Credence Barebone Potter (obscurence) wrote in thedisplaced, @ 2017-06-09 10:47:00 |
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8 JUNE
Credence Barebone & Nico Di Angelo & Emmeline Vance
Downtown Tumbleweed, then Salvatore Boarding House Teen • Complete Warnings: mentions of anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts. |
Multiple times within the past few weeks Credence had wondered why he was here in the first place. At first, Tumbleweed had seemed like a brief reprieve, even if a terrifying one, but when Newt had shown up, Credence had begun to believe that maybe he could learn something and get past this creeping anxiety that seemed to haunt him every chance he got. He should have known when Newt left that it was a bad sign. And part of him had been almost resigned to the Black Hole and dying in it - considering that the blackness that had been pulled out of him towards the end of the time on the star might well have been the black hole pulling everyone else into it - it seemed almost ironically fitting. Like maybe Credence's Obscurus had just become the black hole that pulled everyone in. But then it hadn't been, and then he was back here, and he felt like he was fighting that dream, that sense that he was the thing that was going to make it all go bad. And he was aware that he'd lost control twice, but he'd been trying not to hurt anyone specifically, even if he felt as if he had very little control over what the Obscurus actually did. It had been easy to throw all of it on a single person, and that person happened to be a handsome football player by the name of Tristan who was younger than him, whom he had apparently been paired with a science project with at some point during the time he was in space and that had apparently gone very wrong. Because every time he'd seen him since, Tristan had made a point of saying something disparaging. And tonight had been no different. Credence was so tired of it. He wasn't certain what to do to make Tristan stop, and there was that feeling once again that probably he should have been swallowed up by a black hole. It would have been a fitting end to him. The boy who becomes a sort of destructive black cloud gets sucked into one forever more. He pressed his back against the brick wall of the shop on main street, trying to really pay attention to the physical sense of it, and to stop the constant narrative of black holes and stay Credence. The Obscurus wasn't him, as Newt had explained it. It was a parasite, and yet, it was still him too, wasn't it? He became it and he couldn't always control it. He half whimpered. Nico just needed from fresh air and quiet for a bit. It’d been a busy day after all between the last day of classes and then the Pride planning committee. While having a boyfriend for over a year and the general acceptance that came with that made him more comfortable with that side of himself, talking about the topic in a large group was another matter. He didn’t do large groups and parties normally anyways, so, he’d quietly slipped out for a bit of a break and a walk. At least the plan had been for some alone time, but that quickly changed when he spotted the familiar boy down the street. It took a moment to fully recognize him though. Even though Credence was older and taller than him, sometimes he didn’t look it with how he folded into himself. Tonight he looked worse off than usual which just pinged that worry. He’d been keeping an eye on the other boy as much as he could since that conversation at lunch, but, well, he had to admit that Credence might be giving him a run for his money in the elusive category. He scanned the street, taking in the environment and if there were other people around, as he headed over to the other boy. He wasn’t sure what as up, but not for the first time since being in Texas, he wished that his sword had a less obvious appearance like Percy’s or Magnus’. Even if this wasn’t a battle situation, he felt more secure when he had the Stygian iron blade with him. “Credence?” he called out, voice loud enough for the other boy to hear, but not so loud as to startle or draw attention from any other possible people. Credence physically jumped, and with that startled feeling, he could feel a bit of control slip. But he thought he recognized the voice, and if he did, it was Nico, and Nico couldn't see him like this - no no no no no. He swallowed and tried to pull control back in. He didn't want to talk about what had happened, and he didn't want to think about what could happen, and he was tired of being here. Maybe in a lot of ways it would have been better if they'd just been pulled into the black hole after all. He couldn't have hurt anyone then, and it'd be better than still fighting with this. But no, that wasn't here, it wasn't now, and he pulled his eyes up to find Nico's figure in the street. He wasn't certain where to pull words from even, and trying to figure it out was eroding at the control that kept threatening to be undone, so he just watched Nico, silently willing him to just go back to wherever he came from. Ok, that didn’t help the worry at all. Credence didn’t look well, even looked… pained? Just that would’ve been enough for Nico to hurry over and make sure something hadn’t happened to the other boy or if he was hurt, but the whole scene looked familiar. No, no, not looked. Felt. It felt familiar because it’d always been focused around him. He’d never gotten to see it because he was usually at the center of it all, but he felt like maybe this is what it would’ve looked like to the other people. If he hadn’t known better, he would’ve expected Credence to disappear back into the shadows at any moment. The shadows that looked heavier than normal. More their own entity than just what the street lights could cast onto the wall. Maybe it wasn’t the smartest idea, but Nico never really was the one to run away from danger. Especially when his friends were possibly in danger. “Hey,” he said, his voice that same soft and soothing tone as he took a protective stance in front of Credence. “What’s up? Did something happen?” Credence didn't really know how to say that something had happened. And right now he was holding on so tightly because if he let go and something happened to Nico - who was basically the closest thing he'd ever had to a friend his own age outside of his sisters and even really including them - Credence knew he'd never forgive himself. But he also couldn't ignore it. He had to say something. "I'm fine," he managed, through gritted teeth, but the distraction was enough to threaten further unwinding, and he could feel the pressure of the Obscurus against his his brain - it would be so easy to just give into it, and why was he fighting so hard? Any other time, that statement would’ve gotten the most skeptical look ever. Nico had too much experience with that after all. Enough to know the words weren’t just some attempt to brush off any worry. It sounded like as much as a reminder to himself to help tip a battle as to comfort someone else. Which could possibly explain the shadows that just looked like they were getting worse. “You are,” Nico said reassuringly, even as his mind spinned out. “You’re fine. You’ve got this.” The specifics were still vague, but maybe this was what Credence had been talking about. The bad things he had under control. That fed off emotions. He held his hands out, but didn’t touch. He knew how jarring contact could be, especially when you felt like you might be falling apart. “You’ve got this, Credence. You can be fine.” He blew out a breath. “But if it’s too much… Just nod if it’s too much and we’ll figure something out to make it better.” Nico's words reminded Credence of Newt, which under any other circumstance would probably have been a good thing. Newt was usually stability, and certainly had felt it when they'd ended up in the middle of space with no real knowledge of where they were going or what they were doing there, but at this moment, they were simply a reminder of that horrible day in the subway in New York, when Credence had been falling apart and nothing had felt stable at all. He managed to nod, although he wasn't certain if it was nodding or shaking his head. He felt light headed and a little woozy and there was that horrific feeling of disconnectedness. He pushed his back against the bricks behind him trying to reach something solid enough to hang on. Around him it felt like darkness was pushing at the edges of his vision. He could control this. He could control this. He could control this. He reached for the edges of his trousers, fingers digging into them until his knuckles turned white even as that darkness threatened more. He couldn't hurt Nico. A small voice in the back of Nico’s mind whispered that this’d be something that normal people would be scared by. But then most people weren’t used to creeping darkness. Or maybe more than just creeping darkness. He knew shadows well. How they settled. How to make them pool where you needed them. Calling and shifting them. And these shadows… they weren’t just that absence of light. There was something else there. Something out of Nico’s league. Monsters were easy. They had weaknesses to exploit. A few good swings and the monster was back in Tartarus for at least a few months. But this wasn’t just any other ‘monster’. This was a part of Credence. Something that he did. It’d be like trying to stop the flow of his own powers which he couldn’t even describe how to do to an outside source. All he could think is to keep talking and get him out of harm’s way… His lips pressed together in a tight line as he looked around. He definitely wouldn’t want to be in the middle of town. He’d be freaking out more if he knew he’d be a danger and was stuck some place he could do far too much damage. An escape plan was limited though. Even for a small town, it was too big to get out of quickly by normal means. Let alone to someone who had a better idea of how to deal with this problem. By normal means at least… Jaw set, he took a deep breath. This might be a bad idea, but at the very least, it’d get his friend someplace safe. “Hold on,” he said as he stepped closer and wrapped his arms around Credence. “I got you.” Then he pulled the shadows around the two of them and tugged the other boy into the darkness, picturing the area outside the house of one of Credence’s other friends. There was the wild reaction to the touch, which hadn't entirely been expected, Credence's Obscurus flared, and he felt that, and then it was all swallowed around by shadows and darkness, and then there was this settling again. And this time the sturdiness wasn't the brick behind his back which could easily be destroyed by his Obscurus, but the ground under his feet. Grass, not pavement. Starlight above them, not street lamps. The change in location, the rapidity at which it had approached, had been enough to startle the immediateness of the Obscurus again, even if Credence could still feel it at the edge, threatening shadows once more. What had he done? Or had Nico? Where was Nico? Where was he? The rising uncertain bubbled up at the back of Credence's throat, the Obscurus seeming to push at it. As soon as they were safely back out of shadow, Nico stumbled back, a combination of heading towards the house and getting out of reach of the thing if it lashed out more than it had already. He needed to go get help, but there were two problems there. The first was leaving Credence on his own. Even if Nico was going for a safe-ish distance away, he wasn’t too keen on actually leaving the other boy’s side. The second was that, well, even if he was ok with the whole ditching Credence for long enough to get help, his body might have different ideas. His body felt heavy. Dragging. He was too used to having an energy boost from Anakin or Reyna to help with the toll shadow travel took out of him. Especially since if he was truthful with himself, he wasn’t really sure if he’d ever fully recovered from that long shadow travel trek. There were other options, but he could practically hear Will giving orders for no more underworldy stuff when he was already tapped out for energy. Plus… ok… in person explanation might be better. He headed over to the house as quickly as he could and leaned heavily against the doorframe as he knocked loudly on the door. Emmeline was enjoying her day off, and at the moment the big Salvatore house was empty and quiet. When she had first moved in she wasn’t sure how having roommates would work, after being alone all those years. Then again, sharing a room with Caroline really brought her back to the old days of Hogwarts, sharing a dormitory with her friends. Now living with Stefan, Damon and Elena, it really made her feel young again, a bit more like her old self. It was nice, and equally nice that she was enjoying some quiet time. She didn’t even realize she had drifted off while sitting in the chair, when the knock at the door startled her. Confused, Emmeline sat up and went to answer the door, just in case she made sure she had her wand on her. To say she was surprised when she answered the door was an understatement, a teenager she didn’t know, but looked like he could pass out any moment, and Credence. Who looked...who didn’t look good. Her heart started pounding, “What’s going on? What’s wrong?” Nico breathed out a heavy sigh. Thank the gods. For a second he was worried he might’ve picked the wrong house or that no one was home. Luck at least seemed to be on their side there. He waved a hand vaguely behind him. “Credence. He needs help, he’s-” He frowned, searching for words. Which was hard when exhaustion was creeping in, he didn’t quite know what was happening, or what he could tell her. “He’s coming apart…” he finally settled on as he rested his back against the doorframe and slowly slid to sitting. “I’m good, he needs help.” That much was likely true. Credence was only vaguely aware of where he was at the moment, although some part of his consciousness recognized the location as being one that Credence was familiar with. And everything was being thought of in a sort of third person disconnect. Credence wasn't in the town anymore, he was out of it. There were houses around, and Credence was near them, but none of them were as close as the ones in town had been. Nico had taken Credence somewhere outside of town - how… was a mystery that couldn't really be appreciated. Dark, dangerous wisps whirled around Credence's body, threatening to unravel his physical form and turn it into something else. Credence sat in the middle, caught between fighting or simply resigning into it. "Credence..." Emmeline was worried about the teenaged boy that brought him, but right now Credence needed up help. She was cautious, but quickly went to Credence's side, or as close as she could get. This was what she was worried about ever since her fears about Credence was confirmed. Emmeline had no experience with Obscurus before, but she heard enough that she had recognized the signs, and what was happening before her was not good. "Credence." Emmeline said again as the dark wisps whirled around him, she could barely make out his figure. "Credence, I need you to listen to me okay? It's Emmeline. Concentrate on my voice." She really wished someone like Albus or Charlie was here with her, but there was no time, and the other kid wasn't in good shape either. "I you're upset, maybe scared or even angry, but you can control this. Okay? You can. You're smart and strong, and this, what's happening now doesn't control you. I know it's hard, I know it's probably easier to just give in, but you don't have to. You have so many people here that care about you, remember that evening on the spaceship when I told you that you were like a brother to me? I mean Credence, you're my brother. But I need your help, I need to you breath and control." Credence wasn't dreaming, but it did almost have that feel, like something that wasn't really happening and maybe he could snap out of it. But the something wasn't really anything that could be explained in normal words. There was all the frustration at everything that had happened in the last month or two, the worry that he should have just stayed in space, that he was endangering people he cared about. People like Emmeline. The recognition was slow to take shape, but it did take shape, breaking through some of the fogginess of the almost dream-trance to really grab hold in Credence's head. He pulled his eyes up, despite all of the stress in just doing anything physical, but although there wasn't much other movement, his eyes locked onto Emmeline's face, and there was some recognition there. He didn't have to be controlled by this: Newt had said that too. Even if Credence wasn't certain it was true. His brow furrowed despite himself as the Obscurus seemed to grow more powerful with that thought. Breathe. He latched onto Emmeline's last word and tried to pull a deep breath. Something easier said than done the way he was rolled into himself and fighting to keep the Obscurus from leaping out into full fledged madness again. "That's it, Credence. You're doing so well." Emmeline wouldn't lie, seeing the Obscurus in person like this was quite frightening. It made her feel anger towards the people that would push any witch or wizards into not using their powers. "I believe in you, Credence." Emmeline said, her voice full of concern. She took a step closer and held out her hand. "Think of Albus and Charlie, all your friends are still here. We can help you, we can. More than just our daily lunches, we can teach you how to control this. I'm sorry we couldn't get you a wand, but this place is full of surprises, maybe one day soon you'll have a wand of your very own. No matter what anyone has told you in the past, you are special. You are so special Credence, you're a wizard. You're one of us, Credence. You have a family and a home here." The breath came shaky, and with the danger of a loss in control. He could feel it nearly slip, like when you step on a rock, and it tilts out from under you. And he pulled in with further determination trying to make it stick. He pulled his hands up to his face, trying to hide it, and trying to focus in on nothing more than Emmeline's words. Albus. Charlie. Helena. Nico. He didn't see Nico and hoped he hadn't somehow hurt the other boy. This sudden dose of worry threatened to pull any hard earned stability back out from under him, because what if he had? The breath came out and his face pulled up, because the Obscurus wouldn't let him look for Nico, and Credence grabbed hold to look around. His breath came somewhat shallowly. "Nico?" "Nico's okay." Emmeline said. "I'm having him rest. He brought you here so you and I could talk. He'll be fine, you didn't hurt him." Emmeline looked over at Nico, and she was sure he'd be okay, he just looked tired, but she didn't really know him all that well to make that sort of assessment. "Don't worry," she turned her head back to Credence. "I have some chocolate here." At that moment she used her wand to summon some of the chocolate she had sitting around the house. "It'll make you feel better." In all honesty, Credence wasn't certain he could eat anything, but when the chocolate was in front of him he found himself shakily reaching for a piece and nibbling it. Chocolate and sweets weren't really things they'd had at home. Outside or not being able to afford them, Mama had considered them a path to the devil. Of course she hadn't understood Credence, and as the chocolate melted on his tongue he was reminded of this again. It had been only the smallest amount but he did feel a tiny bit better. "I'm sorry," he murmured, embarrassed to look Emmeline in the face. She'd know now. Everyone would know and he couldn't seem to stop it. Emmeline smiled as Credence took the chocolate and ate. Once he finished, and he mumbled his apology, Emmeline took the boy in her arms and held onto him. "It's okay. You're okay now, and that's all that matters." She motherly rubbed his back, doing her best to comfort him. "Can you stand? I think your friend, Nico is a little exhausted from bringing you here. I'd like to take you both inside the house, so you both can rest." She didn't want to make Credence feel like something like an animal on display, but she did need to talk to Charlie and Albus about what had happened. "I should probably get ahold of someone that knows Nico, so they know he's okay. As for you, would you like to message Charlie or Albus?" Credence took another bite of the chocolate. He felt drained, but he did want to be certain that Nico was all right and he looked ridiculous just sitting on the edge of the lawn like this. He nodded silently, putting his energy into movement instead of words. When he finally pulled himself to his feet he tried to think, Charlie maybe knew more but Albus would need to know where he was. "Albus," he decided. Emmeline nodded, "Okay, I'll message Albus." She motioned for him to follow her towards the house, and on the way, she made sure Nico was doing on all right, at least well enough to make sure he could get into the house on his own. If not, she didn't mind using magic to bring him in. "I'll make us some tea, and I have more chocolate, and Nico can have some too, it'll help with the exhaustion." |