(A/N: I apologize if I get some stuff wrong about boarding schools, I've never been to one so idk how they work. If you know how they work please let me know)
Summary: Sylus decides to take Colton out for breakfast as a way of reconnecting with his little brother. Colton, though skeptical, agrees to go out for breakfast. Better late than never, right?
Warnings: Swearing
Part 1 [] Part 2 (You're here)
Colton gets startled awake by the sound of his dorm room phone ringing. Groaning, he props himself up on his elbows just as he roommate, Aaron, answers the phone
"Hello?"...Uhhh" Aaron turns his head to look at Colton "Yes, he's awake....Okay I'll tell him. Have a good day Miss." Aaron places the phone back in the holder and turns to Colton "Soooo you have a visitor"
Aaron has been his roommate ever since he got to this school. Aaron is a black young man with short dreadlocks, and brown eyes, he's Colton's age (17)
He's been at this boarding school for five years now, so when Colton moved in Aaron was the first person to help him around and introduced Colton to his friends, whom became Colton's friends
"Really?" Colton was confused. Who's here to see him? "Did they say who?"
Aaron shakes his head "Maybe it's Luke and Kieran?" Aaron suggested. He's met Luke and Kieran before, considering how often the twins would go through their window rather then the front desk to visit Colton
Colton looks at Aaron like he just said the dumbest thing in the world "You know for a fact those two would go through the window and try to kidnap me first before even thinking about going through the front desk"
Aaron sucks in a breath, thinking for a moment "Yeah I got nothing" he says as he throws his hands up
While Aaron went back to doing what he was doing earlier, Colton had this feeling to check his messages. Mainly Sylus's
He checks his recents, nothing, no missed phone calls from Sylus 'No surprise there' But then he looked at the chat
And saw that Sylus seen the messages Colton sent two weeks ago
Now it could have been a coincidence, he could have just seen the messages and just ignored it, and that wasn't Sylus at the front desk waiting for him
But, what if.....
"Holy fuck. It might be Sylus...." Colton mutters quietly, but Aaron heard him and spun around to face his roommate "Wait Sylus? Did he finally text you?"
"No but he saw my message" Colton says as he gets out of bed and grabs his shirt from the foot of his bed, slowly putting it on
"He probably just saw it yesterday" Aaron tries to explain, but Colton shakes his head "I checked last night, it was still on delivered. I check now–" He turns his phone to show Aaron "It's on seen"
Colton drops his phone on his bed and grabs his slippers, putting them on before walking towards the door
"What if it is Sylus?" Aaron asks "What are you gonna do?"
Colton pauses for a moment, sighs, and answers "Probably gonna give him a piece of my mind"
Yet when Colton got to the front desk, all he could do was stare silently at the man he felt has neglected him
Sylus
He was actually here, after how many months? Five months? Six? Only the gods know
Sylus notices Colton out of his peripheral vision, and turns to face him, immediately noticing that Colton's silver hair was longer than last time
His once short hair had grown and was cut into a mullet. Sylus wasn't sure why but seeing this made his chest tighten
Has it been that long since his last visit?
Sylus shakes off the feeling and smiled at his brother "Morning Colton"
"....Morning" Colton said with a curt nod. He didn't know what else he should say 'Why is he here?'
Sylus seemed to have heard his silent question, as he answers "I know it's been awhile but I was thinking about going out for breakfast"
Sylus doesn't normally go out for breakfast, in fact he was supposed to be in bed right now
"Uh..."
"There's a Cafe I go to in Linkon, they just started selling breakfast foods and I thought to try them out with you"
Colton has two options. Either lie and say he has work today and decline his brother's invite, or accept it and see how this day would go
.
.
.
Fuck it, knowing Sylus it was best to just accept his invite now. Colton knew how relentless his brother can get when he wanted something
"Yeah, sure" Colton accepted "I just need to get ready first" the younger one said as he gestured to the door
"Of course, take your time. I'll sign you out and wait by the car" Sylus says as Colton left to go back to his dorm room. Once he was out of the front office, he stood there for a moment, silently regretting his choice
"Well, better late than never....I...I guess"
He sighs and reaches for his phone— which was not in his pocket
"Fuck..." Colton slumped, he left it on his bed
Oh well
Colton began walking to him dorm room, a small part of him prying that whatever god is up there does him a solid and strikes him down at that moment
Sylus sighs in relief 'That went better than expected' He walks to the front desk to sign Colton out
"Been awhile since you've visited" The front desk lady says, handing him the sign out sheet. He's seen her many times before but he could never remember her name
'Actually, does anyone know her name? Does she even have one?'
"Yes" Sylus nods "Things have been a little hectic at the company as of late" He didn't completely lie, he has been busy with Onychinus recently, but today he's letting Luke and Kieran handle matters
'My baby brother is my priority right now'
He places the papers down after signing them, the front desk lady takes the clipboard "Alright, you're good to go, Mr. Qin"
"Thank you Miss–" Sylus pauses "...Forgive me, but I can't remember your name"
She giggled "Oh don't worry dear, you're not the first, and you certainly won't be the last. Just call me Miss J"
Sylus gave a small smile "Well, thank you Miss J"
"Of course dear"
Colton walks into his room to find Aaron, Winnie and two more of his friends, Rose and Aiden
"Was it really him?" Rose asks in her usual monoutone voice, but he knew she was curious. She was sitting cress-cross on Colton's bed. She must have ballet practice today, as she was wearing her black leotard, and her grey sweat pants, her long jet black hair was in a tight bun
"Yup, it was Sylus" Colton nodded "And he's taking me out for breakfast" Colton made his way to his closest and started looking through it, trying to find something to wear
"Wait wait, seriously?" Aiden asked, dumbfounded "He just asked you for breakfast after six months of silence? No apologies or anything?"
Aiden was still in his green pj's, probably had just woken up not to long ago
Aaron introduced Rose and Aiden when Colton first got to the school, trying to help the silver hair boy and get him to feel comfortable at the (at the time) new school
Rose is an 18 year old young woman who had been at the school for eight years, she was a goth with jet black hair, grayish purple eyes, and fair skin. She was like a sister to Colton, despite her being rather monoutone and seemingly unapproachable, she was always there for Colton and the others
Aiden is a 17 year old young man that has been at the school for four years, he had shaggy brown hair, green eyes, and light tan skin. He has an alternative style and was always wearing green, his pajamas being no exception. He was very quiet at first but he started to open up around Colton. Aiden remained Colton of both Luke and Kieran
He sometimes swears they're all related
"Yeah basically, but knowing him, he'll explain in detail why he's been absent" Colton pauses "Or come up with an excuse. One of the two" He shrugs
Winifred was silent, which was a bit unnatural for her, especially during something like this "You okay Winnie?"
Winifred is a 17 year old with short chest nut brown hair, light green eyes, and fair skin who was basically married to the color pink. She came to the school the same time as Rose. She is cheerful, warm, and caring person, she's the mom friend in their small group, always there for everyone when they needed someone to listen and be a shoulder to cry on, them doing the same for her in return
The pink girl nods, crossing her arms "Just thinking. Only just last night, almost six hours ago, you opened up to me about Sylus being absent. And now he's here, taking you out for breakfast, like nothing happened? Seems a little too coincidental don't you think?"
She had a point, this was too much of a coincidence. Just then Colton remembers the caw and flapping of wings he heard night, he mentally curses to himself
'I knew it was fucking Mephisto. I swear I'm gonna sell that crow for parts one day. Sylus's feelings be dammed'
Once Colton finds an outfit he likes, he grabs his things so he can shower and do his morning routine
"I'm gonna go get ready now" The silver haired boy gestures to the bathroom. Rose gets up as well "I need to get going too, my Sister should be here now"
The group exchanges their goodbyes with Rose, before the gothic ballerina leaves the room and Colton enters the bathroom
After Rose signed herself out, she walks out of the building and makes her way to the parking lot, looking for her older sister's car
As she walks into the parking lot, she sees Sylus leaning against his car a few feet ahead of her. He was already looking at her
She couldn't stop herself from looking in his direction and waving at himbas she passed him
'Please don't say anything to me I don't feel like talking to you–'
"Good morning Rose. Where are you off to?" Sylus waves, giving her a friendly smile
'Damn it'
"I'm heading to my ballet practice" She says in a monoutone voice "My Sister should be parked here somewhere"
Sylus gives a hum of acknowledgement, before asking "How has Colton been?"
'You couldn't ask him that yourself?' Rose felt her eye twitch
"He's been good" She replies curtly, not elaborating further
Before Sylus could get another word out, a car started honking
"Well that's my Sister" Rose says, already walking away "Good day Sylus"
Sylus sighs as he watched Rose walk away 'Seems I've fallen out of favor with his friends'
A minute later Sylus hears footsteps approaching him, he turns to see Colton walking towards him. He smiles at his brother, who gived an awkward smile back
"Ready to go?" Sylus asks, standing upright and walking towards the driver's side. Colton nods "Yup"
Sylus feels his chest tighten for the second time that day, Colton looks nervous, almost uncomfortable by all this. He only hopes his little brother gets more comfortable around him as the day goes on
I hope you guys enjoyed part 2 to my Big Brother Sylus Au! I'm happy this series is being well received so far. I can't wait to make more!
Taglist: @for-hearthand-home
Also I now have a taglist! Let me know if you guys would like to be tagged in this series as well! Either comment or send me an ask, thank you!
Long story short I've got an oc named Victoria who is a black market informant. I've had her for over ten years and was originally an oc for Lego Ninjago, but she's rather adaptable. So with all the shady stuff going on in LADS, she'd absolutely have an eye on all five of the (current) love interests, if not have worked with them at least once.
Ch 2 of Trowels and Scales is underway! This was just something that hit me out of nowhere.
Again, self indulgent, not proofread.
WC: 2k
Divider credit: @firefly-graphics
Case File: Xavier Shen
Aliases, current: Lumiere
Aliases, prior: See attached list below. Most recent is former evol police officer. See attached newspaper reports and clippings.
Age: OLD. Claims to be 23
Appearance: Silver hair, blue eyes. 6’1”. Toned body. Affinity for sword fighting, matching physique.
Evol: Light. Summons a light blade while fighting, and can teleport while using it. Little balls of light appear when he is happy.
Job: Hunter’s Association. UNICORNS operative
General threat level: SSS
Personal threat level: S
Xavier is a dangerous man. Do not allow his princely charm to fool you. His kindness is genuine, but his ruthlessness outweighs it. Do not trifle with the man. Give him wide berth, help him where necessary. He is aloof and shy in the daylight. He prefers to keep to his very small circle or to himself. Gaining his trust takes time, be patient. And once you have it for the love of all that is holy do not abuse it.
His alliances are unclear. I’d hardly call the man morally grey, but he has an undefined set of goals. He does not target people randomly. He is very strict in how he conducts himself.
Lumiere acts as a vigilante. An incredible, legendary Hunter at first restricted to legend. But his reappearance as of late has only reaffirmed his popularity. I have seen his scowls when he sees merchandise of himself. To see hoards of fans constantly fawn over and fall in love with the mask instead of the man behind the mask, I can’t blame him. Lumiere has targeted Onychinus before and successfully gotten away with it. A ballsy move.
Xavier spends most of his time working, sleeping, or eating. If he isn’t doing that, he’s reading. While aloof and shy he isn’t opposed to meeting new people. He’s constantly picking up new jobs, sometimes without pay. His friendly face makes him perfect for jobs interacting with people. I’ve encountered him in a bookstore, handing out fliers, carrying out hunter missions… no wonder why the man sleeps so much.
As seen in the below newspaper clippings, Xavier is much older than he claims. I have scrounged around for hours and found multiple pictures of him in different times and places. Yet he hardly looks like he’s aged a day. This isn’t an ancestor or doppelgänger. It is Xavier himself.
We met at The Nest, and exchanged information as I revealed myself as an informant. He has called upon me for jobs on several occasions. Xavier is a powerful man. Though he poses no active threat to me yet, he could. For now he requests information and pays, then goes on his way. Respectable, dependable, and pays on time in full. Or acts out a favor of equal value. Should he turn on me, it will not end well. But he appears to be fiercely loyal. I have no current concern of him turning on me for any reason.
Do not underestimate this man. His soft demeanor and countenance only make it easier for him to manipulate others, should he feel the need to. He is not a soft bunny. He is a hare.
Be wary of the hare.
Case File: Dr. Zayne Li
Aliases: N/A
Age: 27
Appearance: Black hair, hazel eyes. 6’1”. Strong build, takes care of his physical health in spite of his work hours. Typically wears long sleeves to cover multitude of scars on both arms.
Evol: Ice
Job: Cardiac surgeon
Jobs, prior: Military Medic, see attached military reports of incident.
General threat level: S
Personal threat level: C
Dr. Zayne is a reputable, respectable doctor. He trained in Skyhaven. The youngest of his kind to do cardiac surgery. He goes to work, does his job, and goes home. His social life is slim to none but he does enjoy the occasional outing with his colleagues. He has an icy demeanor he hides behind, but beneath the frost is a warm man. He has a soft spot for the children of the hospital and the pediatric wing, and takes his job seriously.
Dr. Zayne certainly can be dangerous. His evol can do a lot of damage, and he is fiercely protective, though self sacrificial. Personal threat level is low because there is no reason for him to find out who I truly am. And if he does, he’s more likely to alert the authorities than risk a face to face confrontation. General threat level S currently. May be adjusted as necessary. As a doctor his focus is on saving lives, he will fight if necessary but is not likely to pick a fight.
He appeared to harbor a significant amount of trauma from his time as a military medic during the disaster. No one exactly knows what happened to him. It keeps him up at night. Likely some sort of survivor’s guilt.
I have found reports of a failed experiment he was a part of in medical school. Something is off with the publicly accessible reports. I’ll be reaching out to my contacts at that medical school to see if I can find out exactly what happened. Apparently, a current Ever scientist was a classmate and was a part of the same project. Dr. Zayne knows more than he lets on.
We have never encountered each other for more than a few seconds, and I hope it remains that way. A few fleeting brushes during an appointment at Akso does not make a contact.
While not a personal threat, Zayne could cause lasting damage if not handled with care.
Case File: Rafayel Qi
Prior Aliases: Mo, renowned opera singer. See below articles from Verona.
Age: 24
Appearance: Wavy, dusky purple hair. Duochrome blue-pink eyes. 6’. Multiple moles scattered across his body. Swimmer’s build.
Evol: Fire. Summons a blade if pushed to fight
Job: Artist
Jobs, prior: Opera singer (see Verona articles attached below)
General threat level: SSS
Personal threat level: SS
Rafayel has a long kill count. And that’s only what I can find. Back in Verona he is likely the one behind the sea monster murders, and they all appear to have the same thread of being various wealthy elite who either possessed Lemurian artifacts, bought or sold them, or has a hand in the rumored experimentation on Lemurians. The finally kill as Mo, before Mo dropped off the face of the earth, was a man who died from the siren’s lament with a smile on his face.
Quite on the nose.
Rafayel is without a doubt a Lemurian. His kill list focuses on those who have hurt Lemurians in some way. A serial killer with a cause. He is not afraid to manipulate, bribe, steal, lie, etc. to get his way. But he pays well and on time so who am I to complain?
Rafayel and I met at The Nest. I caught him watching me so I introduced myself and offered him my card. I heard from my contacts that he harassed them into revealing their relationship to me and if I was of worth, and with enough confirmations he gave me a shot. He asked me to provide him a list of names with an attached list of information he wanted filled out. Apparently I passed his little test with flying colors. He’s been a constant patron ever since.
Rafayel in the daytime is a world famous artist. His work is like none other, truly otherworldly. Hauntingly beautiful, each painting a lament for something lost. I have said as much but he never confirms or denies.
For a man wielding fire, he is very cold. Cruel, dry, and rude. Though not quick to anger. He plays the long game. And he’s perfectly content playing with his food if time isn’t of the essence.
I have no reason to betray him, so he has no reason to betray me. However, I have no doubt in my mind that if my death or disappearance served him in some way that he would do it without batting an eye.
Rafayel is living with the weight of years of torment for his entire kind. That kind of anger is not to be underestimated. Proceed with caution.
Case File: Sylus Qin
Alias: Skye. Fruit vendor
Age: 28
Appearance: White hair, red eyes, 6’2”. Built like a brick house.
Evol: Energy manipulation
Job: Weapons dealer. Head of Onychinus
General threat level: SSS
Personal threat level: SSS
Note: personal threat level SSS due to potential. Sylus will not be an issue if loyalty and honesty are maintained.
Sylus, the otherworldly new head of Onychinus. Bouncing between the N109 zone and the rest of the world isn’t easy, but it has its moments of being useful. Meeting Sylus was one of them. Shortly after taking over Onychinus I was in a meeting with one of his competitors when he came in and ripped the man away via evol. I kept my wits about me and introduced myself when he came in.
The man I had been working for was a rat bastard I couldn’t stand. But at the time I was stuck working for him because he had friends in the Hunter’s association he would gladly turn be over to. Sylus killed him, see attached file for the multitude of reasons. So I simply handed all the information I had for him over to Sylus. It was all outdated, since Sylus’ usurpation changed everything in Onychinus. He said as much, but offered to double whatever the man was paying me to clean house and update Onychinus’s base with information on all of its rival groups.
I accepted, of course. It was a months long project but I was thoroughly pleased with the end result. Sylus pays very generously.
He prefers to do his own spywork but he’ll call upon me for specifics. He’s a fiercely loyal man to those who prove themselves, such as his right hands Luke and Kieran. Surprisingly, he has his moral code and sticks to it. I have heard him defending those in the N109 zone to outsiders on several occasions. For such a terrifying man, he has a sweet spot. I caught him in Linkon playing kitty cards with a hunter once.
He’s a boxer, and fights mostly with his fists and his evol. He really doesn’t need anything else. He appears impervious to all forms of attack. He can feel pain, but nothings killed him. Plenty of people have tried.
Do not take his kindness for weakness. He has the potential to be a terrifying threat. All the more reason to maintain this alliance.
Case File: Caleb Xia
Age: 25
Appearance: Brown hair, violet eyes, 6’2”. Strong build, training consistently due to military service. Maintains physique due to current role as colonel.
Evol: Gravity manipulation
Job: Farspace Fleet Colonel
Job, prior: Deepspace Aviation Administration Combat Pilot
General threat level: SSS
Personal threat level: SSS
Do not let this man’s playful demeanor fool you. Do not let his eyes and deep devotion fool you.
Something is wrong. Something is deeply wrong. Whatever happened after that damn explosion changed him. Beyond having a prosthetic arm (damn you Ever, why not give the man a proper prosthetic that can feel?) his mind didn’t come out the same way on the other side.
Caleb has called on me on behalf of the fleet before. It was a very tight lipped job. But I completed it and was paid on time. It appears that he has two modes, the familiar young man he was before his ‘death’ and the firm colonel. Ever has a hand in this. Ever has the fleet on their payroll. I don’t know the specifics but I’ll find it.
Last we spoke he held me down to look through my notes with his evol. Physically restrained me so I couldn’t move. Once he realized I had only taken necessary notes of what he wanted me to find he released me and patted me on the head with my damn notebook like we were just friends joking around in high school. Again. That duality.
Caleb worries me. It’s clear he is not opposed to threatening me. I know I have eyes on me at all times, it’s just part of my job. But gods damn it having the entire fleet watching for me is different. I may relocate to the N109 zone for the foreseeable future, if not permanently, should this continue.
Caleb isn’t himself. Be careful. This won’t end well no matter what you do.
