ELVINA
I made an effort to approach Canton, my steps hesitant.
He was perched on the ledge of the rooftop, a bottle of bourbon on his hand and his legs hung loosely in the air.
I let out a sigh and took a seat next to him in silence.
"I gave him a chance" he muttered, his lips softly pressed against the bottle's opening.
The faint breeze of the night, along with Canton's words, sent a shiver down my spine.
"He didn't deserve it" I mumbled.
Canton shrugged, looking defeated. "I had hope in the person I-" he reconsidered his words "..in this person"
He took a sip from his drink.
"Don't shame yourself for loving him. You couldn't have possibly known" I said, my voice gentle.
Canton's grip on his bottle tightened "I hate him" his jaw clenched. "I hate him but I don't. Do you understand?" He turned to me, his stare desperate.
I stared back at him knowing too well that the desperation on his eyes is the only piece of actual feeling I'm gonna see from him for a while.
Once the effects of the alcohol fade away, he will turn into an empty face with a heavy heart again.
"I understand" I clasped his hand in mine.
A sudden wave of anger passed through him. He looked furious. "He tried to kill you"
"He did" I uttered, not knowing how to comfort him.
Canton downed the rest of his bourbon and then threw it at the nothingness under him with force. "He tried to kill you!"
A second later and we heard the glass shatter on the ground, the sound filling the shocking silence that came after his outburst.
I gulped, my eyes glued at the far distance. "He tried to kill you, too, Cant.." my voice came out as a whisper.
"I do not give a single fuck about me. He could break my heart a million times. He could kill me again and again but-" he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "it crosses the line when someone lays a hand on my family" his face murderous and his voice excessively dark.
"Cant-"
"No." He interrupted me. "We've lost too much, Elvina. I can't afford to lose you too. Now, that would kill me. Losing you, would kill me. Not a bullet. Not him. Not anyone"
"But you didn't lose me. I'm right here. Okay? Don't drive yourself insane.."
"I failed at protecting you. I put him into our house. Into my bed. I put him into your world and it almost cost you your life"
"Stop beating yourself up for something you couldn't control. He manipulated you, Canton. He used your biggest weaknesses against you in order to make you vulnerable to him. He knew damn well where to hit. So, it wasn't your fault for falling for him. The same would happen to me too"
"Sometimes I wonder, you know" he scoffed bitterly, "who's the worst" he mumbled.
I sighed. "Tristian did his fair share of messed up things..."
I clenched my fists in frustration.
"..but he never intented on killing you. Or me."
I paused a bit in thought.
"He wanted to turn you into a killing machine but not kill you. I really make myself nauseous for saying that but despite everything...I think Tristian really loved you"
"Elvina"
"Yeah?"
"I'm tired" brief pause. "I'm so... tired"
TRISTIAN
"Cant" I immediately stood up at Canton's presence.
Canton stumbled his way towards me, his steps slow and excessively unsteady.
I caught him in my arms right away and carefully laid him down on his bed.
He closed his eyes and for a second I thought he wasn't going to say anything.
But it was then that a chuckle escaped his lips.
"You caught me, Errot"
I rolled my eyes at that "I'm not Errot"
Canton frowned and opened his eyes to look at me, his face full of shock. "You're not Errot?"
"You exiled Errot because he tried to murder you and Elvina. Remember?"
"Oh" as soon as the shock dissapeared, he proceeded on laughing again. "That would make you a Tristian, then"
"A Tristian?" I cocked an eyebrow at him.
Another giggle that turned into a laughing fit.
I rubbed a hand against my forehead. "How much did you have to drink, Canton?"
"Let's see. Let's see. I drank a bottle. Then Elvina joined me and I drank another bottle" he turned to look at me. "Would be rude not to. Elvina left and I drank another bottle because I couldn't bear the sudden loneliness. It was in that moment that I begun feeling dizzy. You know? Everything... everything was spinning. I didn't know what to do so I took down a few glasses.." he trailed.
"Of water, I assume"
He pointed at me to indicate that I was right. "Bourbon"
"You felt dizzy because you drank an immense amount of bourbon so you decided to sober yourself up with more bourbon"
"That's...exactly what I did" he smiled to himself.
"In conclusion, you just had three bottles and a few glasses of bourbon"
"You do not have to repeat everything I say, Trist. Ian. What if your name was pronounced Tristian instead of Tristian.
Tristian" he paused. "Tristian. Tristian."
I exhaled. "You're a mess"
"Aren't we all?" Canton said with all the confidence in the world.
I took a step closer and started undressing him, pulling his shirt off first.
"Ohh, no, no." Canton whined but made zero effort to move.
"I'm just getting you ready for bed"
"No. I have a boyfriend"
"You don't have a boyfriend anymore."
He paused. "I had a boyfriend. He looked like you. A lot." He took a better look at me and his eyes gradually widened. "He looked a lot like you" Canton ran his thumb on my cheek. "Wow."
I unwillingly closed my eyes at Canton's touch.
"Your face just got cloudy. Dark. Dark clouds got on your face. Your face-"
"I get it" I pushed his hand away and begun unbuttoning his pants when my eyes fell on his chest and arms. The metallic arms I gave him.
Canton followed my gaze. "My ex gave me those"
I froze dead on my spot, needing a few seconds to recollect my thoughts.
I blinked and tried to snap back to reality and give him a proper reply. "He did?" I forced my hands to keep moving and pull his pants down too.
"He is a robot scientist. Humans. Humanit- human robots scientist. Wait, not only humans. Just.. robots. Robots in general. Robot scientist. He wanted me to be a robot" He then started laughing again. "But he didn't want to kill me. Elvina told me that. She told me that he didn't want to kill me"
I found the perfect excuse to turn my back on him and go search for a new pair of clothes. "She's right. He didn't want to kill you"
"But Errot does. Errot wants to kill me. He tried to-"
"Yes. Yes, Errot does" I walked back to Canton's bed, holding his clothes on my hands. "But it's okay. You have me now. And I'm not going anywhere"
Canton's eyelids looked like they felt heavy, so he slowly gave in and let them close shut.
"But I just want Errot" he mumbled, his voice coming out low and barely above a whisper.
Soon enough, his breathing became audible and his chest was heaving up and down in an even and peaceful way.
He was asleep.
ODA
"You haven't moved from that bed since that boy left" Elvina burst inside the room and opened the curtains wide.
I turned the other way around on the bed, blocking the sun that was threatening to leave me blind. "That boy has a name" I mumbled against the pillow.
"His name is irrelevant. Like he is" She said indifferently and begun sorting out an outfit from her closet.
"Maybe to you. But I know Errot. And I will always love him no matter what"
"I almost died on his hands, Oda"
"Well, did you see him drugging you? Did you see him handing you the drink?"
"I didn't have to. He said so himself"
"He could be lying!" I dropped the pillow and sat up on the bed to get a clear view of her face. "You would give the benefit of the doubt to Canton or Santos in a heartbeat but no, when it comes to Errot he's immediately the bastard, right? No questions asked"
Elvina turned around to face me, her expression serious. "Would you give the benefit of the doubt to -let's say- Canton if he attempted on murdering you?"
"Of course not. But Canton is a criminal. Hell, he's the king of criminals and I couldn't be more literal about it. But Errot-"
"-was Canton's slave who hated everything about him until someday he woke up and decided that.. he didn't. Feelings of hatred don't go away that easily"
"I don't know what happened between them but-"
"Let me remind you that Canton kicked everyone out in order to stay alone with your friend so he could feel free to tell him anything. No cameras, no Teals lurking around..just them two. He basically 'gave him the benefit of the doubt' . Do you know what Errot did?"
When I didn't reply, she grabbed her clothes and begun walking towards the bathroom. "True friends stab you in the front"
and it was all she said before she disappeared behind the door, closing it shut.
A few tears threatened to fall from my eyes but my phone ringing beside me managed to stop them just in time.
My heart jumped at the word 'unknown' flashing bright on my screen.
I immediately grabbed my phone and pressed the answer button without hesitation.
"Who is this?"
"Oda.."
I felt my pulse quickening the second I heard his voice.
"Errot.." I voiced dumbfounded.
"How are you..?"
"What? How am I? How are you? Where did you go? Are you alright? What happened?"
"Come on..as if you don't know...they are not suspecting you and I hope you didn't expose your own self"
"What? Wait, what?" I blinked. "What are you talking about?"
"Hm..you aren't alone, right?"
"I'm one hundred percent alone. And very, very confused"
There was silence at the other end, so I grabbed the chance to continue talking. "Errot, please tell me what happened. You got framed, didn't you? Forced, I don't know. But you didn't really mean to do it..I know you didn't mean to do it"
"Congratulations" he simply said.
".. congratulations?"
"Congratulations for staying loyal to your oath by not going against your king"
Now it was my turn to stay silent.
I'm actually stunned in silence.
"It's Santos, by the way. In case my voice change fooled you"
Errot's familiar voice now faded away and got replaced by this incredibly low voice that I've grown..not to hate so much.
After the first shock settled in, disappointment filled me all over, causing me to exhale deeply.
"I had to interrogate you. King's orders"
I rolled my eyes at that. "I'm so surprised Canton didn't order you to tie me up in chains and torture information out of me"
"We considered that, actually. But you aren't an Ink. You can lie. I thought it would be more effective to do it that way"
"We? Wow..thank you"
"There was a high possibility that you were a traitor as well. It would suit you just right"
"But I'm not"
"And I'm gl--" there was a brief pause. "Keep it that way. Goodnight"
"Wait Sant-"
But he ended the call before I could say anything else.
ERROT
Three weeks.
Twenty-one days.
Five hundred four hours later and it still won't stop hurting.
A knock.
Two knocks.
They sound hesitant.
Soft.
Delicate.
"Come in" I caught myself utter these words out loud and for a second there I didn't recognize my own voice.
A very familiar figure suddenly appeared, a tray filled with food on his hands.
"Hi.." he mumbled shyly.
This voice.
This voice has been keeping me company the past two weeks and four days.
He always brings me my food.
In the morning.
Evening.
Night.
And he always knocks.
It's making me feel less..like a prisoner.
A prisoner inside this beautiful palace.
In this beautiful dimension.
Ruled by rotten people.
"Brought you your dinner..." He begun biting at his bottom lip nervously. "And I added..a cupcake for you...I- I know that you like them..." His voice got lower after every word.
I looked up at him and nodded "Thank you, Noel" I attempted a smile.
The brightest smile creeped on his face and he looked down to avoid my gaze.
I didn't miss the way his cheeks flashed red.
I never do.
He placed the tray down on the bed and sat next to me, awkwardly.
"How..how are you holding up?"
"I'm existing"
"That's what you've been saying since they brought you in..." Noel begun playing with the bracelets on his left wrist.
"Ask the same question, you'll receive the same answer" I shrugged, my tone heavy.
"The answer can change.."
"It will change when I go home" I couldn't resist the bitterness that accompanied my words.
"....Ink Blood is not your home.."
"Home is where they are" I said, my face blank.
"You..you mean Oda and Ca-"
"Don't say their names" I snapped at him. "I've told you multiple times before not to say their names"
Noel's eyes widened and he immediately looked away, shame taking over his features. "I'm sorry..I meant no harm.. I- I'm sorry.."
I sighed and ran a hand through my disheveled hair.
I glanced at him once again.
Or rather at the blonde mop of curls sitting on his head. "Where's your bour-" I closed my eyes shut for only a second, blocking the way to all those memories that begun fighting their way through my brain. "Your wine" I corrected myself. "Where's your wine?"
Here it is. The same sheepish smile from before.
Full of innocence.
"I thought you'd never ask.."
And I watched as his eyes lit up in pure happiness.
This boy finds joy with only a bottle of wine on his hands.
Close enough.
But not quite him.
TRISTIAN
"Morning" The word came out with extreme difficulty as Canton walked inside the laboratory.
I feel like I can barely stand without support.
His own expression was cold, not an ounce of amusement visible.
"Save it. Let's end this." he deadpanned.
"Canton I want to talk to you"
He rolled his eyes. "What, Tristian?"
"I..-" I winced a bit at the sudden pain on my head and limbs "-have nowhere to go"
"That's not my problem. The cure is almost ready, you take it and then you disappear again" he said coolly.
"But I don't want to disappear. I want to stay. I never wanted to leave in the first place"
Canton begun reading the spell we had managed to create and completely ignored me.
I sat down on the chair next to me. "I wanted to help you and they tricked me. The same people that slaughtered your siblings and mother. The same people that abused you multiple times. The same people that Errot sided with against you. They captured me"
Canton's jaw was clenched now but his eyes remained focused on his notebook.
"I finally returned home."
I took a deep breath and tried not to focus on the pain that was piercing through my head.
"To Ink Blood.." I paused and looked at him in the eye. "To you. Please, Canton.. don't kick me out. Let me stay. Let me try to make it up to you" I begged.
"No." He simply said.
I ran a frustrated hand through my hair, getting slightly desperate. "I need you. As a friend..as something more..I know I do not deserve you but fuck, Canton. Don't force me to let you go"
Canton finally turned to look at me.
"Don't answer me right away. Let's finish with the cure and you'll tell me after"
He redirected his attention back at his spell.
"Just promise me you'll think about it" I pleaded, my body slowly giving up on me.
"It's not like you to beg, Tristian. Doesn't suit you" He replied dryly.
"Exactly. Then you understand how bad I want this"
Canton sighed. "you're exhausting me"
"At least I'm not hurting you"
Canton went still. "You've hurt me enough"
I managed a nod but that action alone felt strenuous, as if someone stabbed me in the guts.
Multiple times.
Canton glanced at me indifferently. "Running out of time?"
"You noticed?" I tried to give him a smirk.
"You're wincing every five seconds"
"Today's tough"
He nodded sternly.
"Let's get to work" He ordered and I agreed.
♛♛♛
Five hours later found me holding on to a thread and counting down the minutes to my death.
I tried my best to look up at Canton who was trying to bind the spell to the cure in time to save us both.
Or at least that's what I thought he was doing before my eyes closed against my will.
I'm not really sure how long I've been unconscious. My head is currently reeling and I'm feeling sick to my stomach.
"Tristian" Canton suddenly called my name and I forced my eyes open mid-way.
"Good, you're still going" he mumbled and then turned to look at Elvina who was surprisingly standing next to him.
He passed a dose of the cure to her with a nod of his head. "Hurry"
Without another word, Elvina grabbed the tiny bottle and rushed out of the lab, probably heading upstairs to save Santos' life while Canton stayed put.
I gulped, a wave of nausea passing through me again, making my insides churn.
He crouched down next to me and it was in that moment that I realised I was helplessly laying on the floor.
He stared at me, face as cold as a stone.
"I'm very tempted to let you go"
I gave him a brief, breathless chuckle which sent an excruciating pain down my spine, making me whimper. "I can.. feel the love.."
He stayed expressionless, his gaze intense.
I breathed in "It's okay.."
I breathed out. "I love you for the both of u-us" my voice broke at the end.
Canton moved his eyes away from me for only a second.
When he looked back, the blank of his face was still in tact.
He carefully placed his arm on the back of my head to lift it up and then moved the bottle to my lips, helping me take a small sip.
And another.
Quickly enough, it was empty but I couldn't help but notice how Canton removed his arm from under my head a beat later than expected.
"Did it work?"
I placed a hand on my forehead and rubbed a bit against it, feeling the fatigue slowly leaving my body. "I think so"
He focused his gaze on my ears. "They are pointed, again"
I brought my fingers to my left ear and felt the long satisfying edge of it.
A relieved smile formed on my face, exposing my bare feelings to Canton who was stuck staring at me, indifferently.
I made an attempt to remove myself from the ground, the action easy at last.
I stood before him and extented a hand out to him. "We always made a good team. You and I."
"Shaking your hand wasn't part of the deal"
I gave him one of my finest smirks and let my hand drop to my side again. "So dramatic. You haven't changed at all."
Canton begun biting at his bottom lip, in thought, his eyes glazing over.
I stared back at him, my smirk gradually falling.
"What do you intend to do if I let you stay, Tristian?"
"I already told you"
"I want to hear it again, now that you don't have the ability to lie anymore" he said sternly.
I let out a small scoff, my eyes still glued on his. "Cross my heart.." I took a step closer to him. "I want us to get back together, Canton" I matched the seriousness of his voice.
He took a step back and nodded. "The honesty is appreciated even if the request is a bit unapproachable"
"You'll have to move on from him, sooner or later. Don't let his actions ruin you. Do you want him to be happy that he left you broken? That's what you want? For him to laugh behind your back, thinking he succeeded on his plan even if he didn't take your life away from you? Even if he didn't manage to kill your sister? The person you love the most on this world, Cant. Your own blood. Your family. You should feel glad that he's gone. And by all means, you're not alone. Errot might not be coming back but I am not leaving. And the more you push me away, the harder I will fight to stay. Trust me on th-"
I would have kept going if Canton hadn't placed his lips on mine with force, closing the distance between us and surprising me pleasantly along the way.
I immediately begun kissing him back just as angrily, my hands gripping tightly at his hair now.
I could feel his anger on the way he kissed me, the way he touched me and the way he lifted me up and pushed me against the nearest wall hard, without breaking the kiss.
I wrapped my legs around his waist and pushed his body closer to me in result.
He then moved both of us to the lab counter and laid me down on it rather aggressively, knocking all of the empty tubes down the floor, in the process.
I broke the kiss and looked up at him on top of me while panting heavily.
I gave him a grin. "So, you are the top now?"
"Looks like I did change after all" he uttered breathlessly and reconnected our lips.
Canton's hands slid on my shirt and pulled it off in one swift motion.
I got ready to do the same but he immediately stopped me by grabbing at my hands and moving them down to his pants instead.
I obediently unbuttoned them in a rush and pulled them down along with his boxers.
I didn't even realize the exact moment he got me completely undressed as well, everything around us happening too fast for me to comprehend.
Canton positioned himself right in between my hips and looked at me in the eye.
I looked back at him. "This is the first time I'm glad someone is using me as a rebound"
"Glad?" Canton asked, indifferently.
A small smile played out on my face. "I'm willing to keep fucking your pain away until there is no pain left to get rid of"
Canton titled his head and a humorless chuckle escaped his lips. He took a hold of my chin and turned my head to the side, abruptly while leaning close to my ear at the same time.
"I'd like to see you try, Tristian" he whispered and a shiver ran through my spine making me close my eyes in pleasure as he thrusted inside me roughly.
ERROT
"Noel.." I whispered and shook his shoulders softly.
When he didn't budge from his drunk pass out position, I sighed and glanced around the room until my eyes focused on the door.
I decided to finally get up from the bed I'm currently rotting on and take a walk outside of this room.
I mentally wished I was an Ink so I could shapeshift my way through the Teal's palace without pulling all the unnecessary attention on me.
Maybe I should have listened to Canton.
Maybe I should have accepted his offer.
Maybe things would have been better that way.
I wouldn't have been able to lie to his face. And their plan would have failed.
But I didn't accept his offer and now I'm paying for it.
And Canton's paying for it too, just as heavily, if not heavier.
But there is only one way for him to be alive and well and that includes me staying away, even if it hurts.
And it hurts pretty bad.
I walked down the stairs and roamed soundlessly around the deserted palace, all the servants and all the Teals probably sleeping their night away.
I was moving towards the back exit that led to the gardens until my ears caught a few whispers.
I frowned and approached the half closed door on my far left, careful not to make any noise.
It wasn't until a few seconds later that I recognised the voices behind those whispers.
"Should I make it look like an accident?" Jeff, the guy responsible for my kidnapping back in Canton's castle, spoke.
"No. We are not killing him yet" Quinn replied.
"With all due respect Quinn, he served his purpose. What else do we need him for?"
"I said no, Jeff. No need to rush things. He might come in handy again before.." he lowered his voice even more, making me literally strain my ears to hear him. "You know. And right now, Alastair thinks that Errot is the enemy. If we kill him, we will only give him satisfaction"
I heard Jeff sigh. "I just hope things work out as planned. We can't afford a mistake"
"Don't you think I know that?" There was brief pause. "How's your son by the way?"
"As clueless as Errot is. Nothing suspicious. They've just been spending time together doing nothing. Don't worry, the only people that know are the one's included in the first place"
"And it will stay this way for your own good"
"Have I ever let you down? Santos might work hard..but I work harder. I will always be one step ahead of him"
"I'm counting on it"
"Errot.."
I quickly snapped my head around in terror, only to face a sleepy Noel looking for me at the opposite side of the hallway.
I immediately rushed towards him, his eyes lighting up at my presence.
He opened his mouth to talk again but I was fast to cover it with my palm to hush him.
I felt his face heat up against my skin, his eyes widening in possible embarassment.
The lights on Quinn's office then suddenly got turned on and I realised, in a state of absolute panic, that they were two seconds away from coming out of that room to inspect the situation themselves.
There was no time to run and no place to hide so I did the first and only thing that flashed through my mind at this desperate time.
I grabbed Noel from the back of his head and begun kissing him.
I heard footsteps behind us but I didn't dare to open my eyes.
Quinn clearing his throat made Noel jump and me pull away from him, both of our eyes now widened for different reasons.
Jeff was just as shocked as Noel looked, while Quinn was just staring at us with a huge smirk plastered on his face.
I let out a small cough and I made sure it sounded awkward enough. I then proceeded on licking my lips and running a hand through my hair.
I bowed at Quinn and Noel did the same, with the difference that he was slightly shaking.
"What do we have here, guys?" Quinn asked amused, while Jeff refused to wipe the shock off his face.
"My apologies, your highness. We didn't know you were at a close proximity" I said before Noel had the chance to say anything.
"Yeah, I can see that" His grin got wider if that was even possible, the thrill dancing on his features.
"Noel? Is that boy telling the truth? Are you two-" it was Jeff's turn to talk now, the horror still audible on the tone of his voice.
Noel threw a brief glance at me, his whole face and ears now bathing in the shade of red.
I smiled at him, my heart racing against my chest.
"I-I.." he begun rubbing manically at his arm. "Y-yes. Yes, dad. We were..-" he glanced at me once again, his eyes widening at what he was about say. "It's true"
"True? So you're telling me that you and Errot were practically here the whole time, doing...what we caught you doing.."Jeff asked in slight disgust.
Noel moved his gaze to the ground. He nodded repeatedly.
"Bloody hell..." Jeff muttered under his breath.
I turned to look at Quinn while intertwining my fingers with Noel's.
Noel froze a tiny bit against my grip.
"We are very sorry. It won't happen again. Can we be excused?"
Quinn nodded at us. "Yeah you can go. And careful with Noel, Errot. He's very...innocent for his age"
His teasing smirk made me want to throw a punch at his face but I held back at my anger long enough to get us out of there and back to my bedroom again, leaving myself alone with Noel, so I can deal with the drama that I just caused.
♛