Chain Reaction 3.1.77: Weakness

A/N: There's a bit of an Easter Egg in this post.

Marco

     "Get rid of him."

     I advance on the group, readying myself for a fight. "Why not pick on someone your own size?"

     The one against the wall, Dwight, struggles a little more, aware now he has backup. He gets rewarded by being pushed harder against the wall. He'll pass out in a moment if he's not released.

     The one to my left says, "I got 'im." He places his left hand on the boss' shoulder to gently push him back into Dwight. His right balls into a fist.

     At about the same time, the one to my right holds up his hand. "Hey, buddy. Why not move along? This ain't your party, so let us have our fun and we don't beat you down, hm?"

     "Not if your party includes what I heard. Drop him!" Tattoo boy's fingers start curling into a fist.

     Akito rolls his eyes. "F--k off."

     I duck.

     They both miss, and it sounds like one of them actually punched the other one. Perfect.

     Akito doesn't know what just happened because he talks to Dwight. "Looks like your friend wants to join the party."

      I hook my arm around the one on my left's knee and pull up. His shock from missing and poor balance cause him to fly backwards. His skull slams into the rocks.

      Still, Akito talks, gloating. "Maybe we'll shove that broom handle up his ass."

      Dwight doesn't respond, and I ready myself to handle the other lackey.

     I use the force needed to stand as I undercut tattoo boy. Akito looks like he's figuring out I know what I'm doing. Dwight doesn't move except to twitch occasionally. I send tattoo boy flying and approach the leader. I wonder if he realizes Dwight isn't breathing.

     The other guy had started getting up when tattoo boy's crotch lands hard on his thigh. Both cry out, and I get ahold of the leader.

     "I strongly suggest you release him before I crush your trachea." I mean every word of it. The kid isn't breathing. I'll use force if necessary.

     "What the f--k?" He can hear his buddies moaning from the pain I put them in. Tattoo boy is rolling on the ground, holding himself. "Fine, f--ker. You can have him." He releases Dwight, who falls into a heap on the ground. "Let's go. Get up, you losers."

      I stand and watch them as they run and limp away. Then I frantically check Dwight. He'd started breathing again. Thank plum.

Isabella

     Braydon asked me to meet him outside. When I get here, I find out why. It's really loud in there.

      "Isabella, what happened? Is everything all right?"

     I want to say 'oh, everything's fine,' totally lying. But that won't help me. "I left him."

     He skids to a stop. I can hear the dirt move under his shoes when he does. "What? What happened?"

      I burst into tears. I'm so stupid! "I'm sorry to bother you, Braydon."
     "You're not 'bothering' me. I meant it when I said you could come to me for help."

     "He was yelling at Ben and calling him a spoiled brat. He got fired and was taking it out on our boy." I sniff. "Ben was singing, and Kade got mad, pushed him, and made him spill his drink all over the piano, ruining it." A wail slips out. "He acted more upset about the piano than how he was treating Ben!"

     Maybe Braydon thinks I overreacted.

     "So I left him after we argued." I look up at him, trying to figure out his silence. He looks like he has no idea what to say. He's stunned. I've stunned him. I lost my temper and left my husband. "You probably think I made a mistake, don't you?"

     "Do you think you made a mistake?" He's trying to make me think rationally. I don't know if that's possible right now.

     "He called me whore!" The more I think about it, the more I see red.

     "What?!" His voice is a mixture of a yell and a growl. All I can think is Braydon got mad, meaning I have every right to be livid. I needed that.

     "He did!" I look around. I need to punch something. I can't punch Braydon. The wall will do.

     He catches on quickly. "Isabella, what are you doing?!"

     "I'm not a whore!" I punch the wall, not hard enough to really hurt myself but hard enough to feel it. That's all I need. I do it again and again, each time the pain giving me a strange sense of relief as it also builds my anger. It's Kade's fault.
     Braydon is freaking out. "Stop doing that!" He grabs my wrist and turns me around. "Stop."
     I'm shaking and glaring and still ready to fight. 
     But I can't punch the wall anymore because Braydon is just too plumbing strong. He still holds my wrist in his one hand and has his arm wrapped around me to keep me from turning towards the wall again. Still, I struggle.

     "Stop," he tells me much more calmly.

     "I'm not a whore," I can't stop crying.

     "No, you're not."

     I sniff. "The more I loved my job, the more he hated me, and the more he hated me, the more I didn't want to come home. He wants me to sit at home and do nothing all day. He just didn't understand, and he drew his own conclusions."

     "I could never imagine you sitting around and doing nothing." He reaches up to wipe my tears.

     I childishly punch the wall with my free hand, so he grabs that one.

      "He was just a rebound relationship anyway," I tell him, trying to reason with myself, find other reasons why I left. "I got pregnant, and we convinced ourselves we were in love." I let out a sad smile. "The only thing we're good at together is fighting."
     "Well, I'd guess you're pretty good at fighting." He mirrors my smile.

     He's so great. So kind. "I'm sorry I ruined your evening."

     He chuckles. "It was a disaster of a date anyway."

     I pout. "Oh no. I'm sorry I bothered you."

     "Forget it. This is more important." He keeps wiping my tears even though I've stopped shedding them. I don't mind. It's soothing, so I decide I may as well continue to try and explain myself.
      "He loves his music more than anything, I think. More than me. More than Ben. And I think that's what has me so upset even before tonight. We come second to the music." I sniff. "I need someone to love me." I close my eyes tightly. That's it. I knew talking to Braydon would help.

     Braydon lifts my chin, and I swallow a gasp. He's milliseconds from kissing me, but he pauses. I can feel his breath on my lips, shaking as it comes out. Is he expecting me to push him away? Is that why he hasn't kissed me yet?
     I lightly brush my lips to his, and the effect is like lighting a match. Braydon grabs me and demands possession of my mouth, begging and pleading with me not to stop him, not to get upset, not to resist it. And plum, does he ever kiss me. It's incredible the raw power he uses as he skillfully manipulates my mouth and tongue, and I let him, soaking it in like I was starving for something I never knew I was missing. I don't know how long we stand here. It doesn't matter. There's so much intense emotion in everything he does. I love it. I've never felt so desired. I had virtually no idea this was brewing inside him, but I'm so glad it was. This could go on for eternity, and I would be overjoyed to let it.
     But that never happens, does it?

      He pulls back, keeping just far enough away. "Sh*t. I am a f--king idiot."
      "What?"
      "I just can't stop," he replies, being every bit as cryptic.
      "But you did stop." And I want him to start again. I kiss him, but he lifts up from it.
      "Please don't." His voice sounds too serious.
      "What?" I ask again. "Why not?"
      "I can't let myself."
      My heart starts crashing into the ground. That kiss didn't mean what I thought it meant. He's just being nice? Maybe he's drunk. He doesn't smell it, though. I'm just a pretty face, like Kade said. It meant nothing, even if he is kissing my face and neck at the moment. Tears escape my eyes. He notices.
      "Mm! No. Please don't," he says in a very different tone than before, like he's really begging this time.
      "I don't... know how I can not... if you're going to then tell me... that meant nothing." Me and my stupid crying. I've had a hellish evening, and now it's made worse with the utter disaster of thinking his kiss meant something.
      "Plum it all, Isabella. Who's saying that meant nothing?"
      "You are!"

     "No. That meant everything. You mean everything." His lips hover over mine as my heart thinks about putting itself back together.
     I mean everything. Then why does he have to make it so confusing? "Then kiss me again."
      "I can't." He does--but much too quickly. "I shouldn't." Again. "I shouldn't be doing this to you."
      I glare at him suddenly, those pieces of my heart catching flame. So he's leading me on? Is that what he means? Maybe he is drunk. "Braydon, if you're leading me on right now, I swear I will castrate you." I move to the side and take a step, but he grabs me, the dirt under my feet sliding as he pulls me back over.
      He starts quietly laughing. "Isabella, I don't know how in plum you're misinterpreting this right now."
      And now he's laughing at me! "Then tell me. How am I supposed to be interpreting it?"
      "I love you."

     "What?"
     "And I'm surely going to burn in hell for it." He smirks. "I've more than once imagined Graham coming back from the grave and kicking my ass."
     "Wh-why? Why would he do that?" He loves me? 
     "Because." He purses his lips for a second. "Isabella, you're a married woman. This... YOU are against the rules."
     "All the more reason for me to get a divorce." Braydon loves me? He's wonderful. I've always thought he was wonderful. And he loves ME?
     "I'm not a home wrecker."
     "Who says you are?"

      "Everyone. Everyone will say that." He watches me. "What about your son, Isabella? What about him?"
      "He'll be fine. We'll keep going like we always have. It's not as if his father ever cared about him anyway." Please kiss me again. Impatient, I lean forward and kiss him. He kisses me back for about three seconds before moaning and pulling us apart.
      "Stop," he says to my scowl. "I will not let you live up to what that bastard called you, not in any interpretation of possible events."
      It's like I've slammed into the brick wall next to me. "He's going to think..." I start to understand.
      "Exactly." He winces. "I can't let that happen."

      "So what are you saying now? That even though you just said you love me that you're going to try and act like nothing's changed?"

      He brings his lips in and bites down. I knew it.

      "You know what? I don't care what Kade thinks. He can go suck a duck for all I care."

      "He's still your husband."

      "I don't care!" I throw my hands up.

      "Well, I do."

      "You confuse the plum outta me, Braydon. I'm going to get a divorce. I've decided that now. So, what? Are you saying you won't touch me until I am?"

      "Something like that."

      I let out a squeal of rage, fighting his hold of me, and the bastard laughs. He's even lifted my feet off the ground. I try to kick, but nothing lands. "Then why did you kiss me in the first place?"
      "Because I'm weak."

      "Then let go of me!"

      He does, but I wished he hadn't. I glare at him and turn to storm off, hoping he grabs me again.

     He doesn't. Just like the jerk he is, telling a girl he loves her then won't do anything about it!

     Men!

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A/N: HERE'S THE EASTER EGG! In the fight scene with Marco, I did all those poses myself. I'm not going to do an official post for it, but I have uploaded it HERE for download (SFS). It's a bit tricky to use thanks to the way I made them (what I used for a 'wall'), but if you can figure out where to put the statues, you're golden for the whole scene. TOU: Don't claim as your own. Don't re-upload to any other site. C'mon, folks. I don't have to share, but I do it anyway.