the mover

presley mccain. 25. living off the grid and trying to help others do the same.

[presleymcclain]

@ezrasilvers @avctaraang​

“It felt longer for me too,” He gently brushed the back of her head. Presley was a special, no one else could really compare to her. She was so brave and strong, she knew what he could do, what he had done. Yet, she still let him in, trusted him, maybe even loved him. 

Loved him - the thought made Ezra’s chest tight and heart race. Cedric informed him multiple times, he didn’t deserve Presley. He wasn’t wrong, yet she kept choosing him. A large part of Ezra wanted to be better, do better, for Presley. If he could be a better man, maybe then he could feel like he deserved her, deserved her love. 

“Oh?” He chuckled, “maybe my clone won’t be as fucked up.” He shook his head, he’d never want to clone Presley. No one, not even a clone, would be her. It might look like her, talk like her - but he knew it wouldn’t be. 

“Come on, let’s go sit.” He moved farther into the space, never letting go of her, not completely. “It was fine. Success. Cedric took them to get checked out, I’m sure he’s headed to see Genesis now.” He shrugged, the target was a kid. Fresh with powers and unsure what to do. The division arrived an hour after them, they were getting better at tracking. “It was close,” he sighed, “they are getting too good at finding people Presley. If we would’ve been even a couple minutes late, they might’ve had all of us. We…” He sighed again, rubbing his eyes. “We had to get rid of them. I didn’t want them following us to close the compound. I worry that we won’t be safe for much longer though. They know we are all here. They are choosing not to attack, I just don’t understand why.” 

The division wanted to control people, use them as weapons. They could control the masses if they had the strongest under their control. The compound had lots of extremely strong people. So why wait? Ezra knew they liked to grab kids, they were easier to break, manipulate. They did that to him. Adults were harder, too much life and resistance in them. Everyone has a weak point. We just need to find it. He remembered them saying, so why wouldn’t they make their move.

—

Presley felt her chest loosen with every word that he spoke as she soaked them all up, reminding herself that they were real and were heard outside of the late night voices in her head that told her to expect the worst. That one day he wouldn’t come back to her but in a body bag, if she was lucky, and leave her there alone all over again — but she had to silence those thoughts. They were only there because she had been so alone for so long before he found her among everyone else in the compound. “You’re not fucked up,” she retorted, smacking him gently against the chest even as she made a face because she knew that he was already hurt from her throwing the vase at his head.

          “You’re alright and that’s all that matters to me.” Though she knew that not everyone agreed, even after all these years as she let him lead them both to take a seat despite hearing that the mission was a close call. It made her feel worried all over again because they were doing their best and it seemed to be barely helping with how many were out there trying to snatch up so many kids and use them as weapons. Even as they settled onto the couch, Presley was wrapped up against his side as she wasn’t ready to let go of him after missing him for the past few days. “I’m glad that it went okay, even if it was a close call. They need to do something about this — I don’t know what exactly, but I don’t know how we’re going to keep this up if we’re losing time.”

And if they ran out of time, then there wasn’t much left for them afterwards as she reached for his hand with her own. “We’ll figure it out. We have to.” Or else a lot was going to be more than at stake, but lost indefinitely. There was a lot riding on everyone’s shoulders in the division, which meant that they weren’t allowed a lot of rest in between missions or alone time to really hold onto what mattered most to them. Like Ezra. He might have just gotten back, but that often meant that she was next up in the field, with or without him.

[presleymcclain]

@ezrasilvers @avctaraang

home sweet home || 002

“I can’t even imagine ending up with a new partner. Not sure they’d give me one.” Ezra shrugged, he was lucky to have Presley. Most people didn’t trust him, they avoided him mostly. If something happened to Presley, god forbid, he’d likely have no place anymore. “So let’s make sure we never need new ones, okay?” 

“Huh,” he hummed, looking around her place. “At least it’s a pretty nice place, the one I got is small and dingy. Maybe you just need a roommate to feel less big.” He took a drink of the soda and shrugged. “Fair point. Next time we can celebrate at my place. Maybe we can go get you some food that won’t go bad sometime.”

—

“I think I can agree to that,” she added, though she bit her tongue when it came to him not finding another partner. There were plenty that made it known that Ezra wasn’t as accepted as others, but she was sure that there would be another if something did happen to her. It happened often enough, partners didn’t always last but Presley would rather have him as a partner than anything else. “You know that you’re not the only one that wouldn’t be able to get another partner either. Or ask for one — “ Presley paused after she spoke, trying to clear her throat instead of continuing that train of thought as she turned back towards her new place.

She smiled. “You think? I don’t know if anyone is looking for a roommate but if they are, maybe send them my way so I don’t get lonely all up in here by myself.” Granted, she often felt that way surrounded by plenty of people — except when she was with Ezra. Presley paused as she met his gaze with a softer glance. “I’d like that a lot.”

[ezrasilvers]

we meet again

[presleymcclain]

ezrasilvers‌: @dugwritcs​

Artemis hummed in response, she could still throw him out. She knew she wouldn’t, even if all of her wanted to, she wouldn’t. Silas came to her apartment for one reason or another and she’d rather know he was safe in her apartment than somewhere else. 

“Maybe you should give her the chance to explain, it might give some clarity?” Not that Artemis had really even been taking her calls. They didn’t have a relationship after she left, they weren’t going to suddenly have one now. She didn’t care what her mothers reasons were anymore, she’d already done enough damage to Artemis. “If you don’t like what she’s saying, you can always leave.” A small smile crept formed at that thought, her stunned face as Silas stormed away from her.

Dread washed over her, how are you okay with this? How could she answer without sending him fleeing her apartment. She looked around her place awkwardly trying to form a sentence before she spoke again. “I was six when mom left.” She starts slowly, unable to look at Silas. “My dad tried to help, ease the pain, but I still felt like I’d done something wrong, I wasn’t good enough, I wasn’t worth being loved…Those feelings never really went away.” 

Taking a deep breath, she finally looked at him. She still remember what it felt like to see him for the first time. She’d written it off, written her mother off. Hated knowing she was living in Artemis’ home, she came running back to her wanting a place to stay. “I was fifteen or sixteen when… when I reached out to her. She invited me to come visit her, to see her and her new home, new life.” 

“I wanted it to be shit. I wanted her to have a horrible life, so you can only imagine how shocking it was to see her in love and happy as ever. Like leaving us wasn’t the worst thing that happened to me.” She paused trying to catch her breath, the anger and betrayal bubbling up. “And from behind her… was you. I naively thought she’d come back with me when she saw me, that changed the moment I saw you. She loved you more than I think she ever loved us, she didn’t regret leaving us. It was so obvious when I saw you, she didn’t want me, I wasn’t good enough and that killed me.”

“So, uh, I’m not really okay with it. I promised myself that I’d never let her back in my life but I did. So I guess she still has a fucking hold on me.” Artemis leaned back in her seat, waiting for his reaction. 

         Silas wasn't drunk enough to deal with his emotions but then again, when was he ever? All that ever happened was that he managed a few hours of peaceful blackness before he woke up with everything right there on the forefront of his mind again and with a pounding headache too. It made everything worse, but it didn't slow him down when the alternative was to deal with it all sober. He chuckled bitterly before he moved his hand towards the glass of water and drained it quickly, wiping at the back of his hand before he gazed with a blurred vision towards the sound of her voice. "I tried to leave. I've tried to leave every chance I get, but somehow I never get anywhere but back at square one."

It didn't matter what he did or said, only that his mother got the final word and the truth that changed everything didn't help. Or change anything back to the way that it was when he'd lost his father. Now he lost anything semblance of a life when most of it was a lie because of one person. What he thought he knew, wasn't the truth.

He had a sister. His mother had a family, one that she'd run away from and married his father and had him -- setting him up to fail from the start and didn't have the gall to even say anything to him until the rug was taken out from underneath him and left him having to deal with it all at the worst time of his life. "My father, he never said anything either and I... I have no idea if he even knew about her. About you. About any of this," he gestured around as the room spun and he lay back down again on the sofa to keep things from spinnging anymore out of control.

"I can't let her back in. I can't," he muttered around a hiccup as he closed his eyes and felt the prickle of tears in his eyes, not for her though he would tell himself. They weren't for her. But for his father. Himself, maybe. Artemis, seeing her mother with a new life and a new kid, knowing that she'd been replaced as he coughed once with his eyes flying open. "You shouldn't have let her back in either. Not after what she did to you by way of me," he told her with a drunken tilt to all his words, not sure that he'd remember anything he was saying by this point but only that he was lost. "You should have told her to go fuck herself and throw the kid with her too." Silas' eyes closed once more, pressing his fingers against the bridge of his nose. "S'all my fault anyways."

[presleymcclain]

@ezrasilvers​ @dugwritcs​

On instinct he wrapped his arms around her waist. Oh how things had changed, he thought. He used to flinch away from physical contact, even from Presley. It was foreign to him, touch came with pain for so many years. Presley changed all of that. She eased him into life, took care of him, taught him how to trust, to love. So much of who he was now, was because she taught him a new way. 

He tucked his face into the nape of her neck, holding her close to him. “Hey,” he whispered at the sound of her soft cry. “I’m sorry I made you worry.” He wanted to comfort her more, whisper promises of coming back to her. But he knew he couldn’t. She knew just as well as he did, there was no guarantee in their line of work. 

“What can I say… I like a girl who can hold her own.” He leaned into her touch, gazing softly at her with a smile. “No need to apologize Presley, I’d been disappointed if you hadn’t hit me. You have good aim. Though… we’ll have to get a new lamp.” 

He pressed his forehead against hers, a smile still on his lips. “I missed you while I was away. I hate when I’m paired with Cedric, I’d felt better with you out there with me instead.” So much had changed over the years. He still couldn’t believe this brilliant, beautiful, talented women wanted to be around him. “I wish we could be paired together on every mission. I can’t imagine anyone I’d ever trust as much as you.” He pressed a gently kiss to her temple, he didn’t deserve her and yet here she was, wrapped up with him.

The feelings he’d felt for her for years, hung in his mind, always there, begging to be spoken. Wishing he had the courage to be said aloud. Whenever he returned home, he thought of saying them to her. Whispering them to her in the early mornings as the sunlight poured into their room. He had no doubt that he loved her, always had, always would. Yet that fear crept up on him moments before he’d say it. What if she doesn’t love you? What if she sees the monster you are? 

He’d been hardwired to believe he was a monster, thrive on it. It was what was going to make him a good weapon for them. His powers weren’t as useful in combat, but he was. Everything they made him to be, he was meant to thrive off the violent’s, crave it. But they had a flaw in their code, something in him screamed to run. Everything they’d done to make him a weapon was used against them for him to get away. 

He was still haunted by the fear that he was a monster, they made him so. He was going to be used to find and eliminate people like Presley, Cedric and Genesis before they became a problem. He couldn’t help but wonder, if she’d see him the way they all do, that he does. If Presley knew, could see what he’d done, what they wanted him to do, would she change her mind?

          It had only been a couple of days, but it felt far longer when it was both Ezra and Cedric who were gone on a mission. Was this what it felt like when she was the one out there risking her life for the cause? To save others who didn't know that places like this existed? Or that they could exist in a world without living completely in fear? It was still, lingering in the quieter parts of each of their minds, reminding them that they weren't completely safe but in his arms -- Presley could tell the voices where to stick it.

Ezra made her feel safe, long before she even realized how much she'd come to rely on quiet strength which was harder for the others to still recognize. He was one of them, but some of the older members of them still were wary and passed it along to some of the younger ones, making her frustrated and lash out unexpectedly on the times when he was out on a mission without her. Sometimes her powers were active without her help, moving items around like an emotional storm that wouldn't pass without finding a release. It kept them from speaking out too loundly against him, not when she was around and Presley knew it was because they were scared of what might happen to them if they did.

He was human. He was one of them. But they still made it impossible to forget that he wasn't always on their side, but with her chin pressed down against his chest and holding tight until the tears subsided, Presley couldn't believe it. She refused. They all did things that would stay with them, but it didn't make them who they were when she knew him. She knew all of him, even the darker side that he tried to keep from her but it was there and she held onto it as much as the rest of him. It was a part of who he was and she loved him, all of him, in spite of the darkness. "I know it was only a couple of days, but," she let her voice trail off as she steadied herself with a gentle sigh of relief in being able to find a solid form to hold onto rather than hope. "It felt longer."

It always did. Some times were easier than others, knowing that he was with Cedric meant that she'd see them both soon enough but it still didn't calm her nerves which could only be felt and doubled whenever she was around Genesis who bled out her emotions more than she was willing to admit. It was cute when Cedric was around, but without him there -- she was terrifying. "I can always get another lamp, I can't get another you. Believe me, I've tried but apparently we can't clone people," she teased him with a slight laugh that was muffled against his chest before she peeled back enough to gaze up into his eyes. "But I'm on an email waiting list for when it is possible."

But truth be told, she wouldn't have traded him for anyone else even as she spied her handiwork on the side of his temple and managed to shoot him a sheepish look that bled through her exhaustion from the lack of sleep taking a hold of her in the hours since their return was overdue. "How'd it go?"

[presleymcclain]

“You don’t call, you don’t write. Some might think you dead with how little I see you around here.” Genesis had heard before seeing him that they were back, the both of them, but still it had been hours later before he came around. Or maybe she’d put herself in a place where he’d have to come find her. No, she wasn’t being petty for how long it took for him to come back but Genesis had been worried. And she hated that feeling. She hated not knowing what was going on or if anything was wrong, and most of all she hated the fact that she couldn’t control her voice all that often when her worries got the better of her. “But lo and behold, you’re both alive and well. Lucky us, right? The prodigal son returns.” @dugwritcs @ezrasilvers

[presleymcclain]

“You know you don’t have to play with me, right? If there’s anyone that knows you, it’s me. Maybe Presley but she,” Genesis shook her head as she grinned while rolling her shoulders. Her fingers clenched into fists as she raised them once more, ready for another round on the mat even though their class was long over but that didn’t she was ready to let him walk away just yet.  “She don’t know you like I do.” @dugwritcs @ezrasilvers

[presleymcclain]

@ezrasilvers​ @dugwritcs​

Four long days he’d been away. His mind drifted while they hid, while they moved around without thought trying to get rid of the Watcher that had caught up to them. The nights were worst, he reminded himself. While he lay awake, listening to every sound the world around them made. Cedric, the annoying shadow he continued to be paired with did his best to keep close to them. He was stronger than Ezra gave him credit for, he kept the three of them hidden from any sniff that tried to find them. Cedric was a friend of Presley’s, they’d practically grew up together and Ezra knew he was important to her. That didn’t mean he liked him, nor did it mean he liked Ezra. They had a mutual agreement to survive and that was it.  

No one talked about it, but the whole compound knew Ezra could handle himself and wasn’t afraid to do what was needed. It made him a ticking time bomb to most people. They shunned away from him, afraid he’d turned into the Divisions puppet. He ignored them, he didn’t need them, Presley was all he needed. Yet he couldn’t help, while he sat awake wishing they would accept him. If he ever wanted to create any kind of life with Presley, how could he when everyone she trusted, she loved, didn’t trust him? 

He’d fantasies about running away together, finding a new home where no one knew them. But there was safety in numbers, even if it put a larger target on them. Before finding the compound, Ezra never stayed in one place longer than a week. Yet he’d been in the compound of years. He learned and grew up in the compound. He became a person, not just a number, a potential solider. The division felt like a lifetime away, a nightmare more than something he’d actually experienced. Yet the crippling fear of being caught always bubbled back up on missions. Reminding him that it wasn’t a nightmare, it was real. 

Finally, they returned to the compound, injured but alive. Cedric took their target to get them settled and checked up. Although he tried to argue, Ezra was taken to get fixed up. They had to get rid of the watchers and sniffs, and that meant fighitng. It felt like hours until they released him, his mind finally tired. Somewhere along the way, Presley’s apartment became home. He still kept his, not wanting to seem like he was as attached as everyone thought. Or perhaps it was his own fear, that she’d finally see he was no good and he’d be without a place. 

He should’ve expected it really, he thought when the lamp crashed into him. It was a good thing that she was throwing things at him when he came in unannounced. He couldn’t help the smile that formed at his name. “Hi,” his voice came out tired and gruff, rubbing the bump that was forming on his head from the lamp. “Glad to see you still have good reflexes,” he hit the light switch, flooding the room in light. 

There she was, hair a mess, closer than he was expecting. He wondered if there would be a time when she didn’t take his breath away. He remembered the feeling when he felt sunlight on his skin the first time after he’d gotten out. The warmth that spread across his skin and he broke out into a smile for the first time. That was the happiest he’d ever felt, the smell of fresh air, sunlight warming him to the core. It was the first time he felt free. “Wow,” he said in a whisper, his hand falling from his face, lips tugging into a smile. He felt the same feeling every time he saw her. 

They were only supposed to be gone two days at the most, a quick trip out there to pick up someone who had shown up on their radar but it had gone on longer than that as Presley did her best to keep from letting it affect her back at the compound. She wouldn’t be any good to anyone if she were distracted despite it being both Ezra and Cedric out there, catching sight of Genesis when they were training in the same room together and knew that it wasn’t only her that was missing them. They both needed them back.

She hadn’t expected him to show up in the middle of the night, unannounced and in her kitchen under the cover of darkness as light flooded her place fully. But it was a breath of relief that knocked against her chest, echoing through her ribs and letting it out again at seeing him standing there in one piece and smiling across the distance between them. Her lamp was shattered in pieces, eyes landing on the bump on his face from where she’d hit him and at least Presley had the decency to look sheepish when she glanced at it but it didn’t dim the light that ran through her at seeing him again. 

How a weight crumbled away with the flick of the light switch coming on and illuminating the both of them, her eyes drawing along the edges of his face to the rest of him as she stood there for a moment longer to fully take him in. She needed it. She needed to know that he was really there and okay, after too many hours without hearing a single thing about either one of them as it took her as long to piece together in her heart that he was there before it lunged forward with the rest of her as she threw her body into his.

Arms wrapped around his neck as she gripped him tighter than she thought possible, willing every hesitant thought and doubt of seeing him again to leave her body and only let in everything else that she’d felt for him that only grew over the years. This was the man that she cared about more than anything else, wishing that people could see him the same way that she did even after all these years but none of them or that mattered when he was in her arms. A soft spoken cry broke through her silence, letting out the last of the worry that she’d bee cradling in her chest as it was met with his solid warmth that could only make her feel whole when he was around.

“Only you,” she murmured against the crook his head as she buried her head there and breathed in deep as she let every sense become immersed the very presence of him back in her life. It was where he belonged. A cry that shifted into a broken down and watery laugh that rumbled in the back of her throat as she pulled back only enough to meet his eyes so that she could update her memory of them for any changes that might have happened in his absence. Her lips twisted into a heavy smile. “Only you would be brave enough to walk in here unannounced and then smile at me when I hit you upside the head,” she teased softly as her one hand shifted from around his neck to run along the mark on his face. “Sorry...”

[ezrasilvers]

home sweet home || 002

[presleymcclain]

@ezrasilvers​ @dugwritcs​

He nodded, even if he didn’t like that he didn’t do more. She was right, they couldn’t dwell on it. They were alive, they’d completed the mission. They were meant to have each others backs but they each had tasks. His was to find the target, he wasn’t the muscle on the mission. Presley was the protector, their defense. Finally he sighed and offered her a short smile. “You’re right. I’m just glad you are okay.” 

“It’s better than mine.” Ezra watched her as he spoke, he felt like he was intruding in her space. He always felt like that, as if his presents wasn’t allowed. That he didn’t fit in, normally he’d just ignore it. With Presley it was different, he wanted to be around her, even if it went against his better judgement. “Why don’t we share a soda? To celebrate that we are both alive.” He followed her into the kitchen, leaning against one of the counters. “No judgement, but you need more than that in your fridge, you’ll starve. I have more than that, I’ve stocked up on items that don’t go bad quickly.”

Presley wanted to focus on them being alive, that they’d all made it out in one piece with only a few scrapes and bruises on either one of them and the target they’d extracted. It was a job well done in their superior’s books, but she knew that by the look on Ezra’s face when seeing her again that they could have done better. “And I’m glad that you’re okay,” she told him truthfully with a smile all her own. “I’m not in the market of wanting a new partner so if you were to go and get yourself hurt then I’d be stuck waiting for you to heal up. And that sounds pretty boring for the both of us.” With that, Presley nodded as she went straight to the fridge in search of a celebratory soda with a hint of a sheepish look on her face when it came to how unprepared she was to host anyone. 

“They gave it to me, I think, because I don’t have anyone else,” she shrugged as she turned back around with a soda in one hand and set it down before she went to go get two glasses for them and ice. “A lot of people live with their families until they move out but I never had that so when I was eighteen, they gave me this place. It’s too big for me.” It was too silent too at night as she filled both glasses with ice before setting them down alongside the soda can and popped the top, pouring each of them a glass. “You’re right but when I’m in the field or training, food tends to go bad on me so I forget to stock up again. Maybe we should celebrate at your place,” she teased him with another bright smile before she handed over a glass for him to take.

[ezrasilvers]

we meet again

[presleymcclain]

@ezrasilvers​ @dugwritcs​

The thought of Silas, drunk, sitting out on her step all night, possibly getting sick or her neighbors yelling at him for some reason, wasn’t as appealing as he likely thought it was. It was getting colder at night and this area wasn’t really known for drunk people sleep on steps. Last thing she’d want to worry about was the police taking him to jail.

“I could have.” She hummed in agreement, “but that wouldn’t make me a very good big-” Sister. The word hung around, unable to ignore it. She was about to say it, sister. She only considered herself a big sister to her younger sisters. Yet the word almost slipped out. Something inside her was starting to think of Silas as family, in their own dysfunctional way.

Clearing her throat, “and anyways, my furniture can be cleaned or replaced. Can’t exactly do that with you.” It was the truth, even if it sounded mushy. “Here,” she placed a glass of water and pain killers on the coffee table. “I’ll get you some blankets, just in case you fall asleep on the couch, but you are welcome to stay in one of the guest beds…They are still made up.”

Once she’d gotten him the blankets and a pillow, she wasn’t sure what to do with herself. Should she talk to him? Or just head to bed, he’d pass out sooner or later. “Uh…Do you, do you wanna talk about it?” She started, taking a seat at the other end of the couch. “I mean, what was your reasoning to getting drunk?”

Silas let his head roll backwards then, moving between both of his shoulders as he did his best to keep from losing his hold on the room and toss whatever was in his stomach. Between the alcohol and some of the questionable food, he was lucky that he hadn’t gotten sick yet on his way to Artemis’ place. He should have gone home. He should have gone anywhere else but instead, he’d ended up in the first place on his mind and the last place that he felt welcome.

It wasn’t like Artemis had closed off her apartment or her life to them, but it didn’t change how awkward things were now between them all since learning the truth that he wasn’t an only child and neither were they without a brother. “You could have. You should have. You might still,” he mumbled as sipped on the glass of water she’d given him already before he watched her through his blurred vision. “No one would blame you. Me least of all.” His fingers closed around the pain killers and swallowed them with another sip of water before he set the glass back down and closed his eyes when she went off. 

“Does anyone need a reason to get drunk?” He shrugged but it was a limp movement as he felt his lips curl upwards once more before it fell. Silas paused after a moment and considered that Artemis was there, not someone else and not him alone with his own mess to clean up but she was willing to listen. “She called me again... wants to talk to me about everything she had twenty plus years to mention but didn’t think it was important until...” Well until everything went to shit between losing his father and their house. And finding a family on the other side of the country. “How are you not... how are you okay with this?” His limp hand gestured between the both of them.

[presleymcclain]

#starter for @ezrasilvers / @dugwritcs

         The noise had woken her up from a sleep that Presley hadn’t planned to take, checking the time on her phone only told her that it was far later than it was supposed to be when he came home. ( if he came home ) She shook off that seed of doubt. It happened every time they went into the field separately, partnering up with someone who wasn’t them and she swore not to let it bother her half as much as it did. 

Ezra could handle himself, just as much as she could handle it on her own but that didn’t stop the worrying or the lack of sleep that came in the three days that he’d been gone. Or had it been four now. Depending on which way she looked at it ― it was past time for him to be back. Having not heard a word on any of them or the mission, Presley knew the looks that she got when she inquired to any intel they might have received. No one cared if he came back, no one other than herself and that hadn’t changed in the years since he’d joined them. That type of prejudice would eat at a person, tear them apart at never feeling like they belonged and over time; it became a personal burden that she took on.

He didn’t deserve the looks or the scorn, and he sure as hell didn’t deserve to be an outcast when their community needed everyone to survive. Presley hated it and made her voice known, shutting down any opposition that might be vocalized against him and would continue to do so, despite them never giving him a full chance. Not even those closest to her fully accepted him. 

It left her alone and wondering if he’d make it back, barely awake until the sound of something ( or someone ) in her apartment had her up from the couch and heading towards the sound, coming from her kitchen. Her hands poised, ready to move whatever had decided to come into her place in the middle of the night when they thought it would be any easy place to hit. They thought wrong as she was not the girl she’d been once, if anything, she was stronger because of Ezra.

Another noise and Presley moved, sending a lamp flying in the direction of where it came from when she heard a man’s voice curse at the impact that was all too familiar. Her stomach dropped along with the lamp, hearing the crash as her knees buckled and Presley couldn’t contain herself as she moved forward to see who it was in her kitchen. “Ezra?”

[ezrasilvers]

home sweet home || 002

[presleymcclain]

ezrasilvers:

It felt unreal, arms tightly around him, happy to see him. She was overwhelming, he felt like he couldn’t breathe around her. Anyone that would’ve seen them would’ve laughed at him. His eyes wide arms out stretched awkwardly until it registered that he needed to hug her back. When he finally did, arms curling around her frame it was almost worst. 

He couldn’t believe it, never understood how he was allowed around her. It always ended too soon, he could stay entangled with her for eternity. But he knew it couldn’t, he always pulled back, afraid of hurting her.

“Oh,” part of him wished she’d been able to sleep. She needed it, he knew she had over done it. Shrugging in agreement, he hadn’t noticed that he’d been guided further into her space, not that he would’ve minded. He didn’t like leaving Presley, even less when she was hurt. He wasn’t given a choice, and he knew they wouldn’t let him go until they’d finished. 

Inhaling sharply as she lifted her shirt, even if her words had warned him, he wasn’t prepared. Mindlessly he reach out, luckily her shirt dropped back down before he reached her. Shoving his hands into his pockets to stop it from happening again. He couldn’t help his eyes lingering, “I should’ve helped more.” Guilt washing over him, he could’ve done something to stop her from getting hurt at all. 

A small smile formed, finally dropping her gaze again. Ezra was thankful that she was there, thankful that she didn’t hate him. He’d been stuck with a few people before being paired with Presley and they all hated him. Not that he could blame them, he was prickly. She’d been the only one to see past that, or maybe she was the only one he let. “Uh, sure. What do you have? I like your place by the way.” He fumbled his words out, his place was bleak and bare. He didn’t want to have items used to track him if he needed to run. He also didn’t have anything before he showed up at the compound. So seeing her place was comforting, it felt like her. 

”You helped as much as you could. We got him out of there in one piece, no one died, and we made it back," she told him adamantly, not one to listen to him take the blame or the guilt on his features when she saw the marks on her skin. Presley knew what she was getting herself into when she'd fought for her spot in the field, not one for wanting to stay behind and hide behind their walls and doors when her powers could help people. It was what she wanted, more than anything, but that didn't mean she wanted to sit back and let someone else take the blame for her actions. "You had my back. I knew I was safe because I had you out there."

It was the truth, more than she felt that he wanted to believe in himself when she could read his body language that had her taking a step back to give him space. She didn't want to hurt him anymore than he'd already been hurt, the two of them needing time to heal from their last mission when all Presley wanted to do was be around him. Resting and sleeping, it was the doctor's orders as well as everyone else she'd seen since being debriefed and retired to her apartment but it was the last thing on her mind.

All she wanted was to not be alone.

But it was what she knew best even if it was maybe her worst superpower. "It's a place." She shrugged, knowing that most had bigger ones that were full of loved ones and families while her own only had her and the life that she'd made there. It wasn't a bad one but in times like this, when she was on the mend and knew that she couldn't even go out in the field when the absence of a family was more pronounced. With Ezra, she felt like she belonged even if he didn't think the same as her as she glanced over her shoulder at him with a small smile. "Water, some old sodas that I've been saving for special occasions. Maybe we should splurge and crack one open, to celebrate that we're both alive and together," she teased him lightly as she led them both towards her small but open kitchen which had been a large reason in getting this place as opposed to one more central in the compound. It made her feel like she could cook one day, if she ever gave it a chance as she opened the fridge. "There's also some beers if you're more into that? I'm not so stocked up on food unless you like eggs."

[ezrasilvers]

we meet again

[presleymcclain]

ezrasilvers:

If he wasn’t drunk, she’d likely make a drink for herself. Silas had been a stab in her heart from the moment she met him, not that he’d remember that interaction. Dealing with him was a headache, he had an attitude that she didn’t care for or need, anyone would’ve understood her telling him to go home and closing her door. 

Yet she couldn’t. It had nothing to do with her mother, if fact, it had to do with her dad. He’d taught the girls to never turn people away if they could help, which is why the responsibility for Silas and their mom landed on Artemis when they showed up. She had bitterly allowed them to stay in her place, forcing her mother out once Silas had left. 

Their mother had a horrible effect on Artemis, she drove everyone away because she couldn’t handle it. She’d hated her for most of her life, holding onto the secret of their mothers other life from her sisters for years. Yet she came barging in, pleading for a place to stay and ruining their little bubble. 

Silas, though an annoyance, and a little ungrateful - wasn’t a horrible person. His world had crumbled around him all at once and he was thrust into a new one. Suddenly seeing their mother in a new light, one he likely didn’t like. She saw herself in him, though she never turned to drinking, she did know how it felt to struggle with it. She’d done it twice. 

“You make it sound like I’ve never been nice to you.” She said coolly, she let him live with her after all. “If I sent you away in your state and something happened to you, I’d never forgive myself. It’s hardly putting me out knowing you are safe.” Artemis continued, expression softening. She didn’t want to pity him, if their roles were reversed she’d be offended if she saw him pitying her. “Do you need help getting inside? Do you need something other than water? Coffee?” She had an abundance of coffee in her apartment, mostly because she was always trying new ones. 

Silas stared at the open doorway, his blurred vision only giving way enough to see the raven haired woman who had been brought into his life one day as a half sister that he knew nothing about. A whole old life of his mother's that he knew NOTHING about when it came to who they were and what they had been before he was born, his mother leaving that life behind and giving him not an idea of this other side to her. His whole life had become nothing more than a lie, a sick joke for him to attempt to drown out it all in copious amounts of alcohol.

It didn't do much, not when he'd ended up at her apartment, the same one he'd lived in for months after his father's death and his mother's life falling apart at the seams -- throwing him into hers as much as she was thrown into his life. At the end of the day, Silas knew that he couldn't ignore it even as much as he tried when her place was the only one on his mind along with the half sister that lived within it. The place that made no sense whatsoever but was the closest he had to a home these days, not believing half of what his mother had told him before he left her side to figure it all out on his own.

Not that he was doing much of a good job, ending up on Artemis' front step at the end of a particularly rough night as he slumped through the doorway onto the other side before stumbling forward enough that he didn't have a chance but to be fully immersed in the world that he'd tried his damnest to leave behind. "Nice enough," he told her with a slur, knowing that she only put up with him because of their shared blood rather than out of the goodness of her heart. He wasn't good enough of a person or a brother to be worth a damn like that, not to the point where her door might have always been open to the likes of him.

He just didn't have anywhere else to go if she'd shut it on him, his own apartment was a mostly empty hole in the wall that he slept in -- not anywhere close to the lived in home that Artemis had made for herself, the same that she'd opened up to him and his mother. Someone she'd never met before, or even knew existed, and did the same once more as he found his way to her couch and fell into it as his head rest against the back of the couch. "I think I made it." Her offer still there in the air between them as he glanced in her direction. "Thanks." It didn't get past him that she'd let him in once more, worse for wear than anything. "You could have just left me on the step, might have been better on your furniture."

[ezrasilvers]

the start of something new

[presleymcclain]

ezrasilvers:

                                               “Why do you even care?”

Why did he? Sam didn’t know her at all, he could’ve given her the schedule and walked away like anyone else would’ve. So why didn’t he? Maybe because Ben had asked him to help out, maybe because it’s what his mother would’ve done at his age. Or maybe it was simply because he would’ve wanted someone to take time to show him around if their roles were reversed.

That was the goodness in him everyone talked about though, the kindness they all said he got from his mother. Was it though? Was he being kind, or was he feeling sorry for her? The whole school had their backs up for the new group, some still hadn’t warmed totally to the idea of Mel and her friends yet. They still waited for the other shoe to drop, waited for them to mess up. That’s when their dark smirks would show, when they would yell ‘I told you so!’ Even after proving themselves, they refused to see the good, only the evil.

Unable to look at her, Sam started out towards the Island, their prison, their home. Many times he’d sat on the roof staring in the direction of the Island, wondering if they ever got sun, if someone sat over on a roof out there wishing to be where he was. “Because you deserve the chance to be whoever you want. If you want, be a villain, you’d just prove them right. Be a hero, prove them wrong. Be something in between, here you get that choice. Not everyone does.”

He could hear a dark sarcastic laugh that she hadn’t done yet, ‘Poor little prince, had such a hard life being waited on by servants. Wishing to be somewhere else, thinking it’s so hard, you spoiled brat.’ Maybe she wouldn’t say those things, but someone would someday. The kids from the Island had it far worse than Sam could even imagine, and here he stood, wind hissing loudly around them, feeling sorry for himself. He’d wished he could’ve been a sidekicks kid, someone people would glance over, they wouldn’t expect so much from him. He wasn’t a hero, he wasn’t going to kiss a princess and walk her up and send the evil witch to a prison.

“No matter where you go people will expect something of you. For some, they expect you to be a hero, for others, they’ll expect you to be a villain. But you don’t always have to be whatever they think you should be. It’s your life, you get to take what life has given you so far and be whoever you want, good, bad, somewhere between.” Finally Sam looked over at her, maybe he didn’t pity her, maybe he envied her. Maybe he saw something in her that he wanted, a recklessness, a fun he’d never experienced, an itch he never allowed himself to scratch.

“Haven’t you heard? Nothing’s impossible.” A small smirk formed as he said the words, it was something they were told from a young age, if they put their mind to it, they could do it. Maybe that was true, or maybe it was just a saying they told kids to make them believe. “You know, all you need is a little faith, trust and a little pixie dust.”

"Yeah well, where I'm from there isn't no faith, no trust, and sure as hell no pixie dust." If there was, there was a large chance that she wouldn't be there in the first place because her mother would have been the first one to get her hands on any sort of magic. The island was a dead zone, nothing worked other than the people, and they all lived in fear and awe at what lay on the other side of the bridge. While other kids might have dreamed what it was like to cross the bridge, to be anywhere else, Kassia would have been content to just be someone else. Not the sea witch's daughter, not the powerless kid they thought that she was, not anyone at all but whomever she wanted to be, whoever that was. She hadn't quite figured it out, too busy being burdened with her mother's sparse love and desire for more power t han anything else while she got by on her own.

That's what she did best. Being alone, taking what she needed to survive, so to be handed something like this -- she was waiting for the other shoe to drop, the strings to be pulled, and everyone's real reason for wanting them there to be revealed. Was it because the last group of kids turned out to be goody two shoes? Kas snorted. With a mother like the Evil Queen, who wouldn't turn and run to be on the side of the heroes to get away from her after growing up in her shadow. Kas couldn't blame Mal about as much as she knew her, only seeing her as a bit older and with her own group of friends. She didn't even have that. The ones that she'd come with, the other villain kids, they didn't even say a word to her because they only ever saw the sea witch who would take deals and ruin the lives of anyone on the island just for a piece of gold.

Her mother was the worst of the worst, meaning that the apple didn't fall far from the tree when people looked at Kassia. It didn't matter what she did or said, or how she looked ( changing her hair colors like the season to see if it made a difference ) because she'd always be her mother's daughter.

Kassia pushed herself away from the edge, eying everything that they had as an opportunity to escape everything and everyone -- take the magic wand and free her mother? Free herself in the process too? Or run as far as she could and be nothing to no one other than herself. Find herself somewhere where there were no heroes, no villains, nothing but ordinary people who didn't know who she was just by looking at her or hearing her name. She could hide. She could be normal like them, she'd done it for so long now that it was second nature. The power that she concealed, the ones that were similar to her mother's --  making deals, all of it could be forgotten over time to the point where she'd be just like everyone else. Isn't that what she wanted all along?

But if she believed him for a moment, glancing in his direction for a moment before turning her gaze back outwards -- then there would be no where that she could go, hide, or be nothing to no one. He was right. No matter where she went, people would expect something from her. Like her mother.  Like the people at the school. Like him. "If only it was that simple, to be whoever you want to be," she spoke with a shake of her head, pushing it out of her thoughts as she turned to him with a wicked look. "Tell me, Sam. Who do you want to be?"

[ezrasilvers]

home sweet home || 002

[presleymcclain]

ezrasilvers:

There were moments that still shocked him where time froze and he didn’t know what to do. Most of those moments were with Presley, it didn’t matter when or where they were. In training when he was laying on his back because of her, he would stare at her too long, a smile they only shared. Seeing her strength and stopping mid sentence because everything was Presley and all other thoughts left his mind.

Those moments where the earth stopped and his vision was only on her, and it was a mix of surprise and being impressed, they were rare. Those moments with her felt like breathing in fresh air for the first time in forever, and feeling the sun burning his eyes but warming his skin. 

This was one of those moments, where everything faded away. Her arms wrapped around his neck and it took a minute for his brain to make his arms move. He pulled her as close as he could, holding her tightly. Ezra’s eyes shut, breathing in Presley, capturing their closeness. She was okay. Presley was okay, they were okay. They’d made it out, no one got captured, a few bumps and bruises could be healed. 

Reluctantly he let her go, the moment ingrained in his mind, a blissful happy memory. “I wanted to give you time to sleep,” Ezra said slowly, gesturing into her apartment like that should make sense. “I didn’t want to leave you,” his words came out in a rushed whisper, unable to meet her eyes. “I was going to take you to them, but before I could someone was dragging me away, and there were people with you.” Ezra pushed his hands into his pockets with a slight shrug trying to act casual about what he was saying. He never wanted to leave Presley, mostly when she was hurt. He wanted to be there by her bedside, making sure she was okay, but he wasn’t. He was in his room, staring at his ceiling wondering if he’d given her enough time. 

“You did good,” he said finally, looking at her again. “I wish you wouldn’t have gotten hurt, but I’m glad I had you out there with me. They don’t give you nearly enough credit around here, you know that right? You’re stronger than they think.” Ezra didn’t look away this time, he wanted Presley to believe what he was saying. “I’m glad I had you as a partner.”

With her arms around his neck, Presley felt like she was finally able to relax completely and focus on the fact that they'd both made it back in one piece with the target in their hands. She didn't have the restless dreams of remembering what'd happened back there or the people that'd gotten hurt because of her. She didn't have to feel so alone back in her apartment when there was nothing and no one to distract. They'd discharged her and sent her packing, telling her to take some time off and recuperate after what they'd done -- debriefing had happened while she'd been in and out of being checked up on but the entire time, she'd only wanted to see Ezra again.

And now she finally got her chance. Her arms around him, holding on tight, she could close her eyes and picture everything that she'd been staring off into space for the past few hours was right in front of her rather than faking sleep and rest. How could she rest after what they'd been through? How could she just turn it all off when all she wanted was to be around the one person that believed in her when no one else would?

It ended far too quickly for her liking, but she knew Ezra -- what she got was more than she could ever hope to expect as she lowered herself down from her tip toes again and was smiling softly up at him. He looked in better shape than she knew how she looked, the bruises and cuts that she'd taken were part of the job. That's what happened when she wanted to be in the field, wanted to help others, and had the ability that most were looking for to utilize. It had only been a matter of time before they finally sent her out, but mostly because she'd gotten a partner they thought wouldn't be right for her or would let her get hurt. But he didn't. That was all on her shoulders.

"I haven't been able to sleep," she told him with a remarkable way of pulling him into the apartment without him noticing or even fidgeting before she had the door shut. "I mean, I've been staring at the walls and cleaning but I haven't..." She shrugged before she was wrapping her around her chest and walking back towards where he was still standing. "It's okay. I know you would have been there if you could have but you needed to be checked out as well plus, we can't both be re briefed at the same time, now can we?" She twisted her lips into a brighter smile. "Have you see my first battle wounds?" She lifted her shirt just enough to show off the bruises on her right side that stretched from her ribs to her hips as she looked down for a moment before she let the shirt follow. "That's the worst of it. So there wasn't much for them to have to put back together other than saying I need to rest."

His next words though, they made her be the one shifting on the spot as she felt the tops of her ears start to turn red before she had at least the decency to meet his eyes while he spoke. "Funny, 'cause I was thinking the same thing about you." Presley paused. "Can I get you anything to drink or eat?"

[ezrasilvers]

we meet again

[presleymcclain]

ezrasilvers:

There was a part of her that wanted to push him out of her way and slam the door in his face. The ungrateful little brat, falling over himself because he was drunk. What good would that do? He’d stumble home and could get hurt and she’d feel responsible. 

Grinding her teeth, she stepped towards the door unlocking it and pushing the door open. Standing in the doorway, she looked over at him again. This was Silas, he half-brother, somehow he was family. She wanted to yell at him, tell him to stop acting like a brat, that his life wasn’t as bad as he thought it was. He wasn’t left. The words sat on the tip of her tongue, tears burning in her eyes at the thought, jaw clenched to stop the words. 

“You can’t be out like that,” she said finally, stepping inside to leave the door open, hoping he’d take a hint and come inside. She wanted to go to bed, wanted to go have a shower, wash off all the anger that bubbled up when she was around Silas or their mother. 

How did they get under her skin like this? He didn’t even have to do anything, just be near her and she was ready to scream. None of her anger was really at him, it wasn’t really his fault for being born. He was there though, he was a product of their mother, he got the nice life. He got a mother who was there, he wasn’t abandoned. “You need sleep and since you’re here…Have some water.”

How he'd managed to end up at the wrong place in his state... Silas didn't want to think about it. In fact, he didn’t want to think about anything if that were possible. All the alcohol that he could get his hands on and he still ended up in the only place that he had left that might have mattered if it didn't bother him so much. A sister he'd only learned about a few years back, a shock that sent him spiraling out, and he was the one that went back. Talk about being a glutton for punishment. He leaned against the wall, eyes closed and yet he knew that the hall was still spinning as well as the scowl that was painted across her face.

It looked everything like their mother's scowl, all the times that he'd gotten in trouble when he was younger, but it would soften and he'd be let off the hook. Everything changed after his father's death, and only kept changing until he walked away from it all, or so he thought. Artemis was the second to last person he wanted to see and probably her least welcome person. His phone had the occasional call and text message from his mom but he ignored her, drank harder, and gave less care for the state in which he lived. It was only on the off moments when he was with someone else, someone who could take his mind off everything going wrong in his life that he could pretend that he was okay.

"And yet, somehow I am," he told her with a slur of his tongue, feeling the syllables blend together to the point where he didn't even know what they meant. Silas opened his eyes to look over at her, watching her walk through the door and leave it open for him rather than slam it shut in his face. "Why..." Confusion took over the numbness that he'd been seeking, pushing off the wall only to lean too far the other way and nearly end up a pile of drunken limbs on the other side before he managed to catch himself. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

[ezrasilvers]

we meet again

There were bills on the kitchen table, Artemis reminded herself as she locked the door of her coffee shop. Leftover pizza sitting in the fridge, she thought again. Slowly she made a list of things she needed to do before she could go to bed. 

Her brain buzzed with things she needed to do as she drove home, most were things she needed to do before she could sleep, but there were things she needed to do the following day too. She needed to order more supplies for her shop, now that school was back in she had a lot more students than she did during the summer. 

The sky was a dark orange by the time she was parking at her apartment building, the sun was setting and the sky was getting darker quickly. Grabbing the bag she had thrown in her car, she hurried into the building. Waving lazily to the front desk, she headed for the elevator. 

Last stretch, she could almost feel her bed under her head, the weight and warmth of her blankets around her. Sadly though, she couldn’t just cuddle into them just yet, she had things to do, food to eat. 

The elevator dinged and the doors opened again, stepping out onto her floor she stuck her hand into her purse to find her keys. The bills shouldn’t take too long, and she could reheat her food while she was getting dressed after her shower. 

Her plans though, came to halt as she did. Leaning against her door was a familiar face, one she wish she didn’t know. A face she could’ve gone her whole life not knowing and could’ve been better off.

“Silas?” She said slowly, finally stepping closer keys dangling from her fingers. “What are you doing here?”

[presleymcclain]

The door wouldn't open for him. He pressed against it with his shoulder, leaning into it as his legs buckled slightly underneath his shaky weight as the alcohol that he'd consumed that night had pushed him to the brink and he'd folded underneath it all. Between his mother and her lies, Greta coming and going through his life like he was a revolving door -- there was nothing going right in his life and he wasn't handling any of it well. Not to mention that he couldn't get into his own place as his key wouldn't work and John was ignoring his pounding against the door.

He was about to give up, slump down to the ground beside the door and let sleep consume him while he lay there until John either opened up or came home. Leda was a lost contact in his phone, somewhere with someone else by any account anyways which left him reeling in the emptiness in the life that he'd culminated for himself over the years. Everyone that he'd loved or cared about once came and went, mostly through the process of him shoving them out of his life while he took a nose dive that he'd never pulled himself up and out of yet. He could see the looks of disappointment on the faces of those that only blurred with another drink in his hand as he swore under his breath when he heard a familiar voice.

One that he hadn't been planning to hear any time soon as he stood there, picking himself up off the door as he glanced around with a look of confusion. "Wh-what are you doing here?" His words were slurred heavily as he tried to see her face but couldn't make her or her twin out in that moment as he stared back at the door and stumbled backwards against the opposite wall. This wasn't his door. This wasn't even his place. It was one that he'd stayed in after his father's death, a place that he'd left the first chance that he'd gotten with no plans to come back any time soon for fear of seeing his mother there or worse yet, "Artemis."

"Shit."

[ezrasilvers]

home sweet home || 002

Ezra jolted awake as the plane landed to their destination, which to most was home. The compound was safe, but Ezra hadn’t believed it to be his home, for the sake of others though, that’s what he called it. Pushing off from the hard seats, he glanced around to watch as small groups of people entered and left the plane. Slowly he turned back to look at Presley. There was a moment that he wanted to pick her up and carry her to the Stitches that he knew were waiting for them. He took a step forward even, when a hand grab his arm pulling him away. He stumbled away unable to see if she woke up or someone grabbed her.

Once outside of the ship, they let go and simply guided him to the Stitches, even if he tried to say he wasn’t hurt, they demanded to see him. His eyes wandered through the small crowd, he watched as the target was escorted off the plane. Gentle words and soft touches, worried they’d spook them. A gentle arm was wrapped around their shoulders as some kind of comfort. Ezra knew too well that it wasn’t just for comfort, it was to keep them from running, and to guide them to somewhere else. 

It felt like years since he walked off the ship much like this one, a blanket placed around his shoulders to keep him warm as they moved him. Whenever someone attempted to touch him, Ezra would pull away rather violently. “We’re trying to help you, you need medical attention.” They’d whispered in kind tones, even still Ezra didn’t trust them. Soft touches, gentle words, shared spaces. At the time, it felt fake. He didn’t have the strength to fight them or pull away anymore, he had to follow them, trust them. He refused to scream while the Stitches worked, only letting out whimpers. He’d been through this already, he’d been beaten and healed more than enough times. Trained, tested, examined - forced to push his sight farther. He hated the Stitches, still does. Somehow it reminded him of everything he went through, and he’d personally love to forget it all. 

Ezra focused back on the Stitches that examined him, to avoid problems they’d assigned Ezra his own Stitch so he’d grow to trust them, he didn’t. He let them do what they had to but he never warmed to anyone at the compound, no one but Presley. 

Presley. His eyes scanned the crowd again, trying to locate her. Though he was sure they’d have moved her away from the crowds, maybe even taken her to somewhere she could rest. He’d wait a couple of hours and go see if he could find her, she deserved some rest after all. 

Finally the Stitches decided he was fine, though demanded he get some rest and he headed home. No one bothered him, he was notorious, the one who escaped, yet rarely anyone talked to him. They’d tried, when he first arrived, littering him with questions. He hated being questioned, mostly when it felt like they were expecting some hero. That image came crashing down quickly, it wasn’t hard for them to see he wasn’t a people person. Ezra was known for his attitude, no one wanted to be paired with him. Most didn’t understand why Ezra was even being put into the field when he could be working for them without knowing it. Even after he proved himself, no one really wanted to be paired with him. He could be reckless and wouldn’t always communicate while with others, overall, he was a crappy partner. 

It wasn’t surprising to Ezra when they threatened him with not going in the field unless he could get along with someone. He had simply laughed, he didn’t need to be here not anymore. HIs health was back and he’d spent a long time running, he knew how to survive. Then entered Presley. The only person Ezra grew a liking to, the only one he communicated with. They hated the idea of it, she’d never really been in the field, or so he’d heard. 

It seemed everything revolved around Presley. She was his partner, his friend, the reason he stayed. Nowhere ever felt like home, not the cabins he stayed in, not the room he was locked in, not the compound, or the apartment he lived in. Ezra had a distant memory of his parents talking about what home meant to them. They’d exchanged a look of love and his mother had smiled and said: “When I look at your dad, I’m home. When I look at you, I’m home. No matter where we are, you two are my home.” Maybe Presley was his home. 

– A couple hours later – 

That realization made Ezra a little frightened to go see her, it was a maybe. Ezra didn’t have luck if anything he was actually unlucky. Even if he did have feelings for her, not that he did, she’d likely want someone else. He was unknown, closed off, or that’s what everyone said. 

It was stupid to think about it, she wasn’t his home. He didn’t have one. He wouldn’t be staying here forever, and he wasn’t planning on having anyone join him when he went on the run again. Finally, after awkwardly standing on Presley’s door step, he knocked. Please be here, he thought to himself. He didn’t want to stand outside looking like an idiot any longer. 

[presleymcclain]

Presley hadn't woken when they landed, her head still on Ezra's shoulders as she dreamed harshly in the hours that it took to return them back to the compound. They were terrifying, watching the way the men twisted and folded in the air underneath her power but she knew as well as anyone, that they wouldn't have wasted a moment to think about her own well being, not with the way she'd been bruised and beat to hell in the moments of combat. This was what she'd trained for, to become a field agent that protected others like her, like Ezra, so that none of them had to go through what he had.

Ezra had gone through it all and made it back through to the other side, but she wasn't ignorant enough to not see the way they treated him or the way they looked at him, like he was liable to snap at a moment's notice and take them all out. They didn't fully believe that he was on their side and it didn't matter what he did or said, she knew that they were always going to believe that when no one else had ever gone and come back the same again. But she saw more than them, watched and waited to see what was underneath the hard exterior that'd fought to survive. He was stronger than anyone else she knew, pushing her to fight harder and be stronger herself but if he hadn't been there to catch her in the last minute -- Presley knew that she would have fallen. It was him that had been there to catch her, to hold her up, and it was him that she'd run back to in that ship, not anyone else in the entire compound.

But as she awoke, he was already being taken away as she could barely get her bearings striaght before there were people at her side, lifting to her feet and helping her walk down and out of the ship. Her body resisted the movements, wanting to stay still and sleep but she couldn't yet -- they hadn't been debriefed as she found the target moving with a small group and smiled to herself. He'd be in good hands, ones that would be able to keep them safe from what was out there just like they'd done. She'd completed her first field mission, a success in her own books, but she hadn't the time to celebrate before she was in a room and on a small cot -- being stitched together as the bruises healed through the flash of pain that sought to take the last of her energy that she'd had left in her.

Throughout the entire experience -- they poked and prodded for details, wanting to know everything, hear everything, and believe that they'd all made it out of there safely without anyone being compromised. She retold it all in vived details, even as she yawned through her ramblings and faded in and out of consciousness.

Presley didn't know when she'd finally fallen asleep or how she'd managed to make it back into the small room that was her own -- something that'd taken getting through the system to earn rather than to be in a home with others like herself, ones that didn't belong or had a place for them. Sure, she had family and friends but she was on her own the moment she'd set down on the path to become an agent and use what she'd been born with to help others who needed it and her. She wasn't always understood, having been born in the compound and only allowed out in supervised visits when she was younger, but then everything got worse and she'd been locked into place until the day she'd been approved for field.

It should have been a momentous day in her life, but all she'd seen was the fear and disappointment on her family's face when she'd told them -- not realizing then that they were already planning her funeral and everything that would come from her falling in the field. Presley took it to heart, the way they didn't believe in her and forced them to see that she was better than they thought she could ever be, but it was never enough. She knew tthat she'd never be enough for them, but as time wore on and she grew older, Presley knew that their approval wasn't the one that she needed. It was Ezra's.

So when she heard the knock at the door, her heart jumped forward in her chest as she rolled off the couch, book landing on the floor with a thud as she hit the front door in a matter of moments. She threw open the door, her hope soaring to new heights that it would be him and no one else and the moment that she saw his face, her arms were around his neck as she launched herself into his arms -- ignoring the fading pain in her sore limbs or the fact that he might have felt the same. "It took you long enough to find me again," she told him before she let go, breathing in deep as the smell of him was enough to satiate any of the nerves that she might have had since coming back. He was there. He wasn't gone.