Another intervention

'Alright, guys, what did you want me for?'

'Hey, thanks for coming. We thought we'd stage an intervention.'

'An intervention...? Why?'

'The current situation's gone on long enough, so we're stepping in to help.'

'...Do you mind, y'know, stopping being cryptic?'

'We mean, your romantic situation. We see what's goin' on.'

'Oh, hell no. I'm out.'

'Stan!'

'Wait! Aw, c'mon! What's the problem?'

'I don't even know what you guys are talking about.'

'Okay, we've been a bit too dramatic about this. Relax, it's nothing bad. We just wanted a chat about you and Isai, that's all.'

'Look, I've known you a long, long time and I know how you are. In all these years I ain't ever seen you act the way you do with him. And it makes sense, don't it? You both got a lot in common. You'd be compatible.'

'I think it'd be really sweet if you got together. But still, we need to hear it from you first. Do you like him like that?'

'Will this make things awkward if I do?'

'No, not at all. I'm actually hoping the answer is yes, otherwise this whole thing will have turned out to be pretty embarrassing.'

'...Alright, fine. I do. Happy now?'

'Great! Now we can help you get together.'

'Oh God, no, please, you don't have to do anything like that.'

'The tables have turned. You've been the one tryin' to get people together before, now I get to be your matchmaker for once!'

'Don't even remind me... Stan, I know I was wrong before when I was teasing you over Nyla. I'm sorry, I handled it wrong. I didn't know what it felt like, back then, so I didn't get it. Now I do, and it's really not funny.'

'The hell you talkin' about?'

'Before you got together, and I was acting like it was easy and obvious just to tell her how you felt. I thought I was above it all. Obviously I'm not. I'm a fucking idiot.'

'You think I care about that now? I wasn't holdin' it against you. You might've been a little insensitive, but it ain't like you were wrong. Tellin' her was the right thing to do, just like it was for Logan and Saraya. You were just tryin' to encourage me, that's all.'

'I hate this whole thing. It makes me feel like shit.'

'Then we can resolve it, yeah?'

'I don't want to potentially wreck our friendship if he doesn't like me.'

'Well, I think he does. He won't confirm it, but he doesn't tell me anything anyway. But I see how he is with you. He's not got his eye on anyone else either, that much he did say.'

'So I'd still be taking a risk...'

'It seems unlikely he'd be the one to ask, sadly. It'll be alright, though. Even if it is a no, he wouldn't stop being friends with you.'

'It's definitely worth goin' for it. Don't you think you deserve to be happy too?'

'Well, he won't be the solution to all my problems regardless. Nor would I want him to be. I don't want to be needy, and I don't want my mental health issues to affect him.'

'You're doin' so much better these days, y'know. You're in control of it. I got faith in you, is what I'm sayin'.'

'...I'd be so lost without you, Stanley. I don't tell you often enough just how much you mean to me.'

'Aww, you. Don't mention it. Ain't like you haven't been there for me too.'

'You've been a good friend too, Topaz. Sorry for all this hassle over your brother.'

'It'll be worth it when I get to tease him over it.'

'Like you haven't already? I bet you have.'

'Well, sure, but I'll get to do it with confirmation this time.'

'There's one other problem... I have to tell him about Olivia.'

'Who?'

'She was my grandmother. Topaz, promise you won't freak out, please? This'll sound horrific but it's not as bad as that, I swear.'

'Okay...? Go on.'

'I killed her.'

'What-'

'By accident. We were arguing and I shoved her, she fell back and hit her head. It was that simple. God, I know, it makes me sound downright evil, I'm really sorry-'

'She abused Aria as a kid. Physically.'

'She had Tate assassinate her husband and sold him my mother as payment.'

'And she wasn't some frail old lady either. She was a vampire, so she was pretty physically strong.'

'It was a freak accident. I should've been sent down for manslaughter, technically speaking. But I somehow got away with it. Nobody had seen anything, I wasn't caught on camera, and it just looked like she'd slipped and fallen. It was next to a fountain, so... not implausible.'

'That's insane...'

'...So, if you want to change your mind about us being cute together, I'll understand.'

'...I can hardly judge you accidentally killing someone who by all accounts sounds pretty evil when I've deliberately killed people who didn't deserve it.'

'I'm sorry.'

'Yeah, me too. I think all of us in this room have done some unpleasant things at points in our lives. It's making the effort to change and be a better person that counts.'

'It's one of the reasons why I've worked so much on my anger. If the situation permits it... I'll never be violent to anyone again. If the situation doesn't permit it, which is the more likely scenario... well, I'll be violent to the likes of Tate only. I really regret what I did, even though she did deserve it.'

'You definitely need to tell Isai, I think.'

'Exactly. He needs to know all the facts before he can make a decision about me. I can't deceive him into thinking I'm much better than I am.'

'Tell him the whole situation, and he'll understand. He's never judged me, at least.'

'Okay. Thanks.'

First love

'I can't believe you went through with it. Though, I'll admit it, when I heard the news, my first thought was you, so...'

'Well, it would've been a bit too much of a coincidence for it not to be. But as far as the authorities are concerned, it was a random act of nature, and I'm off the hook.'

'Random act of nature... That'd be proof of God existing, wouldn't it?'

'Absolutely. If nature really did intervene and do something like that to him, I'd immediately be converted.'

'I can't say I'm sorry. He deserves to die. I'm more freaked out that it was you doing it. I'm never crossing you again, that's for sure.'

'Oh, you've got nothing to worry about! Believe me, that's where my life of crime ends. I'm not cut out for it. I've gone bald from the stress.'

'Bullshit, you've never had a single hair grow on your body.'

'Seriously though, it's been pretty nerve-wracking. I underestimated just how serious it was. I just wanted to solve everyone's problems.'

'That's understandable. I feel sorry for you lot back home, still having to deal with his shit.'

'Well, all I have to do now is get through the exams, enjoy the summer break and then I'm out of there.'

'That's true.'

'Are you still joining us at Pleasantview? I hope you are.'

'That's the plan... I'm a little nervous about these exams, to be honest. My education this past year's been... interrupted, shall we say, for a few different reasons we both know and don't need to repeat.'

'Relax. You'll smash it. I can't wait to see you at uni. I've missed you!'

'We all miss you too. I'll do my best. Anyway, I'd better get going. Jinx is starting to harrass me.'

'Heh, okay. See you later.'

'He's okay, then?'

'Yeah, mostly. He's stressing over exams, though. Which I understand, but he'll do fine. I wish exams were all I had to worry about.'

'You don't worry about them though. You always do well.'

'I know, but... well, you know it's not about the exams at all.'

'It's about Tate, right?'

'He's always wanted me dead. This whole thing'll just give him an excuse to do it. It's not like he has an issue killing people, even though I do.'

'Your family's gonna protect you. He can't do anything if he can't get to you. Try not to worry. I know that's not easy, but you'll make yourself ill by sitting around and worrying.'

'...I know. At least you're not too freaked out by the whole thing, I guess. I wasn't sure if you'd think I was a psycho.'

'No. I'm not gonna lie, it's a bit fucked up. But I understand why you did it. Besides, considering what I've done, I can't really judge.'

'Beating the shit out of a scumbag doesn't really compare to trying to kill someone.'

'Yeah, but you tried to kill another scumbag, who's been going out of his way to destroy your lives. I'm not holding it against you. People do bad things when they're put under that kind of strain. I know none of that is really you. And after the way you've supported me, how could I turn my back on you without hearing your side?'

'I guess you're right. Thanks... I love you, Jude.'

'I love you too. You're gonna be fine. And hey, I'm moving into my own place soon... You'll like that.'

'True! That's gonna be good.'

'I know! I can't wait. Poor Seth probably wants me gone too. He's been great about the whole thing, but he's gotta want his own privacy back.'

'It's good that he turned out to be a nice guy, even though he is in a gang. I think Edward needs a bit more convincing, though.'

'Understandable. Still, you can't always judge someone's morality based on what they do, especially in this town. We've got a mayor who murders people and criminals who are actually good people, deep down. That's how it is...'

'Hey, didn't you say a while back you'd draw me?'

'Yeah, I did, actually... Never got round to that one.'

'Well, I'm still game. You can even draw me nude if you need some anatomy practice.'

'...I don't know about that part...'

'Oh? It's not like you to suddenly be prudish about nudity!'

'Hey, you know I'm not! It's just slightly different if it's you, that's all.'

'You've seen me naked before, though.'

'But I've never had to, like, stare directly at it for a prolonged period of time...'

'I'm still not seeing the problem.'

'You're too... distracting.'

'I'll try not to windmill or anything.'

'...Stop deliberately missing the point.'

'I'm not. Doing it deliberately, I mean. Is it too uncomfortable if it's a friend? Is that it?'

'You know, this isn't something friends generally tend to do. Especially not male friends. I'm really not used to having a friend like you. Not that it's a bad thing, I mean, you being so open is really refreshing.'

'It is? Oh, good. I thought the same about you.'

'It's just... the lines between friendship and... something... something more are becoming quite blurred. And that's why I'm embarrassed.'

'Ah, now you get it.'

'You've been flirting with me the whole time, Amos. I've always got it. I never stopped you, did I?'

'And why didn't you stop me?'

'...Because I've been enjoying it.'

'Great. That's exactly what I've wanted to hear. Man, I should've made a move sooner...'

'I'll be honest. It's been a bit weird for me. I'm embarrassed because I've never been in this situation before. With anyone. And you being another guy just adds another layer of discomfort.'

'Oh, right.'

'I meant, discomfort with myself, not you. When you grow up with a homophobic dad, it's only inevitable it'll rub off on you a little bit.'

'Oh, I see. That's really shitty. I'm sorry he's made you feel that way.'

'But I'm not going to let him rule my life. He doesn't dictate what I do. If I wanna be with another guy, I'm gonna do it, and I'm gonna do it with pride.'

'That's the spirit!'

'Though, since I'm so inexperienced, I'd rather take things slow for now. Slow-ish. I know we don't have much time left together.'

'...We'll talk about that later, yeah? Let's work out our future plans later, and just focus on the now. And I won't take it too far, too soon.'

'Thanks... I appreciate you understanding.'

'Course I do. We all have to start somewhere.'

'I think a kiss is as good a place as any to start, no?'

'I think so too.'