WHO: Matias Márquez, with a brief cameo of Jace Atwater WHEN: Afternoon of February 2 WHERE: First outside Jace's apartment, then inside Matias's SUMMARY: Matias comes searching to the first place he can think of to find Ruby, only to be sent away to deal with his feelings. Said feelings bring on his first flashes of memory and a gift that is going to make him lose his security deposit. PROMPT: The "I Love You" Stigma, Part 2 WARNINGS: Just some bilingual swearing
The knocking on the door was more like pounding, but Jace had been expecting as much. He'd known that it had been only a matter of time, the close proximity to his sister's boyfriend's apartment -- well, ex-boyfriend, he assumed now -- making him an obvious first place for Matias to start his inevitable search for Ruby. As Jace pulled himself up from his chair, Riptide let out a few sharp barks at the noise, but didn't otherwise leave his perch from the couch like the true halfhearted guard dog that he was.
He paused at the door, taking in a long breath, then unlocked it and let it swing open to reveal Matias on the other side. He immediately tried to look past Jace, the much taller man's height and bulk more or less concealing the inside of his apartment, then met his gaze. "Is Ruby here?"
Jace shook his head. "Sorry, mate." And then, because he would do anything to help his sister, no matter how much he had genuinely liked this particular boyfriend, he lied, "I'm not sure where she is."
Matias huffed out a short breath, clearly not believing Jace, but knowing better than to try to push. It was clear from the sorry expression on Ruby's brother's face that he wasn't surprised by his sudden appearance at his door, leading him to believe that he'd had some warning; at least someone did, he thought bitterly, the thought inspiring a heat to go through him that somehow felt both familiar and new. "Maybe -- maybe she's at Rowena's? I know she just got that house, so she might be helping her move things. Or -- she could just be hanging out with Connor or something and -- "
"Matias," Jace interrupted, reaching out a large hand to place gently on his shoulder. He was warmer to the touch than Jace had anticipated, making him withdraw his hand immediately out of shock. The other man didn't seem to notice, a hopeful glint to his eye that Jace felt a bit guilty to have to immediately put out. "If she didn't tell you where she was going, she doesn't want to be found right now." He paused, then added, "Give it some time. Maybe she just needs some space."
Matias nodded, knowing that Jace was probably right, but hating it all the while. He took a step back, glancing once more at Ruby's brother, then bounded down the stairs and away, back toward his own apartment. He heard the door close somewhere behind him, feeling more metaphorical than he'd have liked -- a literal door closing to separate himself from part of Ruby's life. His stomach turned at the thought and he felt hot again, his hands turning to fists for a moment before he reached his still open door and walked through. There was a temptation to slam it behind him, but Matias had never been much of a door slammer. He let it shut quietly, then turned the locks.
His living room looked nearly abandoned. He hadn't had a lot of furniture to start with, just a couch, a coffee table, and a few lamps that all faced the television; with the exception of the electronics, all of it had been bought secondhand through Craigslist when he'd arrived in Dunhaven with nothing but his clothes, laptop, and a pile of books in his car that had Texas license plates. It had felt empty at first, but when Ruby came into his life, it hadn't taken long for her to make herself comfortable. Her shoes were gone from the pile by the door. Her jacket was no longer hanging from her hook, nor were her keys on the table where they normally sat next to his when they were both home. She'd left a sweatshirt draped over the back of the couch the night before and it had been there that morning, but now was as gone as the rest of her belongings. He didn't know how she had cleared out so quickly, as he had only been gone a couple hours for a short shift at the bookstore to fill in for Jordan, but he suspected she had help.
And that was fine, Matias told himself, despite the deep ache that was starting to settle into his chest. Ruby could leave if she wanted to. He wasn't holding her here. But, while he wanted to question what had happened and wonder why she had gone, his meager experience in relationships combined with the sheer number of telenovelas he had grown up watching as his abuela babysat him told him exactly what had happened. He had told her that he loved her, something he couldn't regret because it was as true today as it had been the night before. If it wasn't true, this wouldn't be hurting so much.
Matias took a few steps into the apartment, moving as though he was going to scoop up the discarded dishes that sat on the coffee table from last night's dinner of takeout just to do something, but stopped midway as he felt that heat once more. He looked down at his arms, his hands curling into fists as though to ward off the strange feeling, when he was suddenly he was Marcos Diaz and everything hit him in flashes.
Marcos Diaz, shot and being unable to do anything as the woman he loved was taken by Sentinel Services. An instant later and he was watching as that same woman walked away from him and their friends to join a new cause, a rift tearing between them that he didn't know if they would ever be able to repair. A second passed and he was laying in a nearly empty and completely unfamiliar bed at night, half expecting her to come through the door to the bedroom and crawl into the blankets with him. He even sat up in that moment, light erupting from the palm of his hand, as though illuminating the room would inspire her to somehow be there and make the longing he felt go away.
And just like that, Matias was back in his own mind, looking down at his arms and hands that were glowing in a way he had never seen before. He jumped, all thoughts of Marcos Diaz, Lorna Dane, and Ruby Atwater far from his mind as the shock burst a beam from his left hand, straight out toward the opposite wall.
"Qué mierda?" he swore, his first language erupting from his lips in a shout, the beam making a dark line across the off white wall until it sputtered out completely. Matias's breath came in rapid bursts and his heart was pounding, his mind unable to wrap around or comprehend what he had just done, even with the evidence of it right in front of him.
He stepped forward, investigating with his hands still outstretched in front of him, as though he was afraid to even touch himself with them. The hole went straight through the wall, giving a glimpse of his bedroom from the other side. He could see a scorch mark from where the beam had hit the ceiling, though it had been spared a hole like the wall. Looking down, Matias forced himself to look at his hands again. He kept them in fists, his very veins seeming to be glowing as bright as the sun.
After a moment of trying to slow his breathing, Matias carefully, hesitantly uncurled one of his fists. From the center of his palm was a bright light, making him squint. Immediately, he thought of the flash of a memory he'd just had; Marcos Diaz, lighting up a room with the palm of his hand.
The light eventually faded, leaving Matias looking at two very normal hands. This time when he swore, it was under his breath and very much in English. "What the fuck?"