sirenspull_logs | Oh stay, I need you here for a new day to break

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Oh stay, I need you here for a new day to break

Who: Duo and Claire (Maybe other HoA people later?)
When: Frontdate - March 22nd, early morning after sirens
Where: HoA
Summary: Duo is back, but he is most definitely not okay
Warnings: All the feels, guys. All the feels

He was shaking. He couldn't stop shaking. Every movement was heavy, slow, every breath strained in sore, aching lungs, every turn every twitch enough to make him want to cry out in pain all over again. He wasn't bleeding, but there was still blood. He wasn't injured, but there was still pain. He wanted to scream, but he wasn't sure if he even had a voice anymore after what happened.

It had been days - nearly a week, according to a newspaper stand he'd passed - but the memory was still fresh in his mind. Sylar's face, a street he didn't know, blood, and so, so much pain. His braid was no longer there, thick brown hair that was once over half his height was just... gone. Cut, taken, disposed of God knows where. Now his hair hung loose, a short, shaggy, razor-cut mess hidden under the hoodie he'd had on when he had died. His skin was pale. He looked positively sickly, and as he skirted along the early morning Siren's Port streets the few that were awake at that early hour passed him worried, concerned glances.

More worried for themselves, probably. He likely looked like a mad man, or at the very least closer to a zombie the way he was moving along, hunched and huddled, blue eyes darting around frantic and wide. Was he there waiting, ready to pounce and kill him again just for the fun of hearing him scream again? Or had Sylar gotten to Claire in his absence? He had no idea what to expect. All he knew was that he just wanted to cling to something until he could stop trembling like a frightened child.

Claire had told him where she was living now less than a week before, when they had shared a dinner at his house the very day they began dating officially. For as vivid as the memories of his murder were, that wonderful warm night seemed so distant and hazy now. Would they ever get that feeling back now, after all this? Or would it all be pretend, another mask to add to the one he already wore?

He didn't know. His mind was a muddled, jumbled, racing mess. Not so much that he couldn't navigate to her place, but enough that he stumbled and had to backtrack more than once.

His trembling hadn't stopped even by the time he reached her place, and he didn't so much knock on the door as he slumped against it, forehead to the cold material of it while his fist just banged weakly.

"Come on... answer... please, please answer..." he pleaded, voice cracking and fist knocking louder. "Claire! Answer the door!"

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Mr. Muggles' barking awakened her. She rolled over onto her side, squinting at the door. The faint voice got her out of bed quickly. The blanket trailed out of bed with her as she sprinted to the door, pushing the Pomeranian out of the way.

She had been a wreck, determined to do nothing but kill Sylar and find Duo. Unfortunately, she hadn't been able to do either. Mr. Muggles jumped up, so excited his nose nearly reached the hem of Claire's shorts. Tears came immediately once she saw him, guilt and relief flooding through her body.

"Duo." She jumped up, throwing her arms around him, her own body shaking trying to contain her sobbing. "Duo, I'm sorry."

He didn't want to cry. He'd been trying to hold it in despite how terrified and freaked out he was. But as soon as she was hugging him and crying herself he couldn't keep it contained anymore. He tried to say her name, but all that came out was a choked, pained sob as he wrapped his shaking arms around her tightly.

He buried his face in her hair, tears finally slipping free. Everything hurt and he still couldn't stop shaking, but as long as he had her to hold he didn't care.

"I'm so sorry-" All she could do was apologize. She still didn't know the full story behind it, but she felt responsible for it- at least partly. Sylar had said that he would go after her friends, those she cared for, and she knew that threat was real. She hadn't taken it lightly. But having something like this happen reminded her that she couldn't save people, even those closest to her.

Her hug tightened, at this point unable to tell if she was crushing him or not. She couldn't bear the thought of him being hurt because of her.

"Duo." She pulled away from the hug, looking up at him. He looked awful; Claire felt a little sick looking at him. Claire didn't know what to say.

She wasn't crushing him. Yes, he was still hurting and felt like he'd gotten hit by a damn train, but the pain was better than feeling nothing.

When she pulled away, he stared back at her, shaking his head a few times. What could he say? Should he start at the beginning? Should he tell her not to apologize? He just didn't know.

Hands shaking, he pulled his hood back, revealing the mess that Sylar had made of his hair. It was cut just below the chin and what had been back in his braid caused the messy ends to curl in all directions. Dried blood was still splattered on his check and neck, staining his hoodie and the shirt he wore underneath. The color hadn't returned to his face completely yet and tears only added to how terrible he looked, but he didn't look quite like he was going to throw up anymore.

"Wh... whatever... he says... whatever he tries to make it sound like... Claire, I didn't--... I didn't go after him. I swear."

She inhaled sharply at the sight of his face. Seeing herself bloodied in the mirror was one thing; a quick flash to her Homecoming night, Jackie covered in blood, and Claire closed her eyes, shaking her head.

"It doesn't matter." But she feels a little better - not by much, of course - knowing that he hadn't actively tried to seek Sylar out. That had been how it had been with her; she couldn't get angry with him for just running into him. Or for Sylar going after him.

She took a step back, wiping at her eyes with the backs of her hands, trying to fight the feeling of her life falling apart. She'd just gotten used to the idea of being able to completely open up to somebody, and then ... this happened. Claire would understand if Duo never wanted to see her again, honestly; she didn't want him to be around her when shit like this could happen.

"I'm not going to let him get away with this." Her voice was quiet but strong; she was determined not to let Sylar get away with this.

"Okay..."

He wasn't going to argue with her, with either point. It pissed him off, knowing that Sylar was probably making it sound like he had been the problem, but there was nothing he could do about it. The same could be said for Claire going after him. At least she could survive it. He was just glad she was there. He needed that right now.

"I need... I need to move... he knows where I am. Where I live... fuck..."

A shaking breath was pulled in through clenched teeth, hand going to his hair, teeth coming down on his lower lip to stop a sob that wanted to escape at feeling just how short it was. The pounding of a migraine in his head was not helping how he felt.

But never mind how he felt. What about Claire? She was pissed, understandably so, but he could still see worry in her eyes when she looked at him. Did she think he was going to leave her because of this?

"... I'm not... I'm not gonna run away from you, Claire. Yeah, he scared the hell outta me... but I'd be stupid if that sent me runnin'."

"That would be the smart thing to do, Duo. I- he did this because of me." It would be stupid for him to stay with her when it was obvious that Sylar wasn't going to be leaving her, her friends, or her family alone anytime soon. Then again, believing that he actually would was stupid and naive. Anything Sylar said had to be taken with a grain of salt.

"What about your roommates?" If she had a permanent place to stay, she'd offer him to move in with her; but, seeing as how she was technically 'on the run', that kind of lifestyle probably wouldn't be too comfortable for Duo. Mr. Muggles didn't seem to like it that much, either.

"Me? Smart."

A derisive snort. It wasn't so much at her as it was at the situation. He should be smart. He should run, and never look back. Leave her, leave her to the insanity that came with the world she'd been pulled from and just get the hell out.

He should.

But he didn't want to.

He had survived two wars. Two. No fucked up man that could kill him time and time again without so much as a thought was going to send him away with his tail between his legs. Not when he cared that much about Claire.

"No."

He shook his head, a shaking hand lifting to touch her cheek gently.

"I'll... figure out something for Ion. He's resilient. If he has to be on his own... it's better that way. But I'm not leaving you. Okay?"

She hesitated, looking up at him. This must have been how West felt when she was being stubborn to the point of being stupid, reckless. The only pain she could feel now was emotional, but it might as well have been physical. A build-up of rage towards Sylar had hit its peak when she found his braid at Peter's apartment.

She inhaled sharply, bringing a hand up to his on her cheek, holding it and bringing it down. "You'll just keep getting hurt. I was stupid thinking that Sylar would leave me.alone here."

But he seemed determined to stay. Despite all that had and most likely could happen to him. She wanted him to stay, but putting him in danger because of that was selfish.

"Then I'll keep getting hurt. I don't care. If I cared about getting hurt, I wouldn't have been a soldier. And if I cared about Sylar hurting me I wouldn't have come back here."

To say he wasn't still shaken would have been a lie. He was. He'd faced death many times, he had even called himself a God of Death in another life, but to actually die and come back from it... that was unnerving.

Unnerving, but an odd, strange relief now that he was standing with Claire again. He grabbed her hand before she could push his away completely, gentle enough to just thread his fingers through hers.

"Be honest, Claire ... do you want me to leave?"

"No." It was a knee-jerk reaction to what he said. She squeezed his hand gently, trying to smile. She wanted him to be safe, but she wanted him with her, too. It was genuine; maybe not something as strong as love, but it was still a strong emotion she felt for him. More than a friend.

"I want you to stay. And I want you to be safe." That was the biggest problem, really. Sylar had shown himself to be determined to keep following her around back home, and he had begun that cycle again here, so he would keep coming after just as often as she would go after him. She didn't want Duo in the middle of it.

Claire stood on the tips of her toes, wrapping an arm around his neck and craning her neck up. "Just promise me you won't try to go after him."

That was her job.

"I promise."

There was no hesitation. He didn't even need to think about it. He didn't want to face down Sylar again. The warning had been given and this time he intended to listen to it and not do what his normal fighter instincts told him to do. Claire' wanted him safe and he had every intention of staying that way as much as he could.

He wrapped his arms around her tightly, finally feeling his shaking start to quell. His stomach continued to ache, but the longer he was there the calmer he felt.

"Hey... sorry to ask but... can I crash here for a coupla days? I'll sleep on the floor or whatever. Not tryin' to take advantage of you or anything..."

She smiled into his shoulder, giving a short laugh. "Yeah, that's fine. And you can sleep in the bed, Duo; it's big enough for the both of us."

Mr. Muggles probably wouldn't be too happy having to share, but he'd have to get used to it. She'd talk to Deadpool the next day about having him stay; she wasn't planning on staying for much longer, anyway.

"I won't be here for too much longer. I'm thinking of moving in with Helen soon."

"Alright, if you're sure.. I'll try not to hog it too much," he joked quietly, a tiny smile finally showing on his face. The dog was just going to have to deal with another person there for a day or two.

"Pro'ly a good idea. I doubt I'll take long to find another place. I just need a day to get my head together."

Speaking of...

"Uh... think you could help with... this?"

He pulled back, pointing at the current, rather unattractive mess that was his hair. He really did not pull off the page boy look at all.

"Anything is better than what it looks like right now."

Claire recoiled slightly at the sight. It was definitely not the most attractive haircut she'd ever seen. "Yeah, I...should be able to do something with it."

She wasn't sure if there were any scissors around, but there might have been in the common room. "Do you want to hop into the shower while I find some scissors?"

He smirked a bit at her expression. He'd caught himself in the reflection of a window shortly after waking and had just about the same reaction.

"God, yeah. Please... I feel gross..."

He had no idea what he was going to do about his clothes, but for the moment he just wanted the rest of himself to be clean. Clothing could be worried about later.

She flashed him a smile, then motioned towards the bathroom. "It's in there. Towels should be in the cupboard. I'll try and find you something else to wear that's lying around."

And be sure to return it. But there was probably something generic enough just laying around the house.

"I'll be right back." She leaned up to give him a quick peck on the cheek before leaving.

Duo grinned a little at the kiss on his cheek, actually a little surprised at it.

"'kay. Thanks," he said, watching her leave before heading for the cupboard to find the towels.

She made her way down to the common room, taking her time and looking for any clothing. She checked underneath the furniture (where weirder things had appeared), inside the drawers on the stands, anywhere she thought somebody would have clothes lying around; nothing.

She scowled, wiping at her forehead before heading back to the room empty-handed. Her clothes probably wouldn't fit him, but he could wrap himself in a towel while his clothes went through the laundry or something like that.

Claire waited in her room for Duo to stop showering, Mr. Muggles in her lap. She had gotten into the habit of brushing him when she got anxious; like her mom did. It seemed to make him happier and it busied her hands.

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Oh stay, I need you here for a new day to break

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/sneaks in a tag while waiting at cinetopia

<3

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