A Rumored Troublemaker And A Control Freak In A Room[CD]

As William spoke, Tavish slowly sat up. At first, only supporting himself with his elbows, until he pushed himself up so that he was upright again. He watched William as he openly spoke of his nightmares, though not about them. It felt like the other was asking Tavish to be there whenever he had them.

Considering what had happened earlier and what Spirit told him about how William handled them, he could see why William would imply that he's asking for a bit of help with them. Put in his shoes, Tavish would want the same thing. Human contact too, he imagined.

There was also that part where William had hit his head on something, though Tavish didn't know how it happened exactly. He was slow to react that time because it was unexpected and he had been in a semi-sleeping state then. He'll have to be faster next time as to avoid any more accidents. Also, would it be better if William slept on the other end of the bed instead? Or would he fall off of it?

Tavish realized where his train of thought was heading. He was coming in too deep too quick. William and hadn't even bonded for long yet and he was already thinking of all that, worrying about William like that. He blamed it on the intimidating spirits that challenged his capability of keeping his word, but even that was only an excuse to make himself feel better about not being able to stop himself from caring. Then again, he truly did not want somebody else to experience what he experienced. And maybe, just maybe, he saw a little bit of Finnegan in William.

He was quiet and staring at the floor when he caught the movement. He looked at William and saw the flood coming. He wanted to say something, do something. However it seemed that he was still blank. Thankfully, Spirit was there to do something before the seed got trampled on without it even being planted deep enough yet.

The subjects was thankfully changed. Tavish felt a smile stretch his lips in amusement again as he watched the two interact. And from what he gathered, William listened to something that was not at all soothing to the ears or relaxing. It could be anything. Rock, punk, metal and all the other genres and subgenres were possible choices. Tavish was not familiar with most of those, but at least he had a guess.

"I don't think I would even want to know what kind of music you listen to. And truthfully, sucking at it isn't a problem. I'll get better and better with practice." He paused to look at the guitar. "I just..."

He licked his lips. How should he even explain it? It wasn't being nervous. If it ha been jitters over an audience, he would have known. It wasn't embarrassment or fear of it either. He shook his head and sighed. Even now, he's at a lost for words, huh? "Like I said, I got nothing..." he reasoned. A half truth, because his fingers could have moved on their own like they always did when he held the guitar.

Tavish wanted to reach for the instrument. See if he could summon a song from his mind, see if it really wasn't stage fright. He had three persons as an audience. He's delivered speeches in front of an auditorium full of students. If it did turn out that it was stage fright, Tavish wouldn't know what to do with himself. Music and delivering speeches didn't differ much after all.

"Well, we're not," he said instead, occupying himself with replying with that instead of focusing too much on keeping his hands resting on the edge of the mattress. "Because I haven't given a move in gift and you haven't received one. It's not exactly fair or even because we haven't exchanged ends yet. Don't think I'm not curious about being on the giving end."

He eyed William with a bit of a smirk, then his eyes went to look at Spirit. If he didn't know that the wolf was a spirit meant to protect William, he would have been worried for the boy for always pissing Spirit off. That muzzle certainly looked powerful enough to chop off a finger or hand.

"I never said anything was wrong with them," Tavish said in his defense. He raised an eyebrow when William stated he didn't listen to music to relax. It was quite strange because that's exactly what people did. Whatever genre it is, music would always help them feel less stressed, easier, lighter--relaxed. Not that Tavish would know how metalheads ever felt anything relaxing from listening to brutal rifts and screaming and drummers gone madly epileptic.

The brunette frowned when William passed judgment on his playing even without having heard him yet. The boy was trying to ruffle Tavish again, get him to snap. But he can't, he won't, because Tavish made a vow to the two spirits and to himself. He took the challenge and there was no way he'll be backing down from it this early on. "Finnegan, you better not turn out like this," he grumbled under his breath quietly before he heaved a sigh.

He decided he'll ignore everything William would throw at him. It was better not to react than to give a negative reaction at all. At least not until the subject was changed into something safer, easier.

"I'm taking this too seriously?" Tavish echoed with an amused smile. "Let's say that. What's wrong with it? Like I said before, I don't like being in debt. Be it favor or material. Besides, don't you want something back? Like a favor?"

Because William just reminded Tavish how far apart they actually were when it came to social status and wealth. William was loaded and known while Tavish belonged to the middle class and was pretty much just as famous as the next guy. Or not. Maybe he was a little infamous, but nothing beyond petty school rumors. William was prominent.

"Because favors should work perfectly fine for you. You've got your factory, probably even more than one, and other things," Tavish added. "But favors aren't always paid for, you know? So why not keep this little thing we've got here and use it for later when you need it?"

Tavish waited stubbornly. He grinned when William finally agreed to taking the 'favor', though he hid it once William sat down and looked at him. "Unless you're actually good at studying, I might make you do my homework for me," William said and Tavish's eyebrow simply raised.

It had to be a trick. William might act like a brat to teachers, but Tavish has heard that he had brains, too. Rumors circulated around the kid's close to genius level IQ, though that may have been an exaggeration on the chatterbox's part. Tavish belonged under the high IQ category. He bet William might be in the same area as well.

"You still sure you want to own me that favour after all?"

"I'm sure. But I know you're not going to waste your favor on something like that. I know you're a smart guy, William," Tavish replied. He paused. The other's name on his tongue sounded strange and natural at the same time. Tavish didn't usually use names when he's talking to other people like this. Usually, others' names were said with an imperative or two attached.

"You don't have to think about what you want that favor to be yet, really." And there it was. The imperative--or was it a suggestion? Does his friendlier, more open tone change anything even? Tavish licked his bottom lip and continued anyway. "I mean it. Take it as somewhat a... moving in favor or whatever." If there were such things, which he doubted.

Tavish chuckled when William stated the last bit. He surprised himself with the reaction, though he tried not to show it. This was the closest he's made to a friend so far without Finnegan or Pauline to help him out. And it doesn't matter to him that he wanted to hit the kid with a brick to the head earlier or that William was constantly surrounded by two very real spirits who were ready to chew or slice his head off any time he gives up on growing that tree. Those things didn't even come to mind. The laugh came as natural as William's name had.

And it was so strange that it was starting to scare Tavish a little, truthfully. His hope was growing larger and larger by the second, even though he knows what William was capable of, what sort of damage, drought or fire he could give their seed.

On the other hand, he just had to wonder, 'Is this the same way I'd feel if somebody tried to reach out to me like this?'

"You never know," he responded, his manner joking and teasing. "Maybe they've given you a factory that produces sour candies or something."

Tavish was biting his lip and staring at his guitar so he hadn't noticed much of William's silent freezing. He looked up with a smirk when Spirit spoke up and confirmed what Tavish had just said. And of course they just had to have a spat again.

It was almost a constant between them. Tavish was somehow getting used to that, at least. That knowledge however made him aware of how quiet Warrior actually was. For a second, he felt that maybe Warrior had always wanted to say something, maybe speak to William like he spoke to Tavish earlier. Straightforward and firm, but also gentle in a way.

Tavish quickly remembered Pauline during the times she felt challenged or stressed. She would shut down and shut everything out. Honestly, that worried Tavish a lot, at first, but she always came to talk to him about everything once she felt relaxed and safe enough.

Warrior was different in many ways, obviously. He's a spiritual being for one; a man who is dressed like a ninja--it doesn't matter what William said because that's how Tavish will always see Warrior now--and is probably above murder if it means protecting William; and many other things strongly contrasted Warrior and Pauline. His silence reminded Tavish of his sister though, which in turn made him feel a stroke of nostalgia.

It was easy to ignore it when he focused on William and Spirit's bickering. Even easier once William's bitter and somewhat dark tone changed the lightest atmosphere they've shared so far in the room. Tavish frowned at the slight revelation. He couldn't understand it, moreover imagine it, from William's shoes. He could try pity, but that was what he promised would do even though he hasn't explicitly stated that.

The statement was followed by a half-hearted jest. Tavish didn't laugh or smile. He only looked away and chewed on the inside of his cheek. "Somebody once told me that... you'll only know those who really deserve you after you see how they react when they see you in your worst," he stated quietly. He glanced at William and shrugged carelessly, a gesture he used to hide how much that statement really meant to him. "Just something I would always remember whenever people start treating me like shit, or try using me for their advantages."

"It is," Tavish agreed, his eyes with a faraway look before he looked at William's smirk. He said nothing to that and stayed quiet. William took his turn soon enough.

"The thing with my family is a bit more complicated, though," William stated. Tavish watched him play with Spirit's ears. "It has nothing to do with the best or the worst or who deserves who."

And in that split second before William continued, Tavish recalled the pain of being the parent because his own parents couldn't take the time with them. Too busy preparing for their kids' futures but losing their kids in the present... and the future. He recalled Pauline's nightmares. No gentle mother beside her, just Tavish and Finnegan. On a business trip for her 'biggest feature article'. And Finnegan's championship photos where Tavish was standing proudly next to him instead of a supportive father. In court, defending somebody else's son.

But during his own graduation, the whole family was complete. Father and mother and siblings beside a toga-wearing, freckled, round-faced son. His heart bled... because his siblings felt unloved after that. They felt that only he was important to their parents.

"I'm just something they hate and that is that."

So Tavish showed them he cared about them even more than he did before. And he did what he promised he'd do with William. He didn't abandon them.

"I figured that that advice had a fallacy," he said. Family is out of the question, no matter what. He didn't continue though. William probably got his gist. Tavish couldn't really say anything about what happened. At least now, he's got a clearer perception of why William's come here instead of staying at home. But that doesn't mean that what William said is true in its entirety. Tavish usually didn't hope for the best for others, but he found himself hoping that William could have just misunderstood something, that there was a reason he thinks his family hates him.

Tavish looked at William. He caught the emotion in them and he second-guessed himself. This time, he wisely chose not to speak anymore. It seemed that he's pushed his luck and now he's mostly spouting words that might just trample the seed they've just planted.

He felt the pang of hunger tease his stomach and looked at the time on his phone. "I'm going to get dinner," he announced as he pulled himself up. He took his wallet from the top of the bedside table and paused. He turned to look at William. "You coming?"