<div align="center"><span class="bbc_u"><strong>Thursdy, January 11th - 8:15am</strong></span><br/><em></em></div><hr/><div class="floatleft">(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/67/Omari_Hardwick_on_BTVR_%28cropped%29.jpg/220px-Omari_Hardwick_on_BTVR_%28cropped%29.jpg)</div><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><strong>WHO:</strong> Kaine Brooks (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=316749.msg15291877#msg15291877)<br/><strong>WEARING:</strong> Open Hawaiian Shirt, Cargo Shorts, Boots<br/><strong>DOING:</strong> Having "The Talk" with Marley<br/><strong>NOTE:</strong> <br/><strong>TAGGING:</strong>Marley, Closed</span><br/><hr/><br/><br/><br/><br/><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">  He nodded when she asked him to wait there, then ran inside to get changed. Taking that opportunity, Kaine ran back to the garage and went into his stash, rolling up a joint for later because heavy shit like this always got him depressed, and despite the world being shit now, things like illegal goods were still bartered, traded and sold because people always wanted their vices. <br/><br/>And now with no central government to watch over things, it was arguably even easier to get things like contraband and drugs. Of course he made sure his dealings were far away from the Cathedral and never could be tracked back to him, but perhaps due to his half-alien physiology, the experience of ganja did so much more than normal. He was done and back with the cylinder in his shirt pocket before Marley came down and back outside. When he did see her again, he squinted his eyes against the sun, waiting for whatever was about to happen. <br/><br/>When she finally reappeared, the sounds from last night suddenly flashed into the back of his head, causing him to shake it away and rub his ear like that would stop the psychosomatic reaction. It was easy to get triggered nowadays; after the Eclipse, everything that didn't feel kosher had a chance of setting him off in some way. He hated that even now, he couldn't help knowing just how beautiful she was. He wanted to be mad. He <em>was</em> mad. Fuck. <br/><br/>This talk was going to be a very serious one, as they walked far enough away from the house that they could see it, but if anyone was standing on the porch, they'd have to shout at the top of their lungs to be heard. No one nosy could spy out here, and their weren't any handy dandy shadows either in case the topic of their conversation was awake. Without any fanfare or leadup, Marley braced herself and then told him that Eric knew. Kaine's eyes popped for a split second, but then a look of realization dawned on his face. "<em>Thaaaat's</em> why he was basically spite-fucking you last night. <br/><br/>He did his little shadow spy thing and heard us or saw us or however his powers work. <em>Fuck!"</em>, Kaine hissed before turning and walking a bit aways, then turning back to stand in front of Marley once more. This was bad on several levels, but while Eric was his friend, they'd kept this from him for this very reason so he wasn't too surprised.  He was actually far more concerned about what this meant between himself and Marley. He took a deep breath, and waited. Waited for her to say "For Eric's sake, I think we should stop". And because he loved Marley so deeply, he would accept that. <br/><br/>He wanted <em>her</em> to be happy, even if it meant he wasn't. He only wished he didn't have to be the only mature one about this mature situation. He waited for the let go, but instead, she sucked in a gulp of air and told him the opposite. Well, at least something heading in the other direction somewhat. She said she wasn't choosing the Shadow Man over him, and that she had enjoyed actually having sex and being intimate in their own house for the first time ever out of the years this had been gong on, but Eric's anger about her and Kaine was real. <br/><br/>"So lemme guess...if <em>us</em> is to continue, it's back to Betty and whatever fleabag motel is left over on the side of the road after the war?" His voice cracked and his lip wobbled a bit. "Jus' like old times, huh?"  The way he looked at Marley, she could tell he'd heard enough from that night; the good and the bad. Enough to know that the sex between them didn't sound like sex at one point; it sounded like a predator exerting his dominance over his slave...and not in the fun, kinky, BDSM way, but the 50 Shades of Grey way, where it went well beyond what it was supposed to and the guy acted like it was all good before, during and after. <br/><br/>It sounded like the darkness in him had let itself out. "I know he uh...I know he made it hurt," he managed to say while looking off into the distance, not able to look Marley in the eyes at the moment because he knew how she thought. "It got to a point where I had to drown it out or I woulda kicked the door down. Not for my sake...but yours." He knew how much she took on her shoulders. He knew that because she cared so much about Eric, she <em>let</em> him take his anger out on her, because she could take it, even though it wasn't right. <br/><br/> "To make a point, to get back at me, I don't know why he did what he did but...I don't care if he's mad at me; honestly, I don't Marley Ann. I don't want him to be, cuz he's my brother, but if he is, nothin' I do or say is gonna change it as long as it's not just Eric and Marley. But if he hurts you again? I don't care that you can take it..." He trailed off, taking a deep inhale that made it obvious just how large and powerful he was. Her relationship with Eric was her relationship, but he wasn't going to let <em>anyone</em> hurt her like that just to feel good about themselves. <br/><br/>That's not what a friend who supposedly loved her would do in his eyes. Eric wasn't the only one who practiced like a man possessed either, so he wasn't worried about himself at all, even as powerful as his friend was.  Kaine had been pushing his limits since he was a kid, and he'd never stop; never. It actually scared him what he could do when he went all out; like the world was made of cardboard. "It's not your fault, Marley. None of this is," he spoke calmly despite how he felt, trying to keep her from freaking out. "You're an adult. I am...he's <em>supposed</em> to be. <br/><br/>And from day one you told him what you wanted. He accepted it then, and he accepted it all the way up until he found out about us. He could handle <em>"sharing"</em> when that didn't actually involve anyone else to share with; not a man anyway. You know how many times I wanted to kiss your lips when I say good morning for breakfast? Or how many times I wanted to hold your hand and watch the moon? Or, or just sit together on the couch and watch bad movies with you curled up next to me? I...have...lost...count," the large man practically choked back his anger to make his words clear. <br/><br/>"Because I knew that if he stayed happy, <em>you</em> stayed happy. I sacrificed any intimacy we ever could have had, and resigned myself to hard, sweaty fucks on dirty mattresses and in the back of a truck... so Eric didn't blow a fuckin' gasket." He paused and a single tear raced down his cheek the color of neon cobalt. She thought by giving Eric more she'd be giving him less, but as it was, Kaine was barely getting anything at all. If she gave him any less, she may as well cut him loose.  But he took those hits because Marley made him happy and he made her happy, even if it was only once in a blue moon or three when they could express that.<br/><br/> So if he had to tow the line and be the only adult male in whatever this triangle was...then so fucking be it. When she plopped down to the sand, he followed suit, crashing down into a crossed leg pose. "Let him...let him be angry. He'll get over it in a while and things will go back to the way they were. Just don't let him take advantage of you like that again.  You're better than that...and I thought he was too."<br/><br/> He sighed, scooching around behind her and wrapping his big arms around her as the tears started to flow. "He'll be happy again soon. This'll blow over. But I don't think he can ever truly be his definition of happy unless he has you all to himself all the time forever. But that's the problem isn't it? The reason you don't wanna be tied down? Or one of em' anyway. You <em>are</em> forever and the rest of us will eventually lay down one last time." <br/><br/>His own tears were coming out now, leaving little beads of glowing blue on the sand as they fell. Because she said she would have begged him to stay if she'd known. "Marley...Marley I. If you begged me, I don't think I would've been able to go. But did I ever tell you why I <em>did</em> go?" He didn't talk about his time in the war much. It was painful. He'd lost lots of friends and people he cared about. He'd let lots of innocents down. It was hard to bring up. <br/><br/>"I went to fight because...because not only was it the right thing to do. And I could help save the world, but. But I could help keep this world spinning for <em>you</em>. I thought to myself, if those aliens win and take over...or they destroy this world. What's gonna happen to Marley? Would they experiment on you? Lock you up for eternity? Or would they just suck the resources from the planet and blow it up, leaving you to float in the void until the universe shrivels up and dies? I...I <em>couldn't</em> risk losing, because I didn't know what that would mean for you. <br/><br/>And I was prepared to give up everything so the people of this planet, but most importantly <em>you</em>...would have a chance to stay strong and make something good." He was quiet for a bit, then kissed her temple. "Leaving was the hardest thing I ever did. It felt like I lost everything we had so I could keep you around." He wanted to say more, but he hadn't opened up to anyone about almost anything in forever. Not even his parents could get him to talk if he didn't want to. But right now, saying so much to Marley, opening up his layers for the first time for someone to see inside...he felt tired.<br/></span><br/>