avoid and destroy | tarryn/bryony, selfie/closed.
He stared in the mirror and stood next to Bryony, laughing as he changed back into himself, and as she changed back into herself. He hadn't known she was taking polyjuice as well- just hiding, he thought. She was, though; she was taking it to look like a niece of Rosmerta's, a niece who lived countries away and agreed to the situation. All he while, he was in Delevingne's body, feeling how she did with her aches and pains- her back, her upper arms.
"How did you cover it up during the ball? Your dress didn't leave much to the imagination." Tarryn whispered, glad to be in his own body once again.
He turned to watch as her eyes- her own eyes- filled with sadness he'd figured one could only feel if they'd harmed. She didn't need to say anything; she leaned against his chest and he held her, wrapped her in his cloak as she cried.
He'd never known that she knew any muggleborns, but when he'd first entered the little town of Hogsmeade, he saw tons of people milling about- but in the center of all travelers, huddled together, were the muggleborns. The ones with no pureblood lineage. The ones shunned. Some of the children smelled of piss and alcohol, and he had to control himself as he saw two older men throwing things at the people. This wasn't his place- he needed to pick his battles, especially in disguise. If Brennus were to find out that Bryony Delevingne, known well all over Hogsmeade, was protecting muggleborns, Tarryn would have a lot more to deal with than the Ministry.
They were her friends. Her summertime neighbors. And he couldn't help them.
He wouldn't be able to talk to Roisin anymore. Or kiss her. Or sit by Will's bedside. Or laugh with him. Or draw on his face while he laid in his infirmary bed.
"H- have you been able to talk to your Seahorse?" Bryony asked, pulling away from his grasp to sit on the couch. Her room above the bar was cozy, but small- if he was any larger, he'd take up nearly one fourth of the room.
Tarryn settled on the ground, pulling his unisex button down off so he could tear the bra away. "No. I... You would never talk to her in the first place. I comforted Sutton- she and uh... She and Will had some issues... And there was some talk after that, about Bryony Delevingne being nice..." He frowned. "So, no."
How he longed to hold onto Rhyan, and throw bottles with her, and talk about everything like a gossiping thirteen year old girl with her. "No."
Two minutes of silence passed between them.
He watched her pick at the couch. "Pippa? Have you spoken to Pippa?"
"Of course I've spoken to him, Bryony, and I'm not going to tell you anything." He breathed just as a strangled noise left her throat. "You gave up that privilege for us. For the good. For Nicki, and for me, and for Will, and Roisin, and everyone affected by all this bullshit-"
"YOU MADE ME! YOU-" Before she could scream any louder, Tarryn covered her mouth and grabbed her around the waist as she kicked around, at him, at everything. He stood through it all, watching as she pulled at his arms, and he would laugh if the situation was any different- but it wasn't. She was confused, and scared for her life, and she'd woken up in a coffin just as it was getting buried just days ago. He was a downright cunt but he knew not to fuck with someone who'd just gone through all that, no matter the circumstances.
Once she calmed down, he dropped her body onto the small bed, sitting Indian-style beside her. He watched her as she sat still, as still as she had been as she had been when she hung from her invisible rope, covered in blood, taking his form. What timing they had, to have done this before such a decree went into effect. If he had known, he would've prolonged the plan, if only to hold Roisin
"Wh- when can I go home?" She blubbered in between short sobs.
He held out his hand to her and she laid her little hand in it lifelessly. "Once I get something big out of Brennus."
"I... Didn't love him. I was.. Close."
"He's far past close, Bryony."
"Please don't hurt him too m-"
"Shut up!" Tarryn snapped, in a harsh whisper, making Bryony jump. "I can't believe you! Do you know what kind of fucking freak that man is? He's a fucking monster!" He stood up before her, leaning down. "He kills and he plans and he laughs about it all like it's nothing, like some kind of robot- and you were falling for that bullshit?!"
His hand flew to her neck, gripping firmly. She didn't grasp at it, she didn't scream. She stared into his eyes. "What did he do to you, Tarryn?" She spoke, nearly breathless.
He squeezed, and she stared. "What," She spoke, "did," Inbetween, "he do," Breaths, "to you."
Tarryn suddenly let go. "He supports what's tearing me apart from Roisin." He felt his legs give out and he fell to the floor, holding himself. "He's no father to Rhyan, who deserves all the good in the world..." He took in a sharp breath, ignoring the tears threatening his eyes. "And he nearly took my best friend, my Will, from me. The one person who has been there from the beginning, no matter what I've done or who I've harmed.." He let the salty water fall. "He was the first person that was good to me."
And that's why he needed to take Brennus down. And take the Minister down. And ruin everything that the evil had built, ruin it all, burn it to the ground. For his friends, for them, because he didn't deserve anything considering his actions this year alone.
Bryony held him like his mother once did, when he was little. He leaned into her chest as she petted his head. "I was falling for Brennus because he was the first person that was good to me, Tarryn."
He looked up to see her smiling down at him. "But now I've got you, and you've got me, and if we both end up with no one else we can be sad cat ladies together."
