remy suspected and he had a pounding headache. Zayne hesitated. He had managed to heal Fitz but could he heal Remy? It wasn’t a normal wound, right? He wasn’t sure. Still, he could try? Or maybe Remy wouldn’t want to be a guinea pig to his questionable powers. Remy agreed to let Zayne try. He took Remy’s hand, still not sure if touch was important or not, closed his eyes and began to sing. It was one of the last songs he wrote as Alistair Anderson. It was about his desire to figure out who he was and where he was going. He kept his eyes closed as he sang, making sure his attention was on Remy. It was like with Fitz. He could feel something and he hoped that this was working. He prayed it was working. He sang the entire song and when he done, he felt a wave of tiredness. He looked to Remy and asked if it worked. When Remy told him, he did feel better, he smiled and curled up against Remy, saying they should stay where they were for a bit longer. It didn’t take long for Zayne to fall asleep.
Zayne woke up to his phone buzzing. He really wanted to ignore it and snuggle more but he blindly reached out. It was a text from one of the business owners next to the coffee shop. He said that the place looked trashed and he called out for the owner but got no answer. Zayne promised he’d go right down. He sat up, not wanting to disturb Remy but ended up doing it while getting dressed. He explained the situation quickly and promised to be right back but Remy insisted on coming.
Zayne was glad the walk wasn’t very long. The air seemed still as they hurried down the street. Of course the air was different. It was so alive and jumping last night with celebrations, the next day was always a weird silence. Or maybe it was something else and he had no idea. He fished the keys from his pocket and opened the door to the cafe. Tables had been flipped and turned over. There were mugs smashed on the group. One of the display cases for pastries had been smashed. Zayne glanced back at Remy. The unspoken question was on his lips, who would do such a thing? Zayne didn’t want to believe anyone could do this sort of thing.
“Ben?” Zayne called out, hoping the owner had not been here when the place was trashed, “Benjamin? Are you here?” Zayne stepped over a flipped chair and opened the door to the kitchen in the back. It was a small kitchen, enough room for them to make the pastries fresh. He looked around. There were things knocked over. It looked like one of the cabinets that held coffee goods had been emptied. He walked around the island, looking to see if the storage had been ransacked too when he saw Benjamin.
Now everything screamed wrong to Zayne. Benjamin laid too still on the ground. He was facedown, as if he tripped on something and maybe had trouble getting up. He could see the dark puddle under him. Zayne barely noticed his breathing picked up as he stepped closer, repeating Ben’s name over and over again. He knelt next to Ben and touched him and, he couldn’t explain, but he knew, he just knew, the other man was dead. He refused to accept it. Carefully he flipped Benjamin over. His front was soaked with blood. The smell was overpowering now.
“Nonono,” Zayne whispered, shaking his head. He shook his head again. Benjamin couldn’t be dead. None of this could be happening. None of this should be happening. He almost forgot that Remy was there, that Remy probably followed him to the kitchen. Zayne would not believe that Benjamin was dead. He pressed his hands against Benjamin and said, “You can’t be dead.” This is supposed to be a safe place. You can’t be dead. Come on, be alive. Be something in you alive. Zayne knew, on some level, it was too late but he also knew that he had an ability and, sure, he hadn’t been able to completely heal Fitz without needed to sleep for days after. Or just completely heal him. Or take away Remy’s headache completely either. He had no reason to believe that he could do anything for Benjamin. Still he had to try. He had to guess. If his voice was key, could he be stronger if he sang one of his own songs? He had to try.
He began to sing, ignoring everything else. It didn’t feel the same. It just felt like singing. It didn’t feel like it did when he sang to Fitz or even Remy earlier. Benjamin was dead. It wasn’t going to do anything. He couldn’t give up. Benjamin had always been nice to him. He gave him a job. He talked with him. Benjamin liked his ideas for the cafe. He was giving him more responsibility. They were friends. He couldn’t be dead. He couldn’t.
“Come on, Benjamin, please,” Zayne whispered. He would have kept trying if Remy hadn’t touched him. He shook his head at Remy and said, “I-I can’t. I can’t leave. I can’t leave him. He can’t be…” he trailed off.
---
The party had been a huge success and Remy was happy about that. It was a challenging night for him but it wasn’t about him. It was about the other people on the island who needed some time to just unwind and have a good time that wasn’t forced. And he was pretty sure it had worked, at least for most of the guests. For him it had been an assault on his senses and by midnight he was starting to feel rundown and raw. When the countdown finally came he pulled Zayne in for a deep kiss and it was like finally finding water after crawling through the desert. Zayne was refreshing and soothing and just wonderful. He could so easily get lost in him and he looked forward to doing nothing more than that.
By the time the party was over Remy was completely and utterly wiped. However this year he didn’t just pass out on the floor. He actually had Zayne to help him change and get into bed before he passed out. Remy didn’t remember waking up or talking about Zayne healing him until he was actually starting to feel human again. It wasn’t perfect but it made him feel slightly human and like he might actually be able to get out of bed at some point. Which was a good thing because when Zayne said he needed to go Remy wasn’t going to let him go alone.
As they got to the coffee shop Remy’s heart dropped into his stomach. He knew this was going to be bad and immediately he began wondering what else was hit and how bad and who was hurt. His mind was racing a mile a minute and Zayne had gotten ahead of him. He could feel the utter despair from Zayne and ran in to see him over the body. This was definitely the worst possible situation.
His mind was still a bit sluggish so it took him a few moments to realize that Zayne was trying to heal the man. Touching his arm he pulled him away, wrapping arms around Zayne. “Come on. We need to get away from the body.” They didn’t need someone thinking they were responsible.
---
Zayne moved with Remy but he couldn’t look away from Benjamin. He heard what Remy said but he couldn’t just leave his friend there. He couldn’t leave him. He shouldn’t leave him. Still he stepped away. It took a long moment before Zayne could look at Remy again and he shook his head.
“We should call someone? Tell someone?” Do something! Zayne was at a lost of what he could do. He hadn’t been able to do anything for Benjamin. He couldn’t do anything. He didn’t want to leave. Maybe if he tried again. He was clinging to desperate hopes, he knew it.
---
Remy held onto Zayne, trying to draw his attention away from the body. He didn’t need to see that. But he already had. He was the one to find his friend and it made Remy angry. It was bad enough that this was done. And even worse that this man was killed. And now Zayne had to be the one to find him. The one to deal with this. It just made him bitterly angry.
“Let’s go outside then we should call someone.” Remy hated that idea. He wanted no contact with the very people he knew had done this. But if they didn’t they would likely be accused. Leading Zayne outside he found a place to sit and pulled Zayne into his lap. “You should call. I’ll just be moral support.”
---
Zayne went outside with Remy, even though he really didn’t want to. He didn’t want to leave Benjamin, even though he knew that was silly. Benjamin had already left. He looked back at the coffee shop. He should lock up. Why should he lock up? He should do something. He shouldn’t touch anything. He had no idea what he was supposed to do. He let Remy pull him onto his lap and he put his arms around Remy, holding onto him. He should be doing something. He nodded again when Remy said Zayne should make the call. It made sense.
Zayne called and it didn’t take long for a couple of officers to show up. There were a lot of questions and a lot of questions that Zayne didn’t know. He didn’t know what Benjamin’s plans were the night before. He didn’t know who had grudges against him. He didn’t know that Benjamin didn’t have family on the island. It hurt more and more with each question and it was all Zayne could do to keep calm enough to answer the questions. He squeezed Remy’s hand, praying they would just let them go home. His stomach twisted when the questions turned on them; let them see their ID cards, what were their abilities, what did he mean that he didn’t know, what was his number, they would call him if they had any other questions.
Then they were free to go. Zayne looked to Remy. Remy was supposed to be resting today. None of this was supposed to happen. They should go back to Remy’s place and Remy should rest.
---
Remy stayed still and quiet as the officers showed up and began asking a million questions. He got the feeling that this was not sanctioned. They were asking too many real questions for it to have been planned. But he also knew that if there was any way for them to pin it on mutants they would do that too. So he stayed quiet and only spoke to answer direct questions with succinct answers. Fortunately for him, and Zayne, his party was well known on the island so there was little question of where they were.
Once they were released Remy squeezed Zayne’s hand. “We should go to your place so we can just relax and not worry about cleaning up.” Remy spoke softly. He was pretty sure Zayne’s place was safe. There wouldn’t have been any reason for them to bug Zayne’s house. At least Remy hoped not. He didn’t want to drag them to a safehouse right now. It would be more normal then.
---
Zayne nodded. He promised Remy that he would go by Remy’s later and clean up. He said he would help before and maybe it would take his mind off things. Except every time he closed his eyes, he could see Benjamin and he could feel the nothing he felt when he sang. There was nothing there. How long had Benjamin been alone? What had happened? Why did it happen?
Zayne unlocked the door and let Remy in first. He didn’t know what to do with himself. He looked to Remy, wanting to just hide in his arms, and said, “You should go lay down. How’s your head? Do you want me to make you anything? Food or tea or coffee?” Maybe focusing on taking care of Remy would help. He didn’t think it would numb the ache enough.
---
Remy wasn’t worried about cleaning up. They could get to eventually. That was the last thing on his mind. He was worried about Zayne. And now he was worried about the other people he cared about. Was anyone else attacked? Was anyone else killed? In a rare moment of frustration he wished his powers of telepathy were stronger so he could reach out. Could at least find out if everyone was okay. But there was no point dwelling on what he couldn’t do. Once things were calm with Zayne he’d go find everyone. He just had to hope everything was okay and if it wasn’t someone would contact him.
As Zayne opened the door Remy stepped in. Pulling Zayne into his arms again he pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Coffee would be good. And we both need to eat. I’ll help.”
---
Zayne put his arms around Remy, holding him tightly. He held probably too tightly and he told himself not to be so clingy. When Remy kissed his forehead, Zayne stepped back and nodded, “You don’t need to help. You should be resting. How is your head?” Zayne kissed Remy lightly and headed to the kitchen. He took a deep breath and told himself to relax. Maybe they would find out who killed Benjamin. Maybe there would be justice. He suspected it would be an unanswered question and his heart ached. Benjamin deserved more than that. He deserved to have answers. No, he deserved not to have the question to begin with.
Zayne began to fix the coffee. He glanced to Remy and said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t want… I’m sorry.” He knew it was silly to be apologising but this wasn’t how he wanted today to go. Which felt like an incredibly selfish thought. He should get them food.
---
“My head is okay. You helped it a lot.” Remy answered before returning the kiss. In all reality it was still not fun but he wasn’t wrong about Zayne helping a lot. It was damn near wonderful compared to what he had been when he woke up. He’d take this any day.
Remy followed him into the kitchen. Even if Zayne wasn’t going to let him help Remy wasn’t going to let Zayne out of his sight. He could feel the turmoil inside Zayne and the thoughts about Benjamin. Remy wished he could help him but this was one thing he couldn’t change.
When Zayne began to apologize Remy reached over and took his hand, squeezing it. “Don’t. You have nothing to apologize for.” He spoke softly both for his own head and to try to be comforting to Zayne. “I know you cared about him. And he was a good person.” Better than Zayne probably knew. “This … this is the kind of thing I was hinting at when I made the comment about you not having been around long enough. This isn’t something you can or should get used to. But it stops shocking you when it happens as often as it does.”
---
“I could… try again? If you want?” Zayne offered, not sure if he could do anymore or if he would just tire himself out, which at that moment, he almost didn’t care. He wanted to help, wanted to do something. He didn’t want to do nothing. Besides, he didn’t really like the idea of Remy hurting for any reason, especially right now.
Zayne folded in against Remy, putting his arms around him and holding him as he spoke. He didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t… it was thoughts that were repeating in Zayne’s head and didn’t change anything. It wouldn’t bring Benjamin back and, worse, it wouldn’t stop it from happening.
“They aren’t going to do anything about it, are they?” Zayne whispered.
---
Remy shook his head at Zayne’s offer. “No. I’m good. You’ve already done so much.” He pressed a kiss to the top of Zayne’s head as he held onto him. He sighed softly as his thoughts circled around and around. He understood exactly how Zayne felt. He had felt like that at first too. Maybe …. Could he really get Zayne involved? Could he stand to see him in the line of fire? But wasn’t he already?
Remy was so caught up in his own thoughts that he almost missed Zayne’s words. He sighed softly. “No. They’ll probably do some half assed investigation and if they can’t pin it on a mutant they’ll just leave it at that.”
---
“Are you sure?” Zayne asked. He knew if Remy really needed it, he would probably say it but he had to ask, had to double check. He wanted to do something. Even if it just to help someone, anyone right now.
“Could they pin it on us?” Zayne whispered, “We were there. They were asking questions. They couldn’t think, could they?”
---
“I’m sure.” Remy smiled and it was close to a full smile. He squeezed Zayne against him again, nuzzling into his hair. “I’ll be okay. I promise.” He whispered to him before pressing a kiss into his hair. He knew he would be okay from this hangover. But he couldn’t say beyond that. What else had happened last night? This morning? He had no idea what time this had happened.
At Zayne’s question Remy shook his head. “No. Everyone knows about the party so they’d be stupid to try. And if they were going to try they wouldn’t have sent us home. So don’t worry about that.”
---
Zayne nodded. He leaned against Remy. The kisses were giving him strength and yet a part of him whispered what if it had been Remy? Remy hurt at all? Zayne’s heart ached and he couldn’t hide the tears that filled his eyes. He hated crying. All of this, all of today, was hurting too much.
“Benjamin deserves more than what he will get,” Zayne whispered. Another thought hit him and he felt stupid for not thinking of it before, “What if there are others? What if this wasn’t a lone attack?” He couldn’t just stay here anymore. He didn’t know what to do.
---
Remy understood where Zayne’s thoughts were going. His own had wondered what if it had been Zayne. But the what-ifs weren’t going to help either of them. “It wasn’t me. You and I are both okay. Don’t think about that.” He whispered to him, pressing a kiss to his temple this time.
“There are probably others. But we can’t do anything about that at the moment.” Remy made a decision. “Why don’t you finish up the coffee and text those who you know. Check on them. Then we should talk.”
---
Zayne nodded, taking a deep breath. Remy was right. Remy was safe. He was safe. Who else wasn’t? He nodded again and stepped back to make their coffee. He passed the cup to Remy and asked, his voice still very soft, “Do you still want food? I can make us something?” He went to the fridge and pulled out some food. It was easy enough to throw together and finger food.
“Why don’t we take this to the living room? Sit on the couch?” Zayne offered.
---
Remy thanked Zayne for the coffee then said he should eat. He wasn’t hungry and didn't WANT to eat but he knew he needed to. He stayed close but out of the way just trying to stay near Zayne. He was being a little clingy but he didn’t think that Zayne would really object.
“Yes, that’s a good idea.” He helped Zayne take everything to the living room and sat down on the couch. Once Zayne joined him he leaned over and kissed him gently. “Thank you for taking care of me.”
---
Zayne did not think Remy as clingy and he appreciated his closeness. He reached out and touched Remy a few times as he gathered the plates and put things on a tray. Any reason to touch the other man.
Zayne spend things out on the coffee table and sat down on the couch next to Remy. He brought, probably, too much food and he should probably eat but he wasn’t hungry. Even coffee didn’t seem that appetizing to him. He returned Remy’s kiss and smiled softly to him, “Of course. You’re important to me and I want to make sure you are okay,” he curled up against Remy, resting his head against him, “Besides, I like waking up with you.” His heart ached again. It was such a normal thing to say in a day that felt far from normal. He reached and rubbed Remy’s knee.
---
Remy wrapped his arms around Zayne as he pressed in close. He closed his eyes and just savored the moment for a long few heartbeats. “I like that too.” He spoke softly. A lot.” Leaning down he pressed a kiss into Zayne’s hair.
“Do you want to talk about how you feel? Or do you want to talk about everything but?” He asked softly. He was trying to get a gauge of how Zayne was really feeling and what he wanted. His thoughts were all over the place and his feelings were too.
---
Zayne wanted to tell Remy that he wasn’t supposed to be cuddling up against him but he was supposed to be eating. Then again, he should be eating too. Besides, he really liked being curled up like this. This was safe. It was a safe bubble of just the two of them. He couldn’t keep in this bubble forever.
“I don’t know,” Zayne said softly, “I… I wish I had come earlier. I wish I could have done something. I wish I could do something. And yet, I feel utterly powerless. I suppose… I don’t know. I don’t even know.”
---
Remy squeezed him gently. He knew he should be eating. And he should be helping Zayne to eat. But neither one of them was really up for it. Maybe they’d get there. Eventually.
Remy chewed on his lip for a moment. “What … what if you could do something? What if you could help fight back? Would you want to even … even if it put you in danger?”
---
Zayne looked at Remy when he spoke. When he thought of danger, he immediately thought of physical danger. He didn’t think of any danger that could come out of that his biggest secret being revealed and what that meant. He didn’t hesitate when he answered.
“I would. I want to do something, no matter what. What is going on… what happened, it’s not right. Not even the most basic of keeping us here, it’s not right,” Zayne said.
---
Remy kept his eyes on Zayne’s face as he answered. This wasn’t something he was going to bring Zayne into lightly. He shifted his position so he could see Zayne fully, taking in his body language as well as his words.
“And what if fighting back meant that you were watched 24/7 by the government? That they would be bugging your house and your workplace and following where you go. What if it meant that you could be a target? Or that your friends and the people you care about became targets? That they could and would use your friends against you. Or at the worst flat out attack you?”
---
Zayne shifted so they were facing face-to-face. He reached for Remy’s hands, wanting and needing to keep touching him, being near him. Zayne did not want to answer any of those questions too lightly but the thought that kept coming back to him was yes. He wanted to help. He didn’t want to be blind anymore. He didn’t want to be helpless and he didn’t want others to be either.
“I don’t want the people I care about to become targets,” Zayne said softly, “but at the same time… how can I do nothing? Aren’t they targets already? Aren’t they already in the line of fire already and if standing by, pretending it doesn’t exist or doing nothing doesn’t keep them safe, then isn’t the only answer is to do something?”
---
Remy squeezed Zayne’s hands and took him in. All of him. His words. His Facial expressions. His body language. Everything that Zayne said and everything that Remy saw was exactly what he had hoped for. He slowly smiled when Zayne was done talking.
“There’s a group. A very secretive underground group known as The Faction. They’ve been fighting back against the government for a while. A few years ago they were beaten down, hard, when one of their leaders was publicly taken and never seen from again. Since then the group has been much more careful about keeping their identities secret but they’re working hard trying to bring about justice and rights for our kind. Benjamin was a friend of that group.” He paused there, letting it sink in for Zayne.
---
A look of surprise crossed Zayne’s face as Remy spoke. There were people doing things out there, things to change how things were. Of course there was. He shouldn’t be surprised at that. Nor should he be surprised at the fact that the government had tried to stop it. His heart ached to hear about Benjamin. Was that why he was killed? Because he tried to stand up for what was right? How could that even be possible? How could that even be a thought that a group of people trying to do right was hurt for doing just that? How much in history had shown just that?
Zayne’s gaze dropped down, giving himself a moment. He looked up to Remy and asked, “How do you know? Are you a part of the Faction?” A part of him wanted Remy to say yes but knowing how dangerous it was, he wanted him to say no. Yet he knew Remy and he couldn’t Remy being silent and just watching. He had to be a part of it.
---
Remy gave Zayne time to process what he was saying. He felt the ache at the mention of Benjamin and had expected it but he knew it had to be said. He needed Zayne to understand the full weight of what he was talking about and what he was getting himself into.
When Zayne looked up at him Remy nodded. “I’m one of the leaders.”
---
Zayne was definitely not expecting that. He practically threw himself at Remy, wrapping his arms around Remy and hugging him fiercely. His very brave and strong and amazing Remy. His very amazing Remy. He squeezed him tightly for a moment before moving back to how he was sitting before. He held onto Remy’s hands.
“You are amazing and wonderful and,” Zayne smiled softly. He shook his head. There was more important things at hand right now, “What can I do? Can I do anything?” Would Remy let him join? Would the rest of the Faction even want someone like him?
---
Remy was surprised when Zayne threw himself at him. He wrapped arms back around him, hugging him back. He wasn't really sure what to think of it so he just went with it until Zayne pulled back and took his hands again.
When Zayne spoke he smiled. He hadn’t expected quite that response but he was glad it was a positive one. “You can definitely do something. Not right now. Because there’s nothing to do yet. But I promise you’ll be able to help. To make a difference.” Leaning in he pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. “The first thing I need to do is to touch base with everyone. Do a roll call and make sure everyone else is okay.” He had a feeling that it wasn’t but he could be positive until he was proven wrong.
---
Zayne nodded. He wanted to do something right now. He also knew that was an emotional response and not necessarily a logical one. Action needed to come from a logical place and that was a bit far from Zayne right now. He kissed Remy back and nodded again.
“You should,” Zayne said. He frowned and said, “You think there were others today?” He looked down. It was a stupid question. He shook his head, “Don’t answer that.”
---
Remy brought a hand up to thread fingers into Zayne’s hair. “I don’t need to answer it because you’ve already figured out the answer.” He spoke softly. “What I need to figure out is who and how bad. And then we need to know if Faction people were targeted because they know or if it was random. There are obviously different consequences depending on the answer.” He sighed softly. “Give me a minute to send some texts then we’re both going to eat and nap before I pass out.”